One level below the Suvarnabhumi Arrivals Hall is the taxi queue into the city and the Magic Point Food Court. Skip both and descend one lower to B Level. Then follow the signs ‘Train To City’. En route, you’ll find the best exchange rates at the Airport. Once cashed up, buy a ticket for 35-45 Baht and enjoy a picturesque cruise into downtown Bangkok. Here’s the route for solo travelers from Suvarnabhumi Airport to downtown Bangkok. Get amongst it in less than 30 minutes from arrival!
Suvarnabhumi Airport has four levels:
- Fourth: departures.
- Third: open-access restaurants and meeting spots.
- Second: arrivals.
- First: transportation options (buses and taxis).
After clearing customs, you’ll exit onto the second level. Here you can withdraw cash from ATMS or flip your local currency at a money exchange kiosk. However, the rates offered by kiosks on ‘A Floor’ one level down are known to be better.
Also on the A Floor you’ll find taxi queues and a food court serving cheap, authentic Thai food. Once you’re cashed up, skip both and head down to the B Floor. Follow the signs, buy a token (34-45 baht), and board the train.
Getting From Suvarnabhumi To Sukhumvit
Options from the airport to downtown Bangkok include taxis, buses, ride-hailing apps, and the airport rail link. Taxis, buses, and ride-hailing apps must all go through Bangkok’s most brutal traffic jams.
In contrast, the Airport Rail Link is the cheapest, fastest, and most pleasant option!
By Taxi
A taxi from Suvarnabhumi to Sukhumvit Road tourist areas costs around 500 baht +s tolls. Expect an older Thai gent with passable English and a fondness for tourists. It’s a wonderful welcome with lovely scenery — until you hit gridlock. Unimpeded, a drive from Suvarnabhumi to Sukhumvit Road takes 30 minutes. With traffic, it takes around an hour more.
After a long flight, sitting in traffic jams for an hour or more is maddening! Because of this, the Airport Rail Link wins as the cheapest, fastest, and most pleasant option!
By Airport Rail Link
The Airport Rail Link is located on the ground floor ‘B Floor’ of Suvarnabhumi Airport. Trains run every 15-20 minutes. The fare to downtown Bangkok varies, depending on the destination.
Those wanting an MRT connection can get off at Makkasan (35 THB for adults). Those needing a BTS connection can get off at Phaya Thai (the last stop, 45 THB).
The journey to Phaya Thai takes around 25 minutes. Boarding the empty train at Suvarnabhumi, you’re guaranteed a seat. You’re also guaranteed spectacular raised views of Bangkok’s outskirts as you head into town.
Versus sitting for an hour in gridlocked traffic, the journey to Phaya Thai is a speedy, scenic treat. In most of my journeys, the train reached around 75% full by the last stop — never crowded.
In a flash, you’ll reach Phaya Thai. As you exit the Rail Line, you’ll enter the BTS — your connection to the heart of Bangkok.
Getting Loose Solo In Sukhumvit
Phaya Thai Station leads to a smorgasbord of Sukhmvit delights. Nana BTS Station is just five stops away.
So let’s assume you land in Bangkok and clear customs at 10 am. By 10:45 am, you’ll exit the station and walk straight into a marijuana kiosk. Cold beers are available in all directions.
Had you taken a taxi, you would have paid ten times the price of your train ticket – to sit in traffic for another hour!
Once you’ve had a few beers & spliffs, it’s time to check into your hotel and sleep it off. By the time you wake up, Soi Nana is 15 minutes on foot one way; Soi Cowboy is 15 minutes the other way. Plenty of adventures lurk between those two points. Learn more:
