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Voykit pocket guide · Thailand
Trat
ตราด
Treat Trat as a 1‑night transit stop en route to the eastern islands; skip if you can go direct by bus or ferry.
Trat is a small border town on Thailand's southeast coast, mainly a gateway to Ko Chang, Ko Mak and Ko Kood. Most visitors spend a night before catching a ferry or use it as a quick stop on a Cambodia visa run. Walking covers the market, temples and night market; motorbike taxis cost about 20 baht for short trips.
- Country
- Thailand
- Local name
- ตราด
- Best months
- Nov–Feb (dry, cooler)
- Avoid
- May–Oct (rainy season, hotter)
- 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 ฿500–800 excl. bed · Mid ฿800–1,200 excl. bed · High ฿1,200+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AIS and TrueMove H sell tourist SIMs at airport arrivals; passport registration is required.
- Emergency
- Police 191 · 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 |
|---|---|
| Street food snack | 30–60 baht |
| Bottled water (500 ml) | 10–15 baht |
| Motorbike taxi (short ride) | 20 baht |
| Bus to Bangkok (1st class) | 252 baht |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- TDX · Trat Airport
- Bangkok Airways daily from Suvarnabhumi; about 17 km (11 mi) to Ko Chang ferriesBangkok Airways daily from Suvarnabhumi; about 11 mi (17 km) to Ko Chang ferries
Typical fares
- Trat Airport → Bangkok (Bangkok Airways)
- ≈ 1,200 baht, 45 min
- Trat bus depot → Laem Ngop ferry
- ≈ 30 min, 30 baht minibus (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The town is walkable; motorbike taxis 20 baht for short hops; songthaews depart from the market area when full.
See and do
Known for
- Gateway to eastern islands
- City Pillar Shrine
- Wat Buppharam
- Old shophouses
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Ko Chang ferry terminal (Laem Ngop) | Minibus from Trat bus depot, 15–20 km (9.3–12 mi), ~30 minMinibus from Trat bus depot, 9.3–12 mi (15–20 km), ~30 min | ≈45 min |
| Hat Lek border crossing | Minibus from Trat bus depot, 90 km (56 mi), ~2 hMinibus from Trat bus depot, 56 mi (90 km), ~2 h | ≈2 h |
Sleep
- Ban Jai Dee Guest House
- Fan room, shared bathroom, 250 baht
- Dream Guesthouse
- Twin fan rooms from ~100 baht
- Rimklong Boutique Hotel
- Small hotel near downtown, ~1,500 baht
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| How much? | เท่าไหร่tâo‑rai |
| Thank you | ขอบคุณkhàawp‑khun |
| Where is the ferry? | เรือข้ามฝั่งอยู่ที่ไหนrʉ́a kʰâm‑fâŋ yù‑têe‑năi |
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
- Night market closes around 22:00; plan dinner earlier.
- Buses from Bangkok can take up to 8 h; check schedules for 1st‑class (252 baht) vs 2nd‑class (188 baht).
- Border minibus to Hat Lek costs 120 baht, runs 05:00‑18:00; verify times before travel.
Trat is generally safe; stay aware of traffic when crossing roads and keep valuables secure in night market crowds.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Trat yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Gateway to eastern islands
- City Pillar Shrine
- Wat Buppharam
- Old shophouses
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Trat, revision 5329665 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5329665
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/trat). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.