Bangkok Metro and how to use it

Bangkok Metro

Bangkok Metro is the fastest way to get around the city. Bypassing all traffic jams using the BTS Skytrain, underground BTS or airport metro ARL (Aeroport Rail Link), you can quickly travel long distances around Bangkok and even beyond, and already walk to a specific place from the metro station or take a taxi. The only drawback of the metro is its cost. It is quite high and in some cases even comparable to the cost of a taxi.

So, in Bangkok there are four types of metro independently of each other:

• BTS Skytrain
• BTS Underground Subway
• Airport Metro ARL
• MRL Monorail

Important! Lines of different metro types intersect, and convenient transitions are made for this. But when you change the type of subway, you will have to buy another ticket. When switching from one line to another of the same type of metro, you do not need to buy a new ticket.

• Opening hours of all types of metro: from 6:00 to 00:00.
• Fare: from 16 baht depending on the length of the trip, calculated by the number of stations.

The following is a complete guide to the Bangkok metro, where you can learn more about all types of Bangkok metro and how to ride it, what types of tickets there are and how much it costs to travel, operating hours and schedules, and other issues:

Bangkok Metro map

Here is a map of all types of Bangkok metro. You can download it to your smartphone to have access to it at any time. However, if you have local mobile internet (read how to buy a cheap local SIM card in Thailand), it's easier to use the metro map and the public transport route planner on Google Maps and in the ViaBus app. Both there and there routes with transfers with a choice of options are being built. In the metro itself, maps are presented inside the cars, on the stands, but not everywhere there are complete schemes with different types of metro. There are also map schemes in free travel brochures and city maps. It is worth noting that the network is constantly being built and expanded, and many schemes no longer correspond to real routes.

And here is our interactive map of Bangkok metro in Russian with marked attractions and hotels linked to a Google map (the interactive map will open in a new window by "clicking" on the image):

Bangkok Skytrain (BTS) SkyTrain

"Sky Train" (SkyTrain) is one of the pride of Bangkok residents. This subway was designed and built by Thais completely independently (at least, they think so), and they are very proud of it.

To visit Bangkok and not ride the Skytrain means not to visit Bangkok completely. The metro passes through the most interesting tourist areas of Bangkok and is more popular with tourists than other types. The stations are located in all the most commercial and shopping areas of Bangkok.

The metro consists of three lines: Sukhumvit line, Silom line, Golden line. Sukhumvit and Silom lines intersect at Siam station in Siam District of Bangkok. The skytrain also intersects with the underground (via transitions) at three stations, and is connected to the airport subway at Phaya Thai station.

BTS fare

Access to the metro is carried out using several types of tickets-cards: one-time, one-day, 30-day, cumulative card. They are bought at the cash desk or in vending machines at each station. The cards are valid for both skytrain lines in the same way, the transition from line to line is not additionally charged. A ticket, regardless of the type, must be purchased for each passenger, it is impossible for several passengers to travel using one card. If your trip to Bangkok is short, it is enough to use a one-time ticket (Single Journey Ticket). If you have a long trip planned and a lot of travel, you can take a closer look at travel or cumulative tickets, in general, a one-time ticket is quite suitable, which you can buy before each trip.

The fare depends on the length of the trip, i.e. the number of stations. It works this way:

• Being at the departure station, you determine the cost to the desired station from the table (diagram) or on the terminal screen.
• You buy a ticket card of the required dignity, and use it to pass through the turnstile, take the card with you.
• Upon arrival at the destination point, you put the same card back into the turnstile at the exit, and if you try to get off at the wrong station, the turnstile simply won't let you out.

The minimum cost of the trip is 16 baht (0.49 USD, see Thailand's currency and exchange rate), the longest is 59 baht in 2019 (1.81 USD). You can calculate the cost using the interactive map service here, just select the desired stations on the screen.

Types of BTS tickets

• One-time ticket (BTS Single Journey Ticket)

  Cost: from 16 to 59 baht depending on the length of the trip.

