Thailand Travel Guide

Social Conventions

Present-day Thai society is the result of centuries of cultural interchange, particularly with China and India, but more recently with the West. Western visitors will generally receive a handshake on meeting. A Thai will be greeted with the traditional closed hands and a slight bow of the head - the wai. Buddhist monks are always greeted in this way.

The Thai Royal Family is regarded with an almost religious reverence. Visitors should respect this. It is very bad manners to make public displays of anger, as Thais regard such behavior as boorish and a loss of 'face'. Public displays of affection between men and women are also frowned upon, and it is considered rude to touch anyone on the head or to point one's feet at someone. Shoes should be removed before entering someone's home or a temple.

Informal dress is widely acceptable and men are seldom, if ever, expected to wear suits. Beachwear should be confined to the beach and topless sunbathing is frowned upon. Smoking is widely acceptable.

International Travel

Getting There By Air

The national airline is Thai Airways (website: www.thaiairways.com).

Departure Tax

Departure tax is included in the price of the air ticket.

Main Airports

Bangkok International (BKK) (Suvarnabhumi) (website: www2.airportthai.co.th) is 30km (19 miles) east of the city (journey time - 1 hour). To/from the airport: There are airport express bus routes to the city. There are also regular public bus routes to the city and to the provinces, including Pattaya. An overhead city rail link is being built and is expected to open by summer 2009. Taxis are also available at all hours. Facilities: Left luggage, first aid, chemist, duty-free shop, banks/bureau de change, restaurants, bars and snack bars, post office, international and local car hire, accommodation reservations, and Internet cafe.

Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX) (website: www2.airportthai.co.th) is 4km (2.5 miles) southwest of the city (journey time - 20 minutes). To/from the airport: Taxi services are available to the city center. Facilities: International and local car hire companies, banks/bureau de change, restaurant, shops and snack bars.

Phuket International Airport (HKT) (website: www2.airportthai.co.th) is 32km (20 miles) northwest of Phuket (journey time - 45 minutes). To/from the airport: Taxis and limousines are available to the city center. Facilities: Left luggage, duty-free shops, first aid, bureau de change, post office, restaurant and snack bars, international and local car hire companies and tourist information.

Getting There By Water

Main port: Bangkok (website: www.bkp.port.co.th), but there are very limited passenger services available. There are passenger crossings between Thailand and Laos at several points along the Mekong River.

Cruise lines call at Thailand.

Getting There By Rail

State Railways of Thailand operate through trains (tel: (02) 222 0175; website: www.railway.co.th) between Butterworth in Malaysia, with daily connections between elsewhere in Malaysia and Singapore and the borders with Cambodia (at Aranyaprathet) and Laos (at Nong Khai).

The opulent Eastern and Oriental Express (tel: 0845 077 2222, within the UK; website: www.orient-express.com) runs directly from Bangkok to Singapore, but is expensive.

Getting There By Road

There are international roads from Cambodia, Malaysia and Laos. Roads into Myanmar are not officially open to tourist traffic. Long distance air-conditioned buses travel to border crossing towns and can be arranged at the bus stations or through travel companies.

Duty Free

Overview

The following goods may be imported into Thailand without incurring customs duty by any person, irrespective of age:

• 200 cigarettes or 250g of tobacco or equal weight of cigars.
• 1L of alcoholic liquor.

Prohibited Imports

There are restrictions on the import and export of illegal drugs and all firearms and ammunition. The export of archaeological items or anything with historical value, religious artifacts and images of the Buddha requires a certificate of authorization from the Department of Fine Arts in Thailand. Radio transceiver equipment, plant and living materials, live animals or products, medicines and chemicals also require a permit from the relevant government agency.

Warning: Any drug-related offenses are severely punished and may result in life imprisonment or even the death penalty.

Internal Travel

Getting Around By Air

Thai Airways International (TG) (website: www.thaiairways.com) runs services to all major towns, using a total of 15 airports including Phuket and Chiang Mai. Bangkok Airways (PG) (website: www.bangkokair.com) flies several additional routes including Ko Samui. Discounts are available during off-peak seasons and during special promotional periods. One-Two-Go Airlines (website: www.fly12go.com) and Nok Air (website: www.nokair.co.th) offer domestic flights.

