HomeAsiaSouth East AsiaThailandBangkokGetting to Bangkok City Center from Suvarnabhumi (Bangkok) International Airport By Marcos Detourist on August 6, 2010It was my first time in Thailand and after arriving in Suvarnabhumi (Bangkok) International Airport I was all set to go to Silom in Bangkok City Center. There are a number of ways to get to Bangkok City Center but because Cebu Pacific Airlines lands in Bangkok around midnight, my options slimmed down dramatically (the plane arrived at 11:35PM but it was around midnight when I finished going through Thai immigrations and customs). I was left to choose between riding a taxi or taking my chances on whatever public buses were still available.I decided to take the cheaper route and took the bus. There are free shuttles, that take passengers to the Public Transportation Center where the public buses can be found. I went out of Gate 8, 2nd floor arrivals area and boarded the next airport shuttle that passed by.Barely 15 minutes later, I was already at the transportation center and saw several buses lined up. There are no public buses that goes directly to Silom or even Khao San Road. An alternative is to drop off at Victory Monument and take another bus or taxi from there. I was looking for Bus #551 which goes to Victory Monument but it wasn’t available yet. There was a small 7/11 type convenient store in the terminal, which was perfect since I was already craving for a quick snack. The bus arrived moments later (the fare was 35 baht). During the bus ride, there was another passenger who was also going to Silom. He agreed to take the ride with me so we could split the fare. Perfect!I dropped off at Silom Rd near Sofitel (total taxi fare was 65 baht). I actually spent a few hours in Bangkok since I planned on traveling overland to Cambodia after my arrival. While waiting for Kawajan and Bubbles, my travel buddies for the week, I chanced upon this “side street” noodle shop, located in front of Sri Maha Mariamman (Hindu) Temple, 2 blocks away from Sofitel. A bowl of noodles was 40 baht, which is how much a usual Thai “side street” meal costs. After Kawajan and Bubbles picked me up, we went to Lumphini Park nearby to start our overland travel to Siem Reap, Cambodia! I was so excited since, growing up, I’ve always wanted to visit the grand ancient temples in Angkor like Angkor Wat.How to get from Suvarnabhumi (Bangkok) International Airport to Bangkok City Center Taxi – the most convenient way of going out of the airport. You can catch a taxi at exits 4 and 7 of the 1st floor passenger terminal building. The taxi fare is around 250-400 baht to points in Bangkok City Center like Silom or Khao San Rd. Travel time is around 45 minutes depending on traffic, which can get notorious in Bangkok during rush hour. If you’re in a hurry, tell the driver to use the skyway. I actually took the taxi going to the airport from Silom Roadd (for my return flight). Taxi fare was 245baht and I had to pay for two skyway tolls costing 45 baht and 75 baht (total – 365 baht) Airport Express Shuttle Bus – also a convenient transport option going to/from Suvarnabhumi (Bangkok) International Airport and cheaper alternative if traveling alone. It operates from 5:00AM to 12:00MN, costs 150 bahtand has four routes: AE1 Suvarnabhumi-Silom AE2 Suvarnabhumi-Khao San Road AE3 Suvarnabhumi-Sukhumvit AE4 Suvarnabhumi-Hua Lamphong Public Bus – taking the public buses is the cheapest option and is only advisable if you’re not carrying a lot of baggage/luggage. The airport has a free shuttle service to the public transportation center, where several public buses are stationed. Bus fare to Bangkok City Center is just 35 baht. If you’re going to Khao San Road you can take Bus#551 and then take a taxi to KSR at the Victory Monument. Here are some of the bus routes: Bus Number 549 – Suvarnabhumi Airport – Minburi Bus Number 550 – Suvarnabhumi Airport – Happy Land Bus Number 551 – Suvarnabhumi Airport – Victory Monument Bus Number 552 – Suvarnabhumi Airport – On Nut BTS station Bus Number 553 – Suvarnabhumi Airport – Samut Prakan Bus Number 554 – Suvarnabhumi Airport – Don Muang Airport Bus Number 555 – Suvarnabhumi – Rangsit Bus Number 556 – Suvarnbhumi – Southern Bus Terminal Bus Number 557 – Suvarnabhumi – Wongwien Yai Bus Number 558 – Suvarnabhumi – Central Rama 2 Bus Number 559 – Suvarnabhumi – Future Park Rangsit Bus Number 389 – Suvarnabhumi Airport – Pattaya Bus Number 390 – Suvarnabhumi Airport – Talad Rong Kluea