What airlines fly to Bangkok from Europe and around the world? And how to travel from Bangkok around Thailand and Southeast Asia? Where to book bus or train tickets? Read on in this chapter.

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Flights from around the world

Bangkok serves as one of the most important air hubs in Asia. Many routes to the whole of East and Southeast Asia pass through Bangkok, and just a change of planes at local airports can serve as a welcome stopover for a quick visit to the city.

There are two international airports in Bangkok:

• Bangkok / Suvarnabhumi (BKK) - One of the world's largest airports with a wide range of international and domestic destinations.
• Bangkok / Don Mueang (DMK) - the former main airport, with mainly domestic flights and connections to neighbouring countries

Bangkok is served by direct flights from all over the world.

The busiest connections are to countries in East and South Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Australia. There are also direct flights to Africa.

By air in and around Thailand

From Bangkok you can fly to all major cities in Thailand and surrounding countries at more or less symbolic prices. You can get one-way tickets around Thailand even a month before departure for amounts between 20 usd and 50 usd, and flights to surrounding countries to 100 usd.

All the major Asian low-cost airlines fly to Bangkok, look for tickets primarily with these airlines:

• Air Asia (airasia.com) - Southeast Asia's widest network of destinations and frequent connections to Bangkok and major Thai cities, flying from Don Mueang Airport
• Nok Air (nokair.com) - the widest network of destinations in Thailand, flying to almost every airport with scheduled service, flying from Don Mueang Airport
• Thai Lion Air (lionairthai.com) - connections from Bangkok to major Thai cities and also to China, Nepal, Singapore, Japan and Indonesia, flying from Don Mueang Airport
• VietJetAir (vietjetair.com) - very frequent connections to major Thai cities and neighbouring countries (especially Vietnam), flying from Suvarnabhumi airport
• Bangkok Airways (bangkokair.com) - more expensive airline, but offers wide connections to places not served by other airlines, flying from Suvarnabhumi airport
• Thai Smile (thaismileair.com) - an offshoot of the national Thai airline Thai, flies from Suvarnabhumi airport

By train to/from Bangkok

By rail from Bangkok you can reach major destinations in Thailand.

The train journey isn't the fastest and if you travel by sleeper carriages, the cost for longer distances can even match airfares.

Timetables can be found on the official Thai Railways website railway.co.th (but only accessible from Thai IP addresses), and long-distance tickets can be purchased via the worldwide dticket.railway.co.th website.

Tickets for regional trains marked as "Ordinary" cannot be bought online, but only at the ticket office.

Either way, travelling by train is an experience, which we cover more in our guide to Thailand.

There are lines from 5 main directions heading to Bangkok, but they don't all end at the same station.

The main station Krung Thep Aphiwat (Bang Sue)

Located in the north of Bangkok (location at google.com/maps) and can be reached by the blue metro line, the red metro line also ends here and bus lines 3, 49, 50, 52, 65, 67, 70, 97 and 138 stop here.

All long-distance services to the north, south and east leave from this station. From Krung Thep Aphiwat, this will take you to the sea in the south (Surat Thani, Hat Yai, Chumphon, Hua Hin and others), cities in the north (Chiang Mai, Phitsanulok, Udon Thani and others) and entertainment centres in the east (Pattaya), for example.

You can also take regional trains from here to tourist destinations such as Ayutthaya or Ang Thong.

At the station, you will find several refreshment stands as well as new free clean toilets and even showers for the public, which can come in handy not only when travelling by night train, but can also be used if you are not a passenger.

Accommodation tip: There are currently no hotels in the immediate vicinity of the station. The nearest accommodation in a well-rated hotel Boutique Poo-Yai Lee *** is about 1 km from the station.

The nearest larger hotel Grand Tower Inn Rama 6 **** can be found about 1.5 km south of the station.

Hua Lamphong Station

The former main station right in the centre of Bangkok is closed as of January 2022 and all services end/start at Krung Thep Aphiwat (Bang Sue) station.

Thon Buri Station

This station in the west of Bangkok is heavily used by tourists as it is from here that trains run on the famous Thai-Burmese "Death Railway". From Thonburi you can reach the towns of Kanchanaburi (the bridge over the River Kwai), Nam Tok (the terminus) and especially the Tham Krasae bridges.

