If your first experience of traveling in Thailand was fighting through the traffic in Bangkok, prepare to be pleasantly surprised by Chiang Mai. Thailand’s northern capital offers a calmer experience, as you’ll discover once you start exploring this charming city of stupas, monasteries, and markets.
How to get around in Thailand
11.11.2023 - 20:53 / lonelyplanet.com
You’ve hit the ground in Bangkok and are ready for that next step. Now how do you get around?
The good news is that Thailand is extremely well-connected. Whether you’re heading north to the mountains of Chiang Mai or south to an island, there are flights, trains, buses, minivans, and boats ready to get you there. And better yet, most of these methods of transport are efficient and good value. If anything, with so many options, choosing between them can be a bit overwhelming. To make things easier, we’ve put together a crash course in Thai transportation.
These days, planes are the most efficient way to get around Thailand. The country’s expansive air network links Bangkok with all the major tourist destinations – Chiang Mai, Ko Samui, Phuket, and Krabi – as well as just about every provincial capital you’ve never heard of. And if your destination is an island, some of the low-cost carriers also offer airport-bus-ferry transfers.
Note that Bangkok has two airports, with Don Mueang International Airport functioning as the de-facto budget/domestic hub, and Suvarnabhumi Airport as the primary international hub. A taxi into town from either should cost the equivalent of around US$10, including an obligatory airport fee of 50B but excluding tolls. Both airports are also linked to Bangkok’s urban train network, and there’s a shuttle bus that runs between the two airports.
The major domestic operators are AirAsia, Bangkok Airways, Nok Air, Thai Lion Air, Thai Smile and VietJet Air. The competition means domestic flights are relatively cheap, but as some of these airlines are essentially budget airlines, they can be sticklers when it comes to luggage weight and size – you’ve been warned.
If you’re not in a hurry, and if the rails lead to where you want to go, the State Railway of Thailand offers a cheap, comfortable way to get around Thailand. The country’s rail network spans four main long-distance lines – Northern, Northeastern, Eastern and Southern.
Bangkok now has a shiny new train station, Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal, north of the city center. It’s the terminus for the Northern, Northeastern and Southern lines and is also connected to the Metro network. With the completion of this station, there’s talk of high-speed trains crisscrossing the country, although nothing has been finalized. The former terminus, Bangkok Railway Station (Hua Lamphong), in Chinatown, remains the hub for local, commuter and tourist trains, as well as all trains on the Eastern Line.
There are various types of seats, outlined below. To avoid scams or overpaying, buy your tickets directly at one of the stations mentioned above, or via the State Railways of Thailand website or hotline (1690).
Buses and minivans form the most
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