Phitsanulok

Getting Here & Around

By Air

Thai Airways has daily flights from Bangkok and Chiang Mai. The airport is just 1 km (½ mi) from town.

By Bus

Buses to Phitsanulok regularly leave Bangkok's Northern Terminal. Fares on a 44-seat air-conditioned bus start at B259 for the six-hour trip. Phitsanulok's main bus terminal, on Highway 12, is the stop before Sukhothai, shaving 1½ hours off the journey and around B40 off the ticket price. The terminal also has buses for travel to and from Chiang Mai via Lampang or via Phrae and Phayao, and to Khon Kaen via Lomsak. The terminal is located downtown, just 1 km (½ mi) from Wat Phra Si Mahatat (known locally as Wat Yai).

Between Phitsanulok and Sukhothai there are regular, non-air-conditioned buses for pennies, which depart roughly every hour; the trip takes about 1½ hours.

By Car

A car is a good way to get around the region. Highway 12 from Sukhothai is a long, straight, and reasonably comfortable 59-km (37-mi), one-hour drive. To get to the Phitsanulok from Bangkok, take the four-lane Highway 117; the drive from Bangkok takes about 4½ hours. Both Avis and Budget have desks at the Phitsanulok airport. Costs for renting economy cars up to SUVs range from B1,500 to B3,500 per day without drivers; count on an additional B1,000 a day for a car and driver. Make sure to request an English-speaking driver. Bigger hotels in Phitsanulok offer chauffeur services at similar prices, but are more tour-oriented and generally offer no more than a one-day trip.

By Samlor

There's a cheap, cramped, tin-can bus service within Phitsanulok, but unless ovens are your thing, you're best off using the motorized samlors or the more eco-friendly pedal-powered ones.