CrazyInteg

Yes, it's right by the train. The train might be crowded when you need to go back to the airport, but you will get on eventually. The less baggage you have, the better.
I know nothing at all about IHG properties.

EDIT: whoops, not by an ARL station.

FlyerTalker324193

You mean the Airport Rail Link?

Not quite, I would say. According to Google Maps, Ramkhamhaeng Station is 2.1 km by foot, Makkasan is 3.2 km.

So I guess a Grab or something is needed to get to the station. Which direction would be less bad traffic-wise?

CrazyInteg

Oh, sorry! Please disregard my post.
My mistake was looking at a satellite map. I now see, what I thought was a station, is Khlong Tan rail depot.

Traffic always sucks on Petchaburi road. I've always taken a motorbike taxi.

quarryking

I did something similar earlier in the year, although not entirely for the points but more from a practical stand point. Landed into BKK at around 01.30 hrs and so checked into the Holiday Inn Express Bangkok Soi Soonvijai. Later in the day, shifted to the Intercontinental. The ride from the Holiday Inn Express Bangkok to the Intercontinental took about 35 mins in a taxi around 11 in the morning.

transpac

New bus route to Don Mueang launched

A new bus route linking Don Mueang airport and two new BTS skytrain stations near Kasetsart University is now running.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/learning...ueang-launched


At Suvarnabhumi (BKK), departing security lines are said to be quite long. Maybe add an extra 30 - 60 minutes to your schedule. Also in ultra-high season, so many tourists.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...abhumi-airport


This is a heavy travel weekend as folks string together two holidays (Dec. 5 and Dec 10).

ericande

I'm looking for help on our BKK layover. We're transiting from CMB to ICN and have a 17 hour layover in BKK, scheduled to arrive to BKK at 06:25. We're on Thai Airways, class I and have priority pass. We want to take the train into Bangkok for the day, but before we go in is there an arrivals lounge or someplace we can go to hangout and rest a little longer or once you clear immigration are you pretty much stuck outside until you're ready to check back in for the next flight? Any other suggestions for a spot in Bangkok we can go and nap?

Davvidd

I went and paid for a two hours Thai massage and the main reason was not the massage itself but two hours of a nap in an AC room that was decently clean and the massage was the bonus.

Nana34

There is a free bus from DMK to BKK airports. Simply show your ticket onward.

transpac

CJKatl

I have not done exactly what I am about to suggest, but have done each piece in other airports...

It appears you are on a single ticket, changing planes in BKK, so you should be able to:

• Disembark your first flight,
• Go through the midfield flight transfer security from arrivals to departures which is fast and easy,
• Visit the departure lounge for a couple hours,
• Leave the secure area when you are ready, go through immigration to enter Thailand, go into Bangkok, frolic,
• Return to the airport and go through immigration to leave the country on your connecting flight.

While I am not sure where you would physically walk to in the departure area to get to immigration when you are ready to leave, there must be a way. I have had to leave the departure areas in both Singapore (ticketing issue required going to desk outside secure area) and Israel (accepted bump offer) and did not have any issue entering the country for a few minutes only to go immediately back through security, and I have entered and left Thailand on the same day several times without issue, so I think the steps listed above should work.

ADDED: Hopefully someone can give direction on leaving the airport from the secure departure area. Also, you may want to check about the departure tax, which you usually do not pay as part of your fare for a connecting flight. Since your layover is more than twelve hours, you may already be paying it anyway. If not, you may need to pay it to leave the airport, although many have reported never being asked.

dsquared37

There's a hallway next to A/B/C/D security, just to the west of the information kiosk, that used to be accessible for this with no one there to give resistance. I don't think there's anything similar on the D/E/F/G side since xfer security is on the arrival floor on that side of the airport.

Access to the escalators appeared to still be there a few weeks ago walking past but its been years since I had any need to backtrack out of the departure floor toward immigration so I can't vouch it's still doable.

Davvidd

Huge queue for the public taxi at BKK this late afternoon. I don't know the reason why but for some reason almost all the taxi bays were almost empty. I have never seen anything like that in BKK before.

ericande

Prob not our top choice but not the worst! I bet there are some nice spas in the city that have showers and stuff.

I think if those steps work it's probably our best option. Either the Thai air or one of the priority pass lounges would be more than comfortable enough to rest.

If anyone knows the process or any problems with exiting from the secured side please let me know!

northsideguy

Are you a Kyrgyzstan passport holder? If so, you have to have a visa to enter Thailand.

ericande

No, I used to live there. I should change it. US passport with a bunch of Kyrgyz visas