The perfect visa run to Laos by train
One great way to renew your visa is to go to Laos but how can you do this effectively? At the time of this writing it is the most lenient embassy to go to in the region. This article relates to tourist visas, but can also be used as a reference to other types of visas. It will be laid out as a list of how to get this done by train.
How long does this Laos visa run by train take altogether?
From Bangkok or Pattaya, the total time is about 78 hours. 1 night in the train and 2 nights in a hotel in Laos. If you want you might wish to stay longer in Laos but there really isn’t much to do over there…while the country does have charm, the streets are pretty deserted (especially in low season) and there isn’t much to do. For the embassy part, you are looking at 24 hours only. You drop off the passport before noon in the morning on day I and you pick it up the following day II between 1-3 pm.
How much will the whole trip cost?
This will depend on your entertainment budget, so I will give you a detailed list of the cost of a Laos visa run by train at the bottom of this article. The visa fees for Laos also vary depending on your nationaltiy, fees can be seen here. However, roughly you are looking at about 8000-10 000 Thai baht per run for a single entry run. I will outlay the cost of other options below.
Cost List
Bus from Pattaya to Bangkok and back: 260 baht
Train from Bangkok to Nongkai and back
Skytrain and metro from Ekamai to Huahlampung station and back 104 baht
Tuk Tuk from train station to nonkai border: 40 baht
Visa for Laos average 1200 baht
Bus from Thai border to Laos border 20 baht(rides over the Mekong river bridge)
Hotel Room in Laos 1200 baht ( 2 nights)
Laos border to Vientiane: 20 baht by public bus or 400 baht shared taxi
Vientiane to border: 60 baht by air con bus or 30 baht by regular city bus.
Scheduling your trip:
Get to North Pattaya road at 3 pm and board the bus, make sure to catch a bus BEFORE 4 pm to give you extra time in case of delays, trains don’t wait for late passengers! Try to leave on weekdays if possible because the buses are less crowded and you can get the seat all to yourself! Read how the bus is better than other modes of transport to go to Bangkok from Pattaya. The train will leave Bangkok at 20:00 hours, it’s an overnight train so you can sleep during the travel, usually you get to Nongkhai the following morning at about 9 am, but this varies greatly, don’t count on the train to make the embassy before noon, although it is possible and lately the trains seem to be running more on time than before. The safe way to do it is to reserve 2 nights in Laos, first day to get there and sleep, 2 nd day to drop off the passport in the morning, 3rd day to pick it up and head back to Thailand.