Transport in Bangkok: all types of transportation in the Thai capital. Transport in Bangkok. Description, routes, tips

Knowing about the system public transport in Bangkok, you can always quickly and inexpensively get to right place. IN Thai capital its diversity is so great that it can surprise even the most seasoned travelers. City buses run here, there is a metro, river ferries, different kinds Taxi. I propose to get acquainted with the features of each of them and learn about the main advantages and disadvantages.

City buses are considered to be the cheapest public transport in the Thai capital. They run around and carry most of the passengers. Accordingly, this affects both the speed of movement and the service provided. Buses never remain empty, the level of comfort in them is minimal, and besides, not every such transport is equipped with air conditioning. The fare in city buses starts from 6-8 baht.

Giving preference to traveling by bus, you need to be prepared for the fact that more than 300 routes have been developed in Bangkok. Most of the information is in Thai, which makes it difficult to choose the right route. It is worth preparing for trips on such transport in advance, go to a stop and take any bus - this is not the right decision, since it is not known where it will take you.

All major supermarkets sell a single travel card for city buses. In addition to it, you can buy a map of the route of each flight.

Almost all Bangkok buses differ in cost, comfort and color:

Models of white, blue and red (with a white stripe) colors are considered the most budgetary. They are not equipped with air conditioning, and the fare in them starts from 6 baht.
Cream and pure red are also low cost (8 baht), but they run on express routes.
Air-conditioned vehicles will be yellow-blue and white-blue with green stripes. The fare starts from 11 baht.
One of the most comfortable buses are orange and yellow. In addition to air conditioning, they are equipped with fairly comfortable seats. Travel from 12 baht.
Small buses in red and pink are the most comfortable. They only take seated passengers so the fare is 25 baht.

Ground and underground metro

As in all large cities, this is the fastest and relatively comfortable mode of transport. The city has a ground and underground metro.

Ground (BTS) began its activities in 1999 and today has already won the recognition of many passengers. At the Siam station, there is an intersection of two subway lines. The metro does not have a fixed fare, the price directly depends on the distance. The minimum cost is 15 baht, the maximum is 55 baht.

Before entering the station, you will need to buy a single ticket. For this, special devices are installed on which you select the desired station and find out the fare. If you are going to run the subway all day, then you can buy a pass for 120 baht, which gives you the right to make an unlimited number of trips for 1 day.

From a tourist point of view, Mo Chit stations (located there), Siam (Siam Paragon shopping center), Sala Daeng (), Suvarnabhumi (the airport of the same name), Rachaprarop (you can walk to) will be interesting.

The underground metro (MRT) is not as popular as the surface one. On this moment it consists of a single line connecting Bang Sue station. The branch was launched in 2004. At Si Lom, Sukhumvit and Chatuchak Park stations, it intersects with landlines. The fare starts from 15 baht.

River transport

The Chao Phraya River with its channels is the main water artery of Bangkok. Its scale was accompanied by the development of river transport, which in turn became quite popular among the guests of the capital. Both ferries and small boats run along the river. Such a walk will allow you to see Bangkok from a completely different perspective, reveal its contrasts and give you completely different sensations.

If you want to take a ferry across the river, head to the main pier, which is located next to the Saphan Taksim metro station. The first flight sails at 6 am, the last - closer to 7 pm. Ferries make several stops along their route, you can get off at any of them.

With the help of such transport, you can get to several temples or to. As practice shows, most of tourists, just goes near this street. And all because here is well developed tourism infrastructure. Tour desks work, inexpensive housing is located, there are shops. The ferry ride will also depend on the distance, the minimum cost is 10 baht.

If you want your journey along the waterway to be accompanied by a story in English, then you can use a special tourist ferry that departs from the same pier, but the fare on it will be 150 baht for 25 minutes of travel.

If you do not want to wait for the ferry, then you can ride along the river in a small boat. Sometimes they are also called a river tram. They are quite nimble, and also make stops near the main attractions. Fare from 15 baht.

tuk tuks

Such a type of transport as a tuk-tuk is a kind of symbol not only of Bangkok, but of the whole of Thailand. It can be seen on souvenirs, and many tourists during their holidays only give preference to traveling on funny cars called tuk-tuk.