Thonburi station is located on the right bank of the Chao Phraya River (location on the google.com/maps). The nearest station on the blue metro line is called Bang Khun Non and you can walk from there to the train in about 10 minutes. Trains even stop right at this metro station, but we recommend only using this option when returning to Bangkok, as you might not be able to sit down at this stop on your way out of the city after joining.

In the other direction, you can also walk from the station to the "Thonburi Railway Station", from where the Chao Phraya Express Boat service runs in about 15 minutes, through the market and the public hospital area (see Transport section).

About 15 minutes walk from thestation, you can stay at the new Kaya Heritage Hotel **** with rates from 27 eur per night in a 2-bed room.

Wongwian Yan Station

A run-down monorail station in southwest Bangkok serves the local line towards Mahachai and onwards to Maek Long with its famous market on the tracks. We write more about the trip to the "Train Market" in the Activities chapter.

Wongiwan Yan station in the same district quite far from the centre (location on google.com/maps) and the best way to get here is by taxi. The nearest station on the dark green metro line is called Wongwian Yan and is about 650 metres south. Buses 20, 21, 37, 57, 82, 85 and 529 also stop directly at the station.

By bus to/from Bangkok

Long-distance and regional bus services are very widespread in Thailand, but at first glance they are the most difficult for a tourist to navigate. If you are heading to resorts or major cities, it is always preferable to use the plane.

However, buses are an inexpensive option for international travel to Cambodia or Laos and also to nearby cities around Bangkok that are not accessible by plane, especially the resorts of Pattaya, Rayong, Hua Hin or the floating markets of Damnoen Saduak or Amphawa.

There are 3 main bus stations in Bangkok.

Mo Chit Bus Terminal (Chatuchak)

Mo Chit Bus Station (sometimes spelled Mochit and often called Chatuchak among locals after the district in which it is located) is the largest station in all of Thailand.

It is divided into two sections - the new Mochit Northern Bus Terminal building, which mainly serves large long-distance buses, and the old Mo Chit 2, where minivans and vans arrive. The two terminals are separated by about 150 metres.

Buses and vans run from Mo Chit to destinations all over Thailand.

The station can be found in the north of the city (location at google.com/maps) and can be reached in several ways:

• Taxi - the easiest and most straightforward, the price from the centre will be around 150 thb
• Metro blue line to Kamphaeng Pet station and after that 2 km walk or bus lines 3, 16, 96, 122, 134, 136, 138 or 145
• Direct public transport buses to the historic centre: 3, 49
• Direct public transport buses to Siam Square and Si Phraya area: 16
• Direct public transport buses to Si Lom and Sala Daeng area: 77

Mochit light green line metro station is not very convenient to reach the bus station. There is no direct route through the park and you would have to make a difficult walk around Chatuchak Market to reach the nearest stops.

Accommodation tip: You won't find any accommodation within walking distance, but if you don't want to drive too far for an early morning departure, opt for the new and modern Aora Boutique Hotel Chatuchak *** about 10 minutes away by taxi.

Southern Bus Terminal (Sai Tai Mai)

The southern bus station is actually located in the west of the city (location at google.com/maps) and is used for departures mainly to the southern resorts and towns west of Bangkok. Lots of buses start/end their journey here, but many actually leave from Mo Chit station and just stop here. It is particularly convenient for minivan and van journeys to the floating markets of Damnoen Saduak, Amphawa or the Mae Klong Train Market.

The Souhtern Bus Terminal is pretty poorly accessible by public transport and the easiest way is to use taxis (about 150 to 180 thb) to get downtown.

You can take buses 35, 123, 124 and 127 to the historic centre area from here, with a direct connection to the area around Siam Square on line 79.

Tip for accommodation near the station - Due to the poor accessibility of the station, for early morning departures it is worth staying at the lovely cosy SUNKISS hotel located about 5 minutes walk from the station.

Ekkamai Bus Terminal

For eastbound journeys to Pattaya, Trat or Rayong, in addition to Mo Chit station, you can also use Ekkamai East Bus Station (location at google.com/maps). This is the most accessible of all the long-distance stations, as the light green Ekkamai subway station is right next to it.