Bangkok is a huge metropolis and it’s hard not to get intimidated by her size the first time you are visiting. Chances are you might feel limited in your freedom of moving by all the traffic to navigate around and explore Bangkok. This guide on transportation will help you to get around Bangkok efficiently.
Although you might feel limited in your freedom but the city has nearly every possible mode of transportation and it is fairly easy to navigate your way around. This guide on transportation will help you to get around Bangkok efficiently.
Taxi’s can be found in every corner of the city. Most taxi’s are modern comfortable cars and a metered taxi’s are cheap, especially when compared to taxi’s in most western countries.
When to use?
Bangkok’s is infamous for it’s traffic. It is advised to use the taxi’s at areas/times where traffic isn’t too busy or for parts of Bangkok where there is no BTS, MRT or Skytrain.
What does a taxi costs?
Starting price of a metered taxi is 35 Baht and will add a couple of Baht per kilometer. A taxi from Khao san road area to our office (around 5-6 km) should cost around 80 Baht.
TIP: Read our dedicated blog post with tips on how to take a taxi in Bangkok and avoid paying to much for your ride.
A tuk-tuk is probably Bangkok’s most famous mode of transportation. There are mostly used by tourists or street vendors transporting their goods. Other than you might think a tuk-tuk is mostly not the cheapest option, especially for tourists in the more touristy parts of town.
When to use?
You have to ride a tuk-tuk when you come to Bangkok; it’s an experience you don’t want to miss. Other than that they might be good for short distances when traffic is reasonable.
Cost?
Tuk-tuks have no meter and the price depends mostly on supply & demand and the part of Bangkok you take one or head to. A tuk-tuk ride from Khao san road to our office cost our guests on average around 150 Baht.
Relatively new to Bangkok are the BTS, MRT and Airport link. The network of these mass transit trains is not as extensive as in other big cities but they are continuously expanding the lines.
When to use?
Convenient for both short and long distances along the route. It is advised to use these lines as a prefered mode of transportation as they run often, fast, convenient and reasonable priced. You might want to avoid taking them during rush hour as they can get fairly busy.
What does it cost?
A trip in any of these mass transit trains will cost anywhere between 10-50 Baht per person.
Tip 1: Use the Airport Link to get into town from Suvarnabhumi airport.
Tip 2: Buy a rabbit-card for the BTS and top it up with 200 Baht. You can walk straight though the trains and will avoid buying tickets for every single trip over again as there can be huge queues at certain times/station (e.g. Siam).
Yet another mode of transport available in Bangkok: the boat. A nice alternative to avoid traffic and navigate along the river or Bangkok’s canals. The Khlong saen saep is a bit hidden but once you know the stops it can be a valuable, fast, cheap and sure adventurous mode of transportation to beat Bangkok’s traffic. Both services are worth the adventure and gives a good look on life along the river/canals.
Chao Phraya River express
The Chao Phraya river express is a perfect option to use between Khao san road (Pier N13) and our office (Pier N3) with stops in between at the popular tourist attractions such as the Grand Palace and Wat Arun.
Khlong saen saeb
The Khlong saen saeb can be taken from near Khao san road to Bangkok’s shopping mall area of Central World, Siam, the Platinum Fashion Mall and MBK. You can take it further east to the popular Sukhumvit area (e.g. Terminal 21) or even further down east.
What does it cost?
When taking regular boat trips the costs won’t exceed 15 Baht. The Chao Phraya tourist express will cost 40 Baht and will only stop at the more popular tourist attractions.
Motorbike taxi drivers are everywhere in the city, especially in the more central and busy areas of town. They are always ready to bring you to the doorsteps of your final destination as fast as possible. This is definitely the most thrilling mode of transportation and not for the heart fainted.
When to use?
Motorbike taxi’s are often used for the last short distance part of your journey. When Bangkok’s street are clogged with traffic, motorbike taxi’s will navigate you through traffic to get you to your destination as quick as they can.
What does it costs?
Every motorbike taxi-stand has fixed fares for the most common destinations. For shorter distances this wouldn’t cost over 30 Baht.
Pic: e27.co
Most of the time you might end up using different kind of transportation to get from A to B. If you would like to see places that are very hard to reach by any kind of above mentioned transportation, our bicycle will bring you there!