Travelling within Thailand

Bus
In addition to flights and trains, tourists can travel to different places within the country through roadways and waterways. Buses of different types like local, express, second class, first class, VIP and S-VIP are commonly available.

One can take buses to and from Krabi to visit the different tourist destinations of southern Thailand. The bus fare on an average is around 10.36 INR for an ordinary bus.

Long distance buses operate between Bangkok and Pattaya, Trat, Cha Am, Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburi and Hua Hin. Some of the prominent bus terminals in Bangkok where tourists can board buses are Ekkamai Station (eastern terminal), Mo Chit Station (central, northern and north-eastern terminal) and Sai Tai Mai Station (southern terminal).

Ordinary and Express buses also operate between the Suvarnabhumi International Airport and other strategic points of Bangkok like the South Sathon Road. Phuket Navigator Service also offers buses and car rentals to commute between the Phuket International Airport and other regions of the country.

Train
Another convenient way of travelling within Bangkok city is by BTS Skytrain. In service since December 1999, the Skytrain consists of two metropolitan rail lines; the green line between Sukhumvit and Silom, and the blue line or the MRT underground line. The major terminal stations in the MRT line are the Bang Sue and Hua Lamphong.

Running parallel to the Sukhumvit Road, the Skytrain travels to Mo Chit to the north where it interchanges near the northern bus terminal and the JJ Weekend Market. Another interchange takes place at the Sukhumvit line at the Asok Station (BTS) and the Sukhumvit station (MRT).

At the Siam Square, the BTS Skytrain Sukhumvit line intersects with BTS Silom line, which is the central shopping location of Bangkok. This line also passes through Sala Daeng, links with MRT and terminates at the Chao Phraya River.

Tourists can avail unlimited single or multi day passes for travelling in Skytrain operating on the green line and the MRT line. The cards are not transferable between the BTS Skytrain and MRT underground lines.

Ferry
Boats are a viable option to explore Thailand, also known as the 'Venice of East'. The Chao Phraya River is the main route on which most of the boats sail as it flows through the capital city of Bangkok. One can ride ferries, motorboats; water taxis (the Chao Phraya Express) and long tail boats. The public boat service of the city starts from the Sathorn Pier boat station at the BTS Saphan Taksin Station.

The BTS Silom line has the major station at the Saphan Taksin. Tourists can also opt for cruises to visit Ayutthaya from Bangkok and sail to Rattanakosin that houses the Grand Palace, while passing several Khlongs (canals).

The Khlong Saen Saeb boat service operates many water taxis that are fast and sails through the BTS line. Getting to the small islands in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand is easy through speed boats and ferry services that connect them with the mainland.

Ferries between Surat Thani and Koh Samui or Koh Phangan, or between Phuket or Krabi and Koh Phi Phi are common. Overnight car ferries and catamarans also operate to and from Koh Samui frequently.

To travel from one island to another like Koh Tao or Koh Lanta, speed boats and long tail boats are preferred. Ferry rates from Krabi to Railay beach are fixed, but others can be negotiated at the time of hiring the boats.

Other
Tourists in Bangkok can also commute by the iconic tuk-tuks, which are colourful, open-air, motorised three wheelers. The fare of tuk-tuks is not fixed and varies from city to city, in the range of 44.39 to 73.98 INR, regardless of the number of passengers. Tuk-tuks operate within the major cities of Thailand, like Bangkok and Phuket and also between cities.