Bangkok, Thailand transportation guide and detailed bus guide

As the capital of Thailand, Bangkok has a very long history and cultural heritage. It retains ancient traditional culture, especially Buddhist culture, which is very popular. Everyone is extremely gentle and friendly, making it a great place to travel. Let’s introduce it in detail below.

Faced with the complex traffic environment, various modes of transportation in Bangkok have emerged. For tourists, there are three best ways to avoid traffic jams: BTS (light rail), MRT (subway) and water-bus. These three roads can also pass through most of the scenic spots in downtown Bangkok.

BTS MRT and BTS MRT are both Bangkok’s rail transit. The difference is that BTS is a ground-level elevated light rail, and you can see the outside scenery from the window. The MRT is the subway. Both modes of transportation are very convenient. We will introduce them in detail below.

In addition, for travelers coming from afar, Bangkok’s local special transportation, such as the sudden arrival of buses, is also worth experiencing. This transportation guide mainly consists of two parts:

How to get from the airport to Bangkok city center

Various transportation modes in Bangkok city center

Airport to city center< /p>

Bangkok currently has two airports: Suvarnabhumi International Airport and Don Muang International Airport.

Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK) is a large new airport. Passengers are advised to take the Airport Light Rail (Blue Line) to the city center, departing from Level B of the airport and going directly to Phaya Thai Station of the BTS Light Rail in the city center.

Don Mueang International Airport (DMK) is an old airport located on the outskirts of Bangkok, far away from the city center and without an airport light rail. The most convenient way to get to central Bangkok is by taxi.

Suvarnabhumi International Airport to the city

Suvarnabhumi International Airport has three Airport Express lines to the city center. The operating hours are uniformly 06:00-24:00. Visitors arriving at the airport after midnight can choose to take a taxi into the city.

Airport Light Rail

There is an Airport Express ticket office on the first floor (B1) of Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport. It is recommended to take the blue line, which is the city line, as it is the cheapest and most convenient. The fare ranges from 15-45 baht, and it will stop at 8 stations, with the final station being PhayaThai. The whole journey takes about 30 minutes. When you arrive at PhayaThai, you can transfer to BTS to travel to various places in the city.

The Red Line (Phaya Thai Express Line) completely overlaps with the Blue Line, but it can go directly to Phaya Thai in the city center in one stop, which is faster but more expensive. The one-way fare is 90 baht.

The newly opened Yellow Line (Makasan Express) is shorter than the Blue Line and Red Line. It goes directly from the Airport Station to Makkasan Station, then transfers to the MRT from the nearest Phetchaburi Station to the city. The one-way fare is 90 baht.

Bus***

There are 5 bus lines from Suvarnabhumi Airport to downtown Bangkok every day, running every 15-20 minutes and taking 1-2 hours. . Not recommended during peak hours. First, you need to take the free car ferry from the airport to the bus center a few kilometers away, get on the bus and buy a ticket. The fare is around 30-35 baht.

Taxi

There are taxi stands outside Gate 4 and Gate 7 on the first floor of Suvarnabhumi Airport, which operate 24 hours a day.

Without traffic jams, the trip from the airport to the city is basically within 400 baht. If you go to Siam, it will be about 250 baht. If you take the expressway, you need to pay extra expressway tolls. After arriving at the destination, you need to pay an additional 50 baht service fee to the driver.

Don Mueang International Airport to the city

Taxi

Currently there is no public transportation around Don Mueang Airport. The most convenient way to get to and from the airport is to take a taxi, which usually takes 30 minutes to an hour and costs about 300 baht. Taking a bus at the taxi rank will incur an additional fee of 50 baht.

Bus***

As soon as you get out of Exit 6 of Langman Airport, take the A1 or A2 bus to the nearest light rail station, MoChit Station, which costs about 30 baht per person, and then take the light rail To the city. This method is not recommended for tourists with a lot of luggage.

Bangkok's urban rail transit

Bangkok's rail transit includes two light rails (BTS), one subway (MRT) and three airport railway lines. The light rail is the most convenient way for travelers and locals to get around the city. The light rail route runs through central Bangkok and includes several major commercial streets. Because the track is in the sky, it is also called the Sky Train. There are currently two lines: the light green Sukhumvit Line and the dark green Siam Line.

Currently there is only one subway line in Bangkok, from Hua Lampheng Railway Station to Khaeng Phet

The Bangkok Skytrain BTS passes through many famous tourist attractions. If you want to travel around Bangkok, taking the BTS is a convenient, comfortable, safe and time-saving way. Visitors don't have to worry about traffic jams.

Siam Station is the intersection of two BTS stations and the most prosperous commercial center in Thailand. The stations are centered on Siam and numbered according to direction from east (E), south (S), west (W), and north (N).

Among them, Mozhi (N8), Asoke (E4) and Daang (S2) are transfer stations between BTS and MRT. However, even though it is a transfer, you still have to exit the station and then enter the station again, and you cannot use one ticket for multiple purposes.

One-way ticket

BTS one-way ticket price is 15-52 baht, depending on the distance of the destination. Currency exchange services are available at station windows, but ticket sales are not available. BTS one-way tickets need to be purchased at automatic ticket vending machines. BTS ticket vending machines in Bangkok are divided into old and new types.

For old-fashioned automatic ticket vending machines, you need to check the destination station against the route map on the right. Yellow represents the current station, and the number in the circle is the price required to reach the station.

