How to Get Around Thailand

Bangkok is best covered by the BTS Skytrain and MRT, which avoid traffic that is otherwise among the worst anywhere. Staying within walking distance of a station changes the trip more than any other decision.

Domestic flights are cheap and frequent, and are the practical way to move between Bangkok, the north and the islands.

Trains are slow but comfortable and scenic; the overnight sleeper to Chiang Mai is a genuine option rather than an endurance. Buses reach everywhere and are cheaper still.

Locally, songthaew pickup trucks run fixed routes, tuk-tuks are for short hops and should be negotiated first, and metered taxis in Bangkok should use the meter — insist, or use an app.

Motorbike hire is ubiquitous and is the leading cause of serious injury to visitors. Most travel insurance does not cover it without the correct licence, and road-traffic deaths in Thailand are among the highest in the world.

How to tell a legal taxi from an illegal one

By the plates. Unlicensed vehicles carry black and white licence plates, and they are not correctly insured to carry passengers and may not use meters — so the plate is the first thing to look at, before the fare. Use licensed taxis from official taxi stands, a limousine service, or a trusted ride-hailing app. Do not share a taxi with strangers, and note that many taxis have no seatbelts in the back.

Disputes with taxi and tuk-tuk operators do happen and have occasionally turned into intimidation or violence. If one does and you feel threatened, ask the local police to settle it rather than arguing it out.

Getting out of the airport

Four sanctioned ways, and they are worth knowing before you land: a hotel shuttle arranged in advance, a trusted ride-hailing app, the airport rail-link service, or an official airport bus. Anything offered to you in the arrivals hall is not on that list.

Roads, and the two dates to avoid driving

Paved roads connect the major cities but most have only two lanes, slow-moving trucks limit both speed and visibility, and some roads become impassable in the wet. Avoid driving on mountain roads at night, particularly in the rainy season from June to October. Hazardous road conditions, adverse weather, local disregard for traffic law and drunk driving combine to make accidents frequent.

Two periods are measurably worse: drunk driving and accidents are much more frequent around 1 January and around Songkran in mid-April. If your trip includes either, that is the week to be a passenger.

Motorbikes, and the insurance clause

Motorcycle accidents are responsible for the majority of road deaths here, and rental scooters and motorcycles are often poorly maintained — unsafe to their riders and to everyone else. The clause that catches people is financial rather than mechanical: an insurance claim can be denied if you were riding without a motorcycle licence. The advisory's position is to avoid riding at all in Thailand, even for an experienced motorcyclist.

Boats

Passenger boat accidents have occurred through overloading and poor maintenance, and vessels often lack adequate safety equipment. On the island crossings that means choosing the established operator over the cheapest departure, and looking for whether there are life jackets before you board rather than after.

Two things that will close a route

Border crossing points can close without notice, so cross only at designated points and with the right documents — and build a contingency if a land border is load-bearing in your plan. And demonstrations can block major roads and intersections and cause the closure of mass transit stations, which in Bangkok removes the one thing that beats the traffic.

Several regions carry avoid-all-travel advice, and the reasons are on Stay Safe.