|
The change at Phaya Thai is a long drag but not that bad. The BTS is far more cramped than the ARL, so just be careful how much you're carrying. As for traffic, it's a loving crapshoot. It will depend on a dozen factors from the day of the week to the weather to what specific area of Sukhumvit you're going to because that will affect freeway access and how busy that neighborhood is. The ARL is safe, but slow and potentially crowded. A taxi could fly to your destination or sit still for two hours, or anywhere in between.
|
#
?
Sep 10, 2023 15:15
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 11, 2024 09:08 |
|
|
We'll be carrying as much as we arrive into the country with, so probably a big suitcase plus rucksacks. It sounds like trains and a prayer to the weather/rush hour gods is the way to go! e: Looking at the hotel info, Sukhumvit and Asok are the same distance. Maps has some odd opinions sometimes. Bollock Monkey fucked around with this message at 15:52 on Sep 10, 2023 |
|
#
?
Sep 10, 2023 15:47
|
|
|
I looked at your previous comments and it seems you made the rush hour comment kinda out of nowhere. What's the problem? Are you in a rush? I think you are implying your hotel is in the Asok area. Which, IMO, is ideal for public transit as you can get the BTS and the MRT there. Just take a cab from the airport. It costs 500 baht (or it used to) and takes about 40 mins.
|
|
#
?
Sep 10, 2023 15:57
|
|
|
Rush hour in major cities means that using public transport, especially for long-ish journeys with luggage, can be unpleasant. It's less about being in a rush, and more about minimising stress after a 12 hour flight. I wasn't trying to 'imply' things, I am just completely unfamiliar with Bangkok having never been there. Here is the hotel's page on nearby stations etc: https://www.sachashotel.com/explore I am surprised to hear that a taxi would take 40mins into town from the airport around rush hour, given what I've heard about horrible traffic jams! My question was just sense-checking that the train remains the best option because I've never been to Bangkok.
|
|
#
?
Sep 10, 2023 16:36
|
|
|
The Asok station will be really convenient for that hotel. I stayed at the Red Planet across the street and took the train everywhere. Taxis are a braindead easy way to get out of BKK though. They give you a number and direct you to a taxi when it's your turn.
|
|
#
?
Sep 10, 2023 18:16
|
|
|
Bollock Monkey posted:Rush hour in major cities means that using public transport, especially for long-ish journeys with luggage, can be unpleasant. It's less about being in a rush, and more about minimising stress after a 12 hour flight. The traffic is on the streets, not so much the freeways. At least, in my experience. I always stay in the Asok area and it's never a bad ride from the airport. To be fair, I've usually arrived early in the morning or late at night. But once in the afternoon and it wasn't an issue. You are looking at about 30 mins of walking to and from train stations if you take the train from the airport. The least stressful option is a cab from outside the doors directly to your hotel. Hopefully you don't get a driver going 20 MPH over the speed of traffic which I got on my first trip there.
|
|
#
?
Sep 10, 2023 18:31
|
|
|
Really helpful insights, thank you!
|
|
#
?
Sep 10, 2023 19:29
|
|
|
Waltzing Along posted:The traffic is on the streets, not so much the freeways. At least, in my experience. I always stay in the Asok area and it's never a bad ride from the airport. To be fair, I've usually arrived early in the morning or late at night. But once in the afternoon and it wasn't an issue. I think the freeway has a toll, which would explain the reduced traffic. If I remember right the taxi driver will ask you if you want to take the freeway for some extra cost
|
|
#
?
Sep 11, 2023 07:03
|
|
|
Sukhumvit Station and Asok Station are the same distance from your hotel because they're the same place geographically. Asok is the BTS, aka the Skytrain. Sukhumvit is the MRT, which runs underground. These lines are not integrated, though they have stations that line up and make for acceptable transfer points. I forgot about the ARL-MRT link as I never would have taken it when I used to have a job that required a commute between locations a lot. It just didn't fit my route at all so I forgot it was there, haha. I always used the ARL-BTS link to ARL to Phaya Thai BTS to Asok BTS is what made sense in my head before I checked. The transfer at Makkasan ARL to Phetchaburi MRT is probably a pain in the rear end because of the elevated nature of the ARL and the deep underground nature of the MRT. There will be escalators and elevators, but it's probably a significant journey. However, Phetchaburi is just one stop from Sukhumvit, so that's the route that makes the most sense to me now that I've bothered to look at a map. As said above, traffic on the expressways isn't usually that bad of a problem, but it can be depending on which exits you're taking and what roads you're merging into and at what time of day, weather, political event, etc. It absolutely could be 40 minutes from the exit of the airport to your hotel door, but it might not be. Public transport will work, but it will be slow by nature. At the same time, you'll always be moving.
|
|
#
?
