Thailand Islands Transport

Thailand has a good and inexpensive transport network which makes it relatively straightforward to get from one part of the country to another by flying, taking the train or by sea.

There are many ways to get into Bangkok after arriving at Suvarnabhumi Airport including pre-paid taxis from outside the airport building, normal buses, airport buses and trains. Suvarnabhumi International Airport opened in September 2006 and its' name when translated from Thai means 'the Golden Land'.

Bangkok offers a range of transportation for Thais as well as visitors to help them get around the city. Options for travel include air conditioned skytrains and metered taxis. Tuk Tuks (3 wheelers) are also an option but can be unreliable as they often make money by taking tourists to

jewellry shops where tourists are pressured into buying worthless jewellry and the tuk tuk driver gets a commission. Taxis also regularly give a flat fee to tourists instead of using their meter which normally works out much cheaper. Whenver possible, insist on the meter being turned on when taking a taxi. Bangkok also has an air conditioned metro system but the lines are few and do not cover some of the areas visited by tourists. Thai buses are a very cheap option of travellilng around the city if you can understand the Thai signs or are familiar with bus route numbers. The final option for travelling around Bangkok is the limited rail network which will be expanded shortly with the completion of the high speed Airport Express rail link from Suvarnabhumi International Airport to the City Air Terminal at Makkasan with connections to the Skytrain along the way.

To travel to other parts of Thailand from Bangkok, many people use the inexpensive coach services from the Southern Bus Terminal in the Thonburi district which caters for west and southwest Thailand and the Eastern Bus Terminal located in Ekkamai which has routes covering southeast Thailand. For northern Thailand, the North Bus Terminal at Mo Chit

Transportation on many of the islands ranges from basic to comprehensive with options including taxis, tuk tuks, boats, ships and songthaews.