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Voykit pocket guide · Thailand
Phitsanulok
พิษณุโลก
Stay one night, not three: use Phitsanulok as a rail and bus stop between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, and as the base for Sukhothai.
Phitsanulok sits roughly halfway between Bangkok and Chiang Mai on the northern rail line, about 377 km from the capital, and it is the transport hub for the lower north. The city itself is a working Thai provincial capital of around 80,000 people with one big temple, Wat Phra Sri Rattana Mahathat, and a riverfront night market. Most travellers pass through on the way to Sukhothai, 58 km west, or break a long train ride here. It rewards one night and a morning, not a week.
- Country
- Thailand
- Local name
- พิษณุโลก
- Best months
- Nov–Feb
- Avoid
- Mar–Apr (smoke and heat), Sep–Oct (wettest)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- THB
- Money
- Currency is the Thai baht (THB, ฿). Cards work in malls, hotels and many restaurants; street food, markets, boats and small taxis are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ฿700–1,200 excl. bed · Mid ฿1,200–2,500 excl. bed · High ฿2,500+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AIS and TrueMove H sell tourist SIMs at airport arrivals; passport registration is required.
- Emergency
- Police 191 · Ambulance and rescue 1669 · Tourist police 1155
- Plugs
- Types A, B, C, O · 220 V · 50 Hz · Most sockets take flat US pins and round European pins; type O is the Thai three-pin standard. UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Street food: Nothing.; Sit-down restaurant: Leave ฿20–100 or the coins; skip it if a 10% service charge is on the bill.; Taxi / Grab: Round up to the next ฿10 or ฿20.; Massage: ฿50–100 per hour to the therapist, in hand.; Guide / driver day: ฿300–500 for the guide, ฿200–300 for the driver.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: ฿20–50.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap. Street refill machines charge about ฿1 a litre; bottled water everywhere.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in malls and hotels; squat toilets with a water bucket in rural stops. The hose ('bum gun') replaces paper; paper goes in the bin in older buildings. Some public toilets cost ฿3–5.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Riverside noodle soup (kuai tiao) | ฿40–70 |
| Grilled chicken (gai yang) with sticky rice | ฿50–90 |
| Bubble tea | ฿20–25 |
| Cake and coffee in a café | ฿80–150 |
| Tuk-tuk, short hop in town | ฿40–60 |
| Bus to Sukhothai, one way | ฿40 |
| Train to Bangkok or Chiang Mai, 2nd class | ฿250–450 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- PHS · Phitsanulok Airport
- About 3 km south of the centre; Nok Air flights to and from Bangkok Don Mueang (DMK), roughly 50 min. Bus 4 and tuk-tuks reach town for about ฿10–20.About 1.9 mi south of the centre; Nok Air flights to and from Bangkok Don Mueang (DMK), roughly 50 min. Bus 4 and tuk-tuks reach town for about ฿10–20.
Typical fares
- Tuk-tuk, train station → Wat Yai
- ฿40–60
- Bus, Terminal 1 → Sukhothai
- ฿40, about 1 h, every 45 min 07:00–18:30฿40, about 1 h, every 45 min 7:00 AM–6:30 PM
- Train, Phitsanulok → Bangkok
- about 6–7 h, 2nd class from around ฿250
Get around
The centre is walkable: train station to Wat Yai is about 1.5 km, 20 minutes on foot. Tuk-tuks cover short hops for around ฿40–60; public buses run to the bus stations and the airport. Rent a motorbike only if you are licensed and insured — rates start near ฿200–250 a day.The centre is walkable: train station to Wat Yai is about 0.9 mi, 20 minutes on foot. Tuk-tuks cover short hops for around ฿40–60; public buses run to the bus stations and the airport. Rent a motorbike only if you are licensed and insured — rates start near ฿200–250 a day.
