Getting From Thailand's Airports Into Town, With the Published Fares

This guide covers the airports serving the destinations on this site: the trains, buses, shuttles and fixed-fare cars at each, with fares and boarding points taken from the airports’ and operators’ own pages, checked on 19 September 2026.

Bangkok’s metered taxis, the airport surcharge and the Grab pick-up points are in our guide to Grab, Bolt and taxis, so they are not repeated here.

Suvarnabhumi (BKK)

Airport Rail Link

The Airport Rail Link station is on Level B1 of the main terminal, and Airports of Thailand gives its hours as 05:30 to midnight. The line runs between Suvarnabhumi and Phaya Thai, and Makkasan is one of its stations.

Paying. The Department of Rail Transport announced that from 8 November 2025 passengers could tap a contactless credit or debit card at the gates of every station.

Fares. No Airport Rail Link fare table was found on the operator’s or a government page, so no fare is printed here.

A line in transition. The operator is Asia Era One. A news report on 8 September 2026 said its contract ends on 30 September 2026, and on 14 September The Nation reported the Transport Minister saying it would keep running the line until 31 January 2027, after which the State Railway’s subsidiary, SRTET, would take over. Thairath reported on 18 September that the agreement for the interim period was due to be signed the following week. Service was cut back after a car derailed in the depot on 22 July 2026, with replacement buses running from Level 2, Gate 9 to Makkasan, the government said. A news report on 8 September said the operator had announced trains every 15 minutes, 05:30 to midnight, that day, and another on 9 September that 5 of its 9 trains were in service, with a target of all 9 by 14 September. Check the operator’s notices before relying on it for a tight connection.

City buses and vans

Route	Where it goes	Boards at	Hours	Fare
S1	Khao San Road (Sanam Luang)	Level 1, Gate 7	06:00 to 20:00	About 60 baht
S6 (555)	Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal	Public Transportation Center	05:30 to midnight	Not published
554	Rangsit, via Ram Intra Road (the second page says via Don Mueang Airport)	Public Transportation Center	See below	About 35 baht
558	Central Rama 2	Public Transportation Center	See below	About 35 baht

Airports of Thailand’s two pages disagree on the hours of 554 and 558: one gives 05:30 to 22:00 and 04:45 to 22:30, the other 05:00 to 21:45 for both. It gives the fares as approximate and asks passengers to check them. Public vans also leave the Public Transportation Center for Min Buri (549), Future Park Rangsit (559), Don Mueang Airport (555) and BTS On Nut (552B), with no fares published. The route number 555 is used for both a bus and a van.

Official limousines

AOT Limousine is walk-in only, from counters on Level 2 in both the domestic and international arrival areas. Airports of Thailand publishes its starting fares by vehicle rather than by destination:

Vehicle	Starting fare
Eco saloon (up to 3 people)	550 baht
SUV	650 baht
Standard saloon	750 baht
Standard van (up to 8)	850 baht
Premium saloon (Mercedes-Benz E350)	1,000 baht
Premium van (up to 5)	1,150 baht
Luxury saloon	1,300 baht

Coaches to Pattaya and Hua Hin

Coaches leave from Level 1, Gate 8. Airports of Thailand names the operator as Roong Reung Coach, which allows one checked bag of up to 20 kg plus one personal bag, gives no refunds, and needs at least two days’ notice, at 30 baht a person, to change a booking. Its own site gives:

To	Fare	Departures from the airport	Time
Pattaya bus station, North Pattaya Road	135 baht	07:30, 09:30, 11:30, 13:30, 15:30, 17:30, 18:30	About 2 hours
Jomtien bus station	158 baht	Hourly, 06:00 to 22:00
Hua Hin bus terminal, Phetkasem Road	361 or 381 baht	06:30, 07:30, 08:30, 09:30, 10:30, 12:00, 13:30, 14:30, 16:00, 17:00, 18:30	About 4 hours

The 22:00 Jomtien coach ends at Pattaya bus station. The Hua Hin fare is 361 baht on the operator’s route page and “from 381 baht” on its home page. Airports of Thailand’s fare page puts it at about 325 baht (07:30 to 18:30), and the Pattaya coach at about 140 to 190 baht (06:30 to 21:00), so confirm the fare when you book.

Changing to Don Mueang

A free shuttle bus runs between the two airports, but only for passengers transferring between flights, who must show a flight ticket or proof of onward travel plus a passport or national ID card. At Suvarnabhumi it leaves from Level 2, Gate 3, every 30 minutes from 05:00 to midnight. An older Airports of Thailand page, from 2021, puts the Don Mueang stop at the international terminal, first floor, Gate 6.

