Chauffeur Service Asia: Private Driver Directory for Asia-Pacific

Private driver Asia-Pacific: the short version

Asia-Pacific is not one market. It is many road cultures spread over a vast area, and a private driver in Tokyo works nothing like one in Mumbai. This region page in the LimousineWorldwideDirectory.com directory sorts it out. It links the ten city pages, the six airport pages and the Singapore cruise terminal, then explains the practical differences that decide how a booking is planned: the side of the road, weather seasons, border crossings and the way each city treats a pickup at the curb.

The booking desk is open 24/7. In each city a vetted, licensed and commercially insured chauffeur operator from the directory does the driving, while our desk handles the booking, the confirmation and the invoice. One confirmation, one invoice and one point of contact serve a trip that may cross four countries. In Asia the vehicles are Mercedes-Benz E-Class, S-Class and V-Class or similar, with Executive Sprinters, Luxury SUVs, and Maybach or Rolls-Royce on request. Availability is confirmed at booking.

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Left or right: which side of the road

The side of the road is not a detail when you are planning a self-drive trip, and it affects which curb your driver uses at a hotel. Your chauffeur handles it either way.

• Drives on the left: Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, Thailand, India and Indonesia (Bali).
• Drives on the right: South Korea and mainland China.

Hong Kong is the one to keep in mind for cross-border days, because it drives on the left while neighboring mainland China drives on the right. The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge runs about 55 km, linking Hong Kong with Zhuhai and Macao. Cross-boundary private cars need government quotas and permits, so our desk plans such trips only where a licensed operator can legally do them. Tell us the full route and we will confirm what is possible before you pay.

City pages

• Tokyo chauffeur service: Haneda and Narita, Ginza and Marunouchi business calls, and the temple districts.
• Singapore chauffeur service: Changi, Marina Bay and the cruise terminal.
• Hong Kong chauffeur service: the airport at Chek Lap Kok, Central and the harbor crossings.
• Sydney chauffeur service: the airport, the harbor, the Blue Mountains and the Hunter Valley.
• Melbourne chauffeur service: the Yarra Valley, the Great Ocean Road and Phillip Island.
• Bangkok chauffeur service: Suvarnabhumi, Sukhumvit and the riverside.
• Mumbai chauffeur service: the island city, Bandra and the monsoon calendar.
• Delhi chauffeur service: the capital and the expressway to Agra.
• Seoul chauffeur service: Incheon, Gangnam and the palaces.
• Bali chauffeur service: Ngurah Rai airport, Ubud, the south coast temples and the rice terraces.

What does a private driver in Asia save you?

The question to ask first is not price but how long the same trip takes by each method, and what you carry. The tables on this page answer that for the cases where we hold sourced figures. Where a train is the better choice, as it often is in Japan and Singapore for a solo traveler with a light bag, we say so on the city page.

Airports

Each airport page covers terminals, the pre-arranged pickup procedure, immigration timing, and a table comparing a chauffeur with rail, taxi and rideshare.

• Singapore Changi: four terminals, and a city that is small enough that distance seldom decides the route.
• Tokyo Haneda: Tokyo's closer airport; Narita is the farther one.
• Hong Kong International: on an island at Chek Lap Kok, west of Kowloon.
• Sydney Kingsford Smith: close to the city's center.
• Seoul Incheon: on an island west of Seoul, a long way from Gangnam.
• Bangkok Suvarnabhumi: east of the center, with heavy traffic on the approach roads.

The airports hub lists every page and explains how international arrivals work.

Hong Kong airport to Central

The Airport Express is faster than any road when the destination is Central, and it is the right call for a solo traveler with a light bag. The car earns its place at midnight, with children, with a group, or when the hotel sits far from a station.

Seasons: typhoons, monsoon and heat

Weather decides bookings in this region, and the pattern is predictable even when the dates are not.

Typhoons. The Hong Kong Observatory issues the No. 8 Gale or Storm Signal when gale or storm force winds are expected or blowing near sea level, and schools and many businesses usually close. The Observatory's explanation is the one to read. In Japan, secondary sources citing the Japan Meteorological Agency place August and September as the main risk for Tokyo, though July and October also see typhoons. If a storm is forecast, tell the desk and we will rebook around it.

Monsoon. India's southwest monsoon normally reaches Kerala around 1 June, arrives in Mumbai around 11 June, and begins withdrawing from northwest India around 17 September, completing by about 15 October. Heavy rain in Mumbai can slow the road to the airport at short notice, so we suggest leaving a larger buffer in June through September.

Heat and humidity. Singapore, Bangkok and Bali are warm and humid year-round. Vehicles are air-conditioned and most carry water and phone chargers.

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Day trips and long runs

Delhi to Agra is the best-known long run in the region: about 230 km, and roughly 3 to 4 hours by car on the Yamuna Expressway, depending on traffic and stops. Many travelers combine the Taj Mahal with a night in Agra, and others make a long day of it. A fixed-fare chauffeur suits a family or a small group. Read about long-distance car service, and see the visitor guide to the Taj Mahal for visiting hours and tickets.

For Tokyo, Fuji and Hakone make a common full-day request, and the Mount Fuji and Hakone guide covers the day. In Australia, the Great Ocean Road and the Blue Mountains are the usual day trips from Melbourne and Sydney, and the Hunter Valley is the wine option.