Sep 11, 2023 13:59
|
|
|
I don't live in Thailand so this is only my personal experience, but I had to fly out of BKK to take the hour flight into Chiang Mai in the early afternoon. Took a taxi from Nana station. I gave myself decent amount of time I felt for what Google says was about a 35-70 minute drive.. I almost missed my flight. Additionally, I did take BTS/MRT MoChit stop to Don Mueang Airport to fly out to Cambodia and that was pretty pleasant. the rail station you get off at to go to the airport is pretty big though but I felt less stressed about that flight. Basically like any other city with lots of traffic. Allot yourself some time to get to the airport.
|
|
#
?
Sep 11, 2023 17:50
|
|
|
Atlas Hugged posted:Sukhumvit Station and Asok Station are the same distance from your hotel because they're the same place geographically. That's really helpful to understand how the different lines/trains work! Thank you. So... A few semi conflicting views. But it sounds like sticking to the public transport plan is the most sensible, given the unpredictable nature of the traffic and how bad it can get? This is only my second time in Asia, and last time I was in India and staying first in Delhi, so a whole different way of doing things.
|
|
#
?
Sep 12, 2023 20:22
|
|
|
Bollock Monkey posted:That's really helpful to understand how the different lines/trains work! Thank you. As someone who lives in Thailand, but not downtown Bangkok, I would honestly suggest taking the taxi. The big issues you're going to run into are carrying your suitcases around, finding your way, and dealing with Bangkok sidewalks, which are poorly maintained and often not even there. Dragging suitcases through that can be a real hassle. Unfortunately, you're basically getting one pass at it, which is the only thing making me waffle. Like, if I tried taking a taxi to the hotel and I found I hit traffic bad on my first try, then on my second trip I'd try public transport. Public transport is slow. I can't stress that enough. It's slow. But it is entirely reliable and will take you to precisely where it says it will. You never stop moving, and that feeling can be huge when dealing with the stress of travel. Being stuck in traffic loving sucks. Taking a taxi from the airport solves a lot of the issues you might run into because he'll take you straight to your hotel, you don't have to transfer, you don't have to deal with crowds, and you don't have to deal with broken sidewalks. At the same time, you might end up in a bad traffic jam. It's just a thing that happens sometimes.
|
|
#
?
Sep 13, 2023 03:33
|
|
|
Bollock Monkey posted:That's really helpful to understand how the different lines/trains work! Thank you. Take the taxi. The only reason not to is you are afraid it might take a little longer to not have to wander around from train to train and to carry luggage around in probably hot and humid weather when you are tired from a flight. In a taxi you get shuttled to your hotel door and don't have to think about it. E: you should be able to use Google Maps directions to get a better sense. It should let you put in the time you will depart the airport and estimate the normal length of time at that time of day. Just add 90 mins to when your plane lands which is a fair amount of time to go through immigration, get your luggage, get a bit of cash and a sim card. Also, the best money exchange is Super Rich. There is one right outside the ASOK BTS gate. If you are looking at Terminal 21 from the station, it is pretty much directly outside the Left entrance. If you are standing at the left entrance, it is in front of you, just across the bridge, on the right side. Don't get too much $ at the airport because the rates aren't that great. Just enough to get through the day if the Super Rich is closed. I think they close at 7 or 8 pm. Waltzing Along fucked around with this message at 03:55 on Sep 13, 2023 |
|
#
?
Sep 13, 2023 03:51
|
|
|
We left Thailand last month during the extra long weekend so there was a lot of traffic on the way back from Hua Hin to the airport. We just booked a private car online, and left an hour and a half earlier than we needed to so we had a traffic buffer. We ended up not needing that much extra time, but I'd rather have spent it relaxing in the airport lounge than stressing out that we were going to miss our flight.
|
|
#
?
Sep 13, 2023 04:05
|
|
|
Waltzing Along posted:Also, the best money exchange is Super Rich. There is one right outside the ASOK BTS gate. If you are looking at Terminal 21 from the station, it is pretty much directly outside the Left entrance. If you are standing at the left entrance, it is in front of you, just across the bridge, on the right side. How common are card payments, if at all? I usually take a Monzo card when travelling but I'm not sure how useful it'll be day-to-day.
|
|
#
?
Sep 13, 2023 13:19
|
|
|
Most medium-bigger stores accept cards. 7-eleven too(200 baht minimum). Street stalls and likes take QR payments and cash.
|
|
#
?
