Bangkok private driver
A car and a driver for the day — eight or ten hours, fuel, tolls and parking included. For people who want to move around Bangkok and the provinces without negotiating a fare every time they stop.
A Bangkok private driver costs $78 for a full day of eight to ten hours, including fuel, tolls and parking. The car is yours for the day, and the driver waits at each stop. This is cheaper than four metered trips if you are covering more than two districts.
- Price$78 per day
- Hours8–10
- IncludedFuel, tolls, parking
- VehicleSedan or SUV
You keep the car, not the trip
Different from a transfer: the car stays with you. You decide in the morning where you are going, and if you change your mind at two o'clock the driver follows the new plan. That is the whole product.
It is the right choice when you have three or four stops in a day — a temple, a market, lunch somewhere specific, a shop on the way back — because each of those is a separate taxi negotiation otherwise, and in the old city the taxis will not use the meter.
What a day usually looks like
09:00 pickup at the hotel. Grand Palace and Wat Pho in the morning, lunch where the driver suggests, then out to a floating market or across to the Thonburi side in the afternoon. Back by 17:00. Ten hours covers Ayutthaya and back with time there.
Why not Grab or a taxi?
Grab is excellent for a single point-to-point trip in the city centre, and we say so. It stops working when you want to go to Ayutthaya, wait two hours, and come back — no driver accepts that booking, and the ones who do quote a price that makes the private day look cheap. Metered taxis will not take you to the provinces at all.
| Package | Vehicle | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Half day (5 hrs) | Sedan, 1–3 | $58 |
| Full day (8 hrs) | Sedan, 1–3 | $78 |
| Full day (10 hrs) | Sedan, 1–3 | $92 |
| Full day (8 hrs) | Van, 5–8 | $105 |
| Full day (10 hrs) | Van, 5–8 | $120 |
| Overtime | Any | $9 / hr |
Fuel, expressway tolls, parking, driver's meals and waiting time. Not included: entrance tickets and your own meals. Airport pickup is quoted separately.
What the day fee does not cover
A driver is not a guide. He will get you there, knows the roads and will tell you where to eat, but he is not licensed to walk you through the Grand Palace and explain the murals. If you want that, book a guide — we can add one to the same car for $55–75 a day.
Long-distance days are priced by destination rather than hours: Ayutthaya and back is a 10-hour day; Hua Hin is a 12-hour day and quoted separately; Chiang Mai is not a day trip from Bangkok no matter what a driver tells you.
Can the driver wait while we eat?
Yes, waiting is included in the day rate. He will eat separately and be back at the agreed time.
What happens in traffic?
It counts against the hours, which is why we suggest 09:00 rather than 08:00 and avoid routing across the city between 16:00 and 19:00.
Is a child seat available?
Yes, free with notice. A van is more comfortable for two adults and two children than a sedan.
Can we book three days in a row?
Yes, and it is cheaper per day than three separate bookings. The same driver stays with you, which is the point.
Can we go to Pattaya and back in a day?
Yes, ten hours covers it comfortably. Ayutthaya is the same. Hua Hin is too far for a comfortable day — take the 12-hour quote or stay a night.
One car, one driver, your plan.
Tell us the hours and where you are staying — we confirm the vehicle and the day rate.
Written and checked by the Travel Thailand Tour team, Bangkok · Last updated · Prices are per person and were correct at the time of writing.