Getting Around Bangkok

1 more image

(last date took the mini-van - July 18, 2006)

Mini-van - ThB 70.00

fare becomes expensive due to the construction of new airport and far distance of it.

===============================
(date took the mini-bus/van - Jan. 10, 2005)

Most of the travel agencies in Khao San Road offer this services as low as THB 50. Some charges @ THB 60

Look for the schedule written in the board and pay THB 50 - THB 60. Reservation is needed!

Usually, it will take 1 hour before you can reach the airport. Taking this tourist bus/van is still convenient and cheaper!

Songtaews are the cheapest way to get around bangkok. They are big pick up truck looking things with a giant hood on top (protect riders from weather and sun). There are two benches inside and a railing for support. You can hail them down like taxis-they will either take you to your route privately(which costs a little more) or you join the group and he drops you and the others off. Some do have routes and will only pick ones up going that way.

They are located at the bottom of some skytrain stations. For instance, at BTS Saphan Taksin there is a fleet of them. This is more popular in other cities-such as chiang mai.

You always haggle the price with the driver ahead of time. The drivers are quite honest and some do have a fare chart. If they offer less than one us dollar -just go with it. Don' t be stingy. You may also have to show them a map where you want to go, so have it ready. Prices will be a little higher at night.

1 more image

Domestic airlines serve most of the country's main tourist destinations, from Phuket to Chiang Mai to Koh Samui.

You can also take the day and overnight trains are also a convenient and inexpensive way to travel.

Ferries running from mainland Thailand to the outlying islands provide efficient and scenic transportation for a low cost.

In the cities, taxis are everywhere.

Don't miss riding in one of the tuk-tuk, a small three-wheeled motorized vehicle, for a faster and more exhilarating ride through big-city traffic jams.

Oh it might not really a transportation tips but anyway it still well serve as an additional information for traveller.

The electric car is a free service. If feel tired after an hour walking around the market, you can hop in this electric car and it will take you for a trip in the market from one wing to the other.

Just wave your hand and the car will stop to pick you up, provided there is still seat available. To alight, simply shout to the driver.

Bangkok is a pretty complicated city, so it's really worthwhile getting hold of a map. One of the best ones is given away free at the airport, so look out for a copy if you're passing through - here's the front cover of the one I picked up last year.

The best paid for map I've got is the "B&B City Streets - Bangkok" published by Berndtson & Berndtson - the main advantage over the free one is that it's a lot more hardwearing. If you do pay for a map, make sure it has all the areas you want to go to on - I've seen some maps which miss out Sukhumvit, for example.

One of the best reasons for having a map is that many "guided tours" will take you to places you could easily go yourself - and will charge well over the odds for it - and then quite likely take you via an unwanted stop at a gem store.

1 more image

I have mentioned it in other tips and make no apology for mentioning it again but I love travelling on trains. If you are travelling to or from Bangkok, you will almost certainly go through Hualamphong Station. There are a couple of other stations but these deal mainly in suburban trains. You may have read about unlicensed guides offering assistance when they are really trying to sell you accomodation or whatever. This certainly used to be the case but on my most recent trip (December 2009) they seemed much less prevalent than before. Do not let their possible presence put you off receiving advice form the extremely helpful, English-speaking official "customer assistants".

If you enter the Station from the main entrance i.e. where the photo was taken from, the ticket booths and timetables are at the far end on the left. Timetables are all in Thai and English. If you arive by tuk-tuk or taxi, you will be dropped at the side entrance. Just walk in and the ticket booths are immediately on the left.

The station is well supplied with shops to stock up on snacks for the trip, food stalls and bars / restaurants. Be aware, though, that the eateries on the upper floor charge exorbitant prices. The Anna Kitchen is particularly pricy. If you fancy a snack or a drink, just walk outside the station and you will pay about half the price.

There is an internet place up stairs on the left as you come in the main entrance and the left luggage place is directly on the left here on the gorund floor. It is open from 0400 until 2300 at night and I paid 70B to leave one piece of luggage for a few hours.

There seem to be a lot of railway police about and I feel perfectly safe here, not always the case in railway stations, and Hualamphong remains, like most train stations, an absolutely brilliant place to people watch for an hour or two whilst you wait for your train.

2 more images

If you need a good guide to visit around Bangkkok you can hire Tong.
She is a a so cute girl with great sense of humor and excellent english.
We hired her to visit Floating Market, Tiger Temple and Kanchanaburi. Her car is really new and she has always fresh water or soda waiting for you inside the car.
you can contact her at :
pornpitcha@yahoo.com

Most people arrive in Thailand via Bangkok’s Don Muang International Airport, 20 kilometres north of the city centre. There are two inter-national terminals. However , the principle is exactly the same in each terminal.

1. Out of Customs

2. TURN LEFT

3. Past the counters within the passengers only area (changing money here is okay for the rates)

4. Pass the lasses in the area where all the greeters are – outside the rails, smiling and snacking away. They may attempt a fast one on you, often they are selling an unofficial cab / limo.

5. Go for PUBLIC TAXI METERS exit. They are in a rank outside the automatic doors (ON YOUR RIGHT AS YOU PASS THROUGH THE GREETERS AREA) A booth is at the end of the queue dishing out tickets that give you contact details of who to contact if you have a problem (nice touch).

Taxi drivers are only permitted to pick up passengers at these authorized stands and they are not allowed to offer their services to passengers in the terminal building.(So no nipping up to arrivals and expecting a shorter queue – unless you only have hand bags - guess who does this all the time?).

Fares to Silom around 200 THB in total, Sukhumvit about the same. You pay an extra 50 THB on top of the meter fare. It's standard procedure – it's for lost time waiting at the airport.

Trips to Silom / Sukhumvit take anything from 30 mins to 1 hour depending on the time of day and weather.

Add on around 40 THB for expressways. You pay for these while you are still in the cab at the toll booth (tell the taxi to use the expressway – it’s worth it, believe me.)

No excess / number of bags fees.

Tips of around 20THB will keep the driver happy.

Have small notes ready, 20THBs and 100THBs. Often they can't break a 500 THB or a 1000THB.

Driver? ...guaranteed to know all the latest football scores and transfer market goings on.