My moody arrives during midnight in Bangkok. As an alone lady traveling, is it deliberate protected for me to get a cab during which time of night to my hotel? Or should we try to shift my flight, stay overnight in a joining city as well as get in to Bangkok during a day? Thanks in allege for your advice.
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Your have no problem. Many flights arrive around midnight here. You can get a taxi to downtown for about 300 baht plus 50 baht airport fee you pay to the driver and tolls with is about 75 bahts. Limo service is also available at the airport but at outrages prices. Also you see these people asking who if you need a taxi or where are you going. Just ignore them, they are going to rip you off for a illegal taxi ride to the city. They are still safe but just a rip off.
I wouldn’t, and I’m a male.
As Bob said, very safe and cheap.
If you do want complete piece of mind however, ask your travel agent to include airport transfers in your cost. This will not cost too much more than normal taxi (my last prebooked transfer, to and from Bkk airport was 1500 baht – around 20 pounds)
At least that way you know it is prebooked and contracted and that the firm is one used regularly by travel company or hotel.
The only problem I EVER had with taxis in Thailand was them trying to take you to their cousin’s tailor/gift shop/jeweller (delete as appropriate) as that is where I would find best bargains.(allegedly)
At all times with taxi drivers (be it night or day) be friendly but firm. Be sure of where you are going and make it very clear you do not wish to visit anywhere they recommend.
have a great holiday
I think it is always best to get to a new city during the day because your transportation choices are much greater. (During the day or early evening hours there is a Airport Express bus for 150 baht that takes you into town.) But I wouldn’t get off during the flight just to avoid a late night taxi! Next time just start with an airline that normally arrives during the day if this is a problem. For many years I used China Airlines for trips to Asia, they arrive during the day hours.
However, many women do take taxis late at night. I often come in on NWA around midnight and I see them in line getting their meter taxi cabs. I switched to NWA because I get more perks with them than with China Air plus lots of bonus miles for free flight even though the arrival time really stinks!
You can ask your hotel to provide a dedicated ride, this would be cheaper than getting off your flight in another country and then resuming your flight in the morning.
Read some of the posts from the below travel forums on taking taxi cabs at Suvarnabhumi. At the airport there are lots of touts in and around the arrivals hall offering rides into town, ignore them! They provide rides but more expensive than a meter taxi.
There is a meter taxi sign up desk outside at the curb. There is a sign up desk where the clerk will ask you what hotel you need a ride to, he will tell the driver for you, he is supposed to check that the meter starts at 35 baht and record the number of the taxi. You get a receipt with the taxi number on it and a place to lodge a complaint. (You can use a cell phone camera to record the taxi and driver and forward it on for insurance if you want, or just pretend to do it!)
You pay the meter fare, plus a 50 baht surcharge. Price depends on where you are going to but roughly around 350 to 390 baht. You also must pay any tolls during the ride. Toll charges will probably be 40 baht and 25 baht. If the driver asks you for the toll money during the ride that is okay, just don’t pay him again at the hotel. Fare plus surcharge payable at the hotel when you arrive. When there is a large crowd signing up for meter taxi cabs you might find someone going to your hotel. When there is a crowd there may be a second meter taxi desk opened up. The color of the meter taxi desk was a dirty white and gray, at least the one closer to door 7/8 was that color.
You could even stay at a hotel at the airport if you want, but that hotel is not cheap. I think you will be okay, I haven’t read or heard anything about any women being hassled or assaulted at the new airport.
P.S. Have some small bills to pay the driver, even a 500 baht note may be too large. In the city when you take a meter taxi only pay the meter fare – do not bargain the cost!
Up to you.
book a hotel in bangkok that offers a free taxi pickup quiet a lot do if you are booking at least 2 nights then your in the loop
otherwise yes taxi travel is safe in thailand
book a taxi with Mr Tooms…………..he is well respected and reasonably priced and drivers speak english….u will be perfectly safe
http://thailandlandofsmiles.com/2007/09/28/mr-tooms-taxi-service/
Have you thought of asking another female traveller if they want to share a taxi to thanon sukhumvit.
I’ve always been fine.
When you arrive at Subbharnbhumi Airport – Go through passport control + collect your baggage(sometimes this can take 25 mins to appear).
Go straight to the public taxi queue – the lady will ask you your hotel destination and write it down on a receipt – you should get a copy of this – one goes to the driver.
Say Meter – to get the taxi driver to switch the meter on.
Fare to sukhumvit soi 11 is approx 400 baht + I usually give the driver the 80 baht (50 + 30) for the toll road too.
