📌 Outline
🔑 Essentials
💬 Language
📶 Data & Connectivity
🗺️ Getting Around
📍 Where to Go
👀 See & Do
🍽️ Eat & Drink
📱 Useful Apps
🔑 Essentials
💬 Language
Thai | ภาษาไทย | Phasa Thai
💰 Currency
Thai Baht | THB | ฿
📞 Emergency Numbers
Tourist Police: 1155
Police: 191
Medical Emergency: 1669
Ambulance + Rescue: 1554
Fire: 199
National Disaster Warning Centre: 1860
🔌 Electricity
Power plug sockets: Type A, B, C, F & O
Standard voltage: 220 V
Frequency: 50 Hz
💬 Useful Phrases
If you are male, you end sentences with the word (khrup/krap) similarly if you are female, you end your sentences with the word (ka/kap). This is used to make your sentence or question polite & respectful.
Hello | Sawadee khrup/ka
Yes | Chai (khrup/ka)
No | Mai (khrup/ka)
Maybe | Aaj ja (khrup/ka)
Thank you | khop khun (khrup/ka)
You’re welcome | yin dee
Sorry/excuse me | Khor thoad khrup/ka
Where is the restroom | Hong nam yoo tee nai khrup/ka?
I need a doctor | Phom dong gaan hai mor maa raak sa khrup/ka
No worries | Mai pen rai
Can you speak English? | Kun pood paasaa anggrit dai mai?
Basic Greetings
Good Morning | sawatdee tohn chao
Good Afternoon | sawatdee tohn bai
Good Evening | sawatdee tohn yen
Good Day | chohk dee
Good Night | ra tree sawat
How are you? | Sa bai dee mai khrup/ka
Goodbye! | La gorn khrup/ka
Directions
Turn Left / Turn Right | Leo Sai / Leo Kwaa (lee-yo-sigh/lee-yo-kwa)
Stop / Go | Yut / Bai (yut / bye)
Slow Down | Hai Chah Long (high-cha-lom)
Shopping
How much does this cost? | Ra ka tao rai khrup/ka?
That’s expensive! | Paeng mak khrup/ka!
Can you give me a discount please? | Ga ru na lot ra ka hai noi khrup/ka?
Food
Water | Nam
I would like to order | sang aa-haan
No sugar | mai sai nam tam
Not Spicy | mai phet
A little Spicy | phet nit nawy
Really Spicy | phet mak
Delicious | aroy
📶 Data & Connectivity
📱 eSIM
Airalo
Airalo is the world’s first eSIM store that solves the pain of high roaming bills by giving you access to eSIMs (digital SIM cards). With eSIMs from Airalo, download and install a digital data pack from 200+ countries/regions and be connected anywhere in the world the second you land.
All you gotta do is:
① Click the link below
② Sign up
③ Download the Airalo app
④ Choose your destination & package
⑤ Install & activate your eSIM
⑥ You're now connected & good to go!
Xplori
📱 Physical SIM
🛜 Pocket WiFi
🗺️ Getting Around
🛬 Airport ↔️ City (Bangkok)
🚆 Airport Train
🎟️ Where to Buy Airport Rail Link (ARL) Tickets
🚘 Private Hire Car
🚌 Within the City
🚆 Train
Bangkok has 2 fast and easy train networks for getting around the new areas like Silom, Sukhumvit, and Siam Square. They are being expanded in many directions to accommodate more commuters, and should be finished by 2023. Remember, no food or drinks allowed on the BTS & MRT.
🚊 BTS (Skytrain)
BTS (Skytrain / rót fai fáa) is a fast way to travel in 'new' Bangkok and connects to the airport. Interchange is at Siam station and trains run regularly from 6am to midnight. Fares range from 16B to 52B, or 140B for a one-day pass. Machines only take coins, but change is available. Keep your single journey ticket to exit through the Automatic Gate.
🎟️ Where to Buy BTS Travel Passes
🚇 MRT (Metro)
Bangkok’s Metro, the MRT, is most helpful for people staying in the Sukhumvit or Silom area to reach the train station at Hua Lamphong. Fares cost from 16B to 42B. The trains run frequently from 6am to midnight. At some stops, your bags will need to be scanned or searched before you enter the station.
