Practical guide
Getting Around Bangkok
Train to the nearest station, then walk, a motorbike taxi or Grab
I lived in Bangkok for three to four years, two or three of them around Rama 9 and Huai Khwang and one in Lak Song, at the western end of the MRT Blue Line. I mostly rode the MRT and used the BTS Skytrain when I needed it. My method never changed. I'd check the route on Google Maps, take the train to a station within walking distance or to a BTS interchange, and use Grab when the place wasn't walkable from a station.
For the long side streets, the sois, I'd take a motorbike taxi to or from the station. That covers almost every trip a visitor makes, and it keeps you out of the traffic, which is the one thing in Bangkok you can't plan around.
Arriving in Bangkok
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Key Facts
MRT ฿17–44, and you tap your bank card
The MRT Blue Line costs ฿17–44 by distance. Tap a contactless Visa or Mastercard at the gate and tap out with the same card. It reaches the Old City at Sanam Chai and Chinatown at Wat Mangkon.
BTS ฿17–65, ticket or Rabbit card only
Skytrain fares run ฿17–47 on the core and up to ฿65 onto the extensions. Bank cards don't work on the BTS gates yet, so buy a single ticket at the machine, a ฿150 one-day pass, or a Rabbit card at the ticket office.
Changing between BTS and MRT means paying twice
They're separate systems, so at Asok, Sala Daeng or Mo Chit you exit, walk across and pay again. A longer trip with a change runs about ฿80–100. A common fare capped at ฿45 is due on 1 January 2027.
Rush hour is 07:00–09:00 and 16:30–19:30
Trains on the Sukhumvit side are packed at those hours. Ride with a suitcase in the middle of the day, or take a car.
Grab or the meter, never a quoted fare
Grab shows the price before you ride, ฿60–250 for most trips in town. A metered taxi starts at ฿35 and is about ฿100 for 5 km. If a driver quotes a flat price instead, take the next one.
The roads jam from about 16:00 to 19:00
Anything by road in the evening takes longer than the map says. Give yourself extra time for a dinner booking.
How I Get Around
Bangkok rewards a simple habit. Pick the train that gets you closest, finish on foot, and only get in a car for the gaps. Here's how that worked for me.
The MRT first, the BTS when I needed it
Living around Rama 9 and Huai Khwang, the MRT Blue Line was my train, and the BTS was two stops away at Asok when I needed Sukhumvit, Siam or Silom. Later, in Lak Song, the Blue Line was the only line out west, and it meets the Skytrain at Bang Wa, four stops in.
I'd plan each trip on Google Maps, which shows the line, the station and the walk at the other end. If the walk was reasonable, that was the whole trip. If it wasn't, I'd ride to the nearest station and sort out the last part there.
Grab for anywhere the trains don't reach
When the place I was going wasn't walkable from a station, I used Grab. You see the fare before you book, the driver has the pin, and there's nothing to negotiate. Expect surge pricing in the evening peak and drivers cancelling in heavy rain.
Motorbike taxis for the sois
A lot of Bangkok lives down long sois, the side streets off the main roads, and a station can be a 15-minute walk from the end of one. That's what the motorbike taxis are for, and I used them mostly to get between the inner sois and a station. The riders wear numbered orange vests and wait in a line at the mouth of the soi or outside the station, and a run down the soi is about ฿15–60. Thai law requires a helmet for the passenger too, so ask for the spare, keep your knees in and hold on.
The Interchanges Worth Knowing
Most trips come down to a handful of stations where the lines meet. At every BTS to MRT change you leave one system and pay again at the other.
1. Asok and Sukhumvit, Sukhumvit Road
BTS ↔ MRT, the busiest changeBTS Asok sits above MRT Sukhumvit at the Sukhumvit and Asok Montri junction, linked by a short walk through the exits. It's the change for anyone going between Sukhumvit and the Old City, Chinatown or Rama 9.
- When to go
- Avoid it in the evening peak if you can.
2. Siam, Pathum Wan
BTS ↔ BTS, the free changeThe one interchange where you don't pay twice. The Sukhumvit and Silom Lines cross here, and the station opens into the malls around Siam Square.
