Southern Bus Terminal in Bangkok (or Sai Tai in Thai) is a modern bus terminal in capital of Thailand, which specializes mainly on bus routes from Bangkok to the southern and western parts of the country. Any bus station – an important object to every independent traveler. Therefore below is the text, where you can find detailed description of the Southern Bus Terminal in Bangkok, information about its location, how to get to this bus terminal from different districts of Bangkok, as well as the current schedule of bus routes and fares on buses from the Southern Bus Terminal to various cities in Thailand.
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[ad#trans]Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal: location and how to get
Unlike other bus terminals in Bangkok, Southern Bus Terminal, which have a the full name “Bangkok Sai Tai Taling Chan Southern Bus Terminal”, located somewhat uncomfortable due to lack of nearby BTS SkyTrain stations or stations of MRT Bangkok. You should just remember that the word “South” in the official name of the bus terminal does not mean that it is located in the southern part of the capital. In reality, this is probably a bus terminal in the western part of the city, on a major street Borommaratchachonnani Road, the name of which is quite difficult to pronounce correctly the first time.
New Southern Bus Terminal in Bangkok was opened in late 2007 and moved further away from the city center. On the one hand, it made the road to bus terminal it is even more complicated for tourists, but on the other – such an arrangement thus avoiding downtime buses in long hours of traffic jams Thai capital. However, you can get into a traffic jam on the way from the city center by the bus station, especially when you plan get to terminal in the evening of working day. Keep this in mind and always plan on it a 1.5-2 of extra hours. Really, is better to spend this time in a cafe or shop at the bus station, than be late for your bus.
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The easiest way to get to the Southern Bus Terminal Sai Tai is a taxi in Bangkok with a counter, which will deliver you to desired point from the city center for about 120 baht and half an hour (without traffic jams and in contact with the green wave of traffic lights. It is best to plan to travel by taxi at least 1.5 or 2 hours. Often taxi drivers in Bangkok trying to earn on unsuspecting tourists and offer to use a quicker way, which, according to them, to avoid traffic jams, however, is nothing more than a divorce: time will be spent not less, and pay you even longer.
If you are very limited in time, and at the same time you do not have heavy luggage (for example, only a backpack for traveling), you can use the motorcycle taxi services, which compares favorably to the classic car taxi ability to quickly travel through the traffic jams on the streets. The cost of motorcycle taxi services usually more expensive than normal taxi with the meter, but it is better to overpay a 100 baht, than being late for a bus with ticket price 700 or 1100 baht, on which you are want get from Bangkok to Koh Samui or Phuket.
Southern Bus Terminal in Bangkok – the main entrance
The second method, which allows to get to the Southern Bus Terminal in Bangkok – are buses on which to station can be reached from different parts of the city and Suvarnabhumi Airport. If you need to get to the bus terminal from the Suvarnabhumi airport, you can use the bus number 556. Just remember that ride on this bus should be long enough: about 2.5 hours. There are other options, but they take up even more time and require two to three change bus, that for foreigners may be more complicated: I personally would not have risked and better save time and money.
The second popular bus route for travelers: get to the Southern Bus Terminal in Bangkok from the Victory Monument, which located in the eponymous square next to the eponymous BTS SkyTrain Station. For these purposes, it is best to take a direct bus number 515, which costs only 17 baht. Travel time with favorable traffic conditions around an hour, and during that time you pass 32 stops. True it is better not to count them, and to warn the conductor to remind you of the arrival at their destination.
The bus stop of 515 bus to the southern bus terminal in Bangkok
Find the right bus stop is not difficult: get off at Victory Monument BTS Station and move along the movement toward to large circular area, keeping to the left side of Phaya Thai street. In the picture above marked bus stop, which is necessary to carry out landing on the orange bus # 515. With the same stop a bus number 539 ร, but about him I do not have the data: this bus with air-conditioned or not. Travel time of the bus is also less than an hour, along the route 34 stop.
At the end of the route you need walk directly to the Southern bus terminal of Bangkok about 300 meters. Four-storey building with a green gabled roof over the entrance noticeably from afar, and near you can see large yellow sign with blue letters. By the way, for more reliable orientation in Bangkok, you can use the program Virtual tour of Bangkok, which is placed on a separate page and allows you to use high-quality panoramic photographs explore all your places in the Thai capital and its environs.
Southern bus terminal of Bangkok: big review
As the bus station building was put into operation less than 7 years ago, it is very comfortable and modern: the room is well air-conditioned, and everywhere there are electronic boards with the time of departure of buses (data displayed in English). Also in Thai and English, there are informational signs at cash registers, allowing you to quickly and easily find exactly the one in which you can buy a bus ticket for you interesting direction.
