Airport to our hotel during peak time 5:30pm

Hi everyone,

What%26#39;s the best way to get to our hotel from the airport during the crazy mad traffic time of 5:30pm?? We will be staying in a hotel close to a BTS skytrain (either Chit Lom station, National Stadium, or Ratchathewi Station). Thanks so much for your great advice!

Airport to our hotel during peak time 5:30pm

Taxi on the Expressway. Allow for an extra half hour.

Airport to our hotel during peak time 5:30pm

Agree with Bill

Taxi on the expressway and expect to be around the hour maybe + a little bit.

5:30 is the middle of the rush two hour and traffic is heavy.

You will make good progress on the expressway till you get close to the first intersection, then traffic starts to crawl.

Just sit back and relax.

Thanks guys! I was hoping you were going to say the taxi as I did not want to lug our luggage all over the public transport system. Don%26#39;t mind waiting patiently in traffic as long as it%26#39;s in the comforts of a taxi. Cheers!

Are you allowing for the very likely delays in passing thru immigration and collecting luggage? By the time you get to the taxi queue, the worst of the rush hour traffic might have passed. If not, you might consider having a cup of tea or some thai noodle soup (I%26#39;d rather eat than sit in a traffic jam), Many Thais wait a bit before driving if it%26#39;s during rush hour. Also, it depends on which day you%26#39;re arriving. Weekends are no problem, Friday is the worst, other days all about the same.

Hi Bkk Resident! Thanks so much for thinking of those 鈥?I didn鈥檛 even think about the days/immigration/luggage/etc (silly me!) Our flight arrives 5:30pm on a Saturday actually so after immigration and luggage we should be (hopefully) out in about an hour - it looks like we scored the jackpot then!! Cheers!

You should have no problem at all, most likely a quick taxi ride [but I%26#39;d still have the driver use the expressway and pay the extra toll]. take care.

You could also ask one of the stewardesses to tell the capt to %26#39;%26#39;give it some welly coz i%26#39;m running late for a meeting%26#39;%26#39; when you are still a couple of hours from touch-down - a comment i once heard from a fellow passenger on a BA flight on route from London to Bangkok! ten mins later i saw the very same stewardess pointing out the %26#39;%26#39;guilty party%26#39;%26#39; to the first officer who appeared to be truly lost for words.

Meter taxi is best for this time period. The taxi sign up desk is outside the arrivals hall, near the curb. Ignore all of the touts in the arrivals hall selling rides into town unless you want to pay more than a meter taxi will charge. (The fare is for everyone you can stuff in the cab safely, not per person!)

You mention being close to a BTS Skytrain station. This is okay after you are in the city but the Skytrain does not extend out to the airport just yet!

Your other options, other than the faster meter taxi, is a cheap 35 baht city bus to the first Skytrain stop at Oh Nut and from there you take the Skytrain to somewhere NEAR your hotel. At the airport you first need to take a free shuttle bus to get to their little bus station for the 35 baht bus ride into town. There is an Airport Express Bus that leaves directly from the airport terminal for 150 baht per person. Two people sharing the cost of a meter taxi ride into town is about the same price without lugging your bags down the street and is door to door!

Thanks Infidelal for your tips! I must remember your instructions about the metered taxi stand in the airport as I%26#39;ve read a lot of stuff about people trying to sell you more exy transport. Cheers!

Look for the sign saying ';public taxi'; and don%26#39;t agree if the dispatcher suggests a flat fare of 400 or 450 baht. This is a scam! Insist on the meter. Your fare on the meter should be 200 or under (maybe a bit more if you get caught in a traffic snarl) plus highway tolls of 65, plus 50 baht airport surcharge. So less than 350 baht in total.

You pay the tolls yourself by giving the driver the money. If you don%26#39;t have any small notes, pay the toll with a 1000 baht note in order to get change. Or when you go the the ATM machine in the airport, get 9900 instead of 10,000 to force the machine to give you 100 baht notes so you can pay taxi fare. Bangkok taxi drivers can%26#39;t or won%26#39;t change 1000 baht notes.