3. Sala Daeng and Si Lom, Silom
BTS ↔ MRT for Silom and Lumphini ParkBTS Sala Daeng and MRT Si Lom meet at the corner of Silom and Rama IV, beside Lumphini Park. It's the easier change if you're heading from Silom to the Old City on the MRT.
4. Mo Chit and Chatuchak Park, Chatuchak
BTS ↔ MRT for the weekend marketThe northern change, and the stop for Chatuchak Weekend Market. Don't confuse BTS Mo Chit with Mo Chit 2, the Northern Bus Terminal, which is a taxi ride away.
- When to go
- Saturday and Sunday mornings, when the market crowd arrives.
5. Phaya Thai, Ratchathewi
Airport Rail Link ↔ BTSThe end of the Airport Rail Link and a change to the BTS Sukhumvit Line, two stops from Siam. It's the way into the city from Suvarnabhumi for most hotels on the Skytrain.
6. Makkasan and Phetchaburi, Makkasan
Airport Rail Link ↔ MRTThe Airport Rail Link's Makkasan station connects by a walkway to MRT Phetchaburi on the Blue Line, one stop from Sukhumvit. From the airport it's the change for Rama 9, Huai Khwang and the rest of the Blue Line.
7. Bang Wa, Phasi Charoen
BTS ↔ MRT on the west sideWhere the BTS Silom Line ends and meets the MRT Blue Line across the river. Lak Song, where I lived, is four stops further west on the Blue Line.
Every Fare on One Sheet
| Mode | Fare | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| MRT Blue Line | ฿17–44 | Old City (Sanam Chai), Chinatown (Wat Mangkon), Rama 9, Huai Khwang, Chatuchak | Tap out with the same bank card you tapped in with |
| BTS Skytrain | ฿17–47, up to ฿65 onto the extensions; ฿150 one-day pass | Siam, Sukhumvit, Silom, Chatuchak (Mo Chit) | No bank cards yet; doesn't reach the Old City |
| Airport Rail Link | ฿15–45; ฿45 to Phaya Thai, about 27 min | Suvarnabhumi to the BTS or MRT with one bag | No luggage racks; packed at rush hour |
| Chao Phraya Express, orange flag | ฿18 flat | Temples along the river, Chinatown (Ratchawong), Saphan Taksin | Boats fill after 16:00 and stop around 19:00 |
| Chao Phraya Tourist Boat, blue flag | ฿40 a ride; ฿150 day pass | A seat, commentary and the ICONSIAM stop | More than double the orange flag for the same river |
| Cross-river ferry, Tha Tien to Wat Arun | ฿5 | Wat Arun | A different boat from the express, so follow the Wat Arun sign |
| Grab | ฿60–250 in town | Anywhere off the rail lines, late nights | Surge in the evening peak; cancellations in heavy rain |
| Metered taxi | ฿35 flag, about ฿100 for 5 km | Short hops, and the airport rank | A driver who won't use the meter; take the next one |
| Motorbike taxi | ฿15–60 a soi run | Between a station and the inner sois | Ask for the passenger helmet |
| Tuk-tuk | ฿100–200 a short hop, agreed first | One ride for the experience | The cheap 'tour' is a commission run to tailors and gem shops |
Bangkok has no single transit card yet. The MRT, Purple Line, Red Line and Airport Rail Link take a contactless bank card, and the BTS takes its own tickets and the Rabbit card. The ฿20 flat fare you may read about is for Thai ID holders and isn't available to visitors.
The Mistakes I See Newcomers Make
Taking full luggage onto the BTS, MRT or Airport Rail Link at rush hour. The trains are packed from about 07:00 to 09:00 and 16:30 to 19:30, the Airport Rail Link has no luggage racks, and you'll be wedging a suitcase between commuters. Travel with bags in the middle of the day, or take a taxi or Grab.
Taking tuk-tuks everywhere. They're fun once, but you agree on the price before you get in, it's usually more than a Grab for the same trip, and you sit in the same traffic. The driver offering a cheap tour is planning stops at tailors and gem shops that pay him commission.
Paying a negotiated taxi price when the driver should be running the meter. Bangkok taxis are metered, starting at ฿35. If a driver near Khao San, a mall or a nightlife strip quotes a flat price instead, say no and take the next taxi, or book Grab.
