|
|
|
|
|
Home  Africa Getting around Thailand
|
|
Bangkok is one of the main transport hubs in Asia, and many travellers
simply buy a cheap ticket to Bangkok and catch a flight from their to
go further. Also check the "Asean airpass chapter for this".
Flights within Thailand
General remark
Prices
of airplane tickets are the same at the offices of airlines as with
travel agents. Prices at the airport are also the same as in town.
The airline offices offer you the advantage that you can pay with credit card without extra charge.
Prices of tickets paid for in Belgium are about 15% higher then what you'd pay in Thailand.
Companies
Thai airways
Thai
Airways is government run. They have numerous flights to places like
Phuket, Chiang Mai, but also smaller places like Mae Hong Son, Mae Sot,
Chiang Rai etc. get services several times a day.
Here are some examples of flights to popular destinations, but you can find much more detailed info on their excellent website:
detailed schedule, prices, etc. Since 1/4/99, prices have gone up with
about 10%. Airport tax for domestic flights is 30 Bht but is always
included in the fare.
- Bangkok-Chiang Mai: 10
direct flights a day from 7.15 am till 10.15 pm, there are 5 extra
flights during high season. Cost is 1870 Bht one way (4/99).
- Bangkok-Phuket:
9 direct flights a day from 8 am till 9 pm, also extra flights during
high season. The trip takes 1h20 min and costs 2270 Bht one way
(4/99).
- Bangkok-Krabi: this flight is new since 7/99, 1 flight a day at 10.15 am.
Thai
airways also offers an airpass for 179 US$ for 4 domestic flights.
They also take part in the Asean Airpass program (see below).
Bangkok Airways
Bangkok
Airways is a private company aiming more at the tourist traveller with
destinations like Ko Samui, Sukothai and Siem Reap. They have a
monopoly on these destinations, and this explains their higher prices.
They also have their own website with excellent info with schedules and prices.
- Bangkok-Siem Reap:
3 flights a day since 1/4/99, one at 8 am, 12.40 and 14.30. Price is
quite expensive at 11.500 Bht for a return flight, though special deals
are sometimes possible. There's now a deal for 10.000 Bht on condition
you take the afternoon flight to Siem Reap. Another possibility is to
take an open jaw flight from Bangkok to Siem Reap/Phnom Penh, this will
also be cheaper, around 9000 Bht (4/99).
- Bangkok-Samui:
17 flights a day starting from 6.30 am till 6.30 pm. Price is again
quite steep at 3.150 Bht for a single flight. On top of that, airport
tax in Ko Samui is 400 Bht (4/99).
- Bangkok-Sukothai: there's one flight a day at 9.20 am, going further to Chiang Mai. Price is about 1000 Bht (2/99).
New
destinations are being prepared, f.i. Sukothai to Siem Reap. Check out
Bangkok Airways website for up to date info on this.
Ferries
There are several ferries to the major islands in Thaïland. If the
ferries are mainly catering for tourists, f.i. to Ko Phi Phi they can
be more expensive then f.i. the ferry to Ko Samui.
Bus
Public transportation
There are 2 different possibilities:
- Either you take a private tourist bus
- Either you take a regular public bus.
- The latter tend to be better and safer.
Here are some hints to know what kind of bus you're on:
- Private buses tend to have xxxx xxxx Touring above the wicket.
-
Public buses departing from Bangkok are always blue and white for the
AC, an orange stripe or a "999" indicates a first class bus, a "99" or
no stripe means a second class and a yellow or pink stripe is a VIP
bus.
Train
Thailand has a well developed railway system.
Starting from Bangkok, there are mainly 4 lines:
- Northern line to Chiang Mai
- Southern line towards Surat Thani and further
- Eastern line
- Western line to Kanchanburi
It is possible to book train tickets online. Check out this website.
It's a travel agent who will purchase the tickets for you for a 200 Bht
fee. They can also send it to you with DHL for 20 US$.
Taxi
We had very good experiences with taxis, but you should insist that
they use their meter. Some taxi drivers will try to discuss about a
price on beforehand, but you can be sure they will ALWAYS quote a
higher price then what you would pay by the meter.
In Bangkok, an average trip will cost between 50 to 70 Bht (4/99). This is made up by:
- 35 Bht starting fee, this includes 2 km
- 2 Bht every 400 metres
- 1 Bht per minute waiting in traffic jam or if speed is less then 6 km/hour.
In
Bangkok, we ALWAYS took a taxi instead of a Tuk-Tuk, because the
Tuk-Tuk drivers will cheat you, bring you to a shop instead of your
destination, tell you the site you want to visit is closed or
anything.
Some big hotels might try to make you use their own limousine. This is of course much more expensive.
Tuk-Tuk
Avoid Tuk-Tuk's in Bangkok. The drivers will always try to cheat you
with overcharging or bringing you to a shop. Avoid them unless you know
the exact fares like the locals. Have a look at the Bangkok section for
more info on this.
Renting a motorbike
A motorbike can be rented in most places. Average price for a day is
150 Bht. You can bargain a bit when you start at noon f.i. Be careful,
there's NO insurance included.
Renting a car
We didn't rent a car. Prices vary from company to company from 1000 to
1500 Bht per day. Insurance is extra. See Chiang Mai chapter for more
details.
Cybercafés and other internet facilities
There are cybercafés in all the tourist destinations. Prices are
lowest in Bangkok and Chiang Mai (about 2 Bht per minute) and highest
on the South Coast (5 to 7 Bht per minute).
|
|
