Getting around
Bangkok
Bangkok rewrote its rulebook in 2025–26 and most guides haven't caught up. The short version: file the free TDAC digital arrival card online before you fly (mandatory since May 2025), visa-free entry is now 30 days for 54 nationalities — not the 60 days older guides still claim — and one contactless Visa or Mastercard now runs the entire train network, because the MRT's stored-value cards died in June 2026. Add an eSIM before you land, carry ฿1,000–2,000/day in cash for the street QR your foreign apps can't touch, and you've solved 90% of Bangkok logistics before takeoff.
TDAC, visas and the two-airport trap
Both now have their own page. File the TDAC free no more than 3 days before arrival, and know that visa-free is 30 days in 2026, not 60 — most guides still say 60: TDAC and Thai visas.
Check the airport code on every ticket. BKK (Suvarnabhumi) and DMK (Don Mueang) are 45 km apart, and every route into town is priced here: Suvarnabhumi to the city.
Trains, boats, taxis — what changed
Trains: one bank card is the answer. MRT stored-value cards died on June 1, 2026 — EMV contactless tap (any Visa/Mastercard) now covers MRT, BTS and the Airport Rail Link. Tap in, tap out, done; no queue, no top-up card. Fares run BTS ฿17–62, MRT ฿17–43. And the candid bit other guides dodge: the famous ฿20 flat fare (September 2025) is for Thai nationals only — it requires the Tang Rat app and a Thai ID. Tourists pay full fare. It's dual pricing; grumble and tap anyway, the trains are still cheap.
Boats are transport and sightseeing at once. Chao Phraya Express orange flag: ฿20 flat — the best cheap 'cruise' in Bangkok. The blue-flag tourist boat runs ฿30–35 a ride or ฿150–200 for a day pass (worth it only if you're hopping piers all day). The Saen Saep khlong boat (฿15–25) is the fastest Sukhumvit-to-Old-Town shortcut and feels like a water rollercoaster; that's a feature.
Road: the meter starts at ฿40 now — many guides still say ฿35; they're wrong. If a driver refuses the meter, walk away and open an app: Bolt runs 10–25% cheaper than Grab on most routes, and both surge 2–3× in rain. Motorbike taxis (orange vests, ฿15–30) beat everything for short hops in gridlock. Tuk-tuks are a 10-minute experience, not transport — negotiate ฿100–200 up front or skip. For intercity trains — Ayutthaya, the sleepers north — book at the station or via the official D-Ticket site.
Baht, ATMs and the eSIM default
~฿33.6 per USD, Thai ATM fees of ฿220–250 a withdrawal, why the street needs cash despite PromptPay, and the eSIM case: money in Bangkok.
The rules that changed, and the ones that bite
Vapes are fully illegal with fines to ฿30,000, cannabis is back to prescription-only, alcohol hours are a unified 11:00–24:00, and one habit defuses nearly every scam: Bangkok rules that bite.
Bangkok weather, in one paragraph
Weather in one paragraph: November–February is the sweet spot — but PM2.5 smog season runs December–March, and January–February is the worst air in the best weather; pack an N95 and check the IQAir app. April is 40°C and Songkran (April 13–15) — avoid unless the water fight is the trip. May–October is rainy season: short violent downpours that drain in 30–60 minutes, with September–October the wettest and cheapest months.
Four things to sort before you fly
None of these are glamorous. All four are cheaper and easier from your sofa than from an airport queue.
before the flight
Bangkok hotels are the world's best five-star value — dorms ฿350–600, solid 4-star ฿2,500–4,500, true five-star from ฿5,000 — but December–January cool season and Songkran week sell out months ahead. One legal note listings won't volunteer: Airbnb stays under 30 days in unlicensed condos remain illegal — hosts get fined and guests get turned away by building security. Book hotels, or read our neighborhood verdicts first.
Search Bangkok hotelsFAQ
Do I need a transit card for the BTS and MRT?
No — this changed in 2026. MRT stored-value cards were discontinued on June 1, 2026, and EMV contactless tap now covers MRT, BTS and the Airport Rail Link: tap any contactless Visa or Mastercard at the gate. The ฿20 flat fare you may have read about is for Thai nationals only; tourists pay ฿17–62 (BTS) / ฿17–43 (MRT) per ride.
When is Bangkok's air pollution season?
PM2.5 season runs December–March, peaking January–February — unfortunately inside the November–February weather sweet spot. On bad days the whole city goes red-zone on the IQAir app. Pack an N95 for outdoor days, check the app each morning, and shift park sunsets and long walks to the days the numbers allow.