I can recommend the Swiss Park hotel – as its cheap and very near the Nana Sky Train. – There is a supermarket and internet cafe round the corner from it too.
Have a nice stay.
If you have time take the sky train from Nana to Siam – and look around the Siam Square Mall (Paragon) – the food court on the ground floor is amazing – great value – food from all around the world.
safe, but it wouldn’t hurt having a pepper spray ready on hand
and always sit at the back of the driver.
big cities are the same almost every where.
be smart and know how to protect your self, and you can go just about everywhere.
Its just as safe as taking a taxi in New York City or Los Angeles. However, after getting in at 12am and the time to get bags, taxi etc it may be difficult getting into your hotel.
You’ll be fine. When you come out of the plane change some dollars into baht ($50-100). Make sure they give you some 100′s and 20′s and not just 1000 and 500 baht notes because the driver won’t have change.
You’ll pass through immigration and customs.
Once you come out of customs there will be lots of people hollering, "taxi" or "do you need a taxi?" don’t get confused if your inside the building you need to get outside. Tell them no and keep walking (they will overcharge you up to 100 per cent).
Go outside Level 2 – Arrivals, near entrances 3, 4, 7 and 8 there will be a taxi stand. Tell them metered taxi. The price will be reasonable (metered) for you and the taxi driver about 400 baht (including 50 baht airport fee). You will also have to pay 2 tolls.
Do give him 20-50 baht extra for the ride.
Using Limousine from airport to hotel is better… recommend to not "too save" but "to safe" if you are alone woman in Thailand… G’luck
There are some really wild answers here from what I suspect are people that do not live in Thailand.
The majority of international flights arrive at that time and the airport is super busy.
That being said it is safe to get a taxi.
First of all never get in a taxi that will not run the METER. Open the taxi door and say METER? If they say OK, then you will be fine for the exact fare plus tolls.
The airport has an official taxi queue OUTSIDE where the fare is meter + 50 baht. You get a slip of paper with the drivers name and a number to call if required. For the most part this is no problem.
Here are some of my best taxi tips from living in Thailand for years:
1. Avoid pink color taxi’s when all possible. This is because many of these pink taxi’s are rented by the day by the drivers for 800 baht. That means the driver has to make 800 baht in a 12 hour period just to break even. The pink taxis appear to have the highest percentage of scammer drivers, trying to over charge you to make up for the 800 they spent to rent the taxi.
2. Yellow/Green taxi’s are the best because they are private owners. but still have to ask to use the meter.
3. Old taxi’s are not as comfortable but usually the drivers are honest.
4. Any taxi with Buddhist statues on the dashboard are usually good drivers.
5. Have a good idea from doing research from maps etc before you come here what direction you are going in from the airport. Very easy to do.
If you lived here I would suggest you to to the top floor to gate 10 outside and get a taxi that is dropping off passengers. However, this is a hit or miss whether you will get someone that might scam you for more money. Once again I avoid the pink taxi’s here even more.
The only real danger you have is overcharge not violence or harm in anyway.
If money is no object take an airport limo taxi.
All in all it will be cheaper than almost any other city in the world
If you are staying at a well known hotel, you can arrange airport pickup as well.
Good luck
PS don’t worry about small bills. The toll booths will give you change for 1000 baht if you need it so no worries there.
The chances are that you’ll be OK with a taxi; it just depends how far you want to go to elimate the small residual risk. Its not like Thailand is the wild west – its a pretty civilised place but there are always a few people in any line of work – including Bangkok taxi drivers – that cause problems. If you got a bad one, probably the worst that would happen is that he’d take you a long way round so as to rack up the meter (that happened to me a couple of times when I was a newbie at travelling to Bangkok).
Your question poses one solution – changing flights so as to arrive during the day. That is probably a bit extreme. Say it was my g/f travelling alone to BKK and arriving at midnight; if for some reason I couldn’t go to collect her from the airport I’d want her to get an AOT limo (AOT = Airports Authority of Thailand) rather than a taxi for my own peace of mind. Actually, they are cars rather than limo.s and the price depends on the car you ask for. I got an Isuzu 4×4 from the airport to downtown Bangkok a few weeks ago and the price was Baht1,000 from an AOT desk. There are several AOT desks in the arrivals hall – just go up to one and say you want a car. They will try and sell you a Toyota Camry; an Isuzu 4×4 is a cheaper option and has plenty of room to chill out. I got a car from AOT because I couldn’t be bothered to walk down stairs/queue for a taxi. I know that this seems a bit lazy but after a long flight I wasn’t in the mood for pushing a trolley downstairs/queuing. Approx. exchange rate now; Baht 34 = USD 1.