TIP: There are three immigration areas at Suvarnabhumi. The Foreign counters will often have hundreds of people waiting and stressed officers who probably won’t cheerily welcome you to the Land of Smiles. The Thai queues will have 2-3 people waiting and a handful of smiley, chilled Immigration officers waving people through. Once you reach Immigration you’ll see that there are separate queuing areas for Thais and Foreigners. There’s no point holding it in and running to Immigration only to find you’ve a 30 minute queue. There are often long queues at Immigration, so pee first. If you need to go to the toilet, you’ll find plenty during the long walk to Immigration. But if you are travelling with someone elderly or who has difficulty walking, make sure your airline know you need assistance when you land in Bangkok, and they’ll have an electric golf cart waiting. There are moving walkways to help speed you to Immigration. Assistance for Elderly / Disabled passengersĪs mentioned above, it’s a large terminal. You’ll need this when you leave the country. And be sure to keep the Departure section safely in your passport. Don’t leave it until you are at the immigration counter. If you already have a Tourist Visa for Thailand make sure you fill out those details on the form. On the plane you’ll be given an Arrival / Departure card. The signage is good – in English, Thai and Chinese, so you probably won’t get lost. The arrivals process is the same as in any international airport. What do you prefer 34.92 THB for $1 or 33.08THB? 39.75 THB for 1EUR or 37.76THB? Suvarnabhumi Airport Arrivals Bottom is SCB bank about 50 metres away in the airport. Top is at Superrich near the rail link ticket office. These two photos were taken about 1 minute apart. You’ll get a much better rate once you cross the invisible dividing line between the airport property and the train station. TIP: If you need to exchange money then it’s better to head down to the Basement level currency exchanges located near the Airport Rail Link. You can top these cards up at any 7-eleven. Figure on 299 Baht for 1 week of 4G data plus 100 Baht of calls. They all offer 4G connection in most areas of the country and all have pre-paid ‘Tourist SIMs’ that offer a package of calls plus data. All of the three main providers – AIS, True or DTAC are fine. If you have an unlocked phone, then pick up a SIM card at one of the telecoms counters on the Arrivals level. If you’re planning on using the internet whilst on holiday, then getting a Thai SIM card will make your life a lot easier. The basement is where you’ll find more restaurants and a 7-eleven, plus access to either the Novotel Airport Hotel and the Airport Rail Link which takes you into the city centre of Bangkok for just 45 Baht. It’s also home to a good food court – called the ‘ Magic Food Center ‘, that’s always packed and offers a wide range of Thai and Western food for reasonable prices. The 1st Floor is where you’ll head if you want to take a taxi into Bangkok or buy a bus / minibus ticket to the city or elsewhere – including Koh Chang. You’ll also find the airport police station on this floor. The 3rd Floor is a mass of over priced restaurants along with a couple of convenience stores and branch of Boots. ( Plus a couple of floors of offices and an observation deck which doesn’t have a such good view, not much point in going up there. The airport terminal at BKK has four floors and a basement. I’ve also added real-time Arrival and Departure information at the bottom of the page, so you can check if your flight is on time. Changi Airport, in Singapore, for example is far more interesting, regardless of the waterfall. It comes in for some criticism, partly due to the distances involved – you can walk for almost a kilometre from an Arrival gate to the Immigration counters partly for the lack of toilets – a lot of space earmarked for bathrooms was taken by duty free shops and partly because it’s a bit bland. The airport terminal, which is one of the largest in the world, resembles a glass and concrete shopping mall. This guide is aimed at helping you navigate through BKK airport and either to Koh Chang or into Bangkok city centre as easily as possible by your preferred means of transport. Today’s Departures at Suvarnabhumi Airport
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