🎟️ MRT (Metro) travel passes
If you're staying in Bangkok awhile or planning on using the MRT regularly, there are a number of multi-trip passes which can make your trips cheaper. Each pass lasts for 45 days and passengers can choose a pass for either the MRT Blue Line, the MRT Purple Line, or both lines together. Available at any MRT station, you can top-up the card with either 15-, 25-, 40- or 50-trips. Prices start from 450B for 15 trips.
Tips for taking the train in Bangkok
Passengers should avoid sitting next to or touching monks on public transport.
Do not occupy seats that are marked for monks, the disabled or the elderly, unless you fall under any of the categories.
Thais will willingly offer their seats to children and the elderly. However, being glued to their mobile phones often makes passengers oblivious to the fact that there's a senior citizen or child standing next to them.
Thais consider the floor dirty and are reluctant to place bags on the floor of public transport; they will urge you not to do so as well.
Bangkok taxis are bright, air-conditioned, metered and cheap. They're also likely to get caught up in traffic jams.
🚖 Taxi
Bangkok's taxis are new, comfortable, and cheaper than túk-túks. All taxis use meters, starting at 35B, and fares for most places in central Bangkok are 60B to 100B. Use an app-based taxi service like Grab Taxi or All Thai Taxi as an alternative. The Grab app is easy to use. Pin your location and destination and select GrabTaxi for a commercial taxi or GrabCar for a private vehicle. Note that only commercial taxis operating through Grab are legal.
🙋🏻 How to hail a taxi
Look for a taxi with an illuminated red or green light on the dashboard. Once you hop in and the driver turns on the meter, the light switches off, meaning the cab is now occupied. To hail a taxi Thai-style, stick out your arm and wave your hand, palm down, in an up-and-down motion.
Tips for taking a taxi in Bangkok
Use only taxis that use the meter and are passing by. Bangkok taxi drivers usually won't cheat you. They may not know the way around, so provide the address in Thai. Older cabs have more experienced driver-owners, while newer ones have hired drivers. Yellow-green or white-pink cabs are usually driven by experienced, self-owned drivers. Riding a túk-túk is a popular activity for visitors to Bangkok.
🚐 Túk-túk
Túk-túk's are three-wheel taxis used by Thais for short hops. They are part of the Bangkok experience, but overcharge and take detours to commission-paying shops. They quote high fares, so try to bargain them down to about 50B for a short trip. Taxis are cheaper, cleaner, cooler, and quieter. Boats in Bangkok offer a different perspective on the city.
⛵️ Boat
Two prominent fleets of boats, one that runs along the Chao Phraya River and the other along canals, serve Bangkok's commuters via the city's waterways. Both are handy for travellers too, particularly for visiting sights in the centre of the city.
🛥️ Klorng Boats
These are canal taxi boats that run along Khlong Saen Saep (Banglamphu to Ramkhamhaeng) and are an easy way to get between Banglamphu and Jim Thompson House, the Siam Square shopping centres (get off at Sapan Hua Chang Pier for both) and other points further east along Thanon Sukhumvit – after a mandatory change of boat at Pratunam Pier.
These boats are mostly used by daily commuters and pull into the piers for just a few seconds – jump straight on or you’ll be left behind. Fares range from 12B to 15B and boats run from 5.30am to 7.15pm from Monday to Friday, from 6am to 6.30pm on Saturday and from 6am to 6pm on Sunday.
🚤 Chao Phraya Express Boat
The Chao Phraya Express Boat is the main ferry service along the Chao Phraya River, with boats running from 6am to 7pm. The orange-flag vessels are the most common and run from Wat Rajsingkorn to Nonthaburi, stopping at all major piers, with a flat fare of 15B. Green-flag and yellow-flag boats are slightly quicker but skip some piers. A blue-flagged tourist boat runs from Sathorn/Central Pier to Phra Athit/Banglamphu Pier for 60B every 30 minutes from 9.30am to 5.30pm, and there is a 200B all-day pass available. Hold on to your ticket as proof of purchase.
⛴️ Cross-river ferries and private long-tail boats
There are also dozens of cross-river ferries, which charge 3B and run every few minutes until late at night. Private long-tail boats can be hired for sightseeing trips at Phra Athit/Banglamphu Pier, Chang Pier, Tien Pier and Oriental Pier. Bangkok motorsai can be the best way to skip through traffic. But wear dark underpants.
