National mourning and the Royal Cremation Ceremony of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej

We would like to inform you that for October 2017 the Government of Thailand announced a period of national mourning and the Royal Cremation Ceremony of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej will be held in Bangkok. During this time countless Thais from other provinces will come to Bangkok to pay respect to the late King and some areas of Bangkok near the Royal Palast and the Royal Crematorium will be closed to traffic. The list of roads is in the end of the email. The ceremony will be held at the area around Sanam Luang between October, 25th to 29th.

All Thais and tourists travelling in Thailand during this period of mourning are advised to wear clothes in dark colour. It can be expected that additional parts of the city will be closed for traffic. All our customers that come to Bangkok at that period are advised to come to the departure point at least an hour before the departure and pick up their train tickets at least 3 hours before the departure.

All tourists are advised to be aware of the situation. Traveling in October will not be the same. Besides the traffic congestions that will automatically come with the closed road, Thai people will travel from all over the country to join the event. Buses, trains and aeroplanes will be fully booked or become expensive. Hotel accommodation can become a problem with all the additional visitors in Bangkok. Traffic jams have to be expected, so transfer times to and from the airports can be significantly longer. While parts of Bangkok like the areas of Sukhumvit or Silom might face some problems, the Khao San Area will face the full impact of the traffic problems. Every person in Bangkok needs to be aware of this to avoid missing their connections.

All festivals and public entertainment have been cancelled. Privately organized events have to be in respect of the situation. On several days alcoholic beverages will not be served anywhere and can not be bought in shops. Pubs, bars and restaurants might close earlier than usual and this will be announced on short notice.

Below you will find the official schedule for honouring the late HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej in October:
October 13-29 - Wear mourning clothes
October 21-24 - All entertainment activities are cancelled
October 26 - Day Of The Royal Cremation. Many businesses will be closed either part day or the whole day. The cremation ceremony is due to start at 5.30 p.m.
October 30 - End of the national mourning.

On October 15th and 21th 2017 a total of 13 roads are listed to be shut down for all traffic because of The Royal Cremation rehearsal:

Charoenkrung Road
Surawong Road
Rama 6 Road
Phitsanulok Road
Ratchadamnoen Klang Road
Ploenchit Road
South Sathorn Road
North Sathorn Road
Rama 4 Road
Sukhumvit Road
Witthayu (Wireless) Road
Ratchadamnoen Nai Road
Sanam Chai Road

As of now, it is not clear at what time and for how long the roads will be closed, but even a short period of time will cause significant traffic congestions in the whole city.

On The Ceremonial Days between October 26th and 29th a total of 18 roads will be closed:

Ratchadamnoen Nai Road
Sanam Chai Road
Lak Muang Road
Kanlaya Maitri Road
Charoenkrung Road
Phra Pipit Road
Thai Wang Road
Maharat Road (next to the Grand Palace)
Maharaj Road (next to Wat Phra That)
Phra Chan Road
Setthakan Road
Chetuphon Road
Phraya Phet Road
Na Phra Lan Road
Na Phra That Road
Rachini Road
Phra Athit Road
Saranrom Road