Tuk-tuk in Bangkok is a three-wheeled vehicle with engine. The first trip on such transport is unlikely to be compared with anything. Emotions are just running high. Drivers try to make their tuk-tuk the brightest and most unique. That is why the cars are painted in all sorts of colors, decorated with amazing elements.

The price of the trip depends on the distance. Since tuk-tuks are a kind of taxi, do not forget to bargain. Taxi drivers always initially overcharge in the hope of a generous customer.

You can find a tuk-tuk in all public places. They are parked at tourist streets, near major shopping malls, attractions or markets. With the help of such a taxi you can get from one part of the city to another. Maximum amount passengers - three.

Taxi

Finding a taxi in Bangkok is very easy. All of them are painted in bright colors - yellow, blue, pink, red and others. There is an inscription “Taxi-Meter” on the roof, all cars are equipped with air conditioners, which makes the taxi one of the most comfortable transports.

The cheapest trips are on those machines that are equipped with meters. If there are no traffic jams, you can get from one end of Bangkok to the other for 200-250 baht. Otherwise, do not forget to negotiate the fare in advance. It is not advisable to use a taxi during rush hour, as you can spend a lot of time in traffic jams, and this, in turn, will affect the cost of the trip.

A free car can be caught in any part of the city. They can stand in tourist places or just drive down the road. In order to stop her, just wave your hand.

Please note that metered taxis usually only run during the daytime. After 6 pm the cost must be negotiated, in this case the taximeters do not turn on at all. If you take a taxi from the airport, you will need to pay an additional 50 baht for parking in the parking lot.

Mototaxi

If you are in a hurry and travel light, you can use a motorcycle taxi. This is the most quick view transport, because due to their size and maneuverability, motorbikes never stand in traffic jams and, accordingly, will take you to the right place in a short period of time. Plus, bikes are able to go around all traffic jams, while cruising along narrow alleys and yards.

One or two passengers sit on one bike. But I would like to note right away that it is not worth crowding, as it is not safe, and besides, the fare is taken from each passenger. So it’s better to take two bikes for the same money and get there more comfortably.

The fare depends on the distance. You can be transported through the whole city for 200-250 baht. It is worth agreeing on the price in advance, so that later you will not have any misunderstanding. You can find a motorcycle taxi driver at every intersection, in all public places. Drivers are usually dressed in red vests.

Please note that bikes are classified as a traumatic transport. Therefore, be careful when moving, and if possible, try to choose another type of taxi.

The abundance of public transport in Bangkok allows every tourist to choose the most optimal means of transportation for themselves. No matter how much you rest in Bangkok, do not deny yourself the pleasure of riding a traditional tuk-tuk, and be sure to ride on water transport, which will allow you to see many sights from a completely different angle.

City buses, tuk-tuks, songteos, taxis, motorcycle taxis are in abundance in Bangkok. Public transport is very well developed here. But how can an average tourist who is not well trained in moving around the metropolis understand it? Where to run, how to get to the right place, how to catch a taxi, in the end, or at least where to go to take a break from the hustle and bustle in order to exhale and think? Dealing with these issues on the spot is quite troublesome. So it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with the options for moving around the City of Angels in advance. And to understand that everything here is logical, civilized and not at all as difficult as it might seem.

Tip number one: be puzzled in advance if you have a map of the city and it is very desirable in an electronic version. Google maps installed on most modern smartphones is your faithful assistant. If for some reason you do not have the opportunity to use electronic cards, then in many hotels, bookstores or mini markets 7Eleven you can buy a paper version of the map with the indicated sights of Bangkok.

Tip number two: if possible, when planning a route, visit the site www.transitbangkok.com, using which you can find out all types of transport that can take you from point A to point B.

So, the main ways to travel around Bangkok on wheels, that is, by land.

1. Taxi

The most common, easy for a tourist and enough comfortable way travel around Bangkok. Bright yellows, pinks, blues, etc. cars will take you from point A to point B and will not empty your wallet much. Taxi in Bangkok is very popular and well developed, both Thais themselves and tourists use it, because you can get to the right place with maximum comfort without knowing the city. In addition, Bangkok taxi is inexpensive way moving around the city, especially if you are not traveling alone.

