Transfers & transports

There are different ways to get from Suvarnabhumi international airport to the city center of Bangkok:

The cheapest way: Public Transport

Airport Rail Link: It takes about 40 min. to get to central Bangkok. At Makkasan or Phaya Thai stations you can connect with the BTS and MRT systems. Not advisable if you have a lot of luggage because it gets pretty crowded at rush hour and you'll have to walk for a while for the connections. The price is between 15-45 baht, depending on your destination.

Buses: there are several bus lines that get to the city center, but they are very slow and get really crowded. They cost a flat fare of 35 Baht.

The cheapest door-to-door option: Shared Shuttle

With this service you'll have a private transport shared with other passengers. The cost depends on where you're going, but calculate from € 12.36 per person, and the time depends on whether the van is full of passengers or not, and if you're the first ones to be dropped off or the last ones.

There are many ways to move around Bangkok, you just have to choose the one that best suits your needs:

Public Transport

The BTS sky train has stops in most of the tourist destinations. It has 2 lines: Sukhumvit line and Silom line. It’s relatively cheap. You can buy a card and top it up in the stations depending on how much you’ll use it or you can buy a day pass (only worth it if you’ll use it a lot).

The MRT is the metro. It has its own card and you can also buy single tickets.

Buses: they are not advisable because they often take a while to get to destination due to heavy traffic. However, they are cheaper than the other public transport options. To pay there are two possibilities: either the driver will receive it or there’s a person that will collect the payment from your seat.

Private Transport

Taxi: Cheaper than in Europe. Demand the taximeter to be set, if not just get off and try another one. For 100 Baths you cover an important distance. Sometimes taxi drivers will refuse to take passengers because of the destination and decide they don’t want to drive there. It’s not personal, although it can get frustrating. Other drivers may refuse to turn on the meter. Keep trying until you get a taxi for a price that works for you.

Moto Taxi: during many times of the day it is ideal since in Bangkok the traffic is horrible and the motorcycle easily gets through. It’s also cheaper than taxis, for a short distance (1-2km) you should be charged around 30 Baht.

Grab taxi: it’s a ride sharing app like Uber or Cabify. You have to download the app and call the ride whenever you want to, with a set price. You can call either a car or a moto taxi, the last one being cheaper and better for single riders.

Tuk-Tuk: they don’t have many advantages over taxis, but it’s a bit more fun for short distances (1-2 km, 50 Baht approx.). Always negotiate the price and beware if they offer you one that’s too low, they will take you away to buy something and if you don’t buy they’ll charge a lot to return.

Chao Phraya Express Boats: If you move around the temple area near the river it's a good option. You pay based on distance.

Long tail boats: The water tuk-tuks. You have to negotiate, I recommend it only for the visit to the klongs.

Hop-on Hop-off Boat Chao Phraya River: this boat allows you to get on and off at any of its 9 piers along the river, with stops that include Wat Arun and Pak Klong Taladd. The price goes from €5.94 for one day.