Bangkok/Chiang Mai advice

[Keithambrose]

3 minutes ago, vinapu said:

I believe it was 699 for 15 days validity

Just over USD21. 

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, Kiwi306 said:

 

 From the airport you travel to Makkasan, then follow the crowds to walk a fairly short distance to Phayathai station. Get the train which goes to National Stadium and change at Siam station and get the train from there to Saladaeng on the Silom line, which goes to Bang Wa.

not quite , it goes like that:

from airport you travel to Phaya Thai (last station), there's short walk to BTS station , all covered and well posted, there you get train going in direction of  Kheha, second station is National Stadium, alight there , just cross the platform and board the train in direction of Bang Wa. Second station is SalaDaeng, from there short walk to Ibis Silom or one of 50 hotels in vicinity

[vinapu]

9 minutes ago, PeterRS said:

I usually get a taxi. 

this is what rich people do

[Olddaddy]

33 minutes ago, vinapu said:

this is what rich people do

I'm not rich and I got a uber from tartawan hotel to the bar area 

Was about an hour in the car with peak hour traffic on a Friday night 

[zoomomancs]

1 hour ago, Keithambrose said:

As I said, sim card at airport is very cheap, but as you pay in cash, I have no note of the cost!

From the airport I go to Makkasan, walk to Phetchaburi MRT station via the bridge over the main road (5 mins) and get the MRT to Silom 

[vinapu]

4 hours ago, Olddaddy said:

I'm not rich and I got a uber from tartawan hotel to the bar area 

Was about an hour in the car with peak hour traffic on a Friday night 

at least you were sitting in airconditioned car.

As for being rich , whom you kidding ? Poor people are not contemplating getting gold plated fixtures for their bathroom

[vinapu]

4 hours ago, zoomomancs said:

From the airport I go to Makkasan, walk to Phetchaburi MRT station via the bridge over the main road (5 mins) and get the MRT to Silom 

doable and time wise the same but I find route through PhayaThai more attractive as one can see the city from above. Also walk with luggage to Icon Styles is much longer from Silom MRT than BTS Sala Daeng

[spoon]

5 hours ago, vinapu said:

not quite , it goes like that:

from airport you travel to Phaya Thai (last station), there's short walk to BTS station , all covered and well posted, there you get train going in direction of  Kheha, second station is National Stadium, alight there , just cross the platform and board the train in direction of Bang Wa. Second station is SalaDaeng, from there short walk to Ibis Silom or one of 50 hotels in vicinity

Alight at siam station to change to silom line to bang wa.

[vinapu]

6 minutes ago, spoon said:

Alight at siam station to change to silom line to bang wa.

you right I was supposed to write Siam , not National Stadium

[Department_Of_Agriculture]

13 hours ago, fedssocr said:

I always use SP Limousine to get to/from the airport. Nice cars, fairly easy to find in the airport. I get a small discount as a repeat client.

 

10 hours ago, PeterRS said:

Just take the official airport limousine service - website below. You can not book but they have a lot of cars, mostly higher end models. Details of pricing are on the site and should not be more than Bt. 1,200.

The prices quoted above are bonkers for a trip from Suvarnabhumi to Silom. 1150 for a Camry to Silom is nuts, given that a chauffeur-driven Camry from Suvarnabhumi to Pattaya with some of the better known companies only costs 1,000 baht. It would be 1,200 baht by Camry from central Bangkok to Pattaya and 1,400 from Don Mueang. 

Similarly 1,200 from Suvarnabhumi to Silom by the official airport limo is extravagant; although I note that that is for the Mercedes. It is 750 if you take a Camry. The Mercedes may be justifiable if you have someone special with you but seems pointless if you a travelling on your own and going to a mid-tier hotel.  And  if you are going to take anything less than that, there are better options.

I usually just take a Bolt or Grab. It's quick, convenient, comfortable and far cheaper, and the driver will know exactly where to go. I looked at the Bolt prices from Suvarnabhumi to Silom, Tarntawan Hotel at 5:00 p.m. and again at 6:00 p.m. today - right at rush hour - and I am posting the 5:00 p.m. prices below. 6:00 p.m. was actually about 2 baht cheaper on all options. Travel time was one hour to the Tarntawan. Why would anyone bother taking the train or booking a Camry with SP? 

[Department_Of_Agriculture]

5 hours ago, Olddaddy said:

I'm not rich and I got a uber from tartawan hotel to the bar area 

Was about an hour in the car with peak hour traffic on a Friday night 

If by the bar area you mean Patpong and Soi 4, they are literally a 2 or 3 minute walk away from the Tarntawan. Why would you take a car and how did you manage to spend an hour in it?

[PeterRS]

4 minutes ago, Department_Of_Agriculture said:

Similarly 1,200 from Suvarnabhumi to Silom by the official airport limo is extravagant; although I note that that is for the Mercedes. 

It is not a Mercedes. It is a BMW. But then your facts are often suspect.

[Department_Of_Agriculture]

42 minutes ago, PeterRS said:

It is not a Mercedes. It is a BMW. But then your facts are often suspect.