🛶 Motorcycle taxis
In Bangkok, motorcycle taxis, or "motorsai," serve two purposes. Firstly, they are part of the public-transport network, transporting people from main roads to the end of streets for 10-20B per trip. Secondly, they are used to avoid traffic jams and can be negotiated for 20B-150B. However, riders have a mixed reputation for breaking traffic rules, such as running red lights and using sidewalks as bike lanes. GrabBike is an app-based alternative that charges based on distance.
🚍 Bus
Bangkok has public buses operated by Bangkok Mass Transit Authority, but they are not very reliable due to unclear routes and affordable taxi services. However, if you want to take the bus, English route maps are available at 7-Eleven stores and bookshops. Air-con buses cost between 12B and 25B while fan-cooled buses start at 10B. Most buses operate between 5am and 10-11pm, except for all-night buses. Some buses accept payment by credit or debit cards and BMTA top-up cards. Top-up cards can be purchased from major bus stops.
🙋🏻 How to hail a bus
Drivers will only pull over at a bus stop if a passenger is alighting or someone has waved the bus down. When you see the bus you require, stick out your arm and wave your hand, palm down, in an up-and-down motion. The driver should then pull over to let you board.
🚶🏻 Walking
Walking is not a popular way to get around Bangkok due to the hot weather, pollution, and crowded sidewalks. However, it can offer a unique and rewarding experience for those who choose to do so. Beware of loose tiles on the sidewalks that turn into water mines during the rainy season. Buses are a slower but enjoyable mode of transportation.
🚲 Bicycle
Over the past few years, cycling has exploded in popularity in Bangkok. Bike sales are booming and a 23km bicycle track that circles Suvarnabhumi International Airport is steadily gaining popularity as a weekend activity among the city's cyclists. There's even a bike-share initiative– look for the pavement-side stands on the city's major thoroughfares branded 'Pun Pun'. Despite all this, however, dangerous roads, traffic, heat and pollution mean that Bangkok is still far from a safe or convenient place to use a bicycle as a means of transportation. Despite the city boasting more than 350km of bike lanes, many are blocked by parked túk-túks and errant food stalls. Motorcyclists are also an issue as they’re known to use the lanes as a shortcut for nipping through traffic jams. Driving a car in Bangkok, a very special type of torture.
🚗 Car
Driving and parking in Bangkok can be more trouble than it's worth for short-term visitors. If you need private transport, consider hiring a car and driver through your hotel or a trustworthy taxi driver. Car hire companies have offices at airports, and rates start around 1200B per day. You need a passport, valid driving license from home (with English translation if needed), or an International Driving Permit. Thailand's cars have right-side steering wheels like in British and Australian cars.
👶🏻 Getting around Bangkok with babies or children
Getting around Bangkok with kids can be challenging, but it's possible. The BTS has elevators for pushchairs, and most major MRT stations have them too. Taxis don't have car seats for babies and toddlers, so using a sling may be better on uneven sidewalks.
🧑🏻🦽 Accessible transportation in Bangkok
In Thailand, it's tough for people with mobility issues to get around as many places have stairs and high curbs. MRT stations have elevators, ramps, and toilets for disabled people. The BTS has limited access, with only a few stations having wheelchair access.
🗺️ Inter-City
🚍 Inter-City Coach
📍 Where to Go
























👀 See & Do
🍽️ Eat & Drink
📱 Useful Apps
✏️ Trip Planning
🎫 Attractions | Experiences | Tickets | Packages
🗺️ Getting Around
Navigation + Public Transport
Taxi/Ride-Hailing
💬 Language
💬 Communications | Messenger | Social Media
💰 Payment | Cashback | Promos | Discounts
💱 Currency Exchange
🍽️ Food Delivery
🧳 Choose Your Own Adventure
I'm all about creating flexible, inclusive, accessible & affordable guides that help you choose your own adventure based on your travel style, preferences & restrictions. Check out these guides to mix & match & create your own unique experience!
Psst! More guides to be added — save this guide, subscribe to my profile & stay tuned! ✨
💬 Questions?
