Bangkok Getting Around

Getting Around

Bangkok suffers from what is maybe the worst traffic congestion in the world, that combined with the heat, humidity and pollution makes getting about a little more difficult than most other places. Do not expect to walk far either, most of the time the pavements are occupied by street stalls and double up as gangways for motorcycles. However all is not lost, here are a few tips to help get around in Bangkok.

The BTS, (Bangkok Transport System) was opened on the Kings birthday in December 2001, Also known as the light rail railway or the sky train (Thais call it 'lot fi far' which means sky train, it is an elevated railway tranversing some of the busiest areas of Bangkok avoiding all the traffic, it consists of two lines, crossing at Siam Station (near Siam Square). Prices are cheap, and unlike many other forms of transport, is not affected by the traffic jams in Bangkok. Generally speaking is the safest and fastiest way of getting around, and quite often the cheapest. All signs and announcements are in English as well as Thai and many of the staff have basic english skills too.

Taxis can be a bargain if you follow a few simple rules. Try to stick with the metered taxis. Make sure the meter is turned on. If the driver refuses demand him to pull over and hale another one. They come along quite frequently. If using a tuk-tuk, be sure to negociate the rate ahead of time. Beware of those drivers that are eager to take you any where other then what you requested. It isn't unusual to be taken somewhere that pays the drivers a commision and charges you much more than what you could normaly find on your own. If your being taxed any where you haven't been before, do your home work in being able to recognize that your at the right place when you get there (i.e. viewing a picture of it befor hand or knowing what to look for.) reason being, I've seen first hand how if a driver has trouble finding your destination, he well drop you anywhere, tell you your there and collect the fair. If your not satisfied, question them. Usualy they well either try harder to find your destination or drop you to hale another taxi without charging for the fair.

These boats run up and down the river and they only stop at certain piers. Make sure your boat stops at the desired destination by pointing on a bilingual map or asking the locals or fellow travellers if you are not sure. The boat costs between 6-15 Baht depending on the distance. The express boat goes upriver as far as Nonthaburi, a small town 10 kilometers north of Bangkok. Down the river the final stop is the Shangri-La Hotel. From there you can continue by other means of transport to Thanon Sathorn (Sathorn Rd.) where a number of hotels and embassies are located. Some boats are faster than the others. They can be distinguished by red or green flags at the end of the boat.

Approx. every twenty minutes until 7 pm there are small boats going from Klong Banglampoo near Khao San Road to Hualompong Railway Station (Central Station) and back. This is a nice way to catch your train if you do not have too much luggage and stay in the Khao San Rd. area. 5 Baht only.

My favourite route goes from the near the Democracy Monument all the way down to Ramkhamhaeng Open University (and beyond) in the east of Bangkok. The trip takes about 25 minutes, but in comparison with the bus, the boat is much faster and there is no Skytrain going in this area of town. The trip costs approx. 15 Baht depending on how far you go. You have probably to change the boat at the World Trade Centre. Keep in mind that is a really popular means of transport with the locals, so it can be busy at the end of office hours.