Pros: inexpensive, comfortable, air-conditioned, you can not follow the road, they drive around the clock.

Minuses: terrible Bangkok traffic jams can greatly delay the moment of arrival at your destination and increase the fare; not all taxi drivers agree to ride on the meter; You can find cheaper travel options.

Nuances:
Taxis must be taken according to the meter, because. the amount announced by the taxi driver is often overestimated by 2-3 or more times. Therefore, when arranging a trip, immediately inform the driver to turn on the "taxi meter". Some taxi drivers refuse to drive on the meter (which, by the way, is illegal), as, for example, on the street, in this case you say goodbye, catch the next taxi and repeat the procedure.

When boarding a taxi, the number 35 will already be on the meter - this is the standard cost of landing, then the amount will increase depending on the distance, when traveling up to 10 km, the cost of one km is 5.5 baht. When traveling more than 10 km, the cost per kilometer will be increased. In traffic jams, the cost of a kilometer also increases, so try not to use taxi services during rush hour if possible.

If you need to get to a certain hotel or a not very popular attraction in the city, it is best to have the address with you this place and also in Thai. Not all taxi drivers speak English. In addition, it is better to see in advance which popular places is in the area ( shopping centers, temples, public transport stops).

Tips for taxi drivers are welcome, but not required. In any case, if you have accumulated 87 baht for the trip, it is likely that “the state will not become poorer”, and you can give 100 baht without change. But this is up to you.

To understand that a taxi is free, you need to look at the windshield: a hot red badge indicates that you can use the services of this taxi.

In order not to catch a car on the street and not waste time and nerves on playing “cheaper / more expensive”, you can always use the service by downloading the application to your phone and ordering a taxi through it.

2. Motobike taxi

In Bangkok, motosai are not as popular as in Pattaya, due, perhaps, to greater distances. So, a ride on a motorbike taxi can be more expensive than on a regular one. However, if you need to drive a couple of blocks, and it’s rush hour in the yard, and you have a taxi rank on mopeds on your way, then you can use their services. Of course, having stipulated the price in advance. The average cost of a trip is 30-60 baht, but you will most likely be told at least 150-200. This is common practice, bargain!

Pros: quickly, traffic jams are not terrible, with a breeze and not boring.

Minuses: out of habit it can be scary; motorbikers do not always bargain well; You can ride together, but it will be a) worse, b) the price will increase by 1.5-2 times, and will not be divided into two, as in a regular taxi.

Nuances: official Bangkok motorbike taxi drivers have a plaque on the back of their vest with information about the driver and his photo. At taxi ranks in Thai, you can often see the price of services depending on the distance. But for those who do not know Thai, this information, of course, will not help much.

3. Tuk tuks and songteos

Traditionally thai look transport. In Bangkok, tuk-tuks are more of a tourist means of transportation, so a tuk-tuk trip will cost more than a taxi. Although sometimes I managed to negotiate with tuk-tuk drivers to get for a ridiculous 20 baht (of course, for ridiculous distances) or for 100 baht from Khaosan Road to Victory Monument (with a taxi meter costing about 80-90 baht). In any case, I think it’s worth it to ride a tuk-tuk in Bangkok at least once in order to feel the authentic Thai spirit.

In non-tourist areas of the city, songteos are quite common - pickups in which benches for passengers are installed instead of the body. This type of transport is popular in Pattaya, although out of ignorance it is called tuk-tuk there. To use this type of public transport in Bangkok, you just need to stretch your hand and stop it, and then quickly dive on board! Songteo has no official stops, so when you reach the right place, you need to press the button, get out and pay the driver through the window.

Of course, it would be better to know the route and the end point where you are going in advance. The locals can help with this. It is better to ask them about the fare, which usually does not exceed 10 baht. So, I learned about songteo from the employees of the Family Mart minimarket when I arrived in.

Pros: It is interesting, unusual to travel by tuk-tuks, you can have fun traveling with a company and make friends with the driver, who are often very sociable. Songteo, on the other hand, is public transport following a certain route, which can take you to the right place just like a breeze, but for ridiculous money.

Minuses: often expensive (due to unusual and uniqueness for tourists), you will collect traffic jams (if any) in the same way as by taxi. To use the songthaew, you will most likely need to ask local residents its itinerary and fare.

