Bangkok to Singapore by Luxury Train

Filed in archive En Route on February 15, 2008

I'll end this week's train theme with a post about one of the world's most storied rail routes. Many a British colonial authority and many a Chinese business person has ridden the rails between Singapore, Penang, and Bangkok.

This was long the most convenient way to travel between Southeast Asia's hub cities. Today, however, convenience is not a motive for the three day trip between Bangkok and Singapore. A plane would be on the ground at Changi Airport before the train had even made it out of Bangkok's suburbs.

But, for those who want to experience luxury train travel, the Eastern and Oriental Express, which runs between Bangkok and Singapore is the way to travel. We're talking a personal sleeper complete with steward. A dining car and a bar car. There is even an open air car where you can watch the lush tropical scenery rush past. I challenge any airplane's first class section to compete with that. This old-school video sums up the trip pretty well.



Yes, a trip on the Eastern and Oriental Express will set you back over $2,000. This includes a chance to get off the train for some guided tours of sites like the Kwai River and Penang's historic Georgetown. It all sounds very colonial, I know. But I can't think of a better way to transport yourself into a bygone era.