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Bangkok
International Airport
(Terminal 2)
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Lay
out of
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Bangkok
Interntaional Airport Terminal 2
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Bangkok
International Airport
Ground Floor Plan
Arrival Hall
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TERMINAL
2 is a 5 storey
building, designed to provide complete
range
of facilities for arrival, departure and transit
passengers with excellent services and comfort.
The ground floor and second floor are for
arrival passengers, the third floor for departure
while the fourth floor is provided for transit
passengers. In addition, various restaurants
offer a wide variety of cuisines ranging from
fast food to chinese food are also housed
on the fourth serving at the same downtown
price while airline offices are located on
the fifth floor of Terminal 2.
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After
exiting the custom counter turn right and
proceed towards the right end of the
hall.
-
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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