Bangkok for the first time: arrival, transport and three days that work
The digital arrival card you must file before you land, how to get in from either airport for pocket change, and a three-day route that avoids the scams.
onesim team
Bangkok rewards preparation in a way that most cities do not, because the first two hours — the arrival card, the airport train, the first taxi — are where the trip either starts smoothly or starts badly.
The city itself is easier than its reputation. It is also much better than its reputation, once you stop trying to see it through a tuk-tuk window.
File the arrival card before you fly
Since 1 May 2025, every foreign national entering Thailand by air, land or sea must submit a Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC). It replaced the old paper TM6 form. It is free, it is filed online at the official site, and you can submit it in the three days before you arrive.
The separate 300-baht tourist fee that has been announced and postponed for several years is still not being collected. A flat 450-baht charge for all arrivals was endorsed in 2026 and is not expected to start before early 2027. If a website asks you to pay it now, it is not the government.
Getting in from Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang
Suvarnabhumi (BKK) is the main international airport. The Airport Rail Link runs from the basement to Phaya Thai, where it meets the BTS Skytrain, and costs between 15 and 45 baht depending on distance — a full run to Phaya Thai is 45 baht, or about €1.20. It takes 30 minutes, and in Bangkok's traffic that is often half what a taxi takes.
Don Mueang (DMK), the low-cost airport to the north, is now connected by the SRT Red Line commuter train to Bang Sue Grand Station, which links to the MRT metro. Buses and taxis also run.
For taxis at either airport, join the public taxi queue and insist on the meter. Anyone who approaches you in the arrivals hall offering a fixed price is not the deal they say they are. There is a small airport surcharge and the tolls are paid by you — both are normal.
Getting around: three systems, one card is not enough
Bangkok's rail is split between the BTS Skytrain (elevated), the MRT (underground) and the Airport Rail Link. They are separate systems with separate tickets, which is the main thing to know. Rabbit cards work on the BTS; the MRT has its own card; contactless bank cards now work on several lines.
The Chao Phraya Express Boat is the best transport in the city. The orange-flag boat runs up and down the river for around 16 baht, stops at most of the temples, and is faster than any road. The blue-flag tourist boat costs several times more for the same water.
Grab is the ride-hailing app everyone uses, for cars and motorbike taxis. The motorbike ones are genuinely the fastest way through gridlock and are how most of the city commutes.
Day one: the river and the old city
Start early — the Grand Palace opens at 8:30 and by 10 it is full. The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew share a ticket and a strict dress code: shoulders and knees covered for everyone, no see-through fabric, no flip-flops in some areas. They rent sarongs at the gate, and the queue for that is long.
Walk or take a short boat to Wat Pho for the reclining Buddha and the massage school — a traditional Thai massage in the courtyard is about an hour and cheap. Cross the river on the public ferry to Wat Arun, which is best in the late afternoon when the porcelain catches the light.
Evening in Chinatown (Yaowarat), which turns into a street-food market after dark and is the single best eating in the city.
Day two: markets and the modern city
If it is a weekend, Chatuchak is one of the largest markets in the world — 15,000 stalls, and worth a morning. On a weekday, Or Tor Kor across the road is a produce market with the best fruit in Bangkok.
In the afternoon, the modern city: the Skytrain to Siam for the malls, or Jim Thompson House, the teak compound of the American who revived Thai silk and then vanished in the Malaysian jungle in 1967.
Finish on a rooftop. Bangkok's are genuinely spectacular and most enforce a dress code — no shorts, no sandals.
Day three: get out of the centre
- Bang Krachao — the "green lung", a near-island in a loop of the river, reached by a small boat and explored by rented bicycle on elevated concrete paths. An hour from the centre and a different country.
- Ayutthaya — the former capital, ruined and enormous, 90 minutes by train from Krung Thep Aphiwat station.
- Amphawa floating market — a weekend evening market on a canal, and much less staged than Damnoen Saduak.
Money, heat and the practical stuff
Thailand is still largely cash for street food and small shops, and card almost everywhere else. ATMs charge a fixed foreign-card fee of around 220 baht per withdrawal, so take out more, less often.
The hot season runs March to May and is genuinely extreme; the rainy season, roughly June to October, means an hour of heavy rain most afternoons rather than all-day drizzle. November to February is the cool, dry season and the best time to come.
Tipping is not expected, though rounding up is normal and appreciated. Do not touch anyone's head, do not point your feet at a Buddha image, and stand still if you hear the national anthem played in a public space at 08:00 or 18:00 — everyone else will.
