Bangkok, Thailand Traffic Guide and Detailed Bus Guide

As the capital of Thailand, Bangkok has a very long history and cultural heritage. It has preserved the ancient traditional culture, especially the Buddhist culture, and is very popular. Everyone is gentle and friendly, and it is a good tourist destination. Let's introduce it in detail below.

Facing the complicated traffic environment, various modes of transportation in Bangkok have emerged. For tourists, there are three best ways to avoid traffic congestion: light rail, subway and water bus. These three roads can also pass through most scenic spots in downtown Bangkok.

Both BTS MRT and BTS MRT belong to the rail transit in Bangkok. The difference is that BTS is an elevated light rail on the ground, and you can see the scenery outside from the window. MRT is the subway, and both modes of transportation are very convenient, which will be introduced in detail below.

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

How to get from the airport to downtown Bangkok?

Various modes of transportation in downtown Bangkok

Airport to downtown

Bangkok currently has two airports: Suvarnabhumi International Airport and don mueang 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, start from the airport B floor and go directly to the PhayaThai station of BTS light rail in the city center.

Don mueang international airport (DMK) is an old airport, located in the suburb of Bangkok, far from the city center, and there is no airport light rail. The most convenient way to get to downtown Bangkok is to take a taxi.

Suvarnabhumi International Airport to downtown.

Suvarnabhumi International Airport has three airport express lines leading to the city center. The operation time is unified from 06: 00 to 24: 00. Visitors who arrive 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 of Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok (B 1). It is recommended to take the blue line, that is, the city line, which is the cheapest and most convenient. Tickets range from 15-45 baht, and there will be 8 stops, with the terminal at PhayaThai. The whole journey takes about 30 minutes. When you get to PhayaThai, you can transfer to BTS to all parts of the city.

The red line (PhayaThaiExpressLine) completely coincides with the blue line, but it can go directly to downtown PhayaThai with one stop, which is faster but more expensive. The one-way fare is 90 baht.

The newly opened yellow line (Macasan Express) is shorter than the blue line and the red line. It goes directly from the airport station to Makkasan station, and then transfers from the nearest Phetchaburi station to the MRT to downtown. The one-way fare is 90 baht.

* * * bus

Suvarnabhumi Airport has five bus lines leading to downtown Bangkok every day, with a frequency of 15-20 minutes and 1-2 hours. It is not recommended to take it during peak hours. First of all, you need to take a free bus ferry from the airport to the bus center a few kilometers away and get on the bus to buy a ticket. The fare is around 30-35 baht.

taxi

There are taxi stops on the first floor of Suvarnabhumi Airport, which are open 24 hours a day.

In the case of no traffic jam, it is basically within 400 baht from the airport to the urban area. If you go to Siam, it's about 250 baht. If you take the high-speed, you need extra foreign high-speed tolls. After arriving at the destination, you need to pay an additional 50 baht service fee to the driver.

Don mueang international airport to downtown.

taxi

At present, 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 get to 1 hour and costs about 300 baht. Taking a bus at a taxi stop will incur an extra charge of 50 baht.

* * * bus

As soon as you get out of Exit 6 of Longman Airport, take bus A 1 or A2 to the nearest light rail station MoChit, about 30 baht per person, and then take the light rail to the city. This method is not recommended for tourists with more luggage.

Urban Rail Transit in Bangkok

There are two light rail transit (BTS), one subway (MRT) and three airport railway lines in Bangkok. Light rail is the most convenient way for travelers and locals to visit the city. The light rail route runs through the central area of Bangkok, including several major commercial streets. Because the track is in the air, it is also called the sky train. At present, there are two lines: the light green Sukunyi line and the dark green Siam line.

At present, there is only one subway line in Bangkok, from Nanpeng Railway Station to KhaengPhet.

Bangkok light rail BTS passes through many famous tourist attractions. If you want to travel around Bangkok, taking BTS is a convenient, comfortable, safe and time-saving way. Tourists 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. With Siam as the center, the stations are numbered from east (E), south (S), west (W) and north (N).

Among them, Mo Zhi (N8), Asoke (E4) and Da Nang (S2) are transit stations between BTS and MRT. However, although it is a transfer, you still have to leave the station and then enter the station. You can't use a ticket for multiple purposes.

One-way ticket

BTS one-way fare 15-52 baht, depending on the distance of the destination. The station window can provide currency exchange service, but it does not provide ticket sales service. One-way tickets for BTS need to be purchased at the ticket vending machine. There are two kinds of BTS ticket vending machines in Bangkok: old and new.

