Bangkok transportation
Bangkok lies in the geographic centre of Thailand and is serviced by a good network of road, rail and air.
Arriving by air
The vast majority of people arriving in Bangkok come by air and arrive at the impressive new Suvarnabhumi International Airport, which is a 40 minute drive east of the city. The old airport, Don Mueng now services some domestic flights. Inexpensive taxis are the most convenient means to travel to and from these airports.
There is a reliable taxi counter outside the International Arrivals hall and a 50 baht fee is charged for their use of the airport facilities. It’s worth paying the extra 40 baht for the toll-way to significantly reduce journey times. Bangkok traffic can be horrendous and is usually at it’s worst before 9:30 am and after 4pm – during which your journey could be more than 90 minutes.
Some flight times from abroad are approximately:
- From Europe : 12 hours direct, 16 hours with a change
- From Eastern Australia : 9 hours direct, 12 hours with a change
- From West coast USA : 16 hours direct, 21 hours with a change
- From East coast USA : 22 hours with one change on West Coast USA, 24 hours with a change in Europe.
Read more on Bangkok Airport.
To get back to Bangkok once you’ve left to travel elsewhere is very easy – pretty much everywhere in Thailand will offer a bus and / or train service back to Bangkok. If you are in Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi, Samui, or any major city it’s well worth thinking about flying back to Bangkok – internal flights are very cheap largely due to all the competing budget airlines that have sprung up. Try Air Asia or Nok Air for some of these bargains.
Buses and trains to and from Bangkok
If you insist on travelling overland there are several trains a day from Chiang Mai to Bangkok and some over night sleepers, with journey times of approximately 12 hours. Trains also depart and arrive from Bangkok’s Hua Lampong station to other popular up country destinations such as Ayuthaya, Phitsanoluk (for Sukhothai), the Pattaya area, Kanchanaburi, and near Surat Thani (for Samui, Koh Pha Ngan, Krabi and Phuket).
From all popular tourist destinations you will also find long distance buses departing for Bangkok almost every hour. From Penang, Butterworth and Kuala Lampur in Malaysia, Vientiene in Laos or Phnom Penh in Cambodia there are travel agents which offer minibus or bus tickets direct to Bangkok leaving several times a day, but no rail services cross the border.
Getting around Bangkok
Once in Bangkok you'll have to contend with its famously notorious traffic jams, and luckily there are now two very good transit systems that have greatly alleviated this. The BTS 'skytrain' runs along two lines that connect the central parts of Bangkok efficiently and links with the more recently installed Metro system which covers a larger area. It is possible to reach the majoirty of tourist hotels and areas by these, and then a short walk. However, the largest cluster of historic sites - on Rattanakosin Isle (near the Khao San Road) - are out of reach of this due to zoning constraints to protect the heritage of the area.
Fortunately taxis in Bangkok are inexpensive and generally honest (if you remain alert and persistent). They are widely available and no journey in the city will cost more than 200 (US$6) outside of rush hour. Avoid travelling before 9.30am or between 3.30pm and 7pm. There is also an extensive bus system but it's not too practical for tourists. For fun you can even take a tuk tuk ride, but you'll find yourself swallowing plenty of car fumes!
More on getting around Bangkok.