4. City buses

If you are a frugal and fearless tourist, who also actively uses Google maps, which, when plotting a route, will inform you of possible public transport options, then you - I can safely try using a city bus in Bangkok.

There are a lot of bus routes in Bangkok, and there are three ways to find out how to get from your location to the desired point in three ways:

1) google map, which will also help you not to miss the stop if you follow the movement on the navigator. Although you can always ask the conductor to tell you when the desired station will be. The disadvantage of searching for routes through a Google map is that there may be errors, both with the location of the stop and with the bus number, many routes may simply not be displayed. So it is always better to clarify whether you have chosen the route correctly.

2) ask passers-by/workers in booths. But in the first case, the problem may be that no one standing at the bus stop will know English language, in the second - there will be no booths in the district. However, if you are lucky and you have found someone who understands you and whom you understand, then there is a high probability that they will also guide you and tell you how to get after getting off the bus, and wish you a happy journey.

3) Buy a 7Eleven card bus routes and try your best to figure it out.
Link http://www.transitbangkok.com/lines/bangkok-bus-line/XXX you can see all the stops of a particular route, it is enough to put the number you need instead of XXX.

Travel by city buses is quite cheap: the price ranges from 6.5 to 23 baht, depending on the type of bus and / or the duration of the trip. There are also free trails. The buses themselves can be both comfortable with air conditioning, and colorful collapsing with open windows.

On a bus with open windows from Lumpini Park to Khaosan Road, the trip for two cost 13 baht.

Some red buses are free. So, I accidentally drove from Khaosan Road to the Phaya Thai metro station on bus route 59, or from there across the city to the On Nut metro station on the “deuce”, and no one wanted to take money from me.

Pros: cheap (or completely free), colorful, interesting to look at the city (including non-tourist areas) from an open window.

Minuses: slowly; not immediately clear; you need to keep an eye on the terrain to know where to get off; sometimes it is difficult to find the right stop; traffic jams and circular routes; not very comfortable travel conditions.

UPDATE: After our last visit Bangkok in 2017, I realized that the most convenient way to get around Bangkok is with the Uber app !!! Install it on your phone or tablet and call a taxi to any place without even knowing your address! And you will also get 75 baht for the first two trips, i.e. 150 baht just like that, if you enter the code syh57) We drove an average of 150 baht for a trip around the city for five for 40 minutes, inexpensive)))

How to get around Bangkok cheap? For this there are buses, metro, river transport and taxi in Bangkok.

With all this you can cope even without knowledge of any language. The main thing is to show a piece of paper with the name of where you are exactly going, that is, to have a printed name end point your destination. If this is some famous landmark, then English is enough. But, of course, it's best in Thai too. When booking hotels, for example, you can see all the names and addresses in Thai and English. In addition, in such cases, I also take a screenshot of the place I need - a temple, an amusement park, etc. It especially saved me in Vietnam - there you will not find a local with knowledge of English during the day, but if you show a picture, everyone is happy to help , indicate the desired direction and write the bus numbers. In Thailand, the mentality of the locals is such that it is not customary to show that you do not know something. Often people waved in any direction, as if showing the way, but did not admit that they did not even understand you. In my experience, showing maps to locals is also most often useless. But the printed names - that's it! If you book a hotel and plan to take a taxi, be sure to write down the reception phone number. And at the airport, immediately take a local SIM card (this can be done for free, throw some money on it). Since we have booked several times not very expensive and famous hotels(once even ), the phone number was very handy. When taxi drivers made amazed eyes even at a printout of the address with a map in Thai, it was enough to give them a phone with a number and everything cleared up. By the way, this saved us money, because taxi drivers did not have to wind circles in search of the right point.

So what did we drive around Bangkok?

View from taxi window

is my favorite vehicle. Unlike taxis on Koh Samui and other resorts, they are metered. The main thing, before getting into a taxi in Bangkok, you need to show the counter and say "taxi - meter." Without a meter, we only had to drive once when we were late at an amazing location. However, even from there, three adults and a child were charged 300 baht (rubles) for an evening trip to the hotel.

