BKK layover advice
Dec 29, 2018, 4:11 am
#16
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Bangkok, Thailand. No longer Palm Coast, FL though still exiled, again, from the Bay Area.
Programs: Only the good ones
Posts: 5,153
Without wandering into OMNI territory, I wish gender didn't matter. But it does. *I* am fine either way, but I am acutely aware that other people don't always feel that way because of some bad actors out there. I'm merely trying to be considerate of cultural norms I may not really understand very well.
Jan 2, 2019, 3:05 am
#19
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 39
I´m having the same layover where I arrive on the 4th Jan 6:20am and departing 6:45pm - I was wondering how the traffic from the city centre to the airport would be at that time?
I´ve read some sites where it was said that the traffic could take hours, in that case. Is it advisable to travel several hours ahead (1-2pm) back to the airport?
I´ve read some sites where it was said that the traffic could take hours, in that case. Is it advisable to travel several hours ahead (1-2pm) back to the airport?
Jan 2, 2019, 7:31 am
#20
Join Date: Sep 2005
Programs: AC MM E50 , Former SPG, now Marriott LT Plat
Posts: 6,263
I´m having the same layover where I arrive on the 4th Jan 6:20am and departing 6:45pm - I was wondering how the traffic from the city centre to the airport would be at that time?
I´ve read some sites where it was said that the traffic could take hours, in that case. Is it advisable to travel several hours ahead (1-2pm) back to the airport?
I´ve read some sites where it was said that the traffic could take hours, in that case. Is it advisable to travel several hours ahead (1-2pm) back to the airport?
Jan 2, 2019, 4:52 pm
#21
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 1999
Posts: 12,375
I´m having the same layover where I arrive on the 4th Jan 6:20am and departing 6:45pm - I was wondering how the traffic from the city centre to the airport would be at that time?
I´ve read some sites where it was said that the traffic could take hours, in that case. Is it advisable to travel several hours ahead (1-2pm) back to the airport?
I´ve read some sites where it was said that the traffic could take hours, in that case. Is it advisable to travel several hours ahead (1-2pm) back to the airport?
International arrival? International departure? Passport country (visa issue)? Local currency in hand? Any luggage in hand?
Very generally speaking you would be hitting peak travel times going into the city and returning to the airport. The SARL (airport train: assuming SBIA/BKK) is more or less reliable these days, but it can be quite crowded after the first stop coming into the city. Connecting to the skytrain or subway is easy, but it will be quite crowded. Often I see a hundred people queued just to get a ticket.
You should be able to get into the city within 45 minutes once boarding a train, a taxi might take a bit longer - maybe not much to do that early? Maybe a temple visit first?
Wat Traimit: http://www.bangkok.com/attraction-temple/wat-raimit.htm
Golden Mount (Phu Khao Thong): http://www.thaiwebsites.com/goldenmount.asp
Wat Pho: http://www.watpho.com/index.php?lang=en
Heading back to the airport, assuming an international departure? I might start out 3:00 - 3:30 PM just to be safe. Fridays tend to be quite bad for traffic, but this week seems unusually light traffic-wise, so far.
Last edited by transpac; Jan 2, 2019 at 5:20 pm
Jan 2, 2019, 5:20 pm
#22
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 916
Maybe go to a few of the fresh markets since it's early , not sure where the flower market got moved to but that would be interesting , then maybe the fish market or veggie market.......plus walk around Chinatown some
.....
.now it will be 11am or so and time for lunch....
then some shopping .....and you would need to let us know what you wanted to look at.......Super high end Malls or local places.....
Have fun
.
.....
.now it will be 11am or so and time for lunch....
then some shopping .....and you would need to let us know what you wanted to look at.......Super high end Malls or local places.....
Have fun
.
Jan 5, 2019, 7:45 pm
#23
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: YYZ
Posts: 648
I'm arriving in BKK @ 10:30pm and departing to HAN @ 7:45am the next morning. The review for the Miracle Transit hotel is very poor and the rate is quite expensive... Is it worth the hassle to go outside and stay at a hotel close to the airport? I'm with wife and 3 young kids.
Jan 6, 2019, 7:44 am
#24
Join Date: Sep 2005
Programs: AC MM E50 , Former SPG, now Marriott LT Plat
Posts: 6,263
I'm arriving in BKK @ 10:30pm and departing to HAN @ 7:45am the next morning. The review for the Miracle Transit hotel is very poor and the rate is quite expensive... Is it worth the hassle to go outside and stay at a hotel close to the airport? I'm with wife and 3 young kids.
With 3 kids, you will not emerge from immigration before 11:15 PM at best.
You would have to be back by 6:00 AM the next morning to pass security and immigration.
That's leaving 6 hours 45 minutes for shuttle bus /taxi X 2, check-in and check-out, and herding around and settling down 3 kids,
then shaking them awake from too little sleep.
Under these cicrumstances, I would just make do with the too expensive, too small, transit hotel.
You will all get at least one hour more sleep.
Jan 6, 2019, 3:12 pm
#25
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 1999
Posts: 12,375
I'm arriving in BKK @ 10:30pm and departing to HAN @ 7:45am the next morning. The review for the Miracle Transit hotel is very poor and the rate is quite expensive... Is it worth the hassle to go outside and stay at a hotel close to the airport? I'm with wife and 3 young kids.
When, approximately? This month? Next? Are you on one, single ticket, say HAN-BKK-YYZ, with bags checked through to YYZ? Everyone carrying passports from which country? Has the airport tax been included in your ticket? IMO, you might be lucky to get to a nearby hotel by midnight (Immigration, bags, customs, waiting for and finding hotel van, waiting for van to load up, driving to hotel, etc.). For a 07:45 international departure you might be advised to arrive at the airport by 05:45, which means you might have to wake up by 4:45.
Entering Thailand means clearing both Arriving Immigration and Departing Immigration. Then maybe getting some local money for a hotel or taxi (using a credit card for a nearby hotel which includes airport transpo solves this challenge, obviously).
Jan 6, 2019, 6:28 pm
#26
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,677
This is an interesting observation and not one that I've experienced when visiting Thailand.
Jan 6, 2019, 6:28 pm
#27
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: YYZ
Posts: 648
Thanks for the replies.
I think we'll stick to the airport hotel for the few hours we'll be in BKK. Not worth the hassle of getting out and then having to come back a few hours later for the flight to HAN (BTW, we are going from NRT-BKK-HAN in March).
I think we'll stick to the airport hotel for the few hours we'll be in BKK. Not worth the hassle of getting out and then having to come back a few hours later for the flight to HAN (BTW, we are going from NRT-BKK-HAN in March).
Jan 13, 2019, 4:31 pm
#28
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,677
One of the very few times I would suggest transit hotel.
With 3 kids, you will not emerge from immigration before 11:15 PM at best.
You would have to be back by 6:00 AM the next morning to pass security and immigration.
That's leaving 6 hours 45 minutes for shuttle bus /taxi X 2, check-in and check-out, and herding around and settling down 3 kids,
then shaking them awake from too little sleep.
Under these cicrumstances, I would just make do with the too expensive, too small, transit hotel.
You will all get at least one hour more sleep.
With 3 kids, you will not emerge from immigration before 11:15 PM at best.
You would have to be back by 6:00 AM the next morning to pass security and immigration.
That's leaving 6 hours 45 minutes for shuttle bus /taxi X 2, check-in and check-out, and herding around and settling down 3 kids,
then shaking them awake from too little sleep.
Under these cicrumstances, I would just make do with the too expensive, too small, transit hotel.
You will all get at least one hour more sleep.