Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport is well known to everyone. But few people know (or have already forgotten) that until 2006, Don Muang was the main air gate of the Thai capital. When Suvarnabhumi was built, the old harbor began to play a secondary role in traffic, taking in domestic flights of small local airlines, charters and aircraft from neighboring countries.
Everything has changed since 2013, when the reputable large carrier AirAsia moved from Suvarnabhumi to Don Muang. And this airline is very popular among tourists from Russia. It delivers travelers from Bangkok to Koh Samui, Phuket and other resorts in Thailand and Southeast Asia. Therefore, the question of how to get from Suvarnabhumi to Don Muang became very urgent. This article will describe all the ways to go. What types of public transport connect both capital airports? Which one will be the fastest and which one the cheapest?
Transport Difficulties
Flights from non-CIS countries, including Russia, land in Suvarnabhumi. This airport is designated on air tickets as VKK. And if your next flight starts from DMK, then you should consider how to get from Suvarnabhumi to Don Muang. The last airport is located 30 kilometers north of Bangkok. And the main air harbor is located far east of the capital. The distance between the two airports is more than 50 kilometers.
Thailand has a very developed bus service. This type of transport is very comfortable and cheap. Buses run at short intervals. There are round-the-clock flights. But buses have one drawback - they are firmly stuck in traffic jams. And the traffic in the Thai capital is such that traffic jams happen at any time of the day. To solve the problem, the authorities paved toll roads.
Sitting in a taxi, you need to discuss the route with the driver in advance, especially if the car is not with a fixed price, but with a counter (the latter will work when you are standing in traffic jams). The most convenient way to get from Suvarnabhumi to the city is by underground. But unfortunately, its branch is not extended to Don Muang. Therefore, you need to go with transfers.
How to get from Don Muang to Suvarnabhumi for free
Both airports are state owned. Therefore, the government simply had to establish a free communication between them. Unfortunately, the shuttle is not quite around the clock. The first flight leaves at five in the morning, and the last at midnight. The intervals between the buses are quite short - half an hour, and in the hot time (from 8 to 11 and from 16 to 19) every 20 minutes. The bus does not make stops along the way.
You can get from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Don Muang (or in the opposite direction) on such a shuttle in 60-65 minutes. But if the trip is ahead during the peak, then you should expect that the trip will stretch for one and a half, or even two hours. The shuttle is free, but not everyone can use it. Upon entering the cabin, you must show the driver a ticket with a departure on the same day (in paper or electronic form), a boarding pass or at least a reservation. The driver will put a stamp on your palm.
How to find a free bus stop
For the budget traveler, the option of how to get from Don Muang to Suvarnabhumi by shuttle is more than tempting. It remains only to find a stop at this huge main and rather large additional airport for this free bus. First, we will tell you how to navigate in Suvarnabhumi.
Leaving the arrival hall, you will be taken to the second floor of a gigantic airport. Move along the same level to the exit to the street. You need gate number 3. This exit is just to the right of the main one. Passing through gate number 3, you will see several stops. You need the one that says "AOT Shuttle Bass." Nearby is an information stand with rules for how to travel in such a bus. Finding a shuttle stop in Don Muang is easier. Just go through exit number 6 or 7. The shuttle stop will be right next to them.
Fixed price taxis
There are several types of services for such transportation. At airports in the arrivals hall you will see several taxi racks. Nearby is the price tag, which indicates the destination and fare there. You will have to say goodbye to a thousand butts (about 2,000 rubles) to get from Don Muang to Suvarnabhumi. How to use such a taxi service? Come to the counter, say the route, pay the money. You will be issued a boarding pass with a car number.
They stand right at the exit, on the second level. You give the coupon to the driver. Everything is simple and clear. You can pre-arrange a trip on a toll road. It will be a little more expensive, but then the travel time will be reduced to 38 minutes. On a regular road, traveling from one airport to another will take about an hour.
"Public taxi"
At different exits, both at the level of the departure and arrival zones, there are columns with the inscription public taxi. If your goal is to get from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Don Muang, then there will be no problems with the car. Cars drive up to the parking lots one by one. Another thing is little in demand Don Muang. But even there, drivers are guided by flights, and are waiting for potential passengers.
Such "public taxi" work on the counter. The price may seem very attractive to you. The distance between the two airports can be covered by paying only 300 baht during the day and 500 at night (600 and a thousand rubles, respectively). But there is a catch. The meter is set not for mileage, but for the time of passenger service. Therefore, parking in traffic jams can significantly increase the cost of travel.
Transfer
For those who do not like to make extra gestures, there is such a way to get from Suvarnabhumi to Don Muang or in the opposite direction. Just a couple of clicks, and you can order a transfer. You can do this on the website of the KiwiTaxi international service right upon arrival at one of Bangkok's airports, even before the passport service passes.
The cost varies from the type of car ordered ("economy", "standard", "representative" or "business class"), as well as its size (passenger car for 3-4 passengers, minivan, minibus). The driver will meet you with a sign at the airport at the gate to the arrivals hall, help bring luggage and take you to the address. But such a pleasure will cost from 1,500 baht (three thousand rubles).
Bus + metro + skytrain
This is a dubious option, both in price and in time, since you will have to stop in Bangkok on the way. From Suvarnabhumi to Don Muang can be reached by two modes of transport. At the main airport, go down to the lowest level, following the signs for Airport Link. Take the skytrain train and after half an hour you will reach the final stop of Phaya Tai.
Then you need to go down underground and get on the usual metro station to Mo Chit. There you should wait for the bus to Don Muang. The whole trip will take an hour and a half and will cost 150 baht (300 rubles). So such a trip is beneficial only if you want to, even if briefly, see Bangkok on the way to the resort.