For the first-time traveller, arriving in any strange country can be quite daunting and arriving in Thailand is no different. The hustle and bussle in the arrivals hall is just the same as at any other major international airport. Upon arrival, you'll probably want to get to your hotel as quickly as possible and there are several ways you can get into the centre of Bangkok from the airport:

TAXI: This is probably the most convenient method. They can be found outside the arrivals hall, where you purchase a 50Baht voucher to cover the airport surcharge (the toll fees are NOT included in the metered fare so the driver must be re-imbursed for any toll fees; generally 20 - 50Baht depending on where you get off the tollway) and proceed to the next taxi in the queue. The metered fare should be around 200 - 250Baht into central Bangkok. A word of warning; you may be approached by touts offering "cheap fares". Avoid them and stick with the official metered taxis. Some of these "unofficial" taxis can be death-traps and are un-insured for carrying passengers. The official metered taxis can be distinguished by the yellow licence plate attached to the rear of the vehicle.

TRAIN: This can be reached by taking the pedestrian bridge across the Wiphawadee Rangsit Highway over to the Don Muang Train Station. From there you can get the train into Hua Lamphong Main Station. It is then possible to get a metered taxi to your hotel.

BUS: There are plenty of buses into different parts of Bangkok. For the Airport Bus turn left out of Terminal 1 and make your way to the Airport Bus Counter. Here you have a choice of 3 routes:

A-1: To Silom via Pratunam, Ratchadamri, Indra, Grand Hyatt Erawan, Regent Bangkok and Dusit Thani.

A-2: To Sanam Luang via Phayathai, Lan Luang, Ratchadamnoen Klang, Tanao, Banglamphu, Victory Monument & Siam Square.

A-3: To Phrakhanong via Sukhumwit & Ekamai bus station (for buses east to Pattaya & Trat).

The cheapest are the Public Buses which stop on the main highway (Wiphawadee Rangsit) outside the airport but it can be a bit of a trek with luggage and you need to know which number bus to get to your destination. (There are bus guides available though).

HIRE CAR: It's possible to hire a car from the major International Hire Companies (AVIS, HERTZ, BUDGET) either before departing your home country or upon arrival at the airport. AVIS & HERTZ have counters in the main arrivals hall, whilst Budget will send a representative to come and meet you with the vehicle. From most countries, you will need an International Driving Permit but if your licence is in English you should be okay as the stipulation is that the licence must include English.

Photos from Thailand

Here are some links to some Thai Government & Commercial sites: TAT Travel Information - Tourism Authority of Thailand. Thai Tourist Police Thai Customs Department Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Visa Information AAT - Airports Authority of Thailand - Real-time Flight Info SRT - State Railway of Thailand Thai Airways COMPLETE ROYAL THAI GOVERNMENT WEB SITES DIRECTORY Royal Thai Police

Fancy some Thai cooking? I might get some of my own recipes on here one of these days, in the meantime, try these pages: Gigi's Recipe pages   Songwut's Recipe pages   Joy's Recipe pages

Here's some links for General Information on Thailand: Thailand Country Facts (WARNING! - there's loads of info here, so it could take some time to load!) Welcome to Thailand General bits of info - including some History and Culture.

Like to listen to Thai music? Here's some: Some Thai Songs - from MusicInter.com More Thai Songs - from OstLover.com

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This page was last updated: 08-Apr-2002 2:37 AM