Don Mueang (DMK)

The Red Line

Don Mueang has its own station on the State Railway’s Red Line, reached by the walkway from Exit 6, which leads into the domestic terminal. The station is open from 05:30 to midnight. The operator’s adult fare table gives:

• Don Mueang to Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal: 33 baht.
• Don Mueang to Chatuchak: 29 baht.

Fares are distance-based. From 1 December 2025 to 30 November 2026 an adult pays no more than 40 baht a day on the Red Line when paying with a MANGMOOM EMV card, an MRT EMV card or a contactless credit or debit card. The Don Mueang fares above are below the cap, so a single trip from the airport is charged at the normal fare. The operator gives the full Krung Thep Aphiwat to Rangsit run as about 23 minutes, and its timetable shows trains leaving Krung Thep Aphiwat towards Rangsit every 10 to 15 minutes; times towards the city were not shown.

The 20 baht fare you may read about. A Mass Rapid Transit Authority release of 3 October 2025 said the Ministry of Transport was keeping the 20 baht flat fare on the Red and Purple Lines until 30 November 2025, and the 40 baht daily cap has applied since 1 December 2025. A wider 20 baht scheme planned in July 2025, which was limited to holders of a Thai ID number, was rescinded by the Cabinet, the Government Public Relations Department announced on 24 June 2026.

Airport buses

Airports of Thailand lists four airport bus routes, boarding in front of the Service Hall building and at Terminal 1 (international), floor 1, Gate 6:

Route	Via	To	Hours	Every	Fare
A1	BTS Chatuchak	Mo Chit 2 bus terminal	05:45 to midnight	15 minutes	30 baht
A2	BTS Chatuchak	Victory Monument	06:00 to 23:00	15 minutes	30 baht
A3	Pratunam, Ratchaprasong	Lumpini Park	06:00 to 23:00	30 minutes	50 baht
A4	Democracy Monument, Khao San	Sanam Luang	06:00 to 23:00	30 minutes	50 baht

The stops come from an older Airports of Thailand page, from 2021; the hours and fares from its undated A1 to A4 page. A Limo Bus also runs to Silom and to Khao San for 150 baht, from Terminal 1, Gate 7, which Airports of Thailand lists as open 24 hours, and from the domestic terminal’s Gate 15, which closes at 21:30.

Phuket (HKT)

The buses leave from Exit 3.

Option	Where it goes	Fare	Notes
Airport Bus 8411 (orange)	Phuket Town	100 baht	About 1 hour 15 minutes. Pay the conductor by QR code or cash
Phuket Smart Bus	Surin, Kamala, Patong, Karon, Kata, Rawai	100 baht flat	Contactless Visa, Mastercard or JCB, Thai QR or cash
Airport Bus Express	Karon and Kata	Not published	Listed as closing at 21:00
Metered EV taxi (EVme)	By the meter	150 baht for the first 2 km, plus a 100 baht airport fee	Domestic terminal, floor 1, 24 hours
Airport Car Rent fixed fares	Phuket Town 650, Patong 800, Rawai 900, Kata 1,000 baht	Not stated whether per car or per person	Main terminal, floor 1, arrivals. The page is undated

The airport bus timetable is inconsistent. The operator’s timetable shows 18 departures from 06:30 to 22:30, its own FAQ gives the last two as 20:30 and 21:30, and Airports of Thailand lists it as closing at 21:00. The operator’s FAQ recommends booking ahead for a late arrival such as 23:35. Airports of Thailand’s page also says the bus fares are calculated on distance, while the operator gives 100 baht to Phuket Town.

The Smart Bus also sells a one-day pass for Route 1, which its timetable page names as Airport to Rawai, at 299 baht, and children under six ride free with a paying adult. The Tourism Authority listed the route’s hours in July 2025 as 08:15 to 23:30 and 06:45 to 19:30, without saying which direction is which, and gave fares of 50 to 170 baht a trip, against the operator’s current flat 100 baht. The operator’s timetable page gives its times only as images.

The airport also lists a minibus taxi (P.M.K. Taxi Minibus) at 150 baht to Phuket Town, 180 to Patong and 200 to Kata or Rawai. It does not say whether those are per person or per vehicle, and the same listing also gives an all-in price of 160 baht, so the page is internally inconsistent. A limousine counter (Phuket Airport Limousine) publishes no fares. Grab picks up at the main terminal, floor 1, arrivals. The airport’s transport listings we checked do not mention Bolt.

