Taxis from Suvarnabhumi Airport and other Bangkok, Thailand Transportation Tips

'Mode': TO
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: I arrived at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport at the start of my week long visit to the city in September 2007.

The new airport is located some 25km from the centre of Bangkok and, at the time of my visit, has no rail link to the city centre.

I decided that a metered taxi would be the best way for me to get to my hotel in the Chinatown area of Bangkok.

Upon passing through the arrivals hall, I was approached by many touts who asked me if I needed a taxi. I had read that it is best to ignore them, so I did and followed the signs to the official taxi departure point instead.

At the taxi departure point, a young lady asked where I was going and wrote down the name of my destination in Thai in order to give to the taxi driver. I also received an official receipt which doubled up as a complaint form. If the driver had turned off the meter, overcharged me or dropped me off at the wrong place, all I had to do was tick the appropriate complaint box, affix a 2 Baht stamp and put the form in the nearest post box. The form included details of the taxi number and driver, so any offending driver could easily be traced. This eases fears of new arrivals being ripped off by unscrupulous taxi drivers.

My journey from the airport to Chinatown took about 40 minutes, including some time sitting in heavy traffic and cost 400 Bahts (approx. 6 GBP). The meter only read 215 Bahts when I arrived at my hotel, but that didn't include the 50 Baht service charge for all journeys starting at the airport or the two road tolls that the driver had paid en route.

On my return to the airport, the driver asked me to pay the tolls as we arrived at the toll booths. The first was 40 bahts, the second was 25 bahts (a total of 1 GBP). The taxi fare cost just 220 Bahts (less than 4 GBP).

Leave a Comment

Website: http://www.bangkokairportonline.com/node/52

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Ship/Boat
Getting TO/AROUND: The Chao Phraya Express Boats are a cheap and efficient way to travel to various sights along Bangkok’s Chao Phraya river.

There are several lines, connecting various piers along the river, and you can find a definitive route map here:

ROUTES

I was staying in Chinatown during my visit to the city in September 2007, so my nearest ferry pier was Pier #5: Ratchawong (also called Ratchavongse). All of my journeys on the express boats either began or ended here.

Usually, I would catch the boat from Ratchawong to either Pier #8: Tha Tien (the pier to disembark at if visiting Wat Pho) or Pier #9: Chang Luang (for visiting the Grand Palace). From Pier #8 it is possible to catch a connecting cross-river ferry to Wat Arun, a crossing which takes just two minutes.

I could never quite understand the pricing system of the boats. I was always charged 13 Bahts (approx. 0.20 GBP) when travelling from Pier #5 to Pier #9, but charged 18 Bahts (approx. 0.30 GBP) when traveling the shorter distance between Pier #5 and Pier #8. Either way, the fares are very cheap.

The journey time between Pier #5 and Piers #8 and #9 was roughly 10 minutes.

The boats arrive and leave from the piers very quickly. You have to get straight on and off or the boat will be gone before you get chance! The boats can seat perhaps 70 or 80 people, but all the seats were taken on all of my journeys, so I had to stand up at the back of the boat. There is a special standing section at the back right hand side which is reserved for monks.

At Pier #5, tickets are purchased from a small desk prior to boarding the boat. However, when traveling back from Pier #9, I paid a conductor who came around the boat collecting fares.

The Chao Phraya Express Boats are an efficient means of transport to many major sights, and a great, cheap way to see the city from the river!

Leave a Comment

Phone: +66(0) 2623-6001-3
Website: http://www.chaophrayaboat.co.th/regular_e.htm
Other Contact: info@chaophrayaboat.co.th

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Subway/Metro
Getting TO/AROUND: Bangkok’s MRTA Subway is a cheap and fast means of getting around the city. It is particularly useful in a city such as Bangkok, where roads in the city centre are frequently gridlocked with traffic.

At the time of my visit in September 2007, the subway consisted of 18 stops between Hua Lamphong at one end of the line and Bang Sue at the other end. Extensions to the line are planned in coming years, with plans to extend into Chinatown.

I was staying in Chinatown and the nearest station to my hotel on Yaowarat Road was Hua Lamphong, a 15 minute walk away.

Most of my journeys on the subway were between Hua Lamphong, Silom and Sukhumvit. The fares for these routes were as follows:

Hua Lamphong – Silom = 17 Bahts (approx. 5 minutes journey)
Hua Lamphong – Sukhumvit = 26 Bahts (approx. 10 minutes journey)
Silom – Sukhumvit = 22 Bahts (approx. 5 minutes journey)

The subway connects with the BTS Skytrain at 3 stations:

Silom (connected to Sala Daeng Skytrain station)
Sukhumvit (connected to Asoke Skytrain station)
Chatuchak Park (connected to Mo Chit Skytrain station)

If you are using the public transport system extensively, you can buy day or week passes. I opted instead to pay for each individual journey.

