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Bangkok
International Airport
(Terminal 1)
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Lay
out of
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Bangkok
Interntaional Airport Terminal 1
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Bangkok
International Airport
Ground Floor Plan
Arrival Hall
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TERMINAL
1 is a storey building,
completed with all accommodating facilities. The ground
floor and the 2nd floor is used for servicing arriving
passenger while the 3rd floor is for departing passengers.
The 4th floor is accommodated for airlines offices,
restaurant and observation decks.
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After
exiting the custom counter turn right and proceed
towards the right end of the hall.
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Look
out for your pickup staff with a sign-board with
your name on it if you have arranged for pickup
service.
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If
not you can take the airport limousine at baht
600 per car or take the public metrer taxi.
For the public meter taxi, the fare is charged
according to the meter plus a surcharge of baht
50 per car. The estimate meter fare to a hotel
in the city is baht 250.
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Toll
and expressively way charges of baht 65 is to
borne by the passenger
ARRIVING
& DEPARTING
By
Air
Bangkok's
new Don Muang Airport international terminal, adjacent
to what is now the domestic terminal, has relieved
congestion and handles international passengers
with modern efficiency. As you leave customs, you'll
find an array of desks where you can arrange for
taxis into Bangkok and transport to other destinations;
a reservation desk for Bangkok hotels (no fee);
and a TAT desk with free brochures and maps (tel.
02/523-8972). Both terminals have luggage-checking
facilities (tel. 02/535-1250).
There is a tax of B500 for international departures
and B30 for domestic departures.
A word of caution: The airport has more than its
share of hustlers out to make a quick baht, who
often wear uniforms and tags that make them seem
official. They will try to get you to change your
hotel to one that pays them a large commission,
perhaps claiming your intended hotel is overbooked.
They will hustle you into overpriced taxis or limousines.
Do not get taken in.
CARRIERS
The U.S. carrier with the most frequent flights
is Northwest Airlines (153 Rajdamri Rd., Peninsula
Shopping Plaza, 4th Floor, tel. 02/254- 0789). It
has direct service through Tokyo (with a minimal
stopover) from New York, Detroit, Seattle, Dallas,
San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Incidentally, this
airline's seats recline more than most, making sleeping
much easier. Northwest also has a round-Asia fare,
in conjunction with local airlines, which lets you
hop from one capital to another. British Airways
flies nonstop to Bangkok from London.
Thai Airways International (485 Silom Rd., tel.
02/234-3100) is the national airline, and most of
its flights come in and out of Don Muang. It has
direct flights from the West Coast of the United
States and from London, and also flies daily to
Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan.
FLYING TIMES
Bangkok is 18 hours from Seattle, 17 hours from
San Francisco, 20 hours from Chicago, and 22 hours
from New York. Add more time for stopovers and connections,,especially
if you are using more than one carrier. East- coast
travelers departing from New York or Washington,
DC, should consider using Virgin Atlantic/Thai Airways
via London for 19-hour flights to Bangkok.
BETWEEN
THE AIRPORT AND TOWN
By Bus
Airport buses busying between the Don Mueang Airport
and the major downtown destinations are a bit of ripoff
with their 70 Baht fare, but avoiding a likely trip
around Bangkok by taxi (with the fare clocking up
all the way on the taximetre), it's still a bargain.
There are 3 routes of the Airport Bus:
· A-1 goes to the Silom Road business district
via Pratunam and Rajdamri Road, stoppping at big hotels
like Indra Regent, Grand Hyatt Erawan, Regent Bangkok
and Dusit Thani.
· A-2 goes to Sanam Luang via Phayathai Road,
Lan Luang Road, Rajdamnoen Klang Road and Tanao Road;
comes in hady for those travelling to the Siam Square
ir Banglamphu areas.
· A-3 goes to the Phrakanong district via Sukhumwit
Road.
