So, you've arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport. What now?
Immigration. Every individual who lands at Suvarnabhumi Airport must go through immigration in order to enter the kingdom of Thailand. This process can take anywhere from 20 minutes to 120 minutes depending on the time of year (low or high season) and the number of Thai immigration officers on duty. Make sure you fill in the TM- 6 card you received on the plane and have this ready with your passport. If you are wearing glasses or a hat please remove these items and look into the camera when indicated by the immigration officer. If everything is ok you should get a Visa Exemption stamp for 30 days. (Depending on your country) Always be polite and show respect.
Baggage. Once you've received a stamp in your passport you can then head to the baggage claim area. There you will see a huge TV screen (Baggage claim flight board) with all arriving flights, simply find the flight number you arrived on and it will show you where to collect your baggage from. Again, depending on the time of year, this process can take 5 minutes or 50 minutes. If you have nothing to declare simply exit at gate B through customs.
Transportation. Just before you exit the airport you will find some options for the different types of public transport you can use. Airport Rail Link, Buses, Metered Taxis, and White Passenger Vans.
Airport Rail Link, Floor B Passenger Terminal. When you arrive at the rail link simply find a ticketing booth or ticket vending machine to purchase your ticket (plastic token). Depending on your destination in Bangkok you have two choices from the airport. You can go to Makkasan Station and change to the MRT Blue Line at Petchaburi or continue onto Phayathai Station on the Sukhumvit Light Green Line. Now you have your plastic token you can use this by passing it over the indicated scanner on the turnstile security barrier. Remember to keep this token safe as you will need it to exit the platform when you arrive at your destination. The Rail link is open from 06:00 am to 12:00 pm every day and runs every 12 - 20 minutes. The average cost is from 15฿ to 45฿ depending on your stop. This train takes about 30 minutes to arrive at Phayathai. Once you arrive at your desired platform you will still need to hail a Metered-Taxi or Tuk-Tuk to take you to your hotel. There should be plenty available in and around the stations.
Taxis, Floor 1. You will see the area for public taxis near gates 3, 4, 7, and 8, simply find a machine that dispenses the queue ticket and proceed to the bay printed on your ticket, your taxi will be waiting. Remember this is a Metered taxi so you will pay a flat rate of 35฿ to start, then an airport surcharge of 50฿ which goes to the driver. Normally they will use the Tollway because it is faster and this costs around 70฿. Depending on your destination - let’s just say from the Airport to Asoke in Bangkok this should take between 35 - 50 minutes depending on traffic. So, a metered fare between 220฿ - 250฿ plus surcharges and tolls comes to around 380฿. If you exit the airport and see a taxi available, this usually means he has a fixed price of around 600฿ to 800฿ and won't use his meter. The good thing about using a taxi is the convenience of being dropped off at your location's doorstep, and obviously, the aircon is an advantage. If you use the Airport Rail Link you will still need to get to your destination with either a Metered taxi or Tuk- Tuk as you won't want to carry all your luggage through the busy streets of Bangkok to your hotel.
Buses and White Passenger Vans. To get to the bus terminal at Suvarnabhumi Transport Center, simply find the free shuttle bus (Express Route) and exit at the bus terminal. This journey can take 15 minutes. Now depending on your destination choose the bus or Van and the route you need. With the White Passenger Vans, you can either book one for yourself as a Taxi or book and share a ride with others. Like the Public Buses from the airport, these Vans run on set routes throughout the city.
There is a FREE bus that runs from 05:00 am to 12:00 pm every hour or so between Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang Airports. If you are staying close to Don Muang Airport this might be a good option to get to your destination.
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 Airport – Rangsit
Bus Number 556 – Suvarnabhumi Airport – Southern Bus Terminal
Bus Number 557 – Suvarnabhumi Airport – Wongwien Yai
Bus Number 558 – Suvarnabhumi Airport – Central Rama 2
Bus Number 559 – Suvarnabhumi Airport – Future Park Rangsit
Public Bus Service to other provinces.
Bus Number 389 – Suvarnabhumi Airport – Pattaya
Bus Number 390 – Suvarnabhumi Airport – Talad Rong Kluea
Bus Number 825 – Suvarnabhumi Airport – Nong Khai
Remember to always write down your address to where you are staying in English and Thai (the staff at the reception can help with this). This is so you can show drivers if you manage to get lost.
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