Start your holiday on the right track by taking the Airport Rail Link from Bangkok International Airport (aka Suvarnabhumi) to the city,28km away. There are eight stations with the last,station A8,being Phaya Thai,where you can transfer to the BTS (Skytrain). The all-stop journey to Phaya Thai takes 30 minutes on blue-striped “City Line” trains. A non-stop service,the red-striped “Express Line”,runs from the airport to Makkasan,(station A6) taking 15 minutes. From Makkasan you can connect with the MRT subway,which also serves various sights in the city. English signage makes it easy and the ultra-cheap fares of THB35 ($1.54) to Makkasan and THB45 to Phaya Thai,are unbeatable. Seebangkokairportonline.com/bangkok-airport-rail-link/
River Transport
River boats are by far the best way to travel;you’ll see a wealth of attractions and appreciate the cooling breezes. First,make your way to Sathorn Pier,also known as Central Pier,(access at Saphan Taksin BTS station) and check out the many boat operators. Chao Phraya Express Boat company has around 65 boats operating on four routes - orange flag,green flag and yellow flag and one simply called “no flag”! The orange flag line offers the most comprehensive journey,stopping at around 28 piers. Piers north of Sathorn are marked N;those south are marked S,with more attractions located to the north. This commuter system can be chaotic but the fares are cheap (from THB15) and you’ll see the sights like a local. Those wanting an organised hop-on-hop-off service with commentary should take the Chao Phraya Tourist Boat,at THB150 for a day pass when bought online. Seechaophrayaexpressboat.com andchaophrayatouristboat.com
MRT – The Underground
The city’s subway network has two lines – the blue line and the newer purple line,with a total of 30 stations. The blue line runs in a loop from Bangkok’s northern suburbs to the south,ending at Hua Lamphong main railway station,from where trains depart for regional areas such as Chiang Mai. The blue line connects with the Airport Rail Link at Phetchaburi (there’s a five-minute walk from this MRT station to Makkasan on the airport line). The MRT has stops near many sights,including Chatuchak Markets;it also connects with four BTS stations. The purple line serves the northern suburbs. Fares start at THB16;day passes from THB120. Seetransitbangkok.com
BTS - Skytrain