If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to reach out to me via:


📌 Outline
🔑 Essentials
💬 Language
📶 Data & Connectivity
🗺️ Getting Around
📍 Where to Go
👀 See & Do
🍽️ Eat & Drink
📱 Useful Apps
🔑 Essentials
💬 Language
Thai | ภาษาไทย | Phasa Thai
💰 Currency
Thai Baht | THB | ฿
📞 Emergency Numbers
Tourist Police: 1155
Police: 191
Medical Emergency: 1669
Ambulance + Rescue: 1554
Fire: 199
National Disaster Warning Centre: 1860
🔌 Electricity
Power plug sockets: Type A, B, C, F & O
Standard voltage: 220 V
Frequency: 50 Hz
💬 Useful Phrases
If you are male, you end sentences with the word (khrup/krap) similarly if you are female, you end your sentences with the word (ka/kap). This is used to make your sentence or question polite & respectful.
Hello | Sawadee khrup/ka
Yes | Chai (khrup/ka)
No | Mai (khrup/ka)
Maybe | Aaj ja (khrup/ka)
Thank you | khop khun (khrup/ka)
You’re welcome | yin dee
Sorry/excuse me | Khor thoad khrup/ka
Where is the restroom | Hong nam yoo tee nai khrup/ka?
I need a doctor | Phom dong gaan hai mor maa raak sa khrup/ka
No worries | Mai pen rai
Can you speak English? | Kun pood paasaa anggrit dai mai?
Basic Greetings
Good Morning | sawatdee tohn chao
Good Afternoon | sawatdee tohn bai
Good Evening | sawatdee tohn yen
Good Day | chohk dee
Good Night | ra tree sawat
How are you? | Sa bai dee mai khrup/ka
Goodbye! | La gorn khrup/ka
Directions
Turn Left / Turn Right | Leo Sai / Leo Kwaa (lee-yo-sigh/lee-yo-kwa)
Stop / Go | Yut / Bai (yut / bye)
Slow Down | Hai Chah Long (high-cha-lom)
Shopping
How much does this cost? | Ra ka tao rai khrup/ka?
That’s expensive! | Paeng mak khrup/ka!
Can you give me a discount please? | Ga ru na lot ra ka hai noi khrup/ka?
Food
Water | Nam
I would like to order | sang aa-haan
No sugar | mai sai nam tam
Not Spicy | mai phet
A little Spicy | phet nit nawy
Really Spicy | phet mak
Delicious | aroy
📶 Data & Connectivity
📱 eSIM
Airalo
Airalo is the world’s first eSIM store that solves the pain of high roaming bills by giving you access to eSIMs (digital SIM cards). With eSIMs from Airalo, download and install a digital data pack from 200+ countries/regions and be connected anywhere in the world the second you land.
All you gotta do is:
① Click the link below
② Sign up
③ Download the Airalo app
④ Choose your destination & package
⑤ Install & activate your eSIM
⑥ You're now connected & good to go!
Xplori
📱 Physical SIM
🛜 Pocket WiFi
🗺️ Getting Around
🛬 Airport ↔️ City (Bangkok)
🚆 Airport Train
🎟️ Where to Buy Airport Rail Link (ARL) Tickets
🚘 Private Hire Car
🚌 Within the City
🚆 Train
Bangkok has 2 fast and easy train networks for getting around the new areas like Silom, Sukhumvit, and Siam Square. They are being expanded in many directions to accommodate more commuters, and should be finished by 2023. Remember, no food or drinks allowed on the BTS & MRT.
🚊 BTS (Skytrain)
BTS (Skytrain / rót fai fáa) is a fast way to travel in 'new' Bangkok and connects to the airport. Interchange is at Siam station and trains run regularly from 6am to midnight. Fares range from 16B to 52B, or 140B for a one-day pass. Machines only take coins, but change is available. Keep your single journey ticket to exit through the Automatic Gate.
🎟️ Where to Buy BTS Travel Passes
🚇 MRT (Metro)
Bangkok’s Metro, the MRT, is most helpful for people staying in the Sukhumvit or Silom area to reach the train station at Hua Lamphong. Fares cost from 16B to 42B. The trains run frequently from 6am to midnight. At some stops, your bags will need to be scanned or searched before you enter the station.