You can also catch local air-conditioned buses on
the main road that passes the airport. Bus 4 goes
to the Rama Garden Hotel, Indra Regent, Erawan, Hyatt,
and Dusit Thani hotels, and down Silom Road (last
bus at 8 PM). Bus 10 goes to the Rama Garden Hotel,
the Northern Bus Terminal, the Victory Monument, and
the Southern Bus Terminal (last bus at 8:30 PM). Bus
13 goes to the Northern Bus Terminal, Victory Monument,
and down Sukhumvit Road to the Eastern Bus Terminal
(last bus at 8 PM). Bus 29 goes to the Northern Bus
Terminal, Victory Monument, Siam Square, and Bangkok's
main railway station, Hualamphong (last bus at 8:30
PM). Cost: B15.
By Helicopter The quickest way downtown is
the helicopter that lands at the Shangri-La Hotel
(. Anyone who will pay the $200 fare is welcome aboard.
By Minibus
Thai Airways has a minibus service between the airport
and major hotels. They depart when they are full.
Cost: B100. Complimentary orchid nosegay included.
By Riverboat Shuttle
A bus-and-boat service leaves every 30 minutes, 6
AM-9 PM. This service is really for the benefit of
guests at the Oriental, Royal Orchid Sheraton, and
Shangri-La hotels, but others can use it if there's
space. The bus takes you from the airport to the river,
where you transfer to a boat for the half-hour run
to the hotels. Fare is $28 (B700); overall time is
under an hour.
By Taxi
Don Mueang is 25 km (15 mi) from the city center.
The road is often congested with traffic. Be prepared
for a 90-minute journey by taxi, though there are
times when it can take less than 40 minutes. obtain
a reservation and prepay the fare at the counter (at
either terminal), and a driver will lead you to the
taxi. The fare to downtown Bangkok depends on the
exact location and, to some extent, the time of day.
Count on B300-B350 from the international terminal
and B250 from the domestic. Taxis to the airport from
downtown Bangkok are approximately B130. Use a metered
taxi and agree to pay for the toll road, an extra
B50.
Otherwise, upon arrival you may want to procede upstairs,
to the Departure Hall and catch a taxi that has just
dropped the passengers. Insist on charging by the
metre, it's the buyers' market in Bangkok now. It
will hardly ever be more than 250 Baht when travelling
within the city limits.
By Train
Bangkok
Airport Express trains make the 35-minute run every
90 minutes from 8 AM to 7 PM. Check the schedule at
the tourist booth in the arrival hall. Fare: B100.
You can also take regular trains from 5:30 AM to 9
PM. The fare is B5 for a local train, B13 for an express.
By Bus
Bangkok has three main bus terminals. Northern/Northeast
Bus Terminal (Phaholyothin Rd., tel. 02/272-0296
or 02/279-6222), often referred to as Morsit, serves
Chiang Mai and the north. Southern Bus Terminal
(Pinklao- Nakomchaisri Rd., Talingchan, tel. 02/435-1199),
on the Thonburi side of the river, is for Hua Hin,
Ko Samui, Phuket, and points south. Eastern Bus
Terminal (Sukhumvit Rd., Soi 40, Ekkamai, tel. 02/391-2504
or 02/392- 2391), usually referred to as Ekkamai,
is for Pattaya and points southeast, to Rayong and
Trat province.
By Train
Hualamphong Railway Station (Rama IV Rd., tel. 02/223-0341),
the city's main station, serves most long-distance
trains. Bangkok Noi (Arun Amarin Rd., tel. 02/411-3102),
on the Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya River, is
used by local trains to Hua Hin and Kanchanaburi.
The State Railway of Thailand has three lines, all
of which terminate in Bangkok. The Northern Line
connects Bangkok with Chiang Mai, passing through
Ayutthaya and Phitsanulok; the Northeastern Line
travels up to Nong Khai, near the Laotian border,
with a branch that goes east to Ubon Ratchathani;
and the Southern Line goes all the way south through
Surat Thani--the stop for Ko Samui--to the Malaysian
border and on to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, a journey
that takes 37 hours. (There is no train to Phuket,
though you can go as far as Surat Thani and change
to a scheduled bus service.)
