Chit Lom BTS Station

If you're shopping in central Bangkok, this is the stop you want. It sits on the Sukhumvit Line right at the Ratchaprasong end of things, with CentralWorld, Central Chidlom and Gaysorn Village all reachable from the elevated walkways that run off the platforms. That skywalk network is the real value here. You can move between several major malls without touching the sidewalk, which matters more than you'd think in April heat or a rainy season downpour.

Trains run frequently from early morning through to around midnight, so timing is rarely the problem. Crowding is. Morning and evening rush turns the platforms into a slow shuffle, and if you're hauling a suitcase or moving as a group of four, I'd shift your journey to the middle of the day or after eight in the evening. It's not dangerous, just slow and sweaty.

For anything more than a couple of trips, skip the single-journey ticket machines and buy a stored-value Rabbit Card at the station. Lines at the machines are the main time sink, and the card removes them entirely.