Bus Number 825 – Suvarnabhumi Airport – NongKhai Public Bus + Bangkok Sky Train (BTS) – as of my time of travel, the direct link between the BTS directly and Suvarnabhumi (Bangkok) International Airport was not open to the public yet. The nearest BTS station from the airport is the On Nut BTS station, which can be accessed by taking Bus# 552 from the Public Transportation Center.Don’t leave yet. There’s more!Manila to Bangkok Cebu Pacific Flight6 Days Bangkok Itinerary — Siam, Chinatown, Saphan TaksinFirst time in Thailand and CambodiaMy Welcome Geeting in Thailand; Arrival at…10 Days Thailand Itinerary — Ayutthaya and BangkokBangkok to Yangon Flight via AirAsiaComments Jhun saysAugust 27, 2010 at 8:54 pmthanks for your post. I will be arriving at the same time 11pm. So my chance of taking the airport train is slim… im going to take the bus :) chymera00 saysAugust 31, 2010 at 7:56 amSame as me :) You can try the airport express bus but I you might not get out of exit customs/immigrations in time for the last trip (12mn) so just take note of the public buses in case. Wilfred saysSeptember 9, 2010 at 9:56 amThe airport train was opened for public service on 23 August 2010. Take the “City Line” train from Suvarnabhumi Airport to the City Centre (Phaya Thai BTS station). A single trip on the City Line train costs only 15 baht per person and takes 30 minutes exactly. From Phaya Thai, use the BTS Skytrain to Silom, Sukhumvit, Siam, or take a taxi from there to Khaosan Road.Don’t use the Express Line train. Not only it costs more (100 baht), the connection bridge linking Makkasan Station with Phetchaburi MRT station is still not ready, so transferring or finding a taxi from there is not so convenient at the moment. Angelo saysMarch 20, 2012 at 8:20 pmthanks for the post. it is very informative especially to those travelling alone. keep it up. wishing you more trips to come :) cheers! Marcos saysApril 14, 2012 at 12:10 amThanks for the well wishes! emj saysSeptember 9, 2012 at 5:16 pmsir what time umalis yung bus 551 sa Public Transportation Center? Extenze Review saysMarch 27, 2013 at 4:20 pmHi there just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The text in your post seem to be running off the screen in Opera.I’m not sure if this is a format issue or something to do with web browser compatibility but I figured I’d post to let you know. The style and design look great though! Hope you get the problem solved soon. Thanks Posting of new comments is disabled temporarily.Connect with Marcos on:Detourista.comMarcosDetourist.comFacebookInstagramTwitterDetourista.comDiscover more travel guides and blogs about the Philippines and beyond by Marcos DetouristChoose your next destination: Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
Jhun saysAugust 27, 2010 at 8:54 pmthanks for your post. I will be arriving at the same time 11pm. So my chance of taking the airport train is slim… im going to take the bus :)
chymera00 saysAugust 31, 2010 at 7:56 amSame as me :) You can try the airport express bus but I you might not get out of exit customs/immigrations in time for the last trip (12mn) so just take note of the public buses in case.
Wilfred saysSeptember 9, 2010 at 9:56 amThe airport train was opened for public service on 23 August 2010. Take the “City Line” train from Suvarnabhumi Airport to the City Centre (Phaya Thai BTS station). A single trip on the City Line train costs only 15 baht per person and takes 30 minutes exactly. From Phaya Thai, use the BTS Skytrain to Silom, Sukhumvit, Siam, or take a taxi from there to Khaosan Road.Don’t use the Express Line train. Not only it costs more (100 baht), the connection bridge linking Makkasan Station with Phetchaburi MRT station is still not ready, so transferring or finding a taxi from there is not so convenient at the moment.
Angelo saysMarch 20, 2012 at 8:20 pmthanks for the post. it is very informative especially to those travelling alone. keep it up. wishing you more trips to come :) cheers!
emj saysSeptember 9, 2012 at 5:16 pmsir what time umalis yung bus 551 sa Public Transportation Center?
Extenze Review saysMarch 27, 2013 at 4:20 pmHi there just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The text in your post seem to be running off the screen in Opera.I’m not sure if this is a format issue or something to do with web browser compatibility but I figured I’d post to let you know. The style and design look great though! Hope you get the problem solved soon. Thanks