If you’ve been doing your reading on fun things to do in Bangkok you’ve probably come across the Airplane Graveyard where you can visit a couple of abandoned planes in some wasteland – but, I have bad news… the Airplane Graveyard closed in August 2022.
However, there’s a new aviation-themed thing to do in BKK, the 747 Cafe where you get to drink coffee in a huge plane – and it’s fun.
Here’s what you need to know about visiting the airplane cafe in Bangkok
What is The 747 Cafe?
It’s literally what it says on the tin – a cafe in an old 747 plane.
The plane was part of the stock of an airline called Orient Thai which was a budget airline that used to fly around Thailand. It had been left at Suvarnabhumi Airport since the airline ceased trading in 2018.
It was then bought by it’s current owners and moved to its new home.
According to an article in Airways Magazine the project of moving it and turning it into a working cafe involved disassembling the plane into eight sections, putting it back together on the new site about 10km from the airport and then refitting it out to serve drinks and snacks.
It’s now the world’s largest airplane eaterie.
What’s Inside?
I never went the the Airplane Graveyard.
There were a couple of reasons why but the main one was that the planes at the Airplane Graveyard had had all the knobs and twiddly bits removed.
This is the main reason Mr Differentville wanted to go – he’s an engineer, bits of wire and twiddly things are his happy place, as soon as he found out that the ones in the Airplane Graveyard no longer had a working cockpit he lost interest, and, it wasn’t somewhere I really wanted to go alone.
The 747 Cafe however has a ‘working’ cockpit.
I mean you’re not going to fly the thing as the engine has been removed, but, there were buttons he could look at, switches he could fiddle with and all manner of other gubbins that meant he was up there for a good 10 minutes.
The rest of the plane has also been opened up so you can sit and walk around in it, but it’s basically like being in a huge open 747 and any kind of tech geek, or plane lover, will have a blast.
You can look at door mechanisms and cargo holds and all sorts of other bits.
If you walk to the bar area underneath the plane you can also walk up some steps and explore the area around the engines – which is a bit of an Instagram dream!
Although please be careful – in true Thai style there’s no safety barriers around here. Watch kids carefully and mind your step.
As you can tell by the use of Mr Differentville as my instagram model, rather than me, it’s also not the best place for anyone with vertigo!
How Does Cafe 747 Work?
You do pay an entry fee to enter the plane cafe.
When we visited it was 120 baht each. This gets you your ‘boarding pass’ – but, is redeemable against one drink inside.
If your drink costs more (some of the fancy ones do) or you also want some snacks, you just pay the extra in cash.
Children under 122cm in height don’t have to pay the entrance fee. Taller kids do but they also get a drink.
What Are The Opening Hours?
It’s open seven days a week from 10am to 7pm – after this, the area underneath the plane seems to become some kind of bar/nightclub.
And the plane itself turns into a proper restaurant.
See more on their Facebook page.
How Long Can You Stay?
In the week you can stay as long as you like, at weekends, they limit you to an hour.
That’s probably enough time to be fair.
We visited about 4pm on a weekday and there were only a handful of people there – but this was in the early days of Thailand reopening so it might start to get busier.
What’s On The Menu?
Lots of drinks – tea, coffee, smoothies and this rather fabulous minty chocolate thing.
You can also buy cakes, biscuits etc.
They did used to do actual meals, but they didn’t seem to be offering them when we went at about 4pm
Should you also need a Captain’s hat to make your pictures complete, you can buy these too!
Where in Bangkok, is the 747 Cafe?
It’s in an area called Lat Krabang which is close to Suvarnabhumi Airport – but, not close enough to walk.
How Do You Get There?
If you type the directions into google maps it’ll show you the most complicated bus directions ever! Ignore google maps.
Probably the easiest way to get there from central Bangkok is to jump on the airport link train to Lat Krabang, the stop before the airport. This will take about an hour.
When you get off then flag down a taxi, or order a Grab, to take you the 7km to the cafe.
The benefit of ordering a Grab is that the driver will understand where you are going, but that might not happen if you get in a normal taxi as most taxi drivers won’t speak English and, as I discovered when I went to see the new (when I went anyway) Giant Buddha at Wat Paknam in Bangkok, trying to explain less well-known touristy sights doesn’t always work.
If you do get a normal taxi, have a picture handy and the address in Thai on your phone, but be aware even this doesn’t always work.
The full address is this 747 Cafe, 627 1 Luang Phaeng Rd, Thap Yao, Lat Krabang, Bangkok 10520, Thailand.
A good marker to check you’ve entered the right place is the nearby Itaewon Buffet.
Budget travellers, you will notice that there does seem to be a nice easy bus route from the station to the cafe.
Beware!
We actually went to the cafe from the hotel we stay in the night before an early flight out of Suvarnabhumi. This also has a ‘nice easy bus route’ – the problem is, the buses are actually the small ‘song teaw’ buses that are very easy to catch on the islands of Thailand, but seemingly not so easy in Bangkok.
The numbers are often not that visible, sometimes they are on the side of the song teaw, and so, the thing has gone past before you realise that’s the one you need to be flagging down.
Even when we did work out one in advance, they didn’t stop – after four went past, we gave up and got a Grab. It may be easier from the station, but, just be aware, you are probably looking for a song teaw, not a bus and check the numbers carefully!
Is This the Plane Market?
No, that’s a different plane!
The Plane Market is also known as the ChangChui Market and it’s located in the north western side of Bangkok.
The market is built around a plane, and inside the plane you”ll find a fine dining restaurant called Na-Oh.
The interior is fantastic.
See the menu, opening hours and make a reservation on their website.
There’s also a plane cafe located just outside Pattaya which also seems to have a shooting range. Guess I know where I’m going on my next holiday!
This one is called 331 Station.
What Happened to The Airplane Graveyard?
Apparently, the last of the planes were removed from the site in August 2022.
This was apparently always the plan. The planes were rumoured to be owned by a Thai business person and the had been gradually selling the bits off for scrap.
The family who were living in the planes had created a nice side line charging people for entry but it was never an actual tourist attraction.
What to Read Next
If you liked the plane cafe you might want to check out our longer post on the other fun and unusual things to do in Bangkok.
If you’re staying around Khao San Road you might want to have a look at our guide to a less touristy walk nearby.
Who Writes Differentville?
My name is Helen Foster and I’m a journalist and author living in Sydney.
My travel articles have been published in titles include The Australian, Body & Soul at the Sunday Telegraph, RAC Horizons, Jetstar magazine and more.
I like the weird, the wonderful and anything that makes me jump and down with glee like I’m about three. That’s what you’ll find here.