How to get from Bangkok airport to the city center

Bangkok has two international airports: the older Don Mueang Airport, used for domestic and international flights, and Suvarnabhumi Airport, one of the busiest in Asia. Both have convenient public transportation links to central Bangkok, such as buses and trains.

If you land at Suvarnabhumi, these are your options:

Bangkok Airport Rail Link: This is the cheapest, fastest way to get from the airport to the city center. The fare on the City Line, which connects to Phaya Thai station, is about 45-55 baht, while the fare on the Express line, which connects to Makkasan and Phaya Thai stations, ranges from 90 to 150 baht. Travel time depends on whether you choose the City or the Express line: about 30-40 minutes and 15-20 minutes respectively. The service runs from 6:00 to 24:00.

Bangkok Airport Bus (S1): If you're staying near the Khao San Road area, this may be the cheapest option. The air-conditioned bus leaves every 30 minutes from gate 7 on floor 1, running from 6 am to 8 pm. It costs about 60 baht, and the trip can take between 1 hour and 1 hour and 30 minutes, depending on traffic. Here's more information on schedules.

Taxi: Follow the signs for "Public Taxi" on floor 1 of the airport. Take a number from the machine and ask the driver to use the meter. If you manage to get them to turn it on, an extra 50 baht is added to the fare, and keep in mind that tolls cost extra. We didn't have much luck with this option: we couldn't get the driver to turn on the meter, and he charged us almost triple what it cost us to get back from the city center to the airport.

Grab / Bolt: Like Uber, these apps show you the price before you accept, so there's no need to negotiate. Grabs wait for you on floor 2.

If you land at Don Mueang, these are the options:

Airport Bus: There are 4 routes from the airport, with fares between 30 and 50 baht. You catch them at gate 6 in terminal 1 or gate 12 in terminal 2. These are the routes:

• A1 bus to BTS Mo Chit: :15 - 24:00, every 15 minutes
• A2 bus to Victory Monument: 6:30 - 23:00, every 25 minutes
• A3 bus to Lumphini Park: 7:00 - 23:00, every 30 minutes
• A4 bus to Khao San Road: 7:00 - 23:00, every 30 minutes

SRT Red Line: The red train line takes you from the airport to Bang Sue Grand Station, where you can connect to the Blue Line to reach areas like Lat Phrao, Ratchadaphisek, Chatuchak Park, Sukhumvit, Lumphini, Silom and Hua Lamphong. The fare is 30 baht, and the Blue Line costs 40 baht.

Taxi: The taxi system at Don Mueang can be tedious, since it involves a very long wait. You take a number when you arrive and, once it's called, you're assigned a taxi that uses the meter. Keep in mind there's an extra charge for using the airport system (about 30 baht). The last time we passed through Don Mueang, we had 150 numbers ahead of us… which took about 40 minutes (pretty fast, considering how many people there were).

Grab or Bolt: Like Uber, these apps show you the price before you accept, so there's no need to negotiate.

If you need to get from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Don Mueang Airport or vice versa, there's a free bus service that runs from 5:00 to 24:00. At Suvarnabhumi, you catch it in arrivals, between gates 2 and 3. At Don Mueang, you catch it on floor 1 at gate 6.

If your accommodation is far from the Skytrain or metro stops, you'll probably prefer a taxi or Grab.