🎟️ MRT (Metro) travel passes
If you're staying in Bangkok awhile or planning on using the MRT regularly, there are a number of multi-trip passes which can make your trips cheaper. Each pass lasts for 45 days and passengers can choose a pass for either the MRT Blue Line, the MRT Purple Line, or both lines together. Available at any MRT station, you can top-up the card with either 15-, 25-, 40- or 50-trips. Prices start from 450B for 15 trips.
Tips for taking the train in Bangkok
Passengers should avoid sitting next to or touching monks on public transport.
Do not occupy seats that are marked for monks, the disabled or the elderly, unless you fall under any of the categories.
Thais will willingly offer their seats to children and the elderly. However, being glued to their mobile phones often makes passengers oblivious to the fact that there's a senior citizen or child standing next to them.
Thais consider the floor dirty and are reluctant to place bags on the floor of public transport; they will urge you not to do so as well.
Bangkok taxis are bright, air-conditioned, metered and cheap. They're also likely to get caught up in traffic jams.
🚖 Taxi
Bangkok's taxis are new, comfortable, and cheaper than túk-túks. All taxis use meters, starting at 35B, and fares for most places in central Bangkok are 60B to 100B. Use an app-based taxi service like Grab Taxi or All Thai Taxi as an alternative. The Grab app is easy to use. Pin your location and destination and select GrabTaxi for a commercial taxi or GrabCar for a private vehicle. Note that only commercial taxis operating through Grab are legal.
🙋🏻 How to hail a taxi
Look for a taxi with an illuminated red or green light on the dashboard. Once you hop in and the driver turns on the meter, the light switches off, meaning the cab is now occupied. To hail a taxi Thai-style, stick out your arm and wave your hand, palm down, in an up-and-down motion.
Tips for taking a taxi in Bangkok
Use only taxis that use the meter and are passing by. Bangkok taxi drivers usually won't cheat you. They may not know the way around, so provide the address in Thai. Older cabs have more experienced driver-owners, while newer ones have hired drivers. Yellow-green or white-pink cabs are usually driven by experienced, self-owned drivers. Riding a túk-túk is a popular activity for visitors to Bangkok.
🚐 Túk-túk
Túk-túk's are three-wheel taxis used by Thais for short hops. They are part of the Bangkok experience, but overcharge and take detours to commission-paying shops. They quote high fares, so try to bargain them down to about 50B for a short trip. Taxis are cheaper, cleaner, cooler, and quieter. Boats in Bangkok offer a different perspective on the city.
⛵️ Boat
Two prominent fleets of boats, one that runs along the Chao Phraya River and the other along canals, serve Bangkok's commuters via the city's waterways. Both are handy for travellers too, particularly for visiting sights in the centre of the city.
🛥️ Klorng Boats
These are canal taxi boats that run along Khlong Saen Saep (Banglamphu to Ramkhamhaeng) and are an easy way to get between Banglamphu and Jim Thompson House, the Siam Square shopping centres (get off at Sapan Hua Chang Pier for both) and other points further east along Thanon Sukhumvit – after a mandatory change of boat at Pratunam Pier.
These boats are mostly used by daily commuters and pull into the piers for just a few seconds – jump straight on or you’ll be left behind. Fares range from 12B to 15B and boats run from 5.30am to 7.15pm from Monday to Friday, from 6am to 6.30pm on Saturday and from 6am to 6pm on Sunday.
🚤 Chao Phraya Express Boat
The Chao Phraya Express Boat is the main ferry service along the Chao Phraya River, with boats running from 6am to 7pm. The orange-flag vessels are the most common and run from Wat Rajsingkorn to Nonthaburi, stopping at all major piers, with a flat fare of 15B. Green-flag and yellow-flag boats are slightly quicker but skip some piers. A blue-flagged tourist boat runs from Sathorn/Central Pier to Phra Athit/Banglamphu Pier for 60B every 30 minutes from 9.30am to 5.30pm, and there is a 200B all-day pass available. Hold on to your ticket as proof of purchase.
⛴️ Cross-river ferries and private long-tail boats
There are also dozens of cross-river ferries, which charge 3B and run every few minutes until late at night. Private long-tail boats can be hired for sightseeing trips at Phra Athit/Banglamphu Pier, Chang Pier, Tien Pier and Oriental Pier. Bangkok motorsai can be the best way to skip through traffic. But wear dark underpants.