Most trains offer second- or third-class tickets,
but the overnight trains to the north (Chiang Mai)
and to the south also offer first-class sleeping
cabins. Couchettes, with sheets and curtains for
privacy, are available in second class. Second-class
tickets are about half the price of first-class,
and since the couchettes are surprisingly comfortable,
most Western travelers choose these. Do not leave
valuables unguarded on overnight trains.
Tickets may be bought at the railway stations. Travel
agencies can also sell tickets for overnight trains.
Reservations are strongly advised for all long-distance
trains. Train schedules in English are available
from travel agents and from major railway stations.
Fares are reasonable. An air-conditioned, second-class
couchette for the 14-hour journey from Bangkok to
Chiang Mai is B530; first class is B980.
For information on schedules and passes, call the
Bangkok Railway Station Advance Booking Office (tel.
02/223-3762 or 02/223-0341).
Getting around Bangkok as anything has 2 sides to
it. Bangkok mass transit system operates 24 hours
a day and is cheap even for the local populace.
It efficiently covers the whole are of the Greater
Bangkok and you always have choice to fit your budget:
from plain simple buses with ever open windows up
to hotel limousines. Yet, the other side of the
medal is that you can enjoy all these advantages
in full only when the city is deserted by half of
its inhabitants with their cars during amjor public
holidays. Otherwise, the only progress made in Bangkok
transporatation in this century seems to be the
switch from Chinese immigrant-driven rickshaw tricycle
(average speed 10 mph) to futuristic turbo-charged
and air-conditioned round-the- clock traffic snarl-up
(average speed 8mph).
Taxis and Tuk-tuks
Most taxis in Bangkok use metres and have a lit
sign "Taximeter" on the roof. If there's no metre
in the taxi, fares must be agreed upon from the
start. Fares range from 35 Baht to maximum of approximately
300 Baht within the city's precincts. Tuk-tuks or
3-wheel taxis (aka "3-wheel motor saws gone berserk")
are quite popular among locals and tourists for
short journeys Tuk-tuks are not allowed to enter
highway). Fares range from abouT730 up to 150 Baht.
However, taxi is a more advisable option considering
never-ending Bangkok traffic snarl-up, especially
during the rush hour, as travelling through Bangkok
polluted street without air-conditioner may prove
hazardous to health.
Buses
Bus transpor ' t in Bangkok is cheap and reasonably
comfortable. There are non-airconditioned red and
green buses (any destination
3.5 Baht), airconditioned blue buses (fare depending
on distance) and air-conditioned televised microbuses
with free newspapers (20
or 30 Baht, very comfortable for longer trips within
the city). Red and green buses operate 24 hours
a day (night fare 5 Baht).
Airport buses busying between the Don Mueang Airport
and the major downtown destinations are a bit of
ripoff with their 70 Baht fare, but avoiding a likely
trip around Bangkok by taxi (with the fare clocking
up all the way on the taximetre), it's still a bargain.
There are 3 routes of the Airport Bus:
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A-1
goes to the Silom Road business district via
Pratunam and Rajdamri Road, stoppping at big
hotels like Indra Regent, Grand Hyatt Erawan,
Regent Bangkok and Dusit Thani.
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A-2
goes to Sanam Luang via Phayathai Road, Lan
Luang Road, Rajdamnoen Klang Road and Tanao
Road; comes in hady for those travelling to
the Siam Square ir Banglamphu areas.
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A-3 goes to the Phrakanong district via Sukhumwit
Road.
Motorcycles
The fastest vehicle to whisk you out of a traffic
jam, it require a somewhat adventurous disposition.
Fares range from 15 to 100 Baht. Basically they do
not go for long distances. Wearing helmet is obligatory
and usually the driver will provide you with one.
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