Arrival by planeChances are, you will be arriving at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport if you come in on a long-haul flight. Although not quite as quick as Singapore's Changi, BKK is an efficient airport - we are currently averaging around 20 min from wheels down to taxi. The bright halls, numerous shopping opportunities and reasonable transport links run as smoothly as any first world airport. If you are departing with Thai in a premium cabin, use the special check-in area and, if you are fortunate enough to be in first class, enjoy the escort and ride to the first class lounge, not forgetting to book yourself a complimentary massage. There are also numerous Priority Pass lounges available in the airport, but these are nothing special.
Bangkok's second airport is Don Muang and is mainly served by low cost carriers, such as Air Asia. Although not as shiny as BKK, Don Muang is a serviceable airport that serves its purpose well. If you plan to transfer from one airport to the other, allow at least 4 hours - Thai roads get busy! CarAs we have mentioned, the Thai road system is busy and we wouldn't recommend non-locals hiring a car. What with motor-bikes coming down the outside lane of the motorway in the wrong direction, elephants strolling down the hard shoulder and the lack of respect for marked lanes, the driving style in Thailand is hard to adapt to.
If you get a taxi, make sure that the meter is used and be aware that seat-belts are not always available. Fares are dirt cheap, so if you find a car and driver you trust, taxis are an excellent way to travel. It is best to print out where you want to go in Thai, so you can show it to the driver as few speak English. To avoid this problem, you could alternatively use Uber (although Thailand has ruled Uber illegal it is still operating) or our go-to transfer company, Blacklane (use code 4NMXMSYB for $10 off). |
Train travelFrom Don Muang, you can take the local train to the main train station in Bangkok, Hua Lamphong, which opened in 1916. Here, you can connect to the city's metro system, the BTS Skytrain. Fares are very cheap but with luggage, you may struggle with the stairs.
From Suvarnabhumi, the airport train runs a few times each hour to the city centre. This is a cheap, safe and comfortable journey, which we have often used to avoid Bangkok's heavy traffic. Train travel in general is cheap and can offer an interesting way to traverse the country. Unless your journey is very short, we would advise against third class, where hard wooden seats and a lack of air-conditioning could make the trip uncomfortable. Second class (on short routes this is the highest class and includes air-conditioning, comfortable seats and a meal) or first class sleeper cabins are likely a better option. |