Bangkok's air gates - Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports - receive several tens of millions of passengers a year. Of course, in the last decade, the new Suvarnabhumi has taken over most of the passenger flow, and the share of the second airport, which for many years played the role of the main air gateway of Thailand, now falls mainly on domestic flights. Because of this, our compatriots are practically not familiar with Don Muang. But since today tourists often plan a trip to this Asian country on their own and even move freely around it, when flying from Bangkok to the islands, they had to choose flights from Thai low-cost airlines in order to save money. And they overwhelmingly fly from Don Muang Airport (Bangkok). Therefore, independent travelers began to have problems finding transport flying to this air port. Todaywe will tell you how to get to Don Muang Airport (Bangkok) in several different ways, as well as a brief look at its layout.
General information
In Bangkok, Don Muang Airport is the second international air port located in the capital. Most often, tourists fly from here to Koh Samui, Krabi and other islands of Thailand. But besides this, flights to Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore and several other countries are carried out from the airport.
It is very attractive for tourists that from Bangkok's Don Muang International Airport the cost of plane tickets is much lower than for similar flights from Suvarnabhumi. This is due to the fact that mainly low-cost airlines fly from here, and the cost of their flights is always below average.
On average, from Don Muang Airport, the distance to Suvarnabhumi (Bangkok) is just over forty kilometers. However, in order to get from one point to another, tourists take several hours. This is due to heavy traffic in the capital and frequent traffic jams. Therefore, experienced travelers recommend leaving an interval of at least four hours between connecting flights.
History of the airport
Don Muang Airport in Bangkok was built in the early twentieth century. However, then it was intended for military aircraft and was used in this way for about fourteen years. Around 1914, it was converted to receive civil aircraft. For more than ninety years, it has been the main air gate of the country, where allinternational flights. In the first decade of the twenty-first century, the newest modern airport Suvarnabhumi was put into operation and it was he who began to receive most of the international flights, including budget ones.
About six years ago, a large-scale reconstruction was carried out in Don Muang, and from that moment the airport began to receive domestic and international flights of low-cost airlines. Transport workers and often charters also land here.
Airport description: ground floor
Don Muang Airport (Bangkok) has a building consisting of four floors. The first floor is completely devoted to the arrival hall. We have given his scheme in this section. Since the queues at the airport are small, tourists easily find the passport control desk after getting off the plane. Almost next to it is a baggage claim belt. Judging by the reviews of Don Muang Airport in Bangkok, the whole procedure usually does not take even half an hour, unlike Suvarnabhumi, where it sometimes takes up to an hour and a half for similar actions.
There are numerous cafes on the ground floor where you can grab a bite to eat if you have a long journey inland. There is also an Internet cafe and various car rental points. Currency can also be changed on the first floor. However, do not forget that the rate here is not profitable and it is best to exchange the required minimum.
The information bureau will give you all the information you need. Here, in special baskets, there are free maps and other booklets useful for tourists.
Two luggage storage at Don Mueang Airport inBangkok work differently. The one on the ground floor opens at 8 am and closes at 8 pm. For storing one bag, you will pay about seventy-five baht.
Second and third floors
The second floor of the airport is given over to offices, tourists cannot enter here. But on the third floor there is a departure area. There are check-in counters, customs control points and representative offices where you can apply for a visa for a long-term stay in Thailand.
The airport has several spacious waiting areas, one of them is for VIPs. Before departure, passengers can go shopping, visit souvenir shops and buy something in the duty-free zone.
Travel agencies are located on the third floor. They can book a ticket or book a tour. Also here you can easily book a hotel room anywhere in Thailand.
There is a second luggage room in this part of the airport. She works around the clock. The cost of services also does not exceed seventy-five baht per bag per day.
The fourth floor of the airport
Tourists go up to the highest floor mainly to eat or buy tickets directly from carriers. The design of the floor itself resembles a balcony. It's pretty nice and comfortable here.
By the way, many tourists, in order to spend a day between transit flights, are looking for inexpensive accommodation inBangkok. You can rent a hotel room at Don Muang Airport for a day. It will cost several times cheaper than the similar one in the capital itself.
But if you still prefer hotels in the city, then choose those that are closer to metro stations. It is better if they are located at the intersection of the blue and green branches (we have given the diagram below).
How to get from Don Muang Airport (Bangkok) to Pattaya
If you flew to Don Muang from the islands and are going to spend your vacation in Pattaya, then first of all you will be interested in options for how to get to the resort in the cheapest way.
This can be done using public transport. Route A1 departs directly from the airport. Usually the bus leaves from the sixth exit. For thirty baht (this is how much the fare costs) you will get to the Northern Bus Station in Bangkok. Usually the road does not take more than half an hour. Here you need to choose buses going to Pattaya. There are several of them, but a ticket for any one costs a hundred baht. Travel time is about two and a half hours. First-time tourists to Thailand should not hope that a taxi will get you to your destination faster. More expensive, yes, but definitely not faster.
