Suvarnabhumi Airport: Arrival in the Land of Smiles
If you’re flying into Thailand, you’re most likely going to arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport; Bangkok’s largest and most used airport. I’ve flow in and out of Bkk several dozen times over the last decade, so I’ve become somewhat of an expert of getting in and out of the airport as fast as possible.
Flying into Bangkok but you’re not landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport? You’ll be landing at Bangkok’s older international airport, Don Mueang. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
Read about DON MUEANG Airport here. (coming soon)
Suvarnabhumi Airport is located about 30km away from the city center and it’s actually one of the easiest airports to use in the world. I’m going to take you from your airplane right to the city center.
Pro Tip: Sound like a local: Suvarnabhumi (Sue-wanna-poon)
Disembarking to Immigration
Constructed in the early 2000s and opening in 2006, the airport is still fairly new. Signage will be in a number of languages, Thai and English being the top two. Depending on where your plane is parked, you can usually expect a fairly long walk (5 to 10 minutest depending on your speed) to Passport Control. There are a few twists and turns along the way, but if you keep your eyes peeled for the big and hard to miss signs you should have no problem reaching Immigration.
If you can walk briskly and/or get off the plain first, you will have a good chance of getting ahead of most people you flew in with, thus avoiding long lines at Immigration Control by being the first one there. To this end, I would advise against using the restroom at this point. Drop your kids off at the pool while still in the air or just wait until after you pass Immigration… unless it’s an emergency. Then by all means, don’t wait.
The Immigration Control area is a large opened hall where a dozen or so lines snaking through the waiting area. Some lines are for Thai nationals, others for elite passengers, and some for regular tourists. Make sure you get into the right line so you don’t waste any time.
There will be a few wranglers around to help tourists and keep the lines organized. They can be a bit over zealous at times. I’ve seen them kick people out of line and send them to the back on more than one occasion. They really don’t like people holding spots for friends or family members. If you wish to avoid their ire, I recommend not breaking away from you group and then trying to rejoin them here.
Do THIS First
Before getting on line, make sure you have your disembarking card filled out, and any visa forms are ready to go. If you’re a citizen of the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, most countries in Europe, and most countries in Asia, you won’t need a tourist visa. If you’re unsure or want to double check your entry requirements, you should most certainly check out the official Thailand visa website. It’s a bit cumbersome though, so this website Visa Guide is a nice alternative.
Once you arrive at the immigration booth, hand over your documents and passport. They will take a few bio-metric scans. They will probably ask you one or two question and then will hand you back your documents for Customs.
Warning: You need at least 6 months left on your passport to enter Thailand. If your passport will expire in under 6 months, you will be refused entry into the country.
Immigration to Customs
On the other side of the immigration booths you’ll find escalators and stairs heading down. This will funnel you right to baggage claim. Collect your bags, if you have any, and head straight for Customs and the exit. If you aren’t suspected of anything, you will be able to simply walk through Customs without stopping. If you are stopped, it is mostly like because you have been labeled as suspicious, i.e. they think you’re carrying contraband.
Generally speaking, Thailand has a fairly standard duty free allowance.
Warning: To shock and surprise of many hipster douchebags, vaping devices are illegal in Thailand. They will be confiscated.
If you wish to know more about duty allowances/forbidden items, check out the official Thai Customs website here.
Things you may need to do in Suvarnabhumi
Now that you’re officially in Thailand, there are a few things you need to get sorted out. If you need Thai Baht, you will find exchanges booths and ATMs here. The exchange rate won’t be that great, so it’s best to change only a little bit of money here and then change a larger amount when you get into the city.
Pro Tip: Avoid changing your money before Immigration/Customs. The exchange rates are the worst in the country and you will not need any Thai Baht in this area. There will also be misleading signage saying this is your last chance to change money. This is blatantly false and should be ignored.
If you’re planning on using ATMs, you might want to reconsider. Check out this tip here about ATMs in Thailand (coming soon).
If you’re looking to get a SIM card, you will find places in the arrival hall that will get you set up. Like currency exchange, you’re going to pay more. However, if time and convenience is important to you, just get it done here. If you don’t mind waiting, you will find cheaper plans and better options in Bangkok. Also be aware that the staff will try to up-sell you on pointless features, like 5g. As of 2023, it’s totally pointless, though that might change in the future. It’s just something to be aware of.
Lastly, if you’re hungry or thirsty, there are a number of options around, from something quick at 7-11 to proper sit-down eateries. Again, you will pay more here and honestly, the quality isn’t that great. It’s best to just wait until you get into the city.
Suvarnabhumi to the City Center
There are three main ways to get into Bangkok from Suvarnabhumi; the Airport Rail Link, taxis, and buses.
The Airport Link
Simply put, the Airport Rail Link is far and away the best option. There are two reasons for this. The obvious reason is the price. The price is 45 baht (as of January 2023). That’s a little over $1. You honestly can’t beat that price. The second reason, which is less obvious, is because the traffic in Bangkok is terrible. The rail line will get you into the city quickly and with no delays. You can’t really say the same for the other options, especially if it’s rush hour. There’s nothing worse that being stuck in traffic for a few hours when you should be enjoying your trip.
The one downsides to the rail link is the comfort. The seats are hard and leave a lot to be desired. There is also no place to store luggage, so you’ll be stuck with it by your legs.
The Airport Link can be found on B1. From the arrival hall, you will need to take an escalator down. You will find signs pointing the way and it’s fairly easy to get to once you’re on B1.
The ticket machines require cash and are multi lingual. You can also buy tickets from a human in manned booths near the entry gates. If you have big bills to break, the manned booths are quite helpful.
Taxis
Taxis will be much more comfortable, but as already mentioned you could end up sitting in traffic. During rush hour, traffic barely moves. Sometimes it’s literally faster to walk. You will also need to contend with dishonest drivers that will try their hardest to inflate the price.
Do note that there is a 50bt surcharge on all taxes leaving the airport, so make sure you understand that this a legitimate fee.
A fair price, including all the airport fees, should be between 350-550bh to the city center. Good luck getting that though. You can try using the apps Grab or Bolt for a fair price.
You can also arrange a private ride with a taxi service. This would be the option to go with if you arrive at an off hour, like 2am.
The public taxi stand is located on the ground floor, take exits 3, 4, 7, and 8.
Buses
Lastly, you could take a bus, but I don’t know why you would. I would only use this option if there was no other way. I speak from experience, as the first time I traveled to Thailand the airport link hadn’t been opened yet, so I was pretty much forced to take one. It was confusing, to say the least. Figuring out which bus goes where is not as easy as it sounds because you probably want to take one that’s going to the section of Bangkok you’re staying in. Buses pretty take the worst aspects of the Rail Link and the worst aspects of a taxi. My own first journey by bus in Bangkok was a hellish one.
To get to the bus stand you’ll need to take a shuttle bus to the transport center. Buses run 24 hours. Here’s a link that gives the bus numbers and destination area: Public Bus Service.
Suvarnabhumi to Some Place Other Than Bangkok
If you’re not heading to Bangkok, it’s hard to give advice to every other destination that’s possible. The two most common other locations are Don Mueang Airport to catch another flight or Pattaya, to catch a social disease.
Private Car Service
If you’re coming in at a strange hour, lack the confidence to leave the airport on your own, want comfort, don’t care about speed, and want to know the price before even landing, than you can use a pre-paid car service. This could be really helpful if you’re not going to Bangkok city and have to get to another part of the country on land.
I’ve never used this kind of service, but I have acquaintances that have, and they all say they’ve liked the service they’ve gotten from Cherry Taxi Service.
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