Go to the departure area when arriving at Bangkok Airport and get a cheap taxi downtown for about 150. bt. on the meter. Don't use the arrivals level taxi else you will pay abot 300 or 350 bt.
For getting around air-con taxis are a far better option than the (initially fun) tuk tuks. Metered taxis deliver a much cheaper fare (tuk tuks will extract as much money as they think youre good for), and you avoid the thick exhaust fumes. However by night a tuk tuk will take you around Bangkok for an hour sightseeing and it's great (less traffic and smog by night). Pay no more than 150 baht (despite the fact they may ask for 500!).
There is now a new airport in a different location. The old airport at Don Muang is closed. Go absolutely nowhere by taxi of any form. Use the bus, sky train, ferry train, or mass transit train and your stay in Bangkok and Thailand will be safe and free from annoyance. Remember that it is the people you deal with who colour your holiday.
There's too much pollution in Bangkok. My itinerary consisted of taking a small, two-day visit in Bangkok and straightway heading to Koh Samui by Bangkok Airways. A return ticket costs somewhere around 11000 Baht. If you are looking for a cheaper (and more thrilling) option fly to Surat Thani at a very cheap price from Bangkok (around 1500 Baht, one-way) via a local airways (I forgot the name, maybe it's Air Asia) and then take a boat from Surat Thani to Samui.
Next time I travel to Thailand, I will bypass Bangkok and straightway head for Samui.
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