Taxi in Bangkok is easy to catch. It is enough to raise your hand in the street. We used to walk to some nearby Tesco Lotus (my favorite supermarkets in Thailand, where you can almost always find a food court with delicious and inexpensive food), have breakfast or lunch, and there is a dime a dozen taxis in the parking lot, like all shopping centers. The exception is large shopping malls for tourists. Especially in the evenings, it is extremely difficult to get away from them by taxi, taxi drivers offer fixed prices two to three times higher than usual. And when we tried to leave in the evening even in the strongest downpour, prices increased by 4-5 times! Shopping malls often have special people, you tell them where to go, name your price (if it’s too small, they’ll explain right away)), and they immediately find a taxi for you.

How much is a taxi in Bangkok?

Cork in the center of Bangkok

We mostly traveled on yellow-green ones. Maybe it just seemed so to me, but the trips came out cheaper on them. When landing, the counter will already have 35 baht. Sometimes the amount comes out purely symbolic - a few kilometers up to a hundred rubles. The most expensive thing we paid was about 280 baht (= rubles) from the airport to the center and 350 baht from there, when we were in terrible traffic jams, almost through the entire city. Another small expense is toll roads. But moving on them is much faster. The passenger himself pays - so it is better to prepare small money in advance. The amounts were small, 20-25 baht, it seems that the largest is 50 baht. If you go far, you can pay a couple of times. By the way, drivers in Bangkok try to cheat less for money. Or maybe we just got lucky. Although the meter spins not only for mileage, but also for time, and standing in a traffic jam you can pay an extra hundred, several times the drivers showed us toll roads and asked, they say, this short cut, but everything is worth it (which was visible), let's go long, but without traffic jams. We agreed as a result came out quickly and still cheap. They say that if problems arise, you can threaten the driver that you will complain about him and show him the phone number - in every car there is a sign with a photo, the name of the driver and the phone number of the company. I don’t know if this is true and if it scares taxi drivers as much as they write - we have not had to deal with this.

How to get from Bangkok airport to the hotel, to the center?

There are two main airports in Bangkok, planes from Russia usually fly to Suvarnabhumi Airport, but if you need domestic flights, for example, to fly, perhaps the flight will be from Don Muang airport.
Fortunately, it is easy to get a taxi at Bangkok airports. Ask where Publik Taxi is, they will tell you. There you will see several racks and queues for them. After the arrival of the plane, usually the lines are not small, but they move quickly. You show the address to the worker behind the counter, she understands where you should go, asks how many people and luggage. Gives a piece of paper - it must be kept until the end of the trip. Then he shouts to one of the taxi drivers, explains to him the address in Thai (sometimes we came across drivers who do not know English at all), the taxi driver escorts you to the car - large or ordinary. By the way, there is a huge gas cylinder in the trunk of a taxi! IN last time we were driving in a taxi with an insane amount of things, with two strollers, a folding bed, etc., and were simply shocked when it turned out that there was practically no space in the trunk. I had to load everything into the cabin, and the three of us with the child occupied one and a half seats in the back - I generally hung in the air between my husband and the car door. There are a lot of impressions left) By the way, the taxi driver will still take 50 baht for the return trip, this rate is fixed.

At the same time, I remembered a very relevant question for many - how to get from Suvarnabhumi airport to Don Muang airport?

How to find free bus between airports

We often flew to neighboring countries, then to Malaysia, then to Vietnam, then to ... And each time, arrival from (near Koh Samui) to one airport, departure from another.
In addition to taxis and buses, there is a wonderful and completely free shuttle bus that runs between the two airports of Bangkok. In order to get to the airport for free, you need to show your ticket (if it is in in electronic format— printout) before boarding. It runs from 5 am to midnight according to the schedule in the photo. We drove several times for 45 minutes, but they say if there are big traffic jams, it can take an hour to go. A taxi will travel about the same, but will take 400 baht.