The landing platforms at the southern bus terminal in Bangkok
As I mentioned, is a four-story building, each floor has its own symbol. To move between floors of bus terminal you can use comfortable escalators. The ground floor of the Southern Bus Terminal in Bangkok marked with the letter G (Ground). Big parking for cars and motorbikes takes a significant portion of ground floor. On the ground floor you also can order a taxi, find the city bus, including the bus to the Mo Chit Bus Terminal (Northern Bus Station in Bangkok). Immediately there is a certain amount of minibus, serving long-distance destinations.
Directly in the building on G floor you can find several bank branches, where it is possible to change the currency to the money of Thailand, the exchange rate of which is usually not too different from the national average. Also on the G-floor there is a network store 7-Eleven, the Amazing cafe, a few shops with shoes, clothes and souvenirs from Thailand, the point of “All 20 Baht” and output to the buses that depart from platforms from №1 to №24.
Sale of clothes at the southern bus terminal in Bangkok
Second floor of Sai Tai bus terminal marked with the letter M, and represents something more like a market or shopping mall. There are a large number of shops and catering establishments. The range, of course, is more modest than in the full-fledged shopping malls of Bangkok, but you can find the necessary things in the journey for good price, which often lower than in Pattaya, and especially on the southern resorts of the country.
On the M-floor is a fairly good range of Thai medical cosmetics, female contemporary cosmetics (Thai and not only), clothing, shoes, hats, bags, cameras and mobile phones, memory cards, Thai newspapers, magazines and souvenirs. Prices even in two similar points can vary significantly, so if there is free time is better to buy after your inspection of the goods and their prices. Also do not forget about the useful tips placed in the article “Shopping in Thailand: the rules of successful shopping” for the purchase of goods at the best price.
Ticket office at the southern bus terminal in Bangkok
The third floor of the Southern Bus Terminal in Bangkok is the most important and marked #1 (instead of #3, as one might expect). It is on the third floor are all the bus station ticket offices situated there. When you want to go to any city, you have to find the name of the city (in English) directly above the ticket office and ask the cashier to buy a bus ticket. If you encounter any problems you can always contact to information service, which is among the ticket offices. Information service workers understand spoken English and speak it good.
Like on other Bangkok bus stations, bus routes serve several transport companies, the largest of which is “Limited company”. By purchasing a ticket, always bear in mind the existence of classes in buses in Thailand: most expensive fare will be on the VIP class bus, which is usually located only 24 seats. Often a few number of VIP seats available in conventional buses 1st class, so if you want to get maximum comfort during long journeys, for example, when you are planning to make a move on the route Bangkok – Krabi, verify the existence of such places on your route.
The waiting room at the southern bus terminal in Bangkok
Not far from the ticket offices on the same floor there are massage chairs where you can relax in waiting time before boarding a your bus. Access to the landing platform is only possible if there is a ticket on the bus, and no earlier than half an hour before departure. To do this, you must show your bus ticket to the guard in charge of the control at the exit to the landing station platform. In the center of the platform, you can use the toilet (free of charge) and shower (25 baht) before a long trip. Also, before leaving, there is always the opportunity to buy some food for the road, acquiring it on the trays at the edges of the platform.
The top floor of the Southern Bus Terminal in Bangkok is the fourth floor, which marked #2. On this floor there are all conditions for relaxation and fun before the trip, and the entertainment will find for themselves as adults and children alike. Here there is an internet café, a big number of slot machines, photo studio, massage parlors and massage chairs. There is a good food court and several restaurants with Thai cuisine. Since tourists in Thailand have to constantly spend money, there are also shops with inexpensive clothes for men, women and children as well as children’s toys shops different price categories.
Massage chairs on the Southern Bus Terminal in Bangkok
Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal: routes, schedule, fares
The main directions of bus transportation from the southern bus terminal in Bangkok Sai Tai are the routes of the Southern Thailand, including Koh Samui, Phuket, Krabi and Koh Phangan, Hat Yai, Surat Thani, and some of the city west from the Bangkok. Despite the fact that the popular resort of Pattaya is located in the eastern part of the country, you also can get from Bangkok to Pattaya from the Southern Bus Terminal. Buses depart every hour from 5.00 am to 19.00 pm.
Information on the fares of the buses, distance and travel time is available in the table below this text.
Schedule of bus routes from Bangkok’s Southern Bus Terminal
(Click on image to enlarge)
Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal – a timetable of bus routes
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As in all other countries and cities, in the schedule of Southern Bus Terminal in Bangkok can be made periodically adjustments: added and canceled flights, corrected time of departure some buses, changing the price of travel in buses to a particular city. So I want remind you that the table on this page with the bus schedule – rather a guideline for you when planning a journey, not the ultimate truth. On the other hand, bus routes to many popular destinations with travelers remain almost unchanged over the past few years, so the bus schedule of the Southern Bus Terminal in Bangkok (Sai Tai) – source of important and useful information for every traveler. I wish you pleasant trips to Thailand!
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