Follow the steps shown on the left, first enter the desired price and place the coin in the "2" area, only 5 or 10 Baht coins are accepted.

The new BTS ticket vending machine is a touch screen. Tap the screen to reach your destination and the price will be displayed automatically. You can directly insert coins.

There are four types of BTS transportation cards, among which the one-day pass is suitable for single-day tourists and the stored-value card is suitable for tourists who stay in Bangkok for a short time.

Subway MRT

This is the only subway in Thailand, with a total length of 20 kilometers and 18 stations along the way. You can transfer to the light rail at the following three stations: SiLom Station, Sukhumvit Station, and Chatuchak Park Station.

The operation of MRT ticket vending machines is very simple, similar to the new BTS ticket vending machines. Touch the screen and click on the destination directly, the price will be automatically displayed, and then the ticket will be issued by inserting coins.

Other water transportation

Thailand's water transportation is divided into five major categories: Chao Phraya River bus, Kong Sheng Sang Canal Express Boat, ferry boat, long-tail boat and hotel ferry. The main attractions in Bangkok are basically concentrated along the Chao Phraya River, so considering Bangkok's "overwhelming traffic", taking the bus is one of the preferred modes of transportation to visit the attractions.

Meinan River Bus Boat

With the Central Pier (Sathorn Pier) as the central pier, the route is divided into two directions: south and north. The northward route from the central pier is N, and the southward route is S. The larger the number after the letter, the further the pier is and the longer the voyage. Buses and ships on different routes are distinguished by the color of the flag on the ship.

Khlong Saen Saep Boat Service Company

In addition to the North and South Chao Phraya River buses, there is also an empty Saint-Sa?ns Canal Express Boat, which is low-priced, fast, and runs east-west.

The Saint-Sa?ns Canal Express is divided into east-west routes, both of which are round-trip routes. It is the Jinshan Line on the Western Front, from Panfa Lirad to Pratunam. Most of the attractions are concentrated at the two piers. After getting off the boat at Jinshan Pier, you can walk to Jinshan Temple (3 minutes), Kaoshan Road (15 minutes), the Grand Palace (20 minutes) and other attractions. In addition to the famous Pratunam Market, Pratunam Pier is close to the Siam Business District. It takes 3 minutes to walk to Central World Business Center and 10-15 minutes to Siam Center. The eastern line is the NIDA line, from Pratunam Pier to Wat Sriboonreung Pier. There are few attractions, but there are some stations where you can transfer to BTS.

The Saint-Sa?ns Canal Express Boat fare is generally 7-10 baht, and you can buy it directly from the boat.

Ferry

The ferry goes to and from both sides of the Chao Phraya River and takes about 5 minutes to the other side. Usually boat owners will wait until a certain number of people are gathered before sailing, and the boat slots are usually located next door or at the same pier. The cost is about 5 baht/person.

Changwei

It is fully rented to tourists, and the price has increased to 1,000 baht/hour. It has excellent speed and can go to very small canals, including water markets. It can carry up to 15 people and is divided into carpooling system and chartered car system. ThaChang, ThaSiPhraya and other piers offer boat rental services to tourists.

Hotel shuttle ferries

Mandarin Oriental, Shangri-La Hotel, Peninsula Hotel, etc. provide free ferries. You can go to shopping malls near Central Pier, Oriental Pier and Royal Alorchid Sheraton.

Local chara

On the streets of Bangkok, the most common local means of transportation is Tuba, which is loved by locals because of its low price and flexibility. They can often be seen in places where out-of-town tourists gather, such as Kaoshan Road, Chinatown, etc. Taxis in Bangkok also have their own characteristics, and colorful taxis have become a highlight on the streets.

Urgent car

Tuk-tuk is an iconic means of transportation in Thailand, and the significance of experience even exceeds the transportation function.

Generally speaking, taxi fares for locals will be about 30% cheaper than taxis, but most taxi drivers will charge exorbitant prices to passengers. Therefore, when taking a bus, be sure to negotiate the price with the driver before getting on the bus.

If you walk for 10 minutes, the shuttle bus price is 15-20 baht. If you walk for more than 30 minutes, the shuttle bus price is 50-100 baht. You can choose more cars until you are satisfied with the price.

Taxi

Bangkok’s taxis are brightly colored and are a veritable street scene. In fact, these colors have no unique meaning, they just represent different operating companies. Taxi fares in Bangkok start at THB 35 for the first 2 kilometers and THB 2 for every kilometer thereafter. It usually costs 100-200 baht in the city and 150-300 baht in remote places.

In addition to trying to avoid rush hours, when taking a taxi, be sure to record the price based on mileage.

If you tell the driver according to the meter, the driver will still have to bargain. It is recommended to change it to avoid being ripped off due to language barriers.

Bus***

Although in most cities, buses are often the safest and cheapest means of transportation. But in Bangkok, taking a bus is very challenging. The prices of air-conditioned vehicles and non-air-conditioned vehicles are different. The prices of buses and minibuses are different. The same quantity and different colors may have different routes. The same route has different prices during the day and night. The roads in Bangkok are intricate, and stop signs usually only use Thai annotation.

Therefore, for travelers who want to reach the scenic spots as soon as possible, it is recommended to carefully choose the bus as a travel method. But for travelers with plenty of time, buses are also a way to experience local life.