In addition, there is such a wonderful thing -

Subway above ground

Just from the airport to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi(Suvarnabhumi) - the most convenient way leave - Metro! Look for the inscription Suvarnabhumi airport city line. At the ticket office, point to the station you need with your finger and get a token. At the entrance, you need to attach it to the turnstile and keep it until the very end of the trip. When exiting, you throw it into the hole in the turnstile, without it it will be difficult to get out of the subway. The metro costs from 15 to 45 baht, if I remember correctly, to, in which we stopped a couple of times, located right next to the metro, the fare cost 30 baht. Again, if I'm not mistaken, as I could have already forgotten, it took about thirty minutes to go. Just do not confuse it with the express, it goes from the airport without stops, but it already costs 150 baht from the nose.

The metro in Bangkok is generally a convenient thing. We usually tried to choose a hotel within walking distance from it, took the metro to the nearest station to the desired attraction, and then took a taxi. This way we avoided all the traffic jams of Bangkok in the center and saved on taxis.

Metro in Bangkok, in addition to the Airport City Line - ground MRT and underground BTS Skytrain. If you go by land, which we most often did, then you can also admire the views of the city, areas that you would not have reached so easily. The cost depends on the number of stations and, as I recall, does not exceed 45 baht per person. There are tokens in the underground metro, and cards in the surface metro. You can buy at the box office or vending machines. In the latter, you can choose English, but even without it, in principle, everything is clear.

Liked it a lot River tram, water transport Bangkok.

"minibus" in Bangkok) 20 rubles.

In this way, you can combine a trip with a walk through the Klongs of Bangkok. We used these boats in Bangkok only twice, on about the same route, when we visited and located not far from it. If sailing from the center, the boat stop near the Pratunam shopping center, under the bridge at the intersection of Phetchaburi and Ratchadamri streets. Get off at the Phan Fa Lilat stop, it costs 12 baht per person. There are boats following just on desired route, which is called the Golden Line, and it will be convenient for you to travel from the end to the end.

Well, if you don’t live in the center, but the river buses go past you, then it’s best to swim on them for shopping in the city center, stops near the main shopping centers, Baiyoke Sky hotel with an observation deck.
Download and

Ticket - 12 baht = rubles

View from the boat

By what principle they take money for travel - I don’t know, according to the logic of things - they have to pay for the distance, but for some reason, those who got on later than us and swam to our stop (terminal) were charged more! However, the amounts are simply ridiculous, as I understand it - up to 20 baht per person.

You can get here on such a boat

As a cheap excursion, it is quite possible to sit at any stop and ride one way and the other. True, you can’t see much from the boat, because the water splashes heavily on those who are on the edge, and usually they raise the sides from the splashes. And for those in the middle, the view opens through the neighbors.

The essence of traveling is to adapt to a new place and get as close as possible to the lifestyle of the locals. This approach allows you to significantly reduce costs and, accordingly, extend the trip for months. Many tourists coming to new country, protect themselves from the locals and approach everything with condemnation: "it's better here", "it's generally horror-horror here" "how do they even live here?". We try to perceive everything as it is and try to live the same way, without limiting ourselves in almost anything - if the locals drink from the tap, then we can, sit on the floor, why don't we sit down, eat with chopsticks or hands - we will learn also, and we will not discuss the disadvantages of this method of eating.

First of all, upon arrival in Bangkok, we decided to study its public transport. This is a very important part of adaptation, because without freedom of movement one will never be able to properly study new town. There are many buses here. different types, skytrain, underground metro, tuk-tuks, motorcycle taxis and ordinary taxis.

I'll start with bus service , because in my opinion, this is the most convenient and cheapest method of moving in this city. First of all, we go to the bookstore and buy just such a card (it costs 69 baht):
1

Or:
Not bad free cards Bangkok metro lines and tram lines can be found at Bangkok Airport (addition from lada_wind )
On the streets from time to time there are kiosks "Tourist Info" (or something like that) - from there they smile and give free cards. (addition from LAUGHTER)

The bus route map is an indispensable assistant in moving around Bangkok, without it we are like without legs. I'll show you some footage from this card later on, but it's still a good idea to buy it to use it effectively.

