Getting to Bangkok: By bus

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Bangkok's three official long haul bus terminals are:

The Eastern Bus Terminal, also known as Ekamai, this relatively compact terminal is located right next to Ekamai BTS station on Sukhumvit (E7). Ekamai serves Eastern Thailand destinations, including Pattaya, Rayong, Ban Phe, Chanthaburi and Trat.

The Northern & Northeastern Bus Terminal, also known as Moh Chit (or Mor Chit or Morchit), this is the largest, busiest, and most modern terminal. The upper floor serves the North-East (Isaan); the ground floor serves the North, as well as sharing some destinations with Ekamai (including Pattaya, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat). It's a 30-baht moto hop (or a lengthy hike across Chatuchak Park) from BTS Moh Chit/Metro Chatuchak stations (N8/18), or take the 77 bus and pay the 7-baht flat fare on board.

Many visitors also arrive (or leave) via the massive Moh Chit Northern Bus Terminal (sathanii Mo Chit), also known as Mo Chit Mai ("new Mo Chit") or simply Mo Chit as the old version has ceased to exist. This is the largest terminal in Bangkok and buses to all points throughout central, northern and northeastern Thailand, including Ayutthaya, Chiang Mai, all of Isaan and Aranyaprathet (for Cambodia) leave from here.

Buying tickets here is reasonably easy; find a window with your destination written on it (in friendly Roman letters), pay the fare in big numbers on the same window, and you'll get a ticket on the next available departure. Note that blue writing means 1st class, red means 2nd class (avoid on longer trips), and tickets for northeastern destinations are sold from the 3rd floor. Ask the information desk on the 1st floor if you need help, or any of the BKS staff, easily identifiable thanks to their natty white shirts with gold buttons. Now just find the departure stall and you're on your way. If you have time to kill, there are two fairly decent air-con food courts at both ends of the main terminal building, plus KFC, Dunkin' Donuts and lots of 7-Eleven outlets.

The bus terminal is fair hike from the Skytrain or subway stations across Chatuchak Park. Motorbike taxis do the trip for a fixed 30 baht fare (bargaining is pointless), while tuk-tuks charge what they feel like - just remember that a real taxi with air-con and all will cost you 35 baht (albeit not including sitting around in traffic jams). If you have a considerable amount of luggage the easiest, if not necessarily fastest, option is to take a taxi directly to/from the bus terminal.

The Southern Bus Terminal, also known as Sai Tai Taling Chan, this terminal serves all points west and south from its somewhat inconvenient location on the "wrong" side of the river. Note that in December 2007, the terminal moved to a new, even more remote location, at Phutthamonthon Soi 1 in the Taling Chan district.

The Southern Bus Terminal (Sai Tai Taling Chan สายใต้ตลิ่งชัน, tel. +66-2894 6122) is now located on Phutthamonthon Soi 1 in Bang Ramat, Taling Chan, northern Thonburi. Long-distance buses leave from here to destinations throughout western Thailand (including Nakhon Pathom and Kanchanaburi) and southern Thailand (including Krabi, Phuket, Surat Thani, Ko Samui, Ko Phangan, Hat Yai, and many others). The new terminal is a fairly pleasant airport-like structure with air-conditioning, electronic departure monitors (in English), a few bank offices and a KFC. Unlike Khao San Road's ripoff operators, all buses from here are public, well-regulated, cheap and reasonably safe, just buy your tickets at the numbered desk with your destination posted in it (almost always in English).

Getting to the terminal is a bit of headache, as public transport is limited. The easiest option is to take a taxi, but be sure the taxi knows where to go, or you may end up at the old "new" Southern Terminal (Sai Tai Mai), which only stopped operating in late 2008. The new one is located in the same direction, but 4.5 km further from the center (10 km from Khao San road area, about 15 km from Siam square or Silom, more if from Sukhumvit). If you're going there in the evening, especially during workdays, be prepared to a serious traffic jam - more than half or even full hour is not impossible. As always in Bangkok, use taxi meter only, which, from Khao San area, should end up around 120 baht in favorable traffic conditions and up. Ignore touts - the waiting time in taxi-meter is only 1 baht/minute, and there are really no "faster" way once all the roads out of the city are congested.

The terminal is reachable on buses 515 and 549 and from Suvarnabhumi Airport with bus 556. From Victory Monument (Victory Monument BTS station), take the pale orange air-con bus 515 (16 baht). When approached by an onboard bus attendant ticketer, just tell them "Sai Tai Taling Chan". The bus does not turn left or right all the way, the large bus terminal will be on the left side (you won't miss it and probably will be told as well) about 9 km after crossing the river. This way actually does not take much more time than taxi (it's almost same in the likely case of a traffic jam), but you'll end up much cheaper, especially if alone. There are also white "Metro" minibuses (30 baht) from various points around Bangkok, eg. Ramkhamhaeng road in Bang Kapi, Huamark, near the Rajamangala National Stadium. There are inexpensive shuttle buses and slightly more expensive (but quicker loading and a bit faster) minibuses from/to Mo Chit northern bus terminal also.

When arriving in Bangkok...

• Late at night, the easiest way from Northern or Southern terminal to your final destination will be by metered-taxi.

• By tourist bus you may find yourself delivered to their favorite hotel or guest-house, otherwise you'll probably be dropped off in the vicinity of one of the long haul terminals, or if it's a service catering primarily for backpackers, somewhere near Khao San Road.

When buying tickets for buses out of Bangkok, it's best to skip travel agents and their private buses, and get the tickets for public buses directly at the public terminals. These buses are cheaper, safer, faster and more comfortable and won't scam you onto a clapped-out minibus halfway along the way or to a bedbug-infested hotel at the end.