Transport in Thailand

Getting There

Thailand has international flight connections with a vast number of destinations worldwide. Suvarnabhumi Airport is the biggest international airport located in Bangkok and used by long-haul and full-service carriers intensively. Phuket international airport might be your other option for long-haul flight but the variety of flights is lesser. 

Suvarnabhumi and Phuket airports, as well as Chiang Mai international airport and Bangkok’s second airport Don Mueang are well connected with many destinations in Asia. If arriving from Southeast Asia, you have a good choice of low-cost flights and much wider selection of possible destinations in Thailand as low-cost carriers have additional international flights to the smaller international airports in Krabi, Hat Yai, Koh Samui, Chiang Rai, Surat Thani, Pattaya and Udon Thani. For more information, see our flights to Thailand page.

Thailand also has land connections with neighbouring Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Malaysia. There are over twenty international overland border crossings making arrival overland convenient. Check our Traveling to Thailand overland page if you are planning to arrive in Thailand or to leave it by land.

Getting Around the Country

Transportation is one thing that you don’t need to worry about in Thailand. Country's public transport system generally offers excellent value. Thailand is also well-served by domestic airlines. Buses are cheap and convenient with many routes to various destinations. The railway network connects four corners of the country and is a cheap, scenic but slow way to travel around Thailand. Minivans and songthaews (pick-up trucks with two rows of seats) can help you to reach even the most distant villages. Large islands can be accessed by large ferries and smaller islands can be reached by speedboats and smaller boats.

For more information, see our Travelling Around Thailand page.

Getting Around the Cities

Most of cities and larger towns in Thailand have some kind of local transport system. In largest cities it can be a network of buses but in most cases it will be just a network of songthaews, with set fares and routes but not rigid timetabling. Local transport system usually is complemented by various taxi services such as metered taxis, motorbike taxis and tuk-tuks.

For more information, see our Local transport in Thailand page.