V1: http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/360898
V2 https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1328251
V3 https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2421091/+2860
More Tourist Info compiled from various postings in V1:
1) Transportations:
QUOTE(sunbeams @ Nov 29 2006, 07:31 PM)
THB1,000 is outrageously expensive. My guess is that you took the airport taxi rather than the normal public taxi.
Alright here's the situation. When you arrive at the airport, you have a few choices to get to your hotel:
1 - Hotel Transfer
If you arrange with the hotel via bookings, they could send someone to pick you up from the airport using the hotel limo. Might be free, but if it isn't, you can expect a heavy bill. Pros: No need to wait for queues
2 - Airport Taxi
When you exit the airport and about to head outside, you're most likely to be approached by well dressed men / women in blazers asking if you like a "taxi". This ain't any normal taxi, but your high class airport limo. Depending on your destination, it would cost anywhere between THB600 - THB1,000. Pros: You get to sit in real comfortable Toyota Camrys
3 - Public Taxi
The cheapest form of taxi to get to your hotel. Head downstairs to the ground floor (not the arrival floor) and head outside. The new Suvarnabhumi airport hasn't properly prepared proper booths for public taxis, so you'll see a bunch of tables by the sidewalk. Walk to anyone of them and tell them your destination. They will give you a receipt and show you to your public taxi. The journey shouldn't cost more than THB400 if you want to get to town center.
There is an extra surcharge of THB50 if you take the public taxi from the airport, in addition to the metered fare. Also, if you decide to take the tollways, you have to pay the toll fare yourself.
Pros: Cheap. Cons: You might end up sitting in a 1990 Toyota Corolla or an old junk rusted relic of Bangkok transportation antiques
Some Tips:
Most public taxi drivers will take the Bang-Na route to get to the city. It's further, which allows them to earn slightly more milleage from you. So, if you are daring enough, tell the taxi driver to take the "Motorway" route. This route is shorter distance, and more direct to the city. "Motorway" is the name the Thai's use for that particular stretch of highway, which leads you to the Rama 9 Rd, and from there you can get to the city with ease.
The Bang-Na route shares the same trunk to and from the port. With this, you will have to bear slow traffic from hundreds of container trailers. If you're unlucky, you might experience some traffic congestion, and that can be really frustrating.
Aditional Taxi Info:
I'll clarify if it helps. You don't pay 50B to the "airport authority" - you pay it to the cab driver at the end of the journey, above-and-over what the meter shows. e.g. if meter shows 230B, you pay 280B at the end. If you "curi" a taxi on the departures level as taxis drop off bonafide departing pax, then you don't pay this.
Also it is very common to round up to the next 10B if you and the driver have no change.
Tolls, as you pass them or not depending on where you go, can be 25, 45, 15 etc as to tollway/expressway circles Bangkok. The 25B and 45B tolls refer to 2 common tolls if you are going to Sukumvit/Silom/River areas. You hand cash to the driver, who hands it to the tollbooth clerk who hands the change/receipt back to the driver, who hands it back to you. Great way for you to break your 1000B notes into small change so you can pay the taxi fare at the end. You also have the option of not taking tollways, and a lot of people do this if they are traveling very early in the morning (4-5am) or very late at night - it doesn't slow you down too much to take surface streets.
Alright here's the situation. When you arrive at the airport, you have a few choices to get to your hotel:
1 - Hotel Transfer
If you arrange with the hotel via bookings, they could send someone to pick you up from the airport using the hotel limo. Might be free, but if it isn't, you can expect a heavy bill. Pros: No need to wait for queues
2 - Airport Taxi
When you exit the airport and about to head outside, you're most likely to be approached by well dressed men / women in blazers asking if you like a "taxi". This ain't any normal taxi, but your high class airport limo. Depending on your destination, it would cost anywhere between THB600 - THB1,000. Pros: You get to sit in real comfortable Toyota Camrys
3 - Public Taxi
The cheapest form of taxi to get to your hotel. Head downstairs to the ground floor (not the arrival floor) and head outside. The new Suvarnabhumi airport hasn't properly prepared proper booths for public taxis, so you'll see a bunch of tables by the sidewalk. Walk to anyone of them and tell them your destination. They will give you a receipt and show you to your public taxi. The journey shouldn't cost more than THB400 if you want to get to town center.
There is an extra surcharge of THB50 if you take the public taxi from the airport, in addition to the metered fare. Also, if you decide to take the tollways, you have to pay the toll fare yourself.
Pros: Cheap. Cons: You might end up sitting in a 1990 Toyota Corolla or an old junk rusted relic of Bangkok transportation antiques
Some Tips:
Most public taxi drivers will take the Bang-Na route to get to the city. It's further, which allows them to earn slightly more milleage from you. So, if you are daring enough, tell the taxi driver to take the "Motorway" route. This route is shorter distance, and more direct to the city. "Motorway" is the name the Thai's use for that particular stretch of highway, which leads you to the Rama 9 Rd, and from there you can get to the city with ease.
The Bang-Na route shares the same trunk to and from the port. With this, you will have to bear slow traffic from hundreds of container trailers. If you're unlucky, you might experience some traffic congestion, and that can be really frustrating.
Aditional Taxi Info:
QUOTE(tatsuyachiba @ Mar 27 2010, 03:45 AM)
I'll clarify if it helps. You don't pay 50B to the "airport authority" - you pay it to the cab driver at the end of the journey, above-and-over what the meter shows. e.g. if meter shows 230B, you pay 280B at the end. If you "curi" a taxi on the departures level as taxis drop off bonafide departing pax, then you don't pay this.
Also it is very common to round up to the next 10B if you and the driver have no change.
Tolls, as you pass them or not depending on where you go, can be 25, 45, 15 etc as to tollway/expressway circles Bangkok. The 25B and 45B tolls refer to 2 common tolls if you are going to Sukumvit/Silom/River areas. You hand cash to the driver, who hands it to the tollbooth clerk who hands the change/receipt back to the driver, who hands it back to you. Great way for you to break your 1000B notes into small change so you can pay the taxi fare at the end. You also have the option of not taking tollways, and a lot of people do this if they are traveling very early in the morning (4-5am) or very late at night - it doesn't slow you down too much to take surface streets.
BTS Train route/map: http://www.bts.co.th/en/map.asp
Banmgkok subway map: http://www.bangkoksite.com/MRTA/Route1A.htm
2) Suggested Itineraries & tourist attractions:
http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=22964095
http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=10617587
http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=11301830
http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=11962044
http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=12038326
http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=13499490
http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=16359862
http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=19392288
http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=24284236
http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=24397243
3) Accomodations - Choose those near to MRT/ BTS lines:
http://directrooms.com/thailand/hotels/ban...tels/price1.htm
http://www.sawadee.com/hotels/bangkok.html
http://www.agoda.com/asia/thailand/bangkok.html
http://www.asiarooms.com/thailand/bangkok.html
4) Shopping district reviews :
http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=18423472
http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=23751082
5) Famous Scams in bangkok (BEWARE)
http://www.bangkokscams.com/undercover/top...n-thailand.html
http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=24120548
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8154497.stm