Sightseeing guides by country

Our visitor guides are written for a traveler arriving by private car. The attractions hub lists all of them, and these are the starting points.

• Japan: Senso-ji, Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo Skytree, Meiji Jingu, Nikko Toshogu, Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kinkaku-ji, Nara Park and Todai-ji, Osaka Castle and Dotonbori and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.
• Korea and China: Gyeongbokgung Palace, N Seoul Tower, Bukchon Hanok Village, the Korean DMZ, the Great Wall at Mutianyu and the Forbidden City.
• Hong Kong and Singapore: Victoria Peak, Tian Tan Buddha, Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay and Sentosa Island.
• Southeast Asia: Grand Palace, Wat Arun, Ayutthaya Historical Park, Uluwatu Temple, Tanah Lot, Tegallalang Rice Terraces and Angkor Wat.
• India: Taj Mahal, Amber Fort, Red Fort, Gateway of India and the Elephanta Caves.
• Australia: Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Bondi Beach, Yarra Valley and Uluru.

The chauffeur's job is to drive and to suggest stops. Where a site requires or recommends a licensed guide, the Forbidden City being one example, the guide is a separate professional. See private tours with driver.

Multi-city itineraries across the region

Many Asia-Pacific trips are not one city but a chain: Tokyo for two days, Seoul for one, Singapore to finish. This is where a single desk earns its place. You send one itinerary, the desk confirms each leg with the local operator, and every pickup arrives with the same level of service, the same vehicle standard and one invoice at the end. Corporate travel managers and executive assistants use global chauffeur service for exactly this reason. Give us the flight numbers for every leg. We track each flight, and when a connection slips, the driver at the next airport is told. For a principal who changes plans in the air, that is the difference between a smooth arrival and a stranded one.

If a leg is better flown or taken by rail than driven, we will say so. A booking is only useful if it matches how the day will really run.

Cruise, rail and business in the region

Singapore Marina Bay is the region's page for cruise embarkation, and the cruise ports hub lists the rest of the world. Rail stations are listed on the train stations hub. For private aviation, see the hub. For business travel, executive chauffeur service and corporate car service explain accounts and scheduling.

Booking, discretion and tourist offices

Open the online booker, enter the pickup and drop-off, add the flight number for airports and choose a vehicle class. You see the fixed fare in the booker before you pay, which is why no prices appear in this directory. Corporate accounts offer monthly invoicing, and agents, DMCs and hotel concierges can open trade accounts. Tourist offices and tourism boards can book chauffeur services for their visitors with LimousineWorldwideDirectory.com through a trade account as well, described on the Asia-Pacific tourist offices page.

Chauffeurs never photograph clients or post about trips, NDAs are signed on request, and bookings can be made under an alias. For principals with their own protection team, our chauffeurs work in step with it, and we supply no armed drivers or bodyguards ourselves. Plan the rest of your trip from the worldwide directory, or see why clients book with us. For Japan's visitor planning, the JNTO site links to airport access, rail and safety pages, and Changi Airport links to its four terminal guides.

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All 80 attraction guides: Asia-Pacific

These guides run from Japan to New Zealand, and each is written for a visitor arriving by private car. They are listed by country for quick scanning. The attractions hub and the blog hold the same guides by theme.

Japan. Mount Fuji and Hakone, Senso-ji, Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo Skytree, Meiji Jingu, teamLab Planets, Tokyo Disney Resort, Nikko Toshogu, Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kinkaku-ji, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Nara Park and Todai-ji, Osaka Castle and Dotonbori, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.

South Korea. Gyeongbokgung Palace, N Seoul Tower, Bukchon Hanok Village, Korean DMZ.

China. Great Wall at Mutianyu, Forbidden City, Terracotta Army, The Bund, West Lake, Li River, Victoria Peak, Tian Tan Buddha, Tsim Sha Tsui Harbourfront, Cotai Strip.

Taiwan. Taipei 101, Jiufen Old Street.

Singapore. Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay, Sentosa Island.

Malaysia. Petronas Twin Towers, Batu Caves.

Thailand. Grand Palace, Wat Arun, Ayutthaya Historical Park, Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, Doi Suthep, Phang Nga Bay.

Cambodia. Angkor Wat.

Vietnam. Ha Long Bay, Hanoi Old Quarter, Hoi An Ancient Town, Cu Chi Tunnels.

Indonesia. Uluwatu Temple, Tanah Lot, Tegallalang Rice Terraces, Borobudur.

Philippines. Intramuros.

India. Taj Mahal, Amber Fort, Qutub Minar, Red Fort, Gateway of India, Elephanta Caves, City Palace Udaipur, Varanasi Ghats, Golden Temple, Mysore Palace, Kerala Backwaters.

Sri Lanka. Sigiriya.

Australia. Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Bondi Beach, Blue Mountains, Hunter Valley, Great Ocean Road, Yarra Valley, Phillip Island Penguin Parade, Great Barrier Reef from Cairns, Daintree Rainforest, Gold Coast Theme Parks, Uluru, Barossa Valley.

New Zealand. Milford Sound, Queenstown, Hobbiton Movie Set, Rotorua.