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Knowing how to get around Bangkok is absolutely essential for your backpacking trip to Thailand. This is specially true as Bangkok is a huge maze with several transportation options.
From Bangkok Airport to Bangkok City
Suvarnabhumi Airport Transit
- Suvarnabhumi airport to Bangkok by Airport Rail Link
- Suvarnabhumi airport Don Muang airport
- Bangkok airport to to Hua Lamphong Railway Station
Between Khao San Road To Don Muang Airport
Getting Around Khao San Road
Getting From Bangkok Airport to Pattaya
Bangkok Bus Stations Guide
There are three main public bus stations in Bangkok:
- Mo chit bus stand – Buses to Chiang Mai, Siem Reap
Go to to Mo Chit when you need to catch a bus to Chiang Mai. Also, if you are heading to Cambodian destinations – Phnom Penh and Siem Reap – you can get a direct bus here. Speaking from my own personal experience booking in advance is not needed (although it won’t hurt if you do) to any of the above destinations even in the peak season of December end. You can simply walk-in, buy the ticket and board the bus. While the buses to Cambodia are okay (have a/c but seat aren’t very cushiony and doesn’t recline much) buses to Chiang Mai are very, very comfortable. Take the night bus to Chiang Mai from Bangkok and you’ll sleep like a baby.Mo Chit - Ekkamai – Destinations include Pattaya, Ko Samet and Trat. Bangkok to Pattaya bus – Ekkamai Bus Terminal.
- Sai Tai Mai – Most popular destinations includePhuket, Krabi, Ko Samui, Surat Thani and Ko Pha Ngan
Cabs in Bangkok
Cabs in Bangkok are quite reasonably priced. Always insist to go by meter. You can catch a metered taxi from the first floor at arrivals. A trip to the city center would cost anywhere between 300-400 THB excluding the tolls which are an extra 45 and 25 THB.
The journey time during the day is around 45-60 minutes, while in the night time you can reach in 30 minutes from as far as Khao San Road (This is from my own personal experience). Take the slower City Line if you are on a very tight budget, the ticket to Phaya Thai would cost you about 40 THB.
Bangkok Skytrain
BTS Skytrain with its futuristic design is a tourist site in itself. It offers a very convenient and speedy way to travel within the city. As a rule of thumb Ticket vending machines accept only 5/10 THB coins, so stock up some. You can find maps in the train station to plan your journey, and the system isn’t very complex (unlike Paris metro!) so you shouldn’t have any problem figuring out your routes.
City buses are also very cheap convenient way of traveling in Bangkok. Most of the buses have comfortable seating and are air-conditioned. The challenge is to find the right bus to your destination as the routes are not written in English and the conductor speaks little to no English. A pro tip is to use Google maps to find the bus numbers and routes, and to communicate your stop to the conductor just show the Thai name (the names are in Thai in google map!) of your destination. Keep the app open and once and use it to track your ride and to correctly identify when you reach your destination.
Taking a Tuk tuk in Bangkok
Tuk tuk have become a symbol of Bangkok and to some extent Thailand as well. They are very comfortable, spacious. But beware tuk tuk are by no means, cheap, in-fact they are only a little cheaper than taking a cab in Bangkok. Tuk tuk vs Cabs in Bangkok: I will suggest taking a metered cab is the best option to get around Bangkok.
Riding a Songthaew in Bangkok
There are the shared taxis in Bangkok. They are quite fun way to travel over short distances – and are comparatively cheaper than the tuk tuk.
Tips for Going Around Bangkok
1. Taxi: Taxi are in-fact quite affordable. Always insist on paying by meter. If the driver doesn’t agree, refuse to get in.
2. The country boasts of excellent road network with very frequent bus services between the major tourist cities. Traveling in travel is not that popular, and to be honest not really needed as the buses in including the night services are fairly comfortable.