How To Get From Don Mueang Airport To Bangkok City Centre

Want to know How to Get from Don Mueang Airport to Bangkok City Centre?

Don Mueang or Don Muang Airport is located 25km north from Bangkok’s bustling downtown city centre.

If you’re flying Air Asia, Nok Air or Lionair, Don Mueang Airport is where you’ll touch down (or take off) in Bangkok. Getting from Don Mueang Airport to Bangkok is straightforward. There are 5 ways to reach your hotel from Don Mueang including taxis, trains and public buses with the cheapest-convenient option being the airport bus and a faster option is a pre-booked private transfer.

This article covers everything you need to know about how to get from Don Mueang airport to Bangkok City centre.

Don Muang Airport to Bangkok

If you don’t have the time to read this entire blog and you’re ready to plan your trip from Don Mueang Airport to Bangkok, then the easiest way is to book an online bus. The bus only costs around $8 and you’ll have all the details you need on the 12Go platform. If you arrive in the middle of the night, buses won’t be available. In that case the best option at this time of the day is to book a transfer. It will obviously cost quite a bit more than the bus, yet the price is still reasonable at $25.

However, if you have a few minutes to keep reading the information in this article it will give you the details you need for when you land in Don Mueang airport. That way you can choose the transport option that is best for you.

DON MUEANG AIRPORT

Don Mueang Airport (DMK) serves as a hub for most low cost airlines arriving from within Thailand or nearby countries.

While there is only 25km from Don Mueang to Bangkok and the journey usually takes around 30 minutes, travel time can drastically increase depending on traffic conditions and where you’re going. So plan at least 1 hour to get from Don Muang airport to Bangkok hotel you’ll be staying in.

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Money Exchange/ATMs

Unless you’ve booked an online bus or already organized a private transfer and paid for them online, you will need Thai Baht ฿ to pay for public transport. Taxis, public buses and trains only accept cash.

After baggage and clearing customs you’ll find money exchanges and ATM’s in the main arrival terminal.

Avoid any bright colored ATM’s. Those ATM’s always have shitty conversion rates and charge a ridiculous fee.

DON MUEANG AIRPORT TO BANGKOK

There are taxis, buses, trains and private transfers that will take you from Don Mueang to Bangkok city centre.

Search various transport from just $10

Your budget and the place or area you need to go to is what will dictate which are the best options for you.

Below is a quick overview for each option followed by further details for each one.

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Bus from Don Mueang Airport to Bangkok

Taking a bus from Don Mueang Airport to Bangkok is an inexpensive way to reach your hotel. There are public buses. Or you can book your bus ticket online via 12 Go platform where you can also see all the options and choose which area you want to go to such as Khao San, Silom and Phaya Thai.

Buses are located in front of gates 6 and 12 on the main terminal hall.

Taxis from Don Mueang Airport to Bangkok

Taking a taxi from Don Mueang is the easiest way to reach your hotel in Bangkok. Once you’ve done baggage claim and gone through customs, follow the signs that say taxi. DO NOT follow anyone offering a taxi. Just ignore them, these are just touts and are not regulated drivers.

At the taxi stand you’ll need to take a ticket and wait in line for your turn. Depending on the time of day and how busy the airport is, there can be a pretty long line.

Official taxi drivers a required by law to use the meter. But always ask the driver to use the meter before getting in the car. Also, a surcharge of ฿50 is applicable for airport taxis and also you will need to pay any tolls if using the express-way.

Transfer from Don Mueang Airport to Bangkok

The fastest, easiest and most hassle free way to reach getting from Don Muang to your hotel in Bangkok is via private transfer. A driver will be waiting for you the minute you walk, no touts will annoy you, and you won’t need to wait in line for a taxi, because who want that after a flight. You can check current prices for transfers here.

DON MUEANG TO BANGKOK – CHEAP TRANSPORT

Shuttle Bus

Shuttle buses (public bus) operating from Don Mueng Airport to Bangkok are air-conditioned and have plenty of room for your backpacks or luggage. If you’re on a budget, the shuttle buses from Don Mueang are the most reliable option.

Currently there’s 4 buses operating between Don Mueang and various popular areas in Bangkok City. The buses operate on a 30 minute or 15 minute schedule and cost between ฿30 ($0.84) and ฿50 ($1.40).

The A4 bus goes to Khaosan road and costs ฿50 ($1.40). The schedule is every 30 minutes from 7:00am to 11:00pm.