🛶 Motorcycle taxis
In Bangkok, motorcycle taxis, or "motorsai," serve two purposes. Firstly, they are part of the public-transport network, transporting people from main roads to the end of streets for 10-20B per trip. Secondly, they are used to avoid traffic jams and can be negotiated for 20B-150B. However, riders have a mixed reputation for breaking traffic rules, such as running red lights and using sidewalks as bike lanes. GrabBike is an app-based alternative that charges based on distance.
🚍 Bus
Bangkok has public buses operated by Bangkok Mass Transit Authority, but they are not very reliable due to unclear routes and affordable taxi services. However, if you want to take the bus, English route maps are available at 7-Eleven stores and bookshops. Air-con buses cost between 12B and 25B while fan-cooled buses start at 10B. Most buses operate between 5am and 10-11pm, except for all-night buses. Some buses accept payment by credit or debit cards and BMTA top-up cards. Top-up cards can be purchased from major bus stops.
🙋🏻 How to hail a bus
Drivers will only pull over at a bus stop if a passenger is alighting or someone has waved the bus down. When you see the bus you require, stick out your arm and wave your hand, palm down, in an up-and-down motion. The driver should then pull over to let you board.
🚶🏻 Walking
Walking is not a popular way to get around Bangkok due to the hot weather, pollution, and crowded sidewalks. However, it can offer a unique and rewarding experience for those who choose to do so. Beware of loose tiles on the sidewalks that turn into water mines during the rainy season. Buses are a slower but enjoyable mode of transportation.
🚲 Bicycle
Over the past few years, cycling has exploded in popularity in Bangkok. Bike sales are booming and a 23km bicycle track that circles Suvarnabhumi International Airport is steadily gaining popularity as a weekend activity among the city's cyclists. There's even a bike-share initiative– look for the pavement-side stands on the city's major thoroughfares branded 'Pun Pun'. Despite all this, however, dangerous roads, traffic, heat and pollution mean that Bangkok is still far from a safe or convenient place to use a bicycle as a means of transportation. Despite the city boasting more than 350km of bike lanes, many are blocked by parked túk-túks and errant food stalls. Motorcyclists are also an issue as they’re known to use the lanes as a shortcut for nipping through traffic jams. Driving a car in Bangkok, a very special type of torture.
🚗 Car
Driving and parking in Bangkok can be more trouble than it's worth for short-term visitors. If you need private transport, consider hiring a car and driver through your hotel or a trustworthy taxi driver. Car hire companies have offices at airports, and rates start around 1200B per day. You need a passport, valid driving license from home (with English translation if needed), or an International Driving Permit. Thailand's cars have right-side steering wheels like in British and Australian cars.
👶🏻 Getting around Bangkok with babies or children
Getting around Bangkok with kids can be challenging, but it's possible. The BTS has elevators for pushchairs, and most major MRT stations have them too. Taxis don't have car seats for babies and toddlers, so using a sling may be better on uneven sidewalks.
🧑🏻🦽 Accessible transportation in Bangkok
In Thailand, it's tough for people with mobility issues to get around as many places have stairs and high curbs. MRT stations have elevators, ramps, and toilets for disabled people. The BTS has limited access, with only a few stations having wheelchair access.
🗺️ Inter-City
🚍 Inter-City Coach
📍 Where to Go
























👀 See & Do
🍽️ Eat & Drink
📱 Useful Apps
✏️ Trip Planning
🎫 Attractions | Experiences | Tickets | Packages
🗺️ Getting Around
Navigation + Public Transport
Taxi/Ride-Hailing
💬 Language
💬 Communications | Messenger | Social Media
💰 Payment | Cashback | Promos | Discounts
💱 Currency Exchange
🍽️ Food Delivery
🧳 Choose Your Own Adventure
I'm all about creating flexible, inclusive, accessible & affordable guides that help you choose your own adventure based on your travel style, preferences & restrictions. Check out these guides to mix & match & create your own unique experience!
Psst! More guides to be added — save this guide, subscribe to my profile & stay tuned! ✨
💬 Questions?
If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to reach out to me via: