Getting around and through Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport
Bangkok's new Suvarnabhumi (pronounced "Suwanabhum") international airport is an architectural gem located 30 km east of Bangkok.
What's going on inside is a decided upgrade from the old Don Muang airport, both in shopping and dining experiences.
The fate of the old Don Muang airport is yet to be completely decided, but ideas being discussed include its use for shuttles, charters, and in-country flights only.
We'll keep you posted.
Suvarnabhumi was built before adequate ground transportation was developed, and although an electric railway is planned, for now you're dealing with taxis and buses.
Arrival information
Money
There are ATMs located at various points in the airport, if you need taxi money.
There are also exchange counters for major Thai banks in the airport as well.
They provide fair exchange rates, similar to those you'd find in the city.
Taxis between Suvarnabhumi and downtown Bangkok
Getting a decent taxi at the airport can be a challenge the first time around.
After your flight arrives and you clear customs, you'll encounter a horde of people waiting for arrivers.
Included here are touts asking if you want a taxi.
Firmly say no, otherwise you'll end up overpaying to a cowboy operator.
You'll also be greeted by a yellow-shirted girl with a clipboard, also asking you if you'd like a cab.
Although the service is legitimate, it's a flat fee of 700 baht to most city locations, two or three times what you'll pay in the taxi line outside.
AOT (Airports of Thailand) also offers a limousine at 900 baht, and the yellow-shirted girl will be happy to direct you there.
Taxis continued: not for the faint-hearted!
If you're able to successfully navigate the hoard at the gate, you'll probably want to get a metered taxi into Bangkok.
Be prepared to look for sandwich-board signs springing up around the airport that direct you to the taxi queues.
That's right, large signs tell you how to get buses, and where arrival and departure gates are, but only occasionally will you see a tiny sign directing to go outside of the arrivals terminal, and queue for a cab there.
Originally, the plan was to have visitors shuttled to a nearby taxi and bus facility.
But that impractical approach appears to be giving way to taxis that are allowed to pick up arriving passengers at the airport itself.
We expect the taxi signage to improve in the next several months.
Until then follow the makeshift signs.
OK, so go outside, and look for any of several taxi queues with uniformed "starters" directing passengers into separate queues of taxis.
Each of these taxis is metered, and you'll pay the metered fare to your destination, plus a 50 baht airport charge, plus any tolls that are incurred on the expressways.
Typical charges are 250 baht to the Nana area (Sukhumvit Soi 4), and 200 baht to On Nut (Sukhumvit Soi 77).
Do not pay more than what you owe!
There are no additional "charges" for extra passengers, so do be resistant if your driver demands them.
Don't be afraid to ask your destination hotel staff to act as intermediaries in case of disagreement.
Tipping is not mandatory, and we suggest doing like the Thais, and give the driver any coins that would otherwise be your change (e.g. 10 baht on a 250 baht fare, where you've paid with two hundreds and three twenties).
Where is your hotel?
If you have a hotel and it's not a major one, it helps to have the name of the hotel, and its address, written in Thai (when you make your initial reservations, insist they fax them to you, in Thai script).
On our first trip to Thailand, we failed to do this, and got taken to three different hotels with roughly the same name.
The last one was correct, but it took a heckuva long time to get there.
Departure information
The time factor: Suvarnabhumi isn't close!
Depending on the traffic, it could take you an hour or more to get to Suvarnabhumi from Bangkok proper via taxi.
Bangkok's traffic is legendary, so please get an early start if you've an international flight to catch.
We've logged trips of one hour from Nana (Sukhumvit Soi Four), and 45 minutes from On Nut (Sukhumvit Soi 77) during morning weekday hours.
Ask your driver to take the tollway when possible.
Layout of Suvarnabhumi
Once inside, the airport is easy to navigate, with good signage and great selections in terms of shops and food.
Boards post departing flights, with corresponding row numbers for ticket counters.
See our dining in Suvarnabhumi article for a couple of neat dining options, with great views.
International flights note: After checking in and getting your boarding pass, you will pay a 500 baht departure tax (for international flights only) at the kiosk adjacent to the gates through which you'll pass to clear customs.
If you'll be claiming a VAT refund, add an extra hour to process your application, show the goods, and receive your refund.