The A1 bus goes to BTS Mo Chit and costs ฿30 ($0.84). The schedule is every 15 minutes from 6:30am to midnight.

The A2 bus goes to Victory Monument and costs ฿30 ($0.84). The schedule is every 30 minutes from 6:30am to 11:00pm.

The A3 bus goes to Lumphini Park and costs ฿30 ฿50 ($1.40). The schedule is every 30 minutes from 7:30am to 11:00pm.

Buses leave from the arrival area on the first floor of Terminal 1, near Exit No. 6 at Don Mueang Airport. The older buses are orange (don’t worry, they still have air condition) and lately new blue buses are being introduced on the Don Mueang Airport bus routes.

All bus routes are direct. This means there’s only a few stops before the shuttle bus reaches its final destination. The journey usually takes between 60 to 90 Minutes.

Bus Routes and Schedule

Bus No.	Destination	Fare	Schedule	Frequency
A1	BTS Mo Chit	฿30 (€0.78)	6:15am-Midnight	every 15 minutes
A2	Victory Monument	฿30 (€0.78)	6:30am-11:00pm	every 30 minutes
A3	Lumphini Park	฿50 (€1.31)	7:00am – 11:00pm	every 30 minutes
A4	Khaosan Road	฿50 (€1.31)	7:00am – 11:00pm	every 30 minutes

This table offers a quick overview of buses from Don Mueang Airport to Bangkok.

Tip: Bus tickets are bought on board in cash from the driver or bus conductor. Make sure to have smaller notes because large notes like ฿500 and ฿1000 may not be accepted.

Trains

The train from Don Mueang Airport to Bangkok will take you to Krungthep Aphiwat station (aka: Bang Sue Grand Station).

Krungthep Aphiwat station is a central railway hub in Bangkok and connected to Bangkok’s MRT.

Popular areas connected with the MRT are Sukhumvit, Silom and Siam so reaching any of these areas by train from Don Mueang Airport is a great option.

The only inconvenience here is that the train station is located outside the airport and requires about 10 to 15 minutes walk. From the arrivals area you will need to walk the length of the terminal and cross through a parking area. Here you’ll see signs for the train station.

Train Schedule

Trains depart Don Mueang Airport around every 20 minutes and operate between 5:00am and midnight. And the journey to Krungthep Aphiwat station takes around 15 minutes.

Train Tickets

Tickets are purchased with a vending machine at Mueang Train Station. There is also a ticket booth in case you want to change money for the machine or have problems getting the tickets from the vending machine.

DON MUEANG TO BANGKOK – BEST OPTIONS

Taxis

Unlike buses and trains, taxis are convenient because they operate both during the day and night. And compared to buses and trains there’s also less logistics to figure out.

After going through baggage claim and customs you can follow the signs to the taxi stand. But basically the stand is just outside the terminal.

Ignore anyone telling you “taxi” or “Khaosan road” or any kind of offer for transportation service. These people are touts just looking for their next victim.

The taxi system at Don Mueang Airport works with tickets. So you need to take a ticket and wait for your number. Keep in mind that the airport does get busy and you may need to wait some time for your turn.

These taxis are regulated and use meters. And although the cost will vary, the taxi fare from Don Mueang to Bangkok centre is usually between ฿300 (€7.81) and ฿350 (€9.12) baht plus ฿50 (€1.30) airport surcharge.

Private Transfer

A private transfer is the equivalent of a taxi but better.

When pre-booking a private transfer you’ll have everything sorted out in advance. No waiting in line and no uncertainty of the final cost.

Your driver will be waiting for you with a card displaying your name outside baggage claim and customs.

Grab – Uber of Asia

Grab is basically the Uber of Thailand and most South East Asian Countries.

The best thing about this app is that you input your destination, and any nearby drivers will come and pick you up and take you wherever location you selected to go. This is convenient if you’re in an area where not so many metered taxis pass by.

However, after a while living in Bangkok and using both GRAB and also normal taxis, we stopped using GRAB because of the ridiculous prices. Yes its convenient, but prices are generally 100% more than what a metered taxi would cost for the same ride.

The only times we use GRAB is when we’re somewhere where no ordinary metered taxis pass by. Which is very rare especially in Bangkok

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Where to stay in Bangkok

Bangkok is a very city with different areas catering to different tastes and budgets. The 3 most popular areas to stay in Bangkok are Sukhumvit, Siam and the Old part of Bangkok. Below is a quick overview for each area along with hotel recommendations.

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