Each station has numerous ticket machines which accept both coins and notes. Use the touch screen interface to select from Thai and English instructions, then press your desired destination. You will receive a small plastic coin sized token. Swipe the token on the turnstile to get on to the platform and then, at the end of your journey, insert the token into the turnstile slot to exit the platform.

Trains run from around 6am until midnight and are often very busy. I frequently found that there was standing room only. Thankfully, the trains are air conditioned.

Stops are announced first in Thai and then in English.

You can find cafes, shops, food and drink stalls and information desks at each subway station.

Leave a Comment

Website: http://www.mrta.co.th/eng/index.htm

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Train
Getting TO/AROUND: Bangkok’s BTS Skytrain is a fast, efficient and comfortable way to make your way around the city and to avoid the busy, traffic-plagued streets below!

At the time of my visit in September 2007, there were two Skytrain lines:

The Silom line: 7 stops, connecting Saphan Taksin with National Stadium, with en-route stops including Sala Daeng (Silom) and Siam.

The Sukhumvit line: 16 stops, connecting Mo Chit with On Nut, with en-route stops including Asoke (Sukhumvit) and Siam.

The two Skytrain lines connect with each other at Siam.

The Skytrain connects with the MRTA subway at the following stops:

Sala Daeng (connects with Silom subway)
Asoke (connects with Sukhumvit subway)
Mo Chit (connects with Chatuchak Park subway)

Most of my journeys on the Skytrain were between Sala Daeng, National Stadium and Asoke, frequently needing to change from one line to the other at Siam.

The fares and times of my most common journeys were:

Sala Daeng – National Stadium = 20 Bahts (5-10 minutes)
National Stadium – Asoke = 25 Bahts (10-15 minutes, change of trains at Siam)

I studied a grid of fares at Asoke station and noted that the highest fare for an individual journey on the Skytrain was 40 Bahts.

Tickets are purchased from machines at the stations. Unlike the MRTA subway ticket machines, many machines for Skytrain tickets only accept coins, not notes. I had to change a note for coins at the information desk.

From the ticket machine, select the zone that your destination station is in and it’ll calculate the correct fare. You’ll receive a small cardboard ticket, about the size of a credit card, which must be inserted into the turnstile slot to access the platforms. At the end of your journey, you again insert the card into a turnstile to exit the platform, but this time it is not returned to you.

Trains run from early morning to late at night, are frequently very busy and (thankfully!) are air conditioned. Upcoming stops are announced in Thai and English.

Leave a Comment

Phone: Hotline:66 2617 6000
Website: http://www.bts.co.th/en/index.asp
Other Contact: nuduan@bts.co.th

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Ship/Boat
Getting TO/AROUND: The Cross-river ferry provides a useful means of transport when visiting two of Bangkok’s most popular riverside attractions.

The small passenger ferry makes the 2 minute crossing of the Chao Phraya river every few minutes throughout the day, connecting Wat Pho on one side of the river with Wat Arun on the other side.

If you catch the Chao Phraya Express Boat along the river, alight at Pier #8: Tha Tien (the pier for Wat Pho) and connect to the cross-river ferry.

No tickets are issued for the cross-river ferry, just pay your 3 Bahts (approx. 0.05 GBP) to the elderly lady operating the turnstile and board the next boat that comes along.

The above details were correct as at September 2007 when I made the journey.

Leave a Comment

'Mode': TO,AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: You will have no problems finding a metered taxi in Bangkok – they are everywhere! Many of them are bright pink coloured, so you certainly won’t miss those ones! Simply signal to the driver and, if there are no passengers already on board, he’ll stop to pick you up.

Due to the busy nature of Bangkok’s roads, you won’t get very far very fast in a taxi. If you are located close to a subway or Skytrain station, then I would recommend using one of those as your primary means of transportation around Bangkok. However, if you are in an area not covered by either of these, then I would recommend taxis over tuk-tuks. Tuk-tuks are fun for a one-off journey, but you can’t rely on them to take you where you want to go without an unscheduled stop at a shop or factory (where the driver earns commission).

Within Bangkok, the meter starts at 35 Bahts (approx. 0.45 GBP) when you are picked up. The fares are extremely cheap by European standards, with a journey of several kilometres costing between 1 and 2 GBP. In fact, the 25km journey from Bangkok to Suvarnabhumi airport should only cost about 5 GBP (see separate tip for full details of taxis to and from the airport).

The only time I used a taxi, other than the airport transfer, was for a journey between the Old Siam Plaza shopping mall in Chinatown and Lumphini Park in Silom. This journey of several kilometres took 20 minutes, involved a lot of sitting in heavy traffic and cost a mere 73 Bahts (approx. 1.15 GBP).

The first taxi that I stopped refused to take me to Lumphini Park. The driver seemed to be having difficulty understanding where I wanted to go, despite me pointing out the park on my (Thai language) map. Perhaps he didn’t fancy sitting in heavy afternoon traffic in Silom, or perhaps he had to make another pick up and couldn’t get back in time, but either way I jumped out of the taxi and stopped the one behind it and set off towards Lumphini with no problems.

Leave a Comment