Limousine Service
A regular coach and private limousine service for transfers between Bangkok and the airport is available. The Limousine Service counter is located at the Arrivals hall on the ground floor of the International Passenger Terminal on the south side. All vehicles are-conditioned and the rates are reasonable.

• Mini-bus (joint-seat) to any hotel in Bangkok 100Baht per person
• Shuttle bus (to Asia Hotel and Viengtai Hotel) 60 Baht per person
• Sedan (to downtown Bangkok) 30 Baht per trip
• Bus to Pattaya Beach 18 Baht per person
• Sedan to Pattaya Beach 1,500 Baht per tri

Taxi Service
Taxis are available for hire at the authorized public taxi stand, located next to the Meeting Point south of the Arrivals Hall in the Meeting Point south of the Arrivals Hall in the International Passenger Terminal. Taxi drivers are only permitted to pick up passenger at these authorized stands and are not allowed to offer their services to passengers in the terminal building. Fares are between 50-300 Baht per trip depending on the destination. Fares to Various destinations are posted at the taxi stand as a guideline for foreign commuters. There is a service charge of 50 Baht for all taxis hired from the airport.

Passengers are strongly advised not to use the services of private drivers who may not be insured to carry passengers and are not licensed for hire. All authorized taxis carry a yellow license plate and a rooftop "TAXI-METER" sign. No tip is expected.

Bus Service
Air-conditioned and regular public buses travel down-town from Bangkok International on a regular basis
Passengers wishing to take the bus can do so by walking to the bus stop located on Vibhavadi Rangsit highway.

Fares on regular buses cost only 3.50 Baht for any distance, while fares for air-conditioned buses range from 8 Baht for the first 8 kilometers to a maximum of 18 Baht. Fares are collected onboard. Bus numbers indicate the routes. Regular buses from Bangkok International Airport to town are buses numbers 29, 59, 95 and air-conditioned buses number 4, 10, 513 and 29.

These regular buses, however, can be uncomfortable and crowded especially during rush hours and will therefore have very littler or no room for luggage.

Passager Service Change (Airport Tax)
International passengers must purchase an airport tax ticket costing 500 Baht at the check-in counter or from machines in the Departure Hall. The amount is payable using 10 Baht coins, 50 Baht, 500 Baht, and 1,000 Baht on the screen of the machine. A 30 Baht domestic passenger tax is automatically included in the price of a domestic ticket upon purchasing.

Baggage Claim
Upon arrival at Bangkok International Airport, all international passengers must pass through immigration and passport control. They can then proceed to the baggage claim area.

Baggage Service (Lost and Found)
A Lost and found counter, in the Arrivals Lounge, is manned round-the-clock, seven days a week. If you leave anything on an aircraft or an airline bus, please contact the airline concerned immediately. Tel: (66-2) 535-2173, (66-2) 535-2811-12.

Trolleys
Trolleys are provided in both the Departure and Arrivals Lounges of the International Passenger Terminal. No fee is charged.

Airline Offices
Some 50 airlines maintain offices in Bangkok. A complete Listing can be found in the English edition of the Bangkok Telephone Directory's yellow Pages.

TOURIST INFORMATION SERVICES
Tourist information is available at the Tourism Authority of Thailand's head office in Bangkok, at local offices in 22 major cities (listed on the back cover) and the TAT information counter at Bangkok's International Airport as well as at every airport where there is a TAT local office. They provide maps, brochures and useful information on tours, shopping, dining and accommodation. All TAT information offices are open seven days a week from 8.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.

Local TAT Offices
Oversea TAT Offices

BUSINESS HOURS
Most commercial concerns in Bangkok operate five days a week. Government offices are generally open between 8.30 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. with a 12.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. lunch break, Monday through Friday, except on public holidays. Private businesses maintain similar hours - 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. with certain exceptions. Most shops are open 12 hours a day, seven days a week.

BUSINESS CENTERS
Certain major hotels provide fully - equipped business centers for visiting executives. Services customarily include secretarial work, typing, photocopying and fax facilities, conference rooms and reference libraries.

More information about Thailand's business, please see also Business in Thailand

CAR RENT
Travelers with a valid international driving license may choose to hire a car. English-language road signs and maps are commonplace. The Bangkok Yellow pages lists local and international automobile rental companies. Each offers different conditions. Self-drive and chauffeur driven automobiles are widely available.

International car hire companies such as Avis, Hertz and Budget operate in Bangkok, Pattaya, Hat Yai, Phuket, Chiang Mai and on Ko Samui.

Car Rentals Reservation

CHURCH SERVICES
Christian churches are found in Bangkok and most provincial capitals. Services are mostly in Thai, with some services in English, French and German, Local English-language newspapers provide comprehensive listings of services in Bangkok.

CLOTHING
Light, loose cotton clothing is best. Nylon should be avoided. Sweaters are recommended for the evenings during the cool season or if visiting mountainous areas and remote national parks. Jackets and ties are required in certain restaurants and nightclubs.

ELECTRICITY
The electric current is 220 volt AC (50 cycles) throughout the country. There are many types of plugs and sockets in use. Travelers with electric shavers, tape recorders and other appliances should carry a plug-adapter kit. The larger hotels are likely to have 110 volt transformers available.

