Transport in Thailand
While traveling we are always in motion…well, that’s the whole idea, right? 😉
After sharing our story about how we found cheap places to eat and sleep in Thailand , we will share our report and some tips about transport and how much you should carry in your pocket for travel in that country.
Your planned route may be different from ours, but we will try to give you an idea of the options and costs from the short but fun trips by tuk tuk within the city limits, to flights that most people eventually take to reach the thai beaches.
In Thailand you will find transport to suit all tastes: moto-taxis, taxis, buses, coaches, trains, tuk-tuk, songthaew, minivans, minibuses, boats … I am short of breath! 😛
In this post, let us recall how easy and fun it was to discover Bangkok!
From Suvarnabhumi airport to Bangkok city center
For those who enter Thailand by air, with a stopover somewhere in the middle, you’ll probably reach Bangkok after long flight hours! When the plane touches its wheels on the ground, it’s time to clap because you are about to start another adventure! 🙂
To reach Bangkok city center from the Bangkok International Suvarnabhumi airport, there are two options, one costing twice the price of the other, but this last one makes the journey in half the time. The quickest option is the Airport Rail Link Express Line that for 90 Baht runs the 30km to the Phaya Thai station in 17 minutes. The other option, the Airport Rail Link City Line, took us for 45 Baht, and after half an hour and about 6 stops along the way, we were in Phaya Thai.
For those with flights to more boring hours, the opening hours of the Airport Rail Link Bangkok is from 6 am to midnight!
When we arrive at Terminal Phaya Thai we are still far from Khao San Road, the backpackers area and where the most hostels are. Hence, we can choose between buses (the # 3, for example) or the Sky Train (depending on the destination) to reach the hotel. For the area of Khao San Road it would be a 40 minute walk. If you (like us!) prefer to unload the backpack quickly at the hotel to start the visit, try to negotiate the ride with a taxi driver, as for 100 Baht (€ 2.6) you’ll find a taxi that takes you there in no time! Remember to have the name and address of the hotel in hand, and if it is written in Thai, the better! 😉
Transport prices in Bangkok
In Bangkok the transport network is very well designed, but between buses, boats, taxis, sky train (BTS) and underground (MRT) interconnected lines, the offer is so wide that sometimes it is difficult to know what the best option is!
The Sky Train, rather than a means of transport, is a very fun experience when visiting Bangkok for the first time. It gives us a good perspective of the city and is fast, fresh (!) and cheap! The price of a trip on the Skytrain starts at 15 Baht (0.40 €) and varies depending on the number of stops. If your Bangkok plan is well served by the BTS network you can always opt for the one day pass which costs 120 Baht. To benefit the most from the BTS make these trips outside of rush hour, because it is impossible to travel at these times … from 07:00 to 09:00 and 16:00 to 19:00!
The Metro (MRT) in Bangkok also connects important points of the city and the prices vary between 16 Baht (1 station) to a maximum of 40 Baht.
But the cheapest way to go around Bangkok, except for walking which is still our favorite and most productive way for tourism purposes!, is the bus network. Tickets can be purchased on board and the price varies by distance (which is actually pretty difficult to calculate because we’re not sure the name of the place where we want to go out and because communication in English is not possible!), and it also varies depending on the bus. The colors of the buses (orange, yellow, red …) define prices but it is actually not easy to figure that out so keep this idea: the ones with air conditioning cost a little more! Still, riding a bus in Bangkok is the cheapest option with rates between 7 (€ 0.18) and 20 baht (0.52 €) per person. Schedules are not always reliable, especially at night. And how do you know which bus goes where you want to go? Google Maps help, just google the destination and you’ll find your route by public transport and google gets it right most of the times! This only applies to big cities! 😉
In Bangkok you must try the Express Boat which runs the Chao Phraya River. At first, the wide option of boats may cause some confusion but it is actually pretty easy! The boats have a flag to indicate its color and the tour they do. The ones with a blue flag in the rear, are the tourist boats, the Chao Phraya Tourist Boat. It costs 40 Baht (€ 1) for a journey or 150 Baht a day and it only stops at stations near the big tourist attractions. When you buy the ticket at the pier the sales office is likely to try to sell you a place in this one, but you have a much better option.
Boats with orange flags are the public boats that do all the river route, and although they are cheaper, they are a little less comfortable too! They are called Chao Phraya Express Boat and each trip costs 15 Baht (0.40 € ), regardless of the distance.
Be prepared for a rushed entry ( and exit! ) to the boat, there is no complacency and you will be struggling to get on board. Do not be surprised if someone orders or even push you to the front of the boat …! It’s an adventure !
Whatever your choice is, make a trip on the river because it offers a different and fantastic view of the city !
The motorbike taxis are also an option across the country. In Thailand we did not use this service so we can not say much. There are much better options, especially when it is more than one person travelling, such as Tuk Tuk ‘s!
But about this three wheel vehicle and the transport around the rest of Thailand, we will talk about in our next post! Stay tuned!
