MerNion

Hello all,

will be transiting through BKK on our way from SYD to MUC on F class and was wondering if TG/BKK/Bangkok has anything to offer for us to do in those 9 hours..
The 9 hours are actual STA and STD between the flights so I would guess around 6 hours are actually "free".
Any suggestions from regular users of TG/BKK or locals in Bangkok?
I haven't contacted TG at all, would you think they could offer advise or help on the matter?

Thanks!

BinSabai

sure you can ask them, but I doubt they will offer a Hotel room as it is not overnight.
F Lounge (private room), Spa (1 hour massage), lunch, afternoon tea and light supper in the Dining room of the Lounge, slumber

restlessinRNO

What were you hoping for? The TG F lounge is very nice. You will be escorted to a private "room", there is a restaurant and bar, shower, and as BinSabai points out you can have a 1 hour massage. Suvarnabhumi airport does not have a butterfly farm, cinema, swimming pool, children's play area, ... It does have a huge (duty-free) shopping area.

MerNion

I wasn't hoping for anything, I am just asking if there is something to do in there or maybe I should go out to the city to see something in those 6 hours...

Thai-Kiwi

For this amount of time, I recommend going into the city - depending on your actual 'free' timings and need for rest/sleep.

MerNion

If the flight is on time and I calculate 1h for immigration/customs/etc (I hope it is less) and since our luggage will go through to the final destination and there is no need to check them again, I believe 2 hours prior to departure are ok to be back. So we have indeed 6:30 hours free.
Any advice on what to do these hours? It will be afternoon. Go riverside? Go to a mall? I would rather see something Thai than a mall with international shopping brands.. Maybe a dinner somewhere nice around 7-8pm?

Thanks!

wheresmybagba

Be aware that you may be asked to pay 700B departure tax pp when attempting to go back airside, this has likely not been included in the cost of your ticket which assumes airside transit. You'll find a whole separate thread on this.

Let's say you will not get to the city until earliest 6PM? I'd say you are probably out of luck for tourist sites and it will be close to getting dark. I would probably be tempted by a rooftop bar then dinner. We recently stayed at Marriott Sukhumvit Thonglor and enjoyed the Octave bar on the rooftop there...happy hour runs until 7PM and it was cheap! Plenty of interesting restaurants around there too. Although if looking to just get a quick hit of Bangkok you might be better off more central.

travelislife

Go in to town. Plenty to do especially if you are there around dinner time.

MerNion

I am hoping we are just going to make it to the Reclining Buddha which closes at 6:30pm.. And then maybe a nice rooftop restaurant/bar to have a dinner and drink with panoramic view of the city before heading back to the airport.
@wheresmybagba Thanks for the info.. I will try and have the boarding passes already for the onward flight and hope I am not asked to pay for it.

5khours

With 9 hours I would normally go into the city or check in at the Novotel at the airport. At the Novotel, you can get a good long nap, massage, swim, gym workout. Plenty of stuff to do in the city also and the train is super easy.

In F you can usually make it from the plane to the train in about 15 minutes. If I have boarding pass on TG in F or J, I go back to the airport about 45 minutes before departure. For a newbie give yourself an hour.

Also if you haven't used the F lounge before, it's worth going back a couple of hours early for the experience.

tpsmith82

Go check out a night market to get a feel for the true Bangkok. There is a great night market, Huai Kwang night market, right off the MRT. You could walk around and watch all the happenings. It's only a 45 min trip one way, which still leaves lots of time for walking around. Then stop at Noi's seafood to get some of these.



and you can check out this

MerNion

@5khours We don't want to go to a hotel since we hope we would have slept enough on the plane to BKK. If the 15mins you say are anything close to true, that saves us a lot of time because I was planning 1 hour to reach the train! On our way back we indeed would like to experience the F lounge and if available a massage, so I now think to be back 3 hours before departure of next flight.
@tpsmith82 Thanks for the info but we are not really into the seafood that much

5khours

If you come in on F, they'll be an agent waiting plane side who will normally walk you all the way to the train if you ask. Since you have a connection they'll try to take you to the lounge so just tell them you want to go into the city and ask them to take you to the train. If they don't, just follow the signs...it's easy.

3 hours is about right since sometimes there is a bit of wait for the spa in the evenings.

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

Immigration will be quick, 15 mins about right. You could go somewhere like the Banyan Tree rooftop bar (Vertigo) on the 61st floor. Sweeping views of bangkok and very pleasant in the early evening with the sun setting.

I'd allow an hour or two there. From there you could head to the markets on Silom road - a short 10 minute walk away and will give you a taste of street markets. Allow another hour there.

You can then head back to the airport... I usually allow about an hour for the trip to be back airside. That leaves you about three hours to enjoy the massage, relax, catch up on emails and head off for the flight. Try and pre-book a massage time if you can as it will be popular in the evening rush time.

MerNion

I have already checked that out and the view looks stunning. Most say the food is not what they would expect from such a restaurant but the view is rewarding. From Phaya Thai that the ARL stops to the closest station (Sala Daeng), should I take the train (BTS) and then walk or a taxi?? What do you suggest? How safe is walking 15mins in a smart casual dress at 6-9pm in that area?