Sep 13, 2023 15:50
|
|
|
Just make sure it's an actual credit card and not just a debit card with a Visa logo on it. My cards do not work at 7-11 for that reason and it is super frustrating. A lot of smaller merchants will also have a QR code option, but largely these only work with Thai bank accounts.
|
|
#
?
Sep 14, 2023 05:09
|
|
|
Has anyone used Wise to take money out from Thai ATMs? I am going back in January and would like to set that up beforehand.
|
|
#
?
Sep 14, 2023 05:45
|
|
|
BKK is a bit more busy but honestly it wasn't much more than a half hour wait until you hit the immigration desk. And take the cab. It's better than it used to be but Bangkok is basically hostile to pedestrians. Sidewalks don't exist or tiny, useless or now flooded.
|
|
#
?
Sep 14, 2023 13:02
|
|
|
Strong Sauce posted:Has anyone used Wise to take money out from Thai ATMs? I am going back in January and would like to set that up beforehand. Works fine everywhere, for paying and ATM withdrawals. Just note that all Thai ATMs have a 220 baht fee for cash withdrawals when using a foreign bank card. Atlas Hugged posted:Just make sure it's an actual credit card and not just a debit card with a Visa logo on it. My cards do not work at 7-11 for that reason and it is super frustrating. My Transferwise card is debit with Visa and works fine everywhere. So I guess it depends on a card. But when travelling, you should have two different bank cards with you anyway, one Visa and the other Mastercard. QR is accepted absolutely everywhere, even more than cash. the heat goes wrong fucked around with this message at 17:05 on Sep 14, 2023 |
|
#
?
Sep 14, 2023 15:59
|
|
|
Get a charles schwab checking account if you can and travel often. It costs nothing, doesnt have a minimum balance requirement. Their debit card refunds all atm fees worldwide. I'd be fine taking out even like 2000 baht at a time when I was in Thailand if I wanted to because of that
|
|
#
?
Sep 14, 2023 16:28
|
|
|
the heat goes wrong posted:Works fine everywhere, for paying and ATM withdrawals. Just note that all Thai ATMs have a 220 baht fee for cash withdrawals when using a foreign bank card. hrm.. so is there a point in using a wise card for trips vs if you're staying abroad? are the fees that much less on the american side of things? meaning is wise cheaper than say, a chase or BoA debit card?
|
|
#
?
Sep 14, 2023 22:10
|
|
|
Strong Sauce posted:hrm.. so is there a point in using a wise card for trips vs if you're staying abroad? are the fees that much less on the american side of things? meaning is wise cheaper than say, a chase or BoA debit card? No idea about the american products. Charles Schwab card should refund you the various ATM fees but I have no idea about the currency conversion rate it uses. The Thai ATM fee is set by Thai banks, not by Wise. Right now I am in Malaysia and there is no such fee here. I mostly use my Wise card for paying and take out cash only when really needed. Wise does have some fees for cash withdrawals, guess they have to make money somehow. First $250 per month is free, after that you pay 1,75%. But for me, Wise card is among my top 3 best items I have with me.
|
|
#
?
Sep 15, 2023 06:17
|
|
|
Boola posted:Get a charles schwab checking account if you can and travel often. It costs nothing, doesnt have a minimum balance requirement. Their debit card refunds all atm fees worldwide. I'd be fine taking out even like 2000 baht at a time when I was in Thailand if I wanted to because of that  I've been using my Fidelity Debit card. The exchange rate isn't the best but it's a VISA card, works everywhere and I've had every atm fee refunded in Thailand. AMEX is basically worthless here.
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2023 09:11
|
|
|
I'm planning to be in Vietnam for two weeks in November and need to edit a long list of ideas. I've already dropped most of them. What I'm still looking at, roughly south to north: HCMC (flying in and out of here, so no choice) Hoi An (wife wants to look at fabrics, take a sewing class, visit the beach, etc. I would feel bad cutting this) Phong Na caves (closed until Nov. 15, so it would have to be later in the trip) Ninh Binh (seems like a relaxing place with some hiking and river stuff to explore) Hanoi (everything) Cat Ba Island (more relaxing and hiking and bay stuff) Ha Long Bay (assuming this would be attached to Cat Ba, and might actually be Lan Ha Bay for practicality) This definitely feels like too many, but I'm having a hard time figuring out which to drop. Probably Ninh Binh because activity-wise it sounds similar to Cat Ba. Phong Na might not be worth the long detour. Any random thoughts are appreciated.
|
|
#
?
Oct 3, 2023 17:28
|
|
|
i really like ninh binh, really pretty and chill place. if you do go i recommend staying around trang an, it’s so peaceful and beautiful there. also the goat meat is very good. haven’t been to cat ba so not sure how it compares, heard ok to good things about it from friends who have been. hanoi is fantastic, please drink all the bia hoi for me how are you planning on getting from place to place?