There are many types of buses, there are air-conditioned and not, public, private, large, small, prices are different everywhere, details can be seen in this frame: 2

Now bus routes (how to use all this is described below):

From 38th to 81st (these maps show the same section of the map, but different routes are marked on it):

And a general view of Bangkok with bus routes outside the city:

Airport bus routes:

Map conventions:
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Bus routes passing through popular places:
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Now about that how to use all this stuff.
First, decide where you need to go and try to find this place on the last three frames. For example, we want to go to the MBK shopping center. We find it in the list of markets and shopping centers and see which routes pass near MBK. Suppose we are on Khaosan Road, again we try to find it in the list and find it right above the MBK. Now we just need to find matches between routes, in our case it will be the 15th bus. You can also see a map with directions. It is quite possible that there are the right buses passing within one block of you and it is worth walking 5 minutes to a big intersection than waiting for the only bus near the house.

In general, there are usually at least two routes between two points - Bangkok's bus system is very extensive and convenient, like everything in this modern city. If the place you are going to or the place you are starting from is not listed, then you need to look at the route map and look for matches there. It will be useful to immediately write down all the routes that pass by your guesthouse, if you plan to travel from there often by bus, this will make it twice as easy to find matches. In order not to confuse the side of the road on which you need to get on the bus, it is advisable to have a small compass so that you can always center the map in the north and understand in which direction you need to go. I, as the son of a cartographer, believe that any map is useless if you do not know where the north is. Many people believe that they have what is called "topographical cretinism", but I am sure that this is just because they do not know where north is, and do not consider it necessary to know this when orienting.

There is also a discussion of free buses in the comments.

Masha will tell you about the features of moving on other types of Bangkok public transport:

Skytrain- the same subway in fact (it is called here bts), only located above roads and highways. The thread looks like this.
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In the same picture - taxis, typical for Bangkok, driving on the counter.

And this is what the standard entrances look like, or rather the rises to the BTS, some are equipped with escalators that take you directly from the sidewalk.
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The ticketing system is as follows:
- Rise from the road to the first level (or find yourself on it from the transition above the road or from the shopping center), you see such a machine -
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It accepts only 5 and 10 baht coins, they can be exchanged in an exchanger located somewhere nearby.
On the diagram, look at which range zone from your station (marked with a yellow circle) the station you need belongs to. For example, you need to go to Mo Chit, zone 6. Press the button with the number six. Above the scheme and on the LCD screen, the cost is written, for zone 6 - 40 baht (maximum, by the way). So we put four ten-bath coins (or mixed with five-bat ones) into a special slot in turn until the machine is saturated to the required amount, then it will give you such a ticket -
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Sometimes the picture is slightly different.

We put the ticket with the forward arrow into the turnstile, take the ticket that popped up for ourselves and go through. We save this ticket until the last station, there, when exiting, you will also need to put it in the turnstile, but it will already remain there. If you leave in the wrong zone that you paid for, the ticket will probably not work and you will have to contact the staff.
As we passed through the turnstile, we rise even one level higher, just look at the signs, they indicate the direction of the train in the form of its final station.

Platform.
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On the train.
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If you are at one station, and you need to know in advance how much it will cost to travel from some other station to another, then find this table where you can find out the cost by intersections. And here you can click to view.

BTS has two branches that intersect at Siam Station. You can transfer there. You can get off at the same station if you need to go to Siam Paragon and other mega malls and shopping centers, of which there are about a dozen.
By the way, in order to find out which station you better get off at, or which one is closer to your hotel, do not be too lazy to buy a Bangkok map with BTS and underground metro lines superimposed on it. Such cards are sold at the airport, and in tourist places, and in every bookstore, for example, at the 7eleven minimarket chain. In the meantime, here are links for an approximate schematic knowledge:
- a map on the BTS website, with a metro line and a designation of river bus piers.
- the same map, but there are prices for multiple tickets for BTS with discounts on the page. It can be useful for those who are going to live in Bangkok for a long time.