Underestimating the traffic. The roads jam from about 16:00 to 19:00 and can stay slow well after, so a dinner across town by car can take twice what the map said. If you're going by taxi or Grab in the evening, leave with time to spare, or take the train most of the way.
Arriving in Bangkok
Top-Ranked Hotels in Bangkok
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From the Airport
My advice is the Airport Rail Link if it works for where you're staying. From Suvarnabhumi it runs from level B1, 05:30 to midnight, to Phaya Thai for ฿45 in about 27 minutes, with changes to the MRT at Makkasan and the BTS at Phaya Thai. From Don Mueang the Red Line does the same job for ฿33, to Krung Thep Aphiwat and the MRT, and the A1 bus goes to BTS Mo Chit for ฿30.
If the train doesn't suit, because of your bags, the hour or your hotel, go to the official taxi rank. At Suvarnabhumi it's on Level 1 between Gates 4 and 7, where you take a numbered ticket at the kiosk. In my experience those taxis are always metered and easy. Expect about ฿400–600 to the center with the ฿50 airport surcharge and the expressway tolls, and ฿250–400 from Don Mueang. Ignore anyone offering a taxi inside the arrivals hall.
The River Boats
The Chao Phraya is the fastest way along the old side of the city, and it skips the traffic completely. The orange-flag express boat is ฿18 flat and stops at the piers for the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Chinatown and Saphan Taksin, where it meets the BTS. The blue-flag tourist boat costs ฿40 a ride or ฿150 for the day, for a seat and commentary on the same stretch.
For Wat Arun, take the ฿5 cross-river ferry from Tha Tien pier, which is a separate boat from the express. Boats fill up after 16:00 and the express stops around 19:00, so do the river by day and take the MRT home from Sanam Chai.
Plan the rest of Bangkok
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Getting Around Bangkok.
The MRT and BTS for anything near a station, then walk, take a motorbike taxi down the soi, or use Grab where the trains don't reach. That's how I got around in the years I lived there. Use the river boats for the Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun.
The BTS Skytrain is elevated and covers Sukhumvit, Siam, Silom and Chatuchak. The MRT is mostly underground and reaches the Old City, Chinatown, Rama 9 and Huai Khwang. They're separate systems with separate tickets, and they meet at Asok, Sala Daeng, Mo Chit and Bang Wa.
The MRT, slightly. It's ฿17–44 a ride against the BTS's ฿17–47 on the core lines and up to ฿65 onto the extensions. If you change between them you pay twice, about ฿80–100 for a longer trip, until the common fare capped at ฿45 starts on 1 January 2027.
On the MRT, yes. Tap a contactless Visa or Mastercard at the gate and tap out with the same card. It also works on the Purple Line, the Red Line and the Airport Rail Link. The BTS doesn't take bank cards yet, so buy a ticket at the machine, a ฿150 one-day pass, or a Rabbit card.
For a short stay, usually not. It costs about ฿200–220 at a BTS ticket office, including ฿100 of credit, and you need your passport. It only works on the BTS and the monorails, not the MRT. Single tickets or the ฿150 one-day pass are simpler for a few days.
A metered taxi is often a little cheaper, starting at ฿35 and about ฿100 for 5 km, but Grab shows the price before you ride, ฿60–250 for most trips in town. Grab is the easy choice when a driver won't use the meter or you don't speak Thai.
For one ride, for the experience. You agree on the fare first, about ฿100–200 for a short hop, which is usually more than a Grab, and you sit in the same traffic. Never take a cheap tuk-tuk tour, which stops at shops that pay commission.
They're how a lot of people get down the sois, and I used them for that. Use the riders in orange vests at a stand, ask for the passenger helmet, which the law requires, and keep your knees in. A soi run is about ฿15–60.
Around midnight. Both run from about 06:00 to midnight, and the Airport Rail Link from 05:30 to midnight. After that, take Grab or a metered taxi.
No. The ฿20 flat fare was for Thai ID holders. Visitors pay the normal fares, ฿17–44 on the MRT and ฿17–65 on the BTS. A common fare of ฿17–45 across the lines is due on 1 January 2027.
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Written by
Mac Kiley
I lived in Bangkok for four years and traveled the country from there. The guides are my own opinions, written the way I'd explain them to a friend planning a trip.
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