Thailand - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 780

flowering vines, to reveal whitewashed -
now peeling and pleasingly mottled -
chedis and gazebos, as well as the king's
summer house, Phra Nakhon Khiri, and
observatory, now a museum (daily
8.30am-4pm; B150). It's reached on foot
from near the western end of hanon
Rajwithi or by cable car from the western
base of the hill off Highway 4 (daily
8.30am-4.30pm; B40); songthaews from
Chomrut Bridge should drop you close
to either access point. he hill is
populated by a large number of monkeys,
who can be aggressive, so keep your
distance and don't carry food.

hanon Sala Daeng, running north-south,
is the city's main stem, a good place to
orient yourself, and the place to head to for
most amenities. If you do find yourself
stuck here and hungry, then follow the
smells to the night market on east-west
hanon Kromluang Chumphon.

10

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
BY PLANE
Nok Air (2 daily; 1hr 10min) flies from Don Muang to
Chumphon Airport, which is 40km north of town, and sells
through-tickets to Ko Tao with Lomprayah. Happy Air flies
once daily (except Tues; 1hr; W happyair.co.th) from
Suvarnabhumi. A/c minibuses to hotels in Chumphon will
cost B150/person (B600/vehicle).

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By bus Phetchaburi is served mostly by through-buses on
their way to or from Bangkok. Highway 4 passes right
through the west side of town - ask to get off at “Sii Yaek
Phetcharat”, the crossroads by Phetcharat Hospital, about
2km southwest of Chomrut Bridge (catch a songthaew or
motorbike taxi). The station for dedicated Phetchaburi-
Bangkok buses is close to the night market, and there are
a/c minibuses to Bangkok's Victory Monument just east of
here across the river; from the night market, it's an easy
10min walk south to Chomrut Bridge.
Destinations

BY BOAT
Tickets for all boats are sold by travel agents and guest-
houses in town. As well as the services below, there are
several different night boats (B200-400 depending on
quality; pick-ups from town extra), which take about 6hr
to reach Ko Tao. Lomprayah and Songserm tickets include
transport to the pier from town, with pick-ups available
even from guesthouses and from the station, including off
the overnight train from Bangkok that arrives around 4am.
Lomprayah Catamaran O ce at the train station
T 077 558212-3, W lomprayah.com. Twice daily from Ao
Thung Makham Noi, 27km south of Chumphon; 1hr 45min
to Ko Tao (B600); around 3hr 30min to Ko Pha Ngan
(B1000); around 4hr to Maenam, Ko Samui (B1100).
Songserm Express O ce at the train station T 077
506205, W songserm-expressboat.com. Daily from Pak
Nam, about 20km south of Chumphon; 3hr to Ko Tao
(B500); around 5hr to Ko Pha Ngan (B900).

Bangkok (4-7 daily; 2hr 15min); Chumphon
(roughly hourly; 5hr); Nakhon Si Thammarat (2 daily;
12-13hr); Surat Thani (10 daily; 7hr).
By train The train station is about 1km northwest of
Chomrut Bridge.
Destinations Bangkok (Hualamphong 10 daily, Thonburi
Station 3 daily; 3hr); Chumphon (10 daily; 4hr-6hr
30min); Surat Thani (8 daily; 6hr 45min-9hr).

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Decent, cheap accommodation is in short supply in
Phetchaburi.
Rabieng Rimnum Guest House Beside Chomrut Bridge
at 1 Th Chisa-in T 032 425707. Situated in a century-old
teak house, this guesthouse offers basic rooms with hard
mattresses and shared facilities; it can get noisy, so ask for a
room away from the road. The staff are helpful and can
provide a town map, and the riverside restaurant serves a
range of excellent Thai food (from B60) accom panied by a
blues and Americana soundtrack. Double B240

BY BUS AND MINIBUS
The government bus station is 11km south of town on
Highway 4, where buses to all points north and south will
call in; it's connected to the centre by songthaews (B50/
person). Long-distance services will sometimes drop in
town; two Bangkok a/c buses a day drop off and pick up on
Th Tawee Sinka, west of TAT. Among private bus services,
Chokeanan Tour buses to Bangkok (4 daily; 8hr) and some
Rungkit buses to Phuket (5 daily; 7hr), via Ranong and
Khao Lak, start from Th Pracha Uthit, which runs southeast
from Th Sala Daeng. Ask at TAT or your guesthouse about
a/c minibuses from Chumphon to places such as Krabi and
Ko Lanta, most of which are tourist services organized by
travel agents.

CHUMPHON
CHUMPHON is the main departure point
for Ko Tao, and can also give access to the
more distant islands of Ko Pha Ngan and
Ko Samui, but is otherwise of little interest.

BY TRAIN
The train station is 100m west of Th Sala Daeng on
Th Kromluang Chumphon.