Thailand Transit 1 city
Bangkok is the only Thai city with a rail network worth a map, but what a network — an elevated Skytrain, an underground Metro, two monorails and an airport express, run by different companies and stitched together at half a dozen interchanges.
How to ride
The full written guide for each city — fares, the interchanges that matter, rides worth planning around, and local etiquette. Tap a city to open its guide.
Bangkok — BTS & MRT
Two operators, two ticketing systems, one very walkable set of interchanges. The elevated BTS Skytrain (two lines, Sukhumvit and Silom) and the underground/monorail MRT (Blue, Purple, Yellow, Pink) are run by different companies, so historically you bought a separate ticket for each — but contactless bank cards (Visa/Mastercard) and the stored-value Rabbit Card (BTS) now smooth most of that over. You tap in and tap out at the gates, and fares are by distance.
What it costs (indicative)
| Line | Typical fare | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| BTS Skytrain | ~17–62 THB | Elevated; the tourist workhorse for Sukhumvit & Silom |
| MRT Blue Line | ~17–45 THB | A full loop — it now circles the old town and Chinatown |
| Airport Rail Link | ~15–45 THB | Phaya Thai ↔ Suvarnabhumi (BKK) in ~26 min |
| MRT / SRT day out | ~100–150 THB | A realistic all-day budget hopping around on rails |
Fares are indicative single-journey ranges and change with distance and operator promotions — treat them as ballpark, not gospel.
The interchanges that matter
- Siam — the heart of the BTS: the only place the Sukhumvit and Silom Skytrain lines cross. Also Bangkok's mall district (Siam Paragon, MBK).
- Asok / Sukhumvit — BTS Sukhumvit meets MRT Blue. Terminal 21 mall sits on top; Soi Cowboy is a block away.
- Sala Daeng / Si Lom — BTS Silom meets MRT Blue, at the top of the Silom business-and-nightlife strip (Patpong).
- Mo Chit / Chatuchak Park — BTS Sukhumvit meets MRT Blue at the giant Chatuchak Weekend Market.
- Phaya Thai — BTS Sukhumvit meets the Airport Rail Link. This is your fast, cheap ride to Suvarnabhumi.
- Bang Sue / Krung Thep Aphiwat — the vast new Grand Central Terminal: MRT Blue, both SRT Red lines, and long-distance trains, plus the Red Line link toward Don Mueang (DMK) airport.
Rides worth planning around
- Grand Palace & Wat Pho — take the MRT Blue Line to Sanam Chai, the beautiful temple-themed station that put the old town on the metro for the first time.
- Wat Arun & the river — ride BTS Silom to Saphan Taksin, walk down to Sathorn (Central) Pier, and hop a Chao Phraya boat.
- ICONSIAM — the riverside mega-mall is a short ride on the little Gold Line from Krung Thon Buri to Khlong San.
- Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) — Airport Rail Link from Phaya Thai or Makkasan. Don Mueang (DMK) is reached via the SRT Dark Red Line from Bang Sue.
Etiquette & tickets
- No eating or drinking on trains or platforms — it's enforced with fines.
- Let passengers off before boarding; stand on the right of escalators.
- Grab a Rabbit Card for the BTS if you're staying a while; a contactless Visa/Mastercard works on the MRT and the Airport Rail Link.
- Trains run roughly 06:00–midnight; they get genuinely packed at morning and evening rush.