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2023 18:51
|
|
|
Planes for long distances, taxis for shorter, boats when necessary. I wanted to take some sleeper trains, but it might not be practical. I don't think we're going to bother with motorbikes since we don't have licenses.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2023 19:50
|
|
|
Vietnam will not allow foreigners to rent a car and you will understand why after you try to cross the street downtown.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2023 21:34
|
|
|
I assume it's like Phnom Penh was. I would never want to drive a car in that. I have ridden bikes in similar but milder traffic. It's really this knowledge that tells me we won't be trying the motorbike option.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2023 21:53
|
|
|
Use the GRAB app to call a taxi. Motorbike taxi is an option for the cheap and daring.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2023 22:07
|
|
|
Oh, I'm glad you brought that up. Is Grab good for long distances? Say, the drive from Hanoi to Ninh Binh (hour and a half)? I have only used it within cities. Rideshares with apps are so much easier than booking a legit taxi or independent driver. Also, what about buses for the same kind of trip?
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2023 22:13
|
|
|
Fitzy Fitz posted:I'm planning to be in Vietnam for two weeks in November and need to edit a long list of ideas. I've already dropped most of them. What I'm still looking at, roughly south to north: I'd drop the Phong Na caves, they are pretty remote compared to your itinerary. 2 weeks seems ok to me for the rest of the trip, though I don't mind moving around a lot. Ninh Binh is definitely different from Cat Ba, the former is more of a relaxed hiking/biking spot, the latter is more about watersports (though there are some small hikes on Cat Ba island iteself). Fitzy Fitz posted:Oh, I'm glad you brought that up. Is Grab good for long distances? Say, the drive from Hanoi to Ninh Binh (hour and a half)? I have only used it within cities. Rideshares with apps are so much easier than booking a legit taxi or independent driver. Not sure if it is even possible with the app to be honest. Buses are plentiful in Vietnam, cheap and fast. You can either go to a bus terminal for a cheap local bus, but it will be a bit outside of the city center, or you can look for a small shuttle bus departing from the tourist area, which will be a bit more expensive but easier and more comfortable. I usually check on https://12go.asia, you can even book your tickets directly with them for a 1$ fee. Chikimiki fucked around with this message at 10:42 on Oct 5, 2023 |
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2023 10:37
|
|
|
We have used https://hvgtravel.com/ for multiple long drives on business trips and everything was easy and professional.
|
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2023 12:22
|
|
|
i’d drop phong nha as well i think, yeah. i reckon you could probably have enough time to fly into da nang, sleeper train to ninh binh, then onto hanoi and ha long by bus or train in the time you have. i don’t think ninh binh needs to be a very long visit, one or two nights is enough. the sleeper trains are a real experience, i took them all the way down the country a few years back edit: i had a look on seat 61 and apparently there is a train that leaves da nang at 00:48 and gets you into ninh binh at about half 4 the next afternoon. all the others arrive in ninh binh at like 3am or something terrible like that yugioh mishima fucked around with this message at 15:50 on Oct 5, 2023 |
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2023 15:45
|
|
|
My Thailand trip is suddenly right around the corner, woah. When we got currency here in the UK we got 500 baht notes as the lowest denomination. How easy are these to break at normal shops? Do people mind giving change? (I ask because it can be really hard to break a 50/100 euro note quickly sometimes, so it's good to know where to aim for.)
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2023 16:35
|
|
|
Often street vendors won't have the change or won't want to change 1000 baht notes for small purchases. 500 baht notes they're less likely to complain. If there is a problem, just go to your nearest 7-11 and buy a water or something for 20 baht and get change - they will do it for you.
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2023 17:08
|
|
|
It's getting weirder and weirder to bring cash to Thailand for what it's worth. The last two trips I made I had everything from restaurants, to delivery services like shoppee, to Taxis not want to break bills because they didn't have change. People use contactless payment now a lot. You're gonna want to increasingly have a ton of 100s.
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2023 03:43
|
|
|
Really helpful, thank you. I've got a contactless Visa and a contactless Mastercard too.
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2023 13:52
|
|
|
Bollock Monkey posted:Really helpful, thank you. I've got a contactless Visa and a contactless Mastercard too. It helps having at least one of the qr payment network apps, like grabpay or paylah
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2023 14:42
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 11, 2024 09:08 |
|
|
What's the payment situation in Vietnam? When I was in Thailand and Cambodia I used cards at chains and cash (small bills) at smaller places. Constantly needing to find cash and break large bills was annoying.
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2023 14:52
|
|