FILM AND PHOTOGRAPHY
Major international film manufacturers maintain excellent photo finishing laboratories. Instant developing can be done within one hour. Popular films (Kodak. Fuji, Konica and the like) are available nationwide at reasonable prices.
Still photographers are free to shoot almost everything. Movie/video cameras are not allowed in Bangkok's Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha Chapel complex without special permission. Photography is also prohibited in certain branches of the National Museum.

NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES
Thailand's English-language newspapers, The Nation, and The Bangkok Post Keep readers abreast of local and international events. Major English language magazines and newspapers such as the International Herald Tribune, Asian Wall Street journal, Time, Newsweek, Far Eastern Economic Review and Asia Week are readily available at hotel newsagents, supermarkets, department stores and leading bookstores.

RADIO
Thailand has more than 400 radio stations, with 41 FM and 35 AM stations in Bangkok alone. FM radio offers popular music, classical music, jazz English-language news broadcasts and the original soundtracks of certain imported films shown on local television. Bangkok's national public radio station, Radio Thailand, broadcasts English-language programs at 97 FM. Another stations are 107 FM, features some surprisingly good music programs with British, Thai and American DJs and The Radio Bangkok, 99.5 FM.

In the evenings between 6 and 8 p.m., several FM stations provide soundtracks in English for local and world satellite news on television Channel 3(105.5 FM), Channel 7(103.5 FM), channel 9(107 FM) and Channel 11(88 FM).
The radio listeners without sort-wave receivers can listen to VOA on 95.5 FM and BBC world Service on 105 FM from mid-night to 6 p.m.

TELEVISION
Thailand has six TV networks based in Bangkok; Channel 5 is a military network and broadcasts from 6 a.m. to midnight: between 6 and 10 a.m. this network presents a mix of ABC, CNN International and English-subtitled Thai news programs. Channel 9, the national public television station, broadcasts from 6 a.m. until midnight. Channel 3 is privately owned; broadcast hours vary but there's an English-language news simulcast at 7 p.m. on FM 105.5. Channel 7 is military owned but broadcast time is leased to private companies; the channel offers an English-language news simulcast via FM 103.5 at 7 p.m. Channel 11 is run by the Ministry of Education and features programs from 5.30 a.m. to midnight. ITV Channel is privately owned; broadcast from 5.30 a.m. to 2.00 a.m.

Leading hotels have color televisions in each guestroom, offering video features, satellite and/or cable television or tourism-related English-language programs.

EMBASSIES
Some 50 countries maintain embassies, consulates or legations in Bangkok, Most are concentrated around the Sukhumvit, Phloen Chit, Wireless and Sathon Road areas. A complete list of such missions is featured in the Bangkok 's English-language Yellow Pages.

Foreign Embassies in Thailand

TOURIST POLICE
In 1982, the Tourist Police was set up to coordinate with the Tourism Authority of Thailand in providing safety for tourists. Its responsibilities include receiving and acknowledging claims and complaints, conducting investigations and acting as coordinators of tourist security. At present, some 500 tourist police officers are stationed in major tourist areas including the Grand Palace, pat Pong and Lumphini Park.

Bilingual Tourist Police are affiliated with Tourism Authority of Thailand offices in Bangkok, Phra Nakhon Si Ayitthaya, Pattaya, Kanchanaburi, Nakhon Ratchasima, Udon Thani, Khon Daen, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son, Phitsanulok, Nakhon Sawan, Surat Thani, Phuiket and Songkhla to provide assistance for visitors.

In the case of an emergency, contact the Tourist Police Centre, Unicohouse Building, Soi Lang Suan, Phloen Chit Road Bangkok. Tel: (66-2)652-1721-6

24 - HOUR HOTLINE SERVICE
"One number gets you around Thailand" is the concept behind the 24-hour hotline service. All you have to do is dial 1155 from anywhere in Thailand.

Operators manning the hotline at the Tourist Service Center offer assistance in five languages - English, French, German, Japanese, Chinese and Thai. All that's needed is a single one Baht coin and a public phone booth anywhere in the country.

There are three ways to lodge complaints or request assistance:

1. Call the hotline to request immediate assistance with regard to personal safety.
2. Drop in at the center to lodge a complaint.
3. Call the center to request an appropriate agency that addresses a particular problem.

MEDICAL SERVICE
All tourism destinations and provincial capitals have hospitals and clinics staffed by well-trained doctors and nurses. In the case of and emergency, an ambulance can be summoned from any private hospital.

TIPPING
It is customary to tip porters and hotel personnel who have given good personal service. A 10-15% tip is appreciated in restaurants, particularly where service charges are waived. It is not necessary to tip cinema ushers.

TEMPORARY IMPORT OF A VEHICLE FOR THE PURPOSE OF TOURISM
In order to import a vehicle into Thailand the following documents are required:

1. Valid International Driving License and passport of equivalent documents.
2. Vehicle registration, or in the case of a borrowed, vehicle, authorization documents from the owner
3. Cash guarantee, bank guarantee or self-guarantee. If the vehicle is brought in through Bangkok or Khlong Toey Port, a cast guarantee or bank guarantee is essential. If entry is by land across the southern border, then it is acceptable to guarantee oneself by completing the customs officer and signing the record.

Procedure:

1. Contact the customs office at the relevant border
2. A customs officer will complete an additional incoming form and at the same time check documents as in No. 2 above and also fix the self-guarantee.
3. In the case of a cast or bank guarantee, the customs officer will evaluate the price of the vehicle according to its condition plus 20

Useful Information from Tourism Authority of Thailand