Pro underground metro, which has one branch that communicates with the branches of the skytrain, we cannot yet write in the same detail, we have not yet tried to navigate on it. But I don't think it's more difficult.
The metro is very convenient, clean and fast (except for queues during peak hours, but in any case there are fewer people than on the skytrain). You can drive to Hua Lampong Station, Bang Sue Station, Chatuchak Market, Lumpini Park and Suan Lum Market. in general, competently complements BTS. (addition from zhushman )

We can tell you more about river communication.
For example, this is how a simple water bus pier looks like.
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Unloading.
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There are, like, three types of river trams. 1) those that travel along the entire Chao Phraya River along the city from pier to pier for a long time, as if on a road (13 baht per trip)
2) those that transport just from coast to coast of Chao Phraya (3 baht for the crossing)
3) those that ply the canals in the city
Trams of the first type stick now to one bank, then to the other, are paid on board to the conductor as in a bus, occasionally in advance at the pier. If it sticks to the wrong bank in the area of the river that you need, you can find a pier for type 2 ferry trams nearby. They are already paid for by 3 baht at the entrance to the pier at the turnstile.
In general, river communication is very convenient, although sometimes it takes 20 minutes to wait for a tram in the right direction. But there are no traffic jams and you can go far to the north or south of the city for a penny.
The whole thing works only until dark, i.e. until 18.00.
The piers are numbered and named each in its own way as stops. Their location along the river can also be found in any map of Bangkok for tourists.
3. Trams running along narrow canals are a bit extreme and very fun way to travel. The advantages are the same as on the river - there are no traffic jams and quite quickly. The speed seems great, you need to get out and get in carefully, a little more dangerous than trams on the river, the cost seems to be 10 baht to the end. They go very often. Payment on board. When approaching the pier, the boat is not visible, auto rickshaws begin to assure that today is a holiday, that trams are not working today. Don't believe! It was everyone and we already met each other laughing, I was ahead and shouted: today is a holiday, today the boat does not work. (addition from lada_wind And romx )

Taxi in the city they are required to drive according to the meter, but from Khaosan they often refuse to take it according to the meter. Get away from the area and when getting into a taxi, do not ask for haumach, but simply name the place. The driver himself, without talking, must turn on the meter. It will immediately indicate minimum amount for some first number of kilometers - 35 baht. It expires pretty quickly, then it is considered difficult depending on the mileage and speed. If the taxi is in a traffic jam, baht also drips. Traffic jams are common in Bangkok. Without them, you can drive through the entire city for 150 baht from edge to edge, baht for 100 with average traffic jams through the center or half the city. With traffic jams, of course, it will be more expensive. Once Olya managed to drive two bus stops by taxi in the center for 120 baht on the counter.
Travel by toll roads(for example, to the airport) is paid by the passenger with a plus for payment by the meter, this should be taken into account. (addition from LAUGHTER)
It is more profitable for three of them to ride in a taxi than in buses for the price and convenience. But taxis travel no faster than buses due to traffic jams. It’s also inexpensive for two, if the budget allows. Our budget is minimal, so we choose buses.

The city is still running motorcycle taxi. Uncles, and sometimes aunts in orange vests and with a spare helmet for the passenger.
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Plus - they will go around all traffic jams, minus - they are still crooks, you need to negotiate and know well approximate prices, otherwise they will ask for at least three times more)

Is there some more tuktuks are small, a la Indian rickshaw.
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Also the price is negotiable, and even rush to foreigners as a welcome prey. So we didn't try. And if you live in the Khaosan area, then even more experienced people do not advise using it, because such tuktuks will first pretty shake your nerves with whining about "we'll go to one store" then "we'll go to another", so that in most cases patience runs out and where you must not arrive. There is a phrase that sometimes helps to forget about shops - "our friends are waiting for us there, they are already standing and waiting."

Besides them, there are bigger tuktuks, with an open body, in which there are two benches, a place to stand and a button on the ceiling to stop. They cost five baht.
These tuktuks are called “Songteo”, literally “two rows” (of benches), “two rows”.
They go along the “route”, and if you know it, or you can explain to the driver where you are going, then he will either say - “yes, let's go” or “no, in the other direction”, then you pay “like locals”. However, they are often not averse to making fun of a tourist, and if they see a tourist, they always “yes, they go”, and then they want “like a taxi”.
Therefore, the way to ride a songthaew is rather troublesome: you sit down without asking, you go to the right direction, if you see that you have turned to the side, you go out, pay 20 baht, and catch the next one.
It works if you know exactly how to drive and imagine the songthaew route.
In Pattaya, songthaews are the only public transport (except for motorcycle taxis), but everything is simple there, since there are exactly two or three routes. (Supplement from romx )

If you have more detailed information, share, we will be glad to additions)