Chiang Mai (CNX)

• Metered taxi: the meter fare plus 50 baht, which Airports of Thailand says is collected for the driver under a Ministry of Transport announcement. Counter at Entrance 1, main terminal, floor 1.
• Flat-rate Airport Taxi: its counter is at the same entrance, but the current page publishes no fares.
• RTC city bus: a flat 30 baht, on two loops from outside the international terminal. The red loop runs via Wualai Road, Chiang Mai Gate, the Night Bazaar, Tha Phae Gate and Nimman; the yellow via Suan Dok, Nimman, the Three Kings Monument, Tha Phae Gate and Warorot Market. An RTC airport route, then described as Line 24, opened in December 2023, when the government’s Chiang Mai office reported it running daily from 08:00 to 21:00; today’s hours could not be confirmed.
• Airport shuttle buses: A1 to Nimmanhaemin Road, Huay Kaew Road and the old city moat, and A2 to the Night Bazaar and Chang Klan Road hotels, both 40 baht; A3 via the Second Ring Road to the 700th Anniversary Stadium, 60 baht. They leave from the international terminal, floor 1, and Airports of Thailand asks passengers to check fares and routes before travelling.
• Grab: GrabCar and JustGrab pick up at the domestic terminal, Building 2, floor 1, Gate 14. The airport says rides can be booked from anywhere in the airport, but must use the designated pick-up points.

Krabi (KBV)

The airport bus, run by Pichet Transport as route 8415, waits at the front entrance on the ground floor and leaves every 40 minutes. Its fares from the airport:

To	Fare
Krabi bus terminal	80 baht
Krabi Town	90 baht
Khlong Jilad Pier	90 baht
Ao Nang	150 baht
Khlong Muang and Khao Kwang beaches	200 baht

The operator puts Ao Nang about 30 km away, and publishes no first or last departure. The Department of Airports’ page for Krabi airport could not be reached, and no official taxi fares were found, so none are given. For Koh Lanta and Koh Phi Phi, see our island ferry guide.

Koh Samui (USM)

Samui’s airport is privately owned. The taxi company SmackONE (Samui Accom Co., Ltd.), which describes itself as the official airport taxi provider, publishes these rates. Its private car and van rates are effective from 10 September 2026 and include VAT; the shuttle fares come from the same page.

To	Private car, 1 to 4 people	Van, 5 to 10 people	Shared shuttle, per person
Bang Rak, Bophut, Chaweng, Choeng Mon	380 baht	760 baht	140 baht
Chaweng Noi, Maenam	570 baht	950 baht	170 baht
Lamai North and Centre, Ban Tai, Bang Po	760 baht	1,140 baht	200 baht
Lamai South, Hua Thanon, Nathon	950 baht	1,330 baht	250 baht

Bangkok Airways’ main site returned errors, so SmackONE’s description of itself could not be confirmed from another source, and these are the operator’s own figures. For Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, Bangkok Airways’ travel blog says to take a road transfer to the pier and then a ferry: about 30 minutes to Koh Phangan from Pralarn Pier, or 45 from Bang Rak, and about 1 hour 30 minutes to Koh Tao from Pralarn. Our island ferry guide has the timetables.

U-Tapao (UTP), for Pattaya

• Minibus to Pattaya: 150 baht a person to Big C South Pattaya, run by Suvarnabhumi Burapha, leaving at 12:30, 14:00 and 17:00 from outside Terminal 2, with drop-offs at Pattaya hotels. The airport’s listing asks passengers to notify the staff at least a day before, and the operator says times may change without notice.
• Taxi: the Loma Pattaya Taxi Cooperative runs 24 hours from the car park in front of Terminal 1, to about 20 destinations including central and south Pattaya, Jomtien, Rayong, Bangkok and both Bangkok airports. No fares appear in the page text.
• Limousines (Vanatana) leave from outside Terminal 2 for Pattaya, Jomtien, Rayong, Ban Phe and Koh Larn, with no prices published.
• Van to Rayong and Ban Phe: 200 and 250 to 300 baht a person, with a single departure at 14:50 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

Private cars collect passengers at a designated point in front of Terminal 2. The airport’s pick-up page does not mention Grab or Bolt.

Hua Hin (HHQ) and Surat Thani (URT)

The Department of Airports’ pages for both airports could not be reached, and we found nothing official on taxis or buses from either. For Hua Hin, the coach from Suvarnabhumi above and the trains in our train guide are alternatives with published times. For onward travel from Surat Thani to the islands, see our island ferry guide.

Before you land

• Arrival requirements, including the digital arrival card, are in our guide to entering Thailand.
• Several airport pages mark their fares as approximate or ask passengers to check them, and several carry no date, so treat every figure here as the right order of magnitude and confirm it at the counter.
• If a counter or driver quotes a fixed price, agree it before you get in.