Getting around Bangkok offers a few choices and some challenges. If you have hired a car which you have picked up from the airport, you hopefully will have booked a hotel with car parking and possibly valet parking service. With valet parking, a hotel employee will take the car from you when you arrive at the reception area, give you a ticket as receipt and will return the car when you decide to venture out. Google maps and other GPS apps work pretty well in Thailand. You should check before you set off in Bangkok traffic that your destination offers car park facilities. Although there are large parking spaces in most popular venues and shopping malls, they tend to get very full, pretty quickly so we suggest that you head off to arrive early so that you have no problem finding a space. If no parking is available we suggest taxi or if expense is no problem, then a chauffeur driven limousine from your hotel should fit the bill. The advantage of a limo is that the driver can find a local point to park and then turn up to pick you up when you’re ready to go. A limo is also useful to deposit your shopping as you go. Taxi is recommended depending where you want to go. If your intended destination is not on the sky train or MRT (underground) system then taxi is probably the best option. An early breakfast and early departure will help avoid Bangkok’s rush hour traffic. Alternatively, set off after 1000H and miss the early rush hour. Some shopping malls don’t open until 1000h. It’s worth checking on the opening times for the mall. Your hotel staff will help by giving instructions to the taxi driver. Make sure that the meter has been started. If not, remind the driver by simply saying ‘meter krap”. If he refuses to start the meter tell him ‘yoot’ and he should then stop the car and you can get out. If you have problems with the driver make a note of his number which is displayed on the passenger door. He can then be reported to the authorities. It is unusual to have such a problem, but just make sure you know how to handle it. The famous Tuk-Tuk is a favourite with tourists as it seems a cute vehicle to travel in, and many visitors enjoy taking a spin in them. There are however a few disadvantages with Tuk-Tuks. • They don’t have a meter so you need to negotiate the price before you climb aboard. • There is limited space and it’s not as comfortable as a taxi. • They are open to the elements and you will be breathing in Bangkok’s traffic pollution. • Beware of Tuk-Tuk drivers wishing to take you for a ‘free tour’. They will take you to a few outlets such as jewellery stores and gift shops where you will be encouraged to buy a few items on which he will get a commission. We recommend that you decline any such offers and stick to your original plans otherwise you may waste time and not do what you originally intended to. One other popular mode of transport around Bangkok and in other cities is by motorcycle taxi. You can see groups of them waiting around sky train stations and popular entertainment and market areas. Many Thais use them to go from one point to another and they are very often used when there is a traffic jam. B Being stuck in a car or taxi can result in being late for an important meeting or appointment. There is a law in Thailand that passengers on a motorcycle must wear a crash helmet and some motorcycle drivers have a spare helmet for passengers to wear. I have to confess that I have used the services of a motorcycle taxi a few times over the years here. It can be a dangerous form of transport and although I recommend a safer method, the choice is yours. The sky train or underground system is certainly a safer alternative One other popular mode of transport around Bangkok and in other cities is by motorcycle taxi. You can see groups of them waiting around sky train stations other popular entertainment and market areas. Many Thais use them to go from one point to another and they are very often used when there is a traffic jam and being stuck in a car or taxi can result in being late for an important meeting or appointment. There is a law in Thailand that passengers on a motorcycle must wear a crash helmet and some motorcycle drivers have a spare helmet for passengers to wear. I have to confess that I have used the services of a motorcycle taxi a few times over the years here. It can be a dangerous form of transport and although I recommend a safer method, the choice is yours. The Sky Train and MRT (underground) systems can be a great way to get around Bangkok. If you’re heading for a shopping expedition, it’s fine as long as you’re only doing light shopping as you don’t need to be burdened down with loads of bags. In such a case, sky train to shopping mall then by taxi back to your hotel. This could mean getting stuck in traffic for a while, but it’s compensated by relaxing in an air conditioned environment and not travelling in a possibly crowded sky train or underground system. This is the link to The Sky Train Website which confirms a charge of 150 Baht for a day pass giving unlimited rides. Please note that once entering the Silom or Sukhumvit lines, you must exit from that particular line within 120 minutes from that line. If overstaying the 120 minutes there is a penalty payment of the full fare. I imagine that this is to prevent ‘joy riding’ for more than 2 hours on the sky train, but I can’t imagine why anyone would want to do that! If there are 3 or more of you who decide to take the sky train, it may be better to opt for a taxi as it may not be much more expensive than a taxi ride and you can be seated comfortably rather than possible having to stand in the sky train and go up and down stairways at the sky train stations. Of course the taxi ride may risk being stuck in traffic, but that’s the risk in Bangkok. Your choice. PLEASE NOTE Children whose height is less than 90 centimetres are exempted from paying fares. For safety purposes, parents are required to carry their children while walking through the Automatic Gate. Normal fare is applied to children whose height is over 90 centimetres. There is a height measuring scale available in the vicinity of Ticket Issuing Machines. This is the link is to the MRT (Underground) website.

This page focusses on getting around Bangkok. For other methods, click on the images below.