From Don Muang to Bangkok
You can also get to Bangkok by bus. At the same time, tourists are offered a wider choice of routes. Since many of the passengers go to specific places in the capital.
Several buses go to Bangkok:
- 513.
- 4.
- №13.
- 29.
- 59.
- 538.
- 10.
We will give a brief description of each route.
If the end point of your trip is the Eastern Bus Station, then choose flight number 513 for yourself. It is suitable for those tourists who plan to go deep into Thailand.
Routes 4 and 13 will take you to Siom Road and Sukhumvit Road.
Those who plan to travel further around the country by train should take bus number 29. It goes to the railway station and stops at historical places of the city along the way. Interestingly, tourists can transfer to the metro right at the station.
Some Russians immediately after arrival tend to see the main attractions of the Thai capital. You can do this if you take bus number fifty-nine. It goes straight to the Royal Palace. The most famous temple complexes of Bangkok are also located here.
Bus number 10 goes to the South Bus Station, and route number 538 runs directly to the hospital.
Going to Bangkok by train
If you do not like the bus service, then you can get to Bangkok by train. The railway station is located almost opposite the airport building. You don't even have to go outside as the passage is covered.
Ticket must be bought to Hua Lamphong station. It is located in the center of Bangkok. Thirty-two trains leave this direction per day. The first at three ten in the morning, and the last - a little after ten in the evening. However, when taking a ticket, do not rely onTimetable. It is often violated, so you may miss the train.
How to get to Don Muang Airport (Bangkok) from Suvarnabhumi
Often, our compatriots arrive at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, and then have to drive to Don Muang to fly to the islands or elsewhere. Therefore, tourists are very interested in how to quickly overcome the distance between two points.
The most convenient way to get to Don Muang are free buses. They are quite comfortable and even have air conditioning. The first flight leaves from a stop at five in the morning. Until ten o'clock in the morning, buses run to Dong Muang every hour. Further, the traffic interval is reduced and until eight o'clock in the evening you can leave for the airport every forty minutes. Until midnight, when the last bus leaves Suvarnabhumi in the indicated direction, the interval again becomes equal to an hour.
You can take the free bus at exits two and three. Keep in mind that in order to get to Don Muang for free, you must have a boarding pass on hand from the flight on which you arrived in Bangkok.
Buses and minibuses
If for some reason the free shuttle is not available for you, then use public transport. There are two buses to Don Muang: number five hundred and fifty-four and five hundred and fifty-five. Both drive to the airport in about forty to fifty minutes. A bus ticket costs about thirty-four baht.
Many tourists use minibuses. They are also called minibuses, and they depart fromairport parking lot as soon as all the places are occupied. The ticket is paid to the driver at the entrance and costs fifty baht. On these minibuses you can get to Don Muang from six in the morning to five in the evening.
Taxi from Suvarnabhumi
If you don't want to save money on travel during your vacation, then take a taxi. It will cost you from three hundred and fifty to five hundred baht. In order not to fall into the hands of scammers, specify the amount of the trip before getting into the car. At the same time, agree on how exactly the money will be credited: by the counter or by a fixed amount.
It is best to choose taxi cars for the trip, which belong to the points on the first floor of the airport. Here the order is formalized, and the tourist receives a form with the route and cost of the trip. In addition, payment is made to the employees of the point, so there is no option of paying with a taxi driver on the spot.
Let's go to Don Muang by metro
If you are well versed in the Bangkok metro and are not afraid of the subway, then you can use this option to move around the city. Directly from the airport, tourists go down to the metro station and go to Mo Chit station.
Here you will need to get out and rise to the surface. Near the station there are always taxis that will take their passengers to Don Muang in just ten minutes. The trip will cost between one hundred and one hundred and twenty baht.
What do tourists think about the second most important airport in Bangkok: reviews and comments
Gradually, there are more and more reviews about Don Muang on the Internet. Therefore, tourists who are just about to fly out of it have a generalized idea of the operation of the airport, its advantages and disadvantages.
Most of the tourists were satisfied with this international airport in Bangkok. Photos of Don Muang posted on the Internet make it possible to understand how clean it is inside. Many note that the airport is very well designed, so finding the right area is not difficult.
Separately, our compatriots usually single out cafes located on the fourth floor of the airport. They write that the prices here are quite reasonable, and the quality of the dishes is not satisfactory.
It is convenient that there are so many ways to get from Don Muang to almost anywhere in the country. Such a wide transport network is the pride of the Thais, as their country is often called "a real paradise for tourists."
