The Vientiane to Luang Prabang train.

The fastest scheduled departure covers the leg in 1h 46m and the slowest in 2h 42m. The difference is the service rather than the day: the trains whose code begins with D make fewer stops inside Laos than those beginning with C, and the K service calls at every station on the line. The same journey takes most of a day on Route 13.

Between US$21 and US$56 per passenger, depending on the departure and the class. That is the total: the railway ticket and our booking assistance are both inside the figure shown before payment, and there is no separate charge added afterwards.

Seats become buyable 7 days before departure, from 06:30 Vientiane time, because that is when the railway booking system opens for the day. In high season the convenient departures are taken within minutes of that hour. We are in Vientiane and online at 06:30.

Not quite. K12 at 08:25 runs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday only. The other departures run every day of the week.

Neither station is in the town it serves. Vientiane station is in Xay village, roughly 15 kilometres northeast of the centre. Public bus 28 runs from the Central Bus Station for 25,000 kip (roughly US$1.20) and takes about an hour, but it is timed to the railway rather than to a clock: departures leave roughly 90 minutes before each scheduled train, so there is no later service to fall back on. A ride-hailing car or taxi costs 150,000 to 260,000 kip (roughly US$7 to US$12) and takes 30 to 45 minutes. Luang Prabang station is 13 to 15 kilometres east of the peninsula, a transfer of 25 to 35 minutes. A shared minivan to the peninsula costs 35,000 to 40,000 kip (roughly US$1.60 to US$2) per person and can be booked through most accommodation. Plan to be at the Vientiane gate 90 minutes before departure, because there is security screening and a ticket check, and the gates close five minutes before the train leaves.