Bangkok

Bangkok, known to the locals as Krungthep (City of Angels) is the rapidly beating heart of Thailand. Despite being just over 200 years old, it houses 8 million people and has all the facilities that a modern capital requires.

Here you will find the Grand Palace and the floating market, as well as the infamous Khao San road, and many other seedier tourist delights.

Bangkok suffers from major traffic problems, and journeys can (and often will) take much longer than the distance would have you believe. To alleviate this, Bangkok constructed the Expressway, cutting straight through the city. Additionally, there is the Skytrain, an overhead metro system, as well as an underground metro system.

Airport

Don Muang, a giant concrete hub for tourists the world over. Opened in 1914, it is now set firmly in the ‘70s, and serving over 30 million people a year is constantly noisy and chaotic.

Upon arriving you are quickly pushed out into the arrivals hall, where you are met by rows of Thai girls, all eagerly awaiting their boyfriend or husband.

Welcome to Thailand.

Being a major international destination, the airport has plenty to offer travellers. There are dozens of restaurants and cafes, although the availability of food is much less in the departure hall. If you want something substantial to eat then get it before you go through customs.

The departures hall focuses on endless shops and juice bars. This is perfect for last minute souvenir shopping, although prices are higher than in Bangkok. Of particular note are the food shops, selling ingredients for Thai cooking.

When leaving on an international flight, be aware that you are required to pay a ‘Passenger Service Charge’ of 250 baht. There’s nothing you can do about this, so don’t spend all your money before you leave.

Pay particular attention to your valuables. Zips on bags have a mysterious ability to open.

Don Muang is 25km north of central Bangkok. Buses and trains will take you into Bangkok, but generally you will want to use a taxi, and it is here you will learn your first lessons in becoming a hardened tourist in Thailand.

If you’re very lucky you’ll have an airport pickup, otherwise you’ll need to switch your spidey senses on now.

Rule #1: As a tourist, you will get ripped off.

There’s just no getting away from it. Taxis are an essential and unavoidable part of getting around Thailand. The drivers know this, and they’ll do their best to exploit it.

Amid all the noise and confusion of the arrivals hall, you should head towards the exit. Avoid the booths inside the airport offering taxi services. Avoid anyone who comes up to you. Go straight outside and locate the taxi rank – a small booth with a big line of tourists behind, and an even bigger line of taxis. Go join the queue and ignore the people who keep pestering you about their taxi. Wait until you reach the front of the queue and speak to the person inside the booth. Tell them where you need to go and they’ll write out a receipt and direct you to your driver. Make sure to keep half of the receipt (one is for you, one for the driver).

When you’re in the taxi, tell the driver where you want to go. It helps if you have a map or the location in Thai – a lot of hotels will provide this on the internet. The next part is very important: make sure to ask for the meter.

A metered fare to downtown should cost between 150 and 300 baht. If you try for a fixed price they’ll start at around 600.

Note that the airport will charge you 60 baht, which you pay to the driver. Think of it as a tourist tax (there are many of these). If you’re feeling lucky you can skip the tax by going to the departures entrance and getting a taxi as it drops someone off.

You may also be charged an expressway fee, ranging from 40 to 60 baht. This will allow you to cut straight through most of the traffic, and will certainly save you time (and possibly money) that would otherwise be spent in queues.

To summarize:

• Ignore all touts and offers of cheap taxi
• Go straight to the taxi booth outside the airport
• Get a ticket from the booth
• Ask the driver for the meter
• Be aware of extra charges (60 baht for airport, 40-60 baht for expressway)