Six of the best ways to get around Bangkok
Bangkok Airport Rail Link
The Airport Rail Link
Start your holiday on the right track by taking the Airport Rail Link from Bangkok International Airport (aka Suvarnabhumi) to the city, 28km away. There are eight stations with the last, station A8, being Phaya Thai, where you can transfer to the BTS (Skytrain). The all-stop journey to Phaya Thai takes 30 minutes on blue-striped “City Line” trains. A non-stop service, the red-striped “Express Line”, runs from the airport to Makkasan, (station A6) taking 15 minutes. From Makkasan you can connect with the MRT subway, which also serves various sights in the city. English signage makes it easy and the ultra-cheap fares of THB35 ($1.54) to Makkasan and THB45 to Phaya Thai, are unbeatable. See bangkokairportonline.com/bangkok-airport-rail-link/
River Transport
River boats - the best way to travel.
River boats are by far the best way to travel; you’ll see a wealth of attractions and appreciate the cooling breezes. First, make your way to Sathorn Pier, also known as Central Pier, (access at Saphan Taksin BTS station) and check out the many boat operators. Chao Phraya Express Boat company has around 65 boats operating on four routes - orange flag, green flag and yellow flag and one simply called “no flag”! The orange flag line offers the most comprehensive journey, stopping at around 28 piers. Piers north of Sathorn are marked N; those south are marked S, with more attractions located to the north. This commuter system can be chaotic but the fares are cheap (from THB15) and you’ll see the sights like a local. Those wanting an organised hop-on-hop-off service with commentary should take the Chao Phraya Tourist Boat, at THB150 for a day pass when bought online. See chaophrayaexpressboat.com and chaophrayatouristboat.com
MRT – The Underground
The MRT’s newer purple line.
The city’s subway network has two lines – the blue line and the newer purple line, with a total of 30 stations. The blue line runs in a loop from Bangkok’s northern suburbs to the south, ending at Hua Lamphong main railway station, from where trains depart for regional areas such as Chiang Mai. The blue line connects with the Airport Rail Link at Phetchaburi (there’s a five-minute walk from this MRT station to Makkasan on the airport line). The MRT has stops near many sights, including Chatuchak Markets; it also connects with four BTS stations. The purple line serves the northern suburbs. Fares start at THB16; day passes from THB120. See transitbangkok.com
BTS - Skytrain
The elevated BTS Skytrain.
Opened in 1999, this elevated train line is a tourist favourite and easy to use. The two lines, the dark green Silom Line and the light green Sukhumvit Line cover most of Bangkok’s attractions. They intersect at the huge Siam station, which is connected via sky bridges to shopping centres including Siam Square One and Siam Paragon. BTS travels to Phaya Thai station (for the airport link) as well as attractions such as Chatuchak Market (at Mo Chit station) and to the Chao Phraya River (Saphan Taksin station) to board the river boats. Single rides range from THB17 to THB47 and day passes THB150. Grab a BTS map, which also features the other transport networks. See: bts.co.th/
Buses
The BRT in its dedicated bus lane.
If you’ve ever seen a grid-locked Bangkok street you’ve seen some of the 14,000 buses, of many different colours, that ply the city. Die-hard travellers keen to jump on should get a map from the website (bmta.co.th) and study it. Alternatively, there’s the “Bus Rapid Transit” or BRT, introduced in 2010, which runs along a designated lane, meaning no traffic hold-ups. The one route of 12 stops, conveniently connects with two stations on the BTS Silom Line. The green-and-gold air-conditioned buses travel to less touristy areas for a THB15 flat fee, including the quirky Wat Pariwat, also known as David Beckham temple. The resident monk was a big fan of the soccer star. See transitbangkok.com
Tuk Tuks
Travelling by tuk tuk.
Synonymous with Thailand, who doesn’t love a ride in these nifty three-wheeled modes of transport? Sure, they can get stuck in traffic and can have you breathing in more fumes than you’d like, but on the upside, they’re fun for short trips, careening up the “sois”, or laneways, as long as all limbs are safely in the vehicle. In recent years electric tuk-tuks have emerged on the scene along with an accompanying ride-share app (muvmi.com), while the hop-on-hop-off business has finally discovered the humble vehicle and now visitors can plan their own self-guided tour using this service, which promises “no haggling, no random tips”. But seasoned travellers might miss the old-time thrill? See tuktukhop.com; muvmi.co/en
The writer travelled to Bangkok courtesy of the Tourism Authority of Thailand. See tourismthailand.org
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