How to get from Bangkok Airport to your Hotel
19
May, 2025
How to get from Bangkok Airport to your Hotel
Getting from the Bangkok airport to your hotel in the city is easy enough and your best, fastest option is by taxi. There are two airports in Bangkok. One is called Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), the international flight hub. The other is Don Mueang Airport (DMK) for domestic flights and some flights to and from neighboring countries. Both airports are about equal distance from the city center of Bangkok. For our 15-day Thailand for Lantern Festival trip you will usually fly into Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) and airport pick-up is not included. We’ll help you get your adventure in Thailand started with these 2 ways of getting from Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) to your hotel in the city center.
Arriving at Hanoi Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK)
To get started, you’ll need to deplane and go through immigration. Look for the signs that say “Immigration” and they will point you in the right direction.
Follow the “Immigration” signs.
Pass through immigration
Follow the “Foreign passport” signs and be prepared to wait as there are usually a lot of people standing in line. The lines typically move relatively quickly but you could be there for a while.
Follow the “Foreign passport” immigration lines.
Collect your luggage and exchange/withdraw money
After passing through immigration, make your way to the baggage claim area. Take a look at the monitors to find your flight number to see what baggage claim carousel your luggage can be found at.
Once you collect your bags, you may want to exchange some money at the exchange counter. These counters are located generously outside of the baggage claim area.
You can exchange money after exiting the baggage claim area.
Remember that the airport currency exchange counters do not usually offer very good exchange rates. We recommend exchanging a small amount of cash, around $50 USD or so. Alternatively, you might select to withdraw cash from the ATM. Even if withdrawing from an ATM, it’s a good idea to bring some cash to exchange just in case your bank puts a stop on your card. If pulling from an ATM, we suggest taking out a relatively larger amount as withdrawal fees are usually 220 baht ($6) per withdrawal plus whatever fees your home bank charges you, usually around $5 per transaction. We suggest pulling out the maximum, usually 20,000 baht (approximately $565 USD), depending on the machine.
Thai baht (THB).
Now, you’re ready to catch your transportation and start your adventure in Bangkok!
Option 1: Pre-booked airport pick-up
One way to get from the Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) to your hotel in the city center is to pre-book airport pick-up before arrival with a transport company such as Welcome Pickups. This is one of the slightly faster and more expensive options. It will take you approximately 45 minutes to an hour to get to the city center. You can find other transfer companies by searching travel websites such as TripAdvisor. The cost will vary depending on the company.
If you’ve pre-booked your airport pick-up, you’ll usually find a driver waiting for you after luggage claim in the public arrivals area. He’ll typically have a sign with your name on it. It’s best to ask your transfer company for specific instructions and what/who to look for.
For those on the 15-day Thailand for Lantern Festival trip, we will put you in touch with one another before the trip starts so you can share flight arrival times and coordinate pre-booked airport pick-up if you so wish.
It’s important to have WhatsApp downloaded and set up on your phone before you arrive so you can be in touch with the transfer company and/or driver. There is free Wifi at the Suvarnabhumi Airport but if you can’t connect, you can turn on data roaming.
*IMPORTANT: Globe Drifters does not vouch for any transfer companies you may find online. It’s important to do your research, read reviews, and contact the company to make sure that it is indeed a trustworthy, legitimate company.
Option 2: Take a taxi
Find the public taxi computer kiosks
One of our favorite things about Bangkok airport is there is almost zero or very limited harassment from taxi drivers like you may have seen in other airports around the world. This means you won’t be swarmed by taxi drivers trying to make a quick buck as soon as you step outside. All you need to do is follow the “Public Taxi” signs to catch your ride to your hotel.
Follow the “Public Taxi” signs.
Go down one floor and continue following the signs that say “Public Taxi” (see below).
Keep following the “Public Taxi” signs!
You will eventually arrive at a line of public taxis. You will also find some small computer kiosks there. There are usually two attendants standing by if you need help. Watch the video below to help you find the public taxi kiosks.
Push the only button in the middle of the computer screen and you will receive a number between 1 and 25. Locate the illuminated lane number that corresponds with your ticket and go to the car in that lane.
Look at your ticket # and find the corresponding taxi lane.
The taxi driver will help you with your luggage. These are all metered taxis so don’t worry about getting ripped off.
Give the driver the name of your hotel and the address written in Thai from the pre-departure notes and you’ll be on your way!
Taking the highway and paying the tolls
Your taxi driver may ask if you want to take the ‘highway/toll’. The answer is yes! The highway/toll road has much less traffic and is considerably quicker. You will arrive at the first toll and it will cost 25 baht (approximately $0.75 USD). The taxi driver will usually ask you for the money for the toll. The toll roads provide change so don’t worry about only having large bills. The driver might give you back all of your change or keep 50 baht from the change as there will be another toll to pay in about 5 minutes which costs 50 baht (approximately $1.50 USD) to pass through. He will more than likely just ask for 75 baht at the first toll and use the leftovers to pay for the 2nd toll. In any case, the total amount for the two tolls is 75 baht (approximately $2.00 USD).
This is what one of the toll booths looks like.
Below you can see toll receipt tickets that you’ll receive: One for 25 baht and the other for 50 baht. The total for all toll roads comes to 75 baht.
You will need to pay 2 tolls, one for 25 baht and another for 50 baht.
Once you arrive at the hotel, you will pay the amount on the meter plus 45 baht for the airport surcharge. The driver might ask you for a tip and 50 baht is sufficient. The most common way to tip is to just round up your tab. For example, if you owe 445 baht, just give the driver 500 baht.
It takes approximately 45 minutes to an hour to get to the hotel depending on the traffic. The cost of the taxi is usually around 350 ~ 500 THB.
Both options above have their pros and cons and the 2 mentioned above have worked in the past for our travelers. You may find another option that works better for you. If you’re on our Lantern Festival trip, get settled, relax at the hotel’s pool, or explore the surroundings as the hotel is centrally located. Happy travels!
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