The old ticket vending machine needs 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 needed to get to the station.

According to the steps shown in the left figure, first enter the required price and put the coin in the "2" area. Only 5 or 10 baht coins are accepted.

The new BTS ticket vending machine is a touch screen. Click on the screen to reach the destination, and the price will be displayed automatically. You can put in coins directly.

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

Metro mrt

This is the only subway in Thailand, with a total length of 20 kilometers and 18 stops 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 the MRT ticket vending machine is very simple, similar to the new BTS ticket vending machine. Touch the screen and click on the destination directly, the price will be displayed automatically, and then the ticket will be issued by coin.

Other water transport

Thailand's water transportation can be divided into five categories: Chao Phraya River bus, Jiang Shengsang Canal clipper, ferry, long-tailed boat and hotel ferry. The main scenic spots in Bangkok are basically concentrated along the Chao Phraya River, so for Bangkok's "bursting traffic", taking the bus is one of the preferred modes of transportation to visit the scenic spots.

Meinanhe bus boat

Central Ferry Pier is the central pier, and the route is divided into two directions: north and south. The route from the central pier to the north is n, and the route to the south is s. The bigger the number after the letter, the farther the pier is and the longer the voyage. Buses and ships on different routes are distinguished by the colors of the flags on board.

KhlongSaenSaep shipping service company

In addition to the North-South Zhaopiye River bus, there are also empty Sansan Canal clippers, which are low in price, fast in speed and east-west.

Sansang Canal Clippers are divided into east-west routes, both of which are round-trip routes. It is the Jinshan line on the western line, from Panfarirad to Pratunan. Most of the scenic spots are concentrated in two docks. After disembarking at Jinshan Wharf, you can walk to Jinshan Temple (3 minutes), Lushan Road (15 minutes), Grand Palace (20 minutes) and other scenic spots. In addition to the famous Watergate Market, Watergate Pier is close to the business district of Siam. Walk for 3 minutes to Central World Business Center, 10- 15 minutes to Siam Center. The eastern line is the NIDA line, from (Pratunam) Watergate Pier to WatSriboonreung Pier. There are few scenic spots, but some stations can transfer to BTS.

The fare of the Saint-Sang Canal Clipper is generally 7- 10 baht, which can be bought directly from the ship.

ferry

The ferry crosses the Chao Phraya River back and forth, and it takes about 5 minutes to reach the other side. Usually, the ship owner will wait for a certain number of people before sailing, and the ship positions are mostly located next door or at the same dock. The cost is about 5 baht/person.

Changwei

Fully rented to tourists, the price rose to 1000 baht/hour. It has excellent speed and can go to very small canals, including water markets. It can carry up to 15 people, which can be divided into carpooling system and chartered system. Docks such as ThaChang and ThaSiPhraya provide charter services for tourists.

Hotel shuttle ferry

Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Shangri-La Hotel and Peninsula Hotel offer free ferries. You can go to shopping centers near CentralPier, OrientalPier and RoyalAlorchidSheraton.

Local chara

On the streets of Bangkok, the most common local means of transportation is large, which is loved by local people because of its low price and flexibility. They can often be seen in places where foreign tourists gather, such as mountain roads and Chinatown. Taxis in Bangkok also have their own characteristics, and colorful taxis have become a highlight of the street.

Sudden car

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

Generally speaking, the taxi fare of local people will be about 30% cheaper than that of taxis, but most taxi drivers will overcharge passengers. Therefore, when you take the bus, you must negotiate the price with the driver before getting on the bus.

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

taxi

Taxis in Bangkok are brightly colored, which is a veritable street view. In fact, these colors have no unique meaning, but represent different operating companies. The taxi fare in Bangkok starts at 35 baht within 2 kilometers and then at 2 baht per kilometer. Generally, it is 100-200 baht in the city, and 150-300 baht in the far place.

In addition to avoiding the rush hour as much as possible, you must insist on recording the price by mileage when taking a taxi. If you tell the driver by the meter, the driver still has to bargain. It is suggested to change it to avoid being slaughtered because of language barriers.

* * * bus

Although in most cities, buses are often the safest and cheapest means of transportation. But in Bangkok, taking a bus is a very challenging thing. The prices of air-conditioned cars and non-air-conditioned cars are different, so are the prices of buses and minibuses. The same number and different colors may lead to different lines, and the price of the same line is different during the day and at night. The roads in Bangkok are intertwined, and stop signs are usually marked only in Thai.

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