Nope, no BMWs on offer. It's a Mercedes if you want luxury; and a Camry or an Isuzu or some weird Chinese brand if you want a discount  

https://www.aotlimousine.com/service-vehicle

[PeterRS]

22 minutes ago, Department_Of_Agriculture said:

Nope, no BMWs on offer. It's a Mercedes if you want luxury; and a Camry or an Isuzu or some weird Chinese brand if you want a discount  

That is B/S. How come for the last 2 years I have had BMW's from the Airport Limousine Service? Never a Merc!

[vinapu]

5 hours ago, Department_Of_Agriculture said:

 

Similarly 1,200 from Suvarnabhumi to Silom by the official airport limo is extravagant

.......................

Why would anyone bother taking the train or booking a Camry with SP? 

 

 

some people may have a kick to start ( or finish) their trip in style although definitely not proletarians like me

....................

train is more fun and saves 200 over Bolt i.e. cost of two delicious American breakfasts in 7 stars Unesco acclaimed  Foodland Patpong 

[khaolakguy]

7 hours ago, PeterRS said:

It is not a Mercedes. It is a BMW. But then your facts are often suspect.

A case of Pot, Kettle and Black, I would say.

Separately .......

6 hours ago, PeterRS said:

That is B/S. How come for the last 2 years I have had BMW's from the Airport Limousine Service? Never a Merc!

While also describing transport from the airport as:

13 hours ago, PeterRS said:

I usually get a taxi. At some times of day it is a reasonably fast and painless operation.

[PeterRS]

A ridicuous comment! As @khaolakguy is well aware having earlier criticised my posting of travel photos, I travel probably more than most. If I am travelling on my own I take a taxi. When a client has engaged me they provide an Airport limousine. But then this is not the first time @khaolakguy has been wrong in his assumptions re others' postings!  

[emiel1981]

13 hours ago, vinapu said:

some people may have a kick to start ( or finish) their trip in style although definitely not proletarians like me

....................

train is more fun and saves 200 over Bolt i.e. cost of two delicious American breakfasts in 7 stars Unesco acclaimed  Foodland Patpong 

I always go for the "in between option". After a long flight I like to be in my hotel as quick as possible in a convenient way. Official metered taxi always works out fine for me. Years ago, there could be long waiting lines at the taxi stand. But in the last few years, I've always been able to get in a taxi right away. Cheaper than limo-service, quicker and more easy than train.

[jason1975]

On 8/13/2025 at 4:50 PM, vinapu said:

not quite , it goes like that:

from airport you travel to Phaya Thai (last station), there's short walk to BTS station , all covered and well posted, there you get train going in direction of  Kheha, second station is National Stadium, alight there , just cross the platform and board the train in direction of Bang Wa. Second station is SalaDaeng, from there short walk to Ibis Silom or one of 50 hotels in vicinity

When I stayed at Ibis Styles Silom and I arrived in Silom by BTS, I walk to Park Silom and take the escalators to ground floor. Handy when I had luggage on wheels.

[Keithambrose]

On 8/13/2025 at 10:26 AM, Olddaddy said:

I'm not rich and I got a uber from tartawan hotel to the bar area 

Was about an hour in the car with peak hour traffic on a Friday night 

500 yards?

[jimmie50]

Thanks for all of the recommendations regarding transportation from Suvarnabhumi to Silom.  It seems I have many different options.  As I said in an earlier post, my Thai friends have always picked me up and brought me back to the airport so it has never been a concern before.  I also never used the ride share apps Grab and Bolt.  I will need to download those on my phone before my trip.  Since I will be in Thailand a total of 26 days on this trip (which includes the tour), I plan on bringing two bags with me plus my carry on with computer, meds, etc. and definitely do not want to deal with all of that on the train, MRT and BTS.  I will opt for taxi or car service directly to the hotel.  Not important how fancy or how long it takes...I know very well how terrible traffic can get in Bangkok!  Really appreciate all of the great advice.  

[mauRICE]

On 8/10/2025 at 1:51 AM, jimmie50 said:

Unfortunately, The Empress is the hotel included in the tour I have signed up for, and since I am staying two extra days I just extended my stay at the same hotel and it is already paid.  Nothing I can do to change that now, but I will keep that in mind for any future trips to Chiang Mai.  

It's a good hotel. Located on the quieter, southern part of Changklan Road, which is the same road where the night bazaar is located about 1 km north. The furniture is a bit old-fashioned but the rooms are quite spacious. Huge, buffet-style breakfast. It's a Crown property, similar to the more upmarket Royal Princess further north on the same drag,  so service should be alright.

When are you going? That area, which runs parallel to the Ping River, is prone to flooding. The floods in early October last year were terrible causing a tremendous amount of damage. It took some businesses at least two months to re-open and for the stench of sewage to go away. Personally, I wouldn't gush over the night bazaar; it's just another sprawling night market with perhaps more offerings of northern handicraft (although I've found the seasonal markets in the suburbs and Chiang Rai better in this regard).