Getting Around By Water

Thailand has, depending on the season, up to 1,600km (1,000 miles) of navigable inland waterway. Services operate along the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok between Rajburana and Pakkred by taxi-boat ferries operated by the Chao Phraya Express Boat (tel: (02) 623 6143; website: www.chaophrayaboat.co.th). In addition, long-tailed motorboats ply the river.

Ferry services operate between the mainland and several islands including Surat Thani to Ko Samui, Phuket to Phi Phi, Pattaya to Ko Samet and Trat to Ko Chang, and can be booked in person at the dock. Strong competition on all of the major routes ensures that fares are kept low. Reduced services operate during the monsoon season from May through to October along the east coast and Andaman coast, and from November until January on the Gulf coast. The more remote spots become inaccessible in these periods.

Getting Around By Rail

The excellent railway network extends over 4,600km (2,860 miles), linking all major towns with the exception of Phuket. It is run by State Railways of Thailand (tel: (02) 222 0175; website: www.railway.co.th). There are four main routes to the northern, eastern, southern and northeastern regions, and also a line serving Thon Buri, River Kwai Bridge and Nam Tok.

There are several daily services on each route, with air-conditioned sleeping and restaurant cars on the principal trains. The journeys are leisurely and comfortable, and traveling by train is certainly one of the best ways to get around the country. The Southern Line Express stops at Surat Thani for those who wish to continue by bus and ferry to the islands off the east coast. Most railway timetables are published in English.

Rail Passes

Thailand Rail Pass: available for 20 days travel in second or third class.

Getting Around By Road

There is a reasonable road network comprising many highways, which are designated by numbers, and 52,000km (32,300 miles) of national and provincial roads. All major roads are paved. Traffic drives on the left.

Coach: There are inter-urban routes to all provinces. Fares are very cheap and buses very crowded. Privately owned air-conditioned buses (seats bookable) are comfortable and moderately priced. Coaches can be booked in person at the bus stations.

Car hire: Available in all main towns and cities from both international and local companies.

Regulations: The minimum age for driving in Thailand is 21 years and the wearing of seat belts is compulsory. The speed limit is 60kph (35mph) in towns and cities and 90 to 100kph (52 to 60mph) on expressways and country roads.

Documentation: A national license and International Driving Permit (IDP) are required. IDPs are valid for three months, after which a Thai driving license is required.

Getting Around Towns and Cities

Conventional bus services in Bangkok are operated by the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority, but there are also extensive private minibus operations. Premium fares are charged for air-conditioned (cream and blue buses) and express buses. The ordinary buses are cream and red or white and blue and charge a flat rate regardless of distance traveled. Fares are generally low and are collected by conductors.

In Bangkok, taxis displaying the TAXI-METER sign are metered. Samlors or tuk-tuks are three-wheeled taxis without a meter; the fare must be negotiated before the journey commences. These are cheaper than taxis but are only suitable for short distances.

There are express, rapid and ordinary motorboat services operated by the Chao Phraya Express Boat on the Chao Phraya River between Nonthaburi pier to the north of Bangkok to Rajburana pier in southern Bangkok. The express boats, marked with yellow, blue or green and yellow flags, are more expensive than the rapid orange-flag-flying boats. The ordinary flagless boats are the cheapest.

The Skytrain (BTS), an elevated mass transit system in Bangkok, runs from 0600-2400. The Metro runs from Hualamphong to Bang Sue. Trains leave every five to nine minutes between 0600 and 2400.

Chiang Mai public transport was limited to red minibuses (songtaews), tuk-tuks, rickshaws and taxis with meters but now there is a limited bus service in operation.

Journey Times

The following chart gives approximate journey times (in hours and minutes) from Bangkok to other major cities/destinations in Thailand.

	Air	Road	Rail
Chiang Mai	1.10	10.00	11.15
Hua Hin	-	3.30	3.30
Pattaya	-	3.00	3.25
Phuket	1.20	11.30	-
Samui	1.15	-	-