See and do
Known for
- Wat Phra Sri Rattana Mahathat (Wat Yai) and the Phra Buddha Chinnarat
- Phitsanulok as a Bangkok–Chiang Mai rail and bus stop
- Gateway to Sukhothai
- Nan River night market and riverside noodles
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Sukhothai Historical Park | Air-conditioned bus from Bus Terminal 1, about every 45 min, 07:00–18:30, ฿40, 58 kmAir-conditioned bus from Bus Terminal 1, about every 45 min, 7:00 AM–6:30 PM, ฿40, 58 kmAir-conditioned bus from Bus Terminal 1, about every 45 min, 07:00–18:30, ฿40, 36 miAir-conditioned bus from Bus Terminal 1, about every 45 min, 7:00 AM–6:30 PM, ฿40, 36 mi | About 1 h 15 min |
| Kamphaeng Phet | Bus south from Bus Terminal 1 or 2 | About 1.5–2 h |
| Khao Kho (Wat Phrathat Pha Sorn Kaew) | Bus from the main station, about ฿80 one way, then a 25-min uphill walk or a lift on a pickup | About 2.5 h |
| Uttaradit | Train or bus north | About 1.5–2 h |
Sleep
- Train station and Naresuan Road
- Best for one night with bags: guesthouses, cheap hotels and the night market within a 10-minute walk.
- Riverside near Wat Yai
- Quieter, walkable to the temple and the riverside noodle alley; a handful of hostels and cafés.
- Mittraphap Road (east)
- Chain hotels and malls near the highway; needs a bus or tuk-tuk for the centre, so only for drivers.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | สวัสดีsawatdee |
| Thank you | ขอบคุณkhop khun |
| How much is it? | เท่าไหร่tao rai |
| Not spicy, please | ไม่เผ็ดmai phet |
| Where is the toilet? | ห้องน้ำอยู่ไหนhong nam yu nai |
| Please take me to this address | ไปที่อยู่นี้pai thi yu ni |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A wai (palms together, slight bow) to return a greeting; a smile and nod for shop staff; avoid: Waiing children or service staff first — it confuses; hugging strangers
- Head and feet: Keep feet on the floor, sit with legs folded to the side in temples; avoid: Touching heads (even children's), pointing feet, stepping over people or food
- Temples: Covered shoulders and knees, shoes off, sit lower than monks; avoid: Women touching monks or handing them things directly; climbing Buddha images
- Monarchy: Stand for the royal anthem in cinemas and at 08:00 and 18:00 in public places; avoid: Any joke or comment about the royal family; stepping on a banknote
- Keeping calm: Stay polite and smiling when things go wrong ('jai yen' — cool heart); avoid: Raising your voice; public anger loses the argument
- Names: Khun plus first name ('Khun Somchai'); nicknames are normal; avoid: Using the family name alone
- Home visit: Shoes off; bring fruit or sweets; step over the threshold, not on it; avoid: Sitting with feet towards the family shrine
- Beckoning and pointing: Palm down, fingers waved towards you; point with the whole hand or chin; avoid: Pointing at people with a finger or with your foot
Scams and watch-outs
- Bus Terminal 1 (regional, 2 km east of the station) and Bus Terminal 2 (long-distance, about 7 km further east) are separate: confirm which one your ticket uses.
- Arriving from the north, buses often stop at Terminal 2 first, then continue to Terminal 1.
- Bus stops and signage are in Thai only; have your destination written in Thai.
- March–April brings farm-burning smoke across the lower north; air quality can be poor.
- Vegetarian food is hard to find — dishes labelled meat-free often contain chicken or beef stock.
Phitsanulok is a calm provincial city and violent crime against visitors is rare. The real risks are road traffic, unlit pavements at night, and heat in April; keep bags zipped in the night market and agree tuk-tuk fares first.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Phitsanulok yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Wat Phra Sri Rattana Mahathat (Wat Yai) and the Phra Buddha Chinnarat
- Phitsanulok as a Bangkok–Chiang Mai rail and bus stop
- Gateway to Sukhothai
- Nan River night market and riverside noodles
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Tourism Authority of Thailand: www.tourismthailand.org
- State Railway of Thailand: www.railway.co.th
- Wikivoyage: Phitsanulok, revision 5241219 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5241219
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Phitsanulokพิษณุโลก
ไปที่อยู่นี้
Please take me to this address
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Phitsanulok; the US, UK, Canadian and Australian missions are in Bangkok. Immigration for visa extensions is at the office opposite the main post office on the river (check hours).
Tourist Authority of Thailand office: 209/7-8 Borom Trailokanat Rd, 5–7 min walk south of the train station, 08:30–16:30 daily.Tourist Authority of Thailand office: 209/7-8 Borom Trailokanat Rd, 5–7 min walk south of the train station, 8:30 AM–4:30 PM daily.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/phitsanulok). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.