This article is designed to provide tips for how to get around Bangkok in a more detailed way!
A bustling city like Bangkok can be overwhelming; knowing how to safely and properly navigate and go about your daily life like a local can help improve your experience.
Airport Transportation Recommendation: Airport Rail Link and Car
From Suvarnabhumi Airport Airport rail link is a cheaper way, and a great option, especially during peak traffic hours. Follow the signs for airport rail links, or kindly ask the staff for directions upon exiting the baggage customs.
The rail link is connected to Phaya Thai BTS(sky train) station, where you can interchange to your destinations. More information on how to use the BTS is under this section.
Otherwise, Grab or Taxi service is available for both Don Meung and Suvarnabhumi Airport. More Information on these is in the section below
Note that there is a dedicated space for both Taxi and Grab service (Green tent and Green Signs for Grab), follow the sign for them or kindly ask the staff or officer in the airport for directions.
Transportation service applications
Grab, Lineman, Bolt, Muvmi (for tuk-tuks), etc., are best for your safety, cost-effectiveness, scam-proofing, and convenience. We highly recommend that you download one of the applications. The one we normally use is Grab, but others should work well too.
Both bike and car services are available with a calculated fixed pricing that will be cheaper than conventional taxis and motorbikes.
For your own safety, we recommend only using the bikes for shorter distances.
The application also provides food delivery, which is widely used by locals. You can find good restaurants serving all kinds of cuisines that will deliver to you within 40 minutes to an hour (depending on the hour, weather, and distance).
We find Lineman to be cheaper than Grab for some restaurants, and do not forget to type in the discount code or check the promo code section before you pay; you can probably find the code being advertised somewhere on the app.
Taxi and TukTuk
In the case of taxi and tuk-tuk, always negotiate for prices, as foreigners will most likely be charged several times higher by the drivers. For a taxi, in the case of refusing to use the price meter, it is best to avoid; otherwise, negotiate for the price you deem appropriate. For how much a taxi ride in Thailand would cost, from our personal experience, we rarely, if ever, have a ride cost more than 200-300 baht, even for a longer ride, and it would normally cost around 100 baht or a bit less to move around the city center outside of rush hour, say from one shopping district to another, or around 15-30 minute rides (the duration may be a bit off). You can use this as a benchmark to negotiate for prices when they refuse to use the meter, which you will most likely encounter.
Note that a fee of 400-500 is probably an absurd amount for a local, but feel free to take into consideration the distance you are travelling and the traffic conditions, especially during rush hour, and decide on your own willingness to pay if the price offered is acceptable or not (be sure to negotiate).
Please do not fight them for the price if they continue to refuse for multiple times or for refusing the service, it is best to not aggravate a conflict, in the case you found obvious misconduct that you will not tolerate, film or take a photo for evidence and report them to the authority (you can search for the process or number on Google).
In the case that they do accept to use the meter for your ride, you are lucky, and if you find the ride to be cheaper than you expected, which it could be, feel free to tip them and show support for the good ones.
Note that tuk-tuks do not have a meter and only go by negotiating the price before the ride.
For how to call a Taxi in Thailand, simply wave your hand at them like you would anywhere. For a taxi, a green light means that it is not occupied, and for a tuk-tuk, you can see if someone is on it. Sometimes you might see them parked on the side of the road somewhere, maybe on a break or in a waiting area. Don’t be afraid to approach them on their break, kindly ask if they are willing to go, which they normally would be.
To pay, be sure to have cash on you, preferably the smaller notes, as they sometimes do not have enough change. But, if you do find yourself in such a situation, a nearby local vendor would be happy to exchange it for a smaller note, or better, just buy something small.
BTS & MRT
BTS and MRT are providers of train services in Bangkok, one for the sky train and one for the metro underground train, respectively. For the BTS Skytrain, consider a Rabbit card, available for purchase at the counter, if you are planning to use the service often; otherwise, buy the ticket card at the machines or kindly ask the staff at the counter for assistance. To use the card at the BTS gate, tap the card at the machine to enter and insert the card to exit.
For the MRT metro train service, VISA cards are able to be used, tap your visa card at ‘VISA’ spot with your VISA card. In the case that you do not have a card, a coin ticket at the machines is available, as well as a top-up card for MRT at the counter. To use the MRT coin, tap the coin to enter and insert the coin to exit.
More likely than not, the places you are looking to visit will be located within walking distance of either of the two trains.
For what to do when you purchased the ticket for the wrong station or ended up in the wrong station from what your ticket is for: In the case that you realized that the ticket you had purchased at the BTS or MRT is for the wrong station and that your destination is further away from the ticket intended station you can simply go to the counter and pay the excess fee there. In the case that the ticket is for a further destination than your destination, you can simply go out with that ticket or contact the counter to see if you can get the excess amount of money back.
If you missed your station, simply come down (do not leave the gate) and go to the opposite platform to go back to your stop.
Motorcycle (Win)
Parked in lines, wearing an orange vest, that’s how you tell the motorcycles are Win, as we call it here in Thailand. They are probably the locals’ number one means of transportation for shorter distances, available in most busier areas, at train stations, in between alleys, and near markets and popular locations. Kindly approach them, and one will probably raise their hand for you to go to them, tell them where you want to go, and ask for the price beforehand. For instance, from a BTS station to somewhere nearby, around 800 meters – 2 kilometers, or a few minutes ride, could cost around 20-60 baht for a local. You may expect to pay more as a foreigner, but not an absurd amount. They will get you to your destination the fastest.
River-crossing Boats
If you find yourself on the opposite side of the Chao Phraya River from somewhere you want to go next, getting a car to go the long way around might not be the best option. In such a case, look for a pier on the map and head there; a river crossing boat should be available for a single-digit baht fee. This option is way faster than a car ride or a train stop.
There are both simple river-crossing boats and boat services for certain destinations. Kindly ask the staff which boat to take.
However, do note that some of them may require a walk in a narrow alley, and you may feel like you are going to meet a dead end somewhere, or stepping into a shady area, but a boat station will likely be there at the end. With that said, such alleyways can be more dangerous, especially at night, so if you feel that the path in front of you is not safe, it is best to turn back, but generally, there should be no problem.
Although there are some other means of transportation we have not yet covered, these are our go-to transportation services and the only ones we regularly use. We believe that the above options will cover all your transportation needs in central Bangkok.
We wish you a great trip!