Getting Around Thailand: BTS, Trains & Domestic Flights Guide
Bangkok’s BTS and MRT cover the capital cheaply, the overnight train to Chiang Mai trades a hotel night for 12-13 hours of transit, and domestic flights beat the bus outright on the long hauls to Phuket and Krabi. This guide covers the decisions between those options, not the city-by-city ticket math already covered in each destination’s own budget guide.
Bangkok’s BTS and MRT, in brief
Bangkok’s Skytrain (BTS) and subway (MRT) cover the tourist core cheaply and skip the city’s traffic entirely, plan routes around the nearest station rather than the nearest road. This guide won’t re-cover the fare mechanics in depth, the Bangkok budget guide already breaks down station-adjacent neighborhoods and airport rail connections in full. The one thing worth repeating here: book a hotel on a BTS or MRT line before anywhere else, it’s the single biggest lever on how much a Bangkok trip’s daily transit actually costs.
The overnight train to Chiang Mai: worth it once, not automatically
Thailand’s overnight sleeper train between Bangkok and Chiang Mai runs roughly 12-13 hours, long enough to sleep through most of it in a berth rather than treat it as dead time. It’s a genuine experience, waking up to northern Thailand’s hills rather than an airport gate, but it’s not the faster or cheaper option by default. A budget domestic flight covers the same route in about 80 minutes, and once you add the train’s onboard meal costs and factor in the taxi to and from each city’s train station versus airport, the total cost difference between the two options is often smaller than people expect.
Verdict: book the overnight train once, for the experience, if your schedule has a spare travel day to absorb. Book the flight instead if you’re tight on days or you’ve already done the sleeper train on a previous trip.
When domestic flights beat the bus: Phuket and Krabi
Bangkok to Phuket and Bangkok to Krabi both run 11-13 hours by bus, an entire day and a chunk of the night lost to the road either way. Domestic flights cover both routes in under 1.5 hours, and on routes this long, a budget carrier fare frequently lands close to what a comparable long-distance bus fare costs once you’re not booking the cheapest, slowest seat class available.
Verdict: fly for Bangkok-Phuket and Bangkok-Krabi, full stop. The bus only makes sense here if flight budget is genuinely tighter than time budget, or you’re adding a stopover (Surat Thani, Hua Hin) along the way that a direct flight would skip entirely.
Chiang Mai to the south: always a flight or a long multi-leg trip
There’s no train line connecting Chiang Mai directly to Phuket or Krabi, and the road route runs well over a day. A domestic flight, usually connecting through Bangkok, is the practical way to move between the north and the southern islands on a single trip. Treat this leg as a fixed cost in your itinerary planning rather than something to optimize around, the alternative isn’t a cheaper option, it’s a multi-day bus-and-transfer slog most travelers wouldn’t choose even if it saved money.
Building a Chiang Mai-then-islands itinerary usually means accepting one connecting flight through Bangkok as the cost of covering both regions in a single trip, rather than hunting for a direct route that doesn’t exist yet on any budget carrier serving Thailand.
Minivan and ferry combos to the islands
Getting from Krabi or Phuket onward to smaller islands like Koh Phi Phi means a minivan-to-pier transfer followed by a speedboat or ferry crossing, no bridge or flight route reaches these islands directly:
| Route | Price |
|---|---|
| Superfast Transfer from Krabi to Koh Phi Phi by Arisa Speed Boat | ฿1,030 ($30.92) |
This is the standard way in, roughly 90 minutes by speedboat from Krabi’s pier. Book the pier transfer as one combined ticket where possible rather than arranging the minivan and boat separately, it removes the risk of a missed connection between the two legs, especially on the return trip when timing a departure flight matters.
Airport transfers worth booking ahead
| Transfer | Price |
|---|---|
| Bangkok Airport & Intercity Transfers | ฿654 ($19.63) |
| Phuket Hotel to Airport Shared Departure Transfer | ฿721 ($21.64) |
| Phuket Airport Transfers: One Price, Anywhere on the Island | ฿1,442 ($43.29) |
Verdict: a pre-booked private transfer isn’t required anywhere in Thailand, metered taxis and Grab work fine at every major airport. It’s worth the small premium specifically after a long-haul international arrival, with heavy luggage, or on an island where you can’t easily flag down a metered taxi outside the terminal.
Common mistakes that cost real time or money
Booking the overnight train and a flight on the same trip without a reason. Pick one novelty transit experience per trip, not both, the second one just becomes a long travel day with nothing new to show for it.
Assuming the bus is always cheaper than flying to Phuket or Krabi. On an 11-13 hour route, a budget flight often closes the price gap almost entirely while saving most of a day. Compare actual fares before defaulting to the bus out of habit.
Arranging island transfers as separate, unlinked bookings. A minivan booked separately from a speedboat crossing leaves a real gap for a missed connection if either leg runs late. Book combined tickets where the option exists.
For the ticket-level detail these decisions feed into, see the Phuket budget guide and Krabi budget guide for what each island costs once you’ve arrived, and the Bangkok budget guide for the capital’s own BTS and MRT fare mechanics.
Prices verified as of July 13, 2026.
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#thailand#transportation#bts#domestic flights
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the overnight train or a flight better from Bangkok to Chiang Mai?
The overnight train saves a hotel night and includes the ride as part of the experience, roughly 12-13 hours in a sleeper berth. A budget flight covers the same route in about 80 minutes for a similar or lower fare once you add the train's meal costs, book the flight if time matters more than the novelty.
Should I fly or take the bus from Bangkok to Phuket or Krabi?
Fly for either route. Bangkok-Phuket and Bangkok-Krabi both run 11-13 hours by bus versus under 1.5 hours by air, and budget carrier fares on these routes often land close to a comparable long-distance bus fare once seat class is matched.
How do I get from Krabi to Koh Phi Phi?
By speedboat ferry, no bridge or flight route exists. A verified transfer runs ฿1,030 ($30.92) and covers roughly 90 minutes to Koh Phi Phi's pier, the standard way in from either Krabi or Phuket.
Do I need to book airport transfers in advance?
Not required, metered taxis and ride apps work at every major Thai airport, but a pre-booked private transfer removes the arrival-hall negotiation entirely, useful after a long flight or when arriving with dive or surf gear.