JohnRain

Arriving on EY, leaving on CX, so no great lounge options.
I'd like to catch the Airport Link for a quick ride into the city center and go for some express-sightseeing. What would you recommend, given the limited amount of time?

Thanks

Tchiowa

Time of day?

transpac

Your bags are checked through?

Will you have the CX boarding pass?

What country's passport will you be using?

I assume you underrstand that you will have to clear Immigration twice? Not sure if the PSC (700 baht) has been collected on your ticket, or if it might be asked for?

The Airport Link service is a bit under the weather these days, so the ride will not be "quick". Only City Line trains, and they have to run slower so they don't have an accident - the trains are mostly past their maintenance date.

I would leave a lot of time for the return journey.

Have you been to Bangkok before? What kinds of things do you like to do? Can you share the exact day/date/time(s)? This is important as there may be unique happenings on any given day.

JohnRain

Thanks for your replies guys.

Passport: Swiss
Bags: Not checked through, as I'm traveling on two separate tickets. I'll check them at the CX counter and collect the boarding pass before heading to the city.
PSC: No idea

Very good to know that the Airport Link isn't as reliable as I thought it would be. I have the option of using a limo from EY for the ride into the city.

I have been to Bangkok before, but it's been a while. I thought about going to visit a cultural highlight, or if time isn't sufficient for that, having a great brunch at a hotel. I'll arrive on Dec 2 early in the morning (7AM) and my flight to SIN leaves at 12.45 (PM).

Alternatively, I thought about renting a limo and just doing a city tour, before being driven back to the airport.

I'll be back in BKK later in the week for 36 hours, but I thought there might be better things to do than sitting in a subpar CX lounge for 5 hours.

Thanks a lot for your advice.

transpac

I'll arrive on Dec 2 early in the morning (7AM)

You'll obviously encounter severe traffic heading into town, either by car or on the SARL.

I'll be back in BKK later in the week for 36 hours

Be aware that Fri., Dec. 5 is a holiday, which might make getting around quite a bit easier.

Tchiowa

Yes, traffic will be bad. I wouldn't get a car for a city tour because of that.

Also, some of the places you'll want to see might not open early enough for the OP to really take advantage of. If it were me, I'd take a nap for the 5 hour layover and make plans for the 36 hour stop later in the week.

JohnRain

Thanks for your advice Tchiowa. That's why I had initially planned to take the Express Train, but apparently that's not a good option either. If sightseeing isn't recommended because of the traffic situation, I would have gone for an extensive breakfast at the St. Regis, as it's pretty close to the train terminal. But of course this option relies on speedy/efficient train connections.

JohnRain

Taking into account everything that's been said before in this thread, it looks like the safest option might be to just stay at/near the airport for the layover. Is there anything interesting/fun to do there? A nearby hotel with a good brunch? Something else?

Might it be a good idea to go to Ancient City? It's apparently the closest tourist attraction from the airport.

ft101

No.

Just stay in the airport. You don't realistically have time for anything else. 5 hour transit becomes 3 hours down time. Shops, meal and drinks will soon use that up.

DirtyDan

If you really needed street noodles, I guess you could wait in immigration, wait up to 20 minutes for the train, take the 1/2hr train ride, walk somewhere from Makkasan station (taxis/traffic would be crazy at that time), and repeat the whole adventure in reverse... all it would take is one delayed train or an extra long queue at immigration and you'd be cutting your connection very tight.

BKK is not the worst airport to spend 5 hours in; a lot of great people watching to partake in.

transpac

If you really needed street noodles

Within the airport there is a Thai-style food court (Magic Point) on level 1, land-side, near door #10 (far right-hand side if outside and facing the main passenger terminal building).

The OP will have to enter and exit Thailand anyway, per the details in post #4. So he will have to clear arriving Immigration and departing Immigration, and since two separate tickets are mentioned, the PSC is a non-issue.

JohnRain

Thanks for your replies. I'll stay in the terminal, then.

JohnRain

I'm back from my trip and I'm glad to say that I *didn't* listen to the advice given on this thread...

Immigration in both directions took less than 10 minutes and I didn't have to pay anything. The limo transfer to the city took 65 minutes, the return journey to the airport only 35 minutes. I had a great and lengthy breakfast at the St. Regis and was back at the airport earlier than needed. I'm really glad I did it this way, because the CX lounge in BKK is currently closed for renovation and the lounge they send you to (Louis CIP Tavern, also a Priority Pass lounge) is an absolute dump. As I mentioned I transited through BKK a second time a few days later and both journeys from and to the airport also took less than an hour by car.

TravellingMan

I have a 6 hr layover this Saturday afternoon. Where can I go to get some good street food? Should I take the train to 2-3 stops away? Or take the bus to the bus terminal for the fix?

CrazyInteg

Are you Thai or have you been to Thailand before?