  This is the easiest ticket for a one-time trip. It is valid only on the day of purchase and also provides for a time limit of 120 minutes in the paid zone. That is, after you pass through the turnstile with this ticket, you will have to leave the subway in no more than 120 minutes, otherwise you will be fined at the exit of 40 baht.

  At the entrance to the subway, a one-time ticket is lowered into the turnstile and pops out from the other side, and at the exit the "machine" swallows it and leaves it in itself, i.e. you leave the subway without a ticket.

  It is purchased at the stations in the vending machines: Ticket Issuing Machine (TIM), Integrated Ticketing Machine (ITM) and Ticket Vending Machine (TVM).

• One-Day Pass (One-Day Pass)

  Cost: 150 baht (4.6 USD).

  Allows you to make as many trips as you want during the day when it is purchased. Keep in mind, we are talking about a day, not 24 hours, i.e. you can use it only until the end of the current day, and the next day in the morning it will no longer be valid. It is bought at the ticket offices at the stations.

  At the entrance, the one-day pass is lowered into the turnstile and pops out from the other side. When exiting the subway, the procedure is the same. After use at the end of the day, the ticket is simply thrown out.

• Rabbit Card

  Rabbit Card payment cards have been introduced to replace the previously valid 30-day and cumulative Sky SmartPass cards. The card is purchased for 100 baht, and replenished by an arbitrary amount for trips. When paying with a Rabbit Card, a very small discount is provided, for example, the minimum trip costs not 16 baht, but 15. For tourists, this is not really an option compared to one-time travel cards, unless you save time buying one-time travel cards every time.

How to buy a BTS ticket

A one-time ticket (BTS Single Journey Ticket) is sold at the vending machines at each station, tickets at the ticket offices at the stations.

There are three types of vending machines: Ticket Issuing Machine (TIM), Integrated Ticketing Machine (ITM) and Ticket Vending Machine (TVM). They differ by and large only in what coins or bills they accept. If you do not have coins or bills of the desired denomination, the exchange is made here at the cash desks. Once again, please note that single tickets are not sold at the box office. In principle, there will be no problem with any of the machines to sort it out on the spot, there is English everywhere, but just in case, here's a brief description for you:

• (TIM)

  This machine accepts only coins of 10 and 5 baht, and gives out change of 5 baht.

  In the device you can not choose the station you need, and to buy a ticket of the required value, you should use the table next to the device to determine the cost of the ticket to the desired station, and press the corresponding value button on the device (large buttons with numbers). After pressing the button, you can start "feeding" the device with coins, and when you throw as much as you need, it will spit out the ticket and, if necessary, change.

• Integrated Ticketing Machine (ITM)

  Accepts coins of 5 and 10 baht and banknotes of 20, 50, 100 baht. Gives change for 5 baht.

  On the touch screen, you can select the language, the desired station and then "feed" banknotes or coins to the device.

• Ticket Vending Machine (TVM)

  Accepts coins of 1, 5 and 10 baht and banknotes of 20, 50, 100 baht. Gives change for 1, 5 and 10 baht.

  It is simply a more advanced modification of the previous device. Allows you to buy multiple tickets at a time.

Important BTS stations for tourists

Here are some stations that may be of interest to tourists.

• BTS Phaya Thai (Sukhumvit Line)

  Here you can go to the airport metro station of the same name, from where you can very quickly and inexpensively get to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport.

  It is also the nearest skytrain station (about 500 meters away, 10 minutes walk) to Bayok Sky Tower and in general almost the very center of the district Pratunam.

• BTS Saphan Taksin (Silom Line)

  The jetty of the river taxi Sathon. This is the only place where you can transfer from the skytrain to boats plying the Chaopraya River in order to reach the Royal Palace of Bangkok, Wat Po Temple, Temple of Dawn or eventually to Khao San Road. Learn more about Bangkok river transport.

• BTS Sala Daeng (Silom Line)

  This station is located right in the center of nightlife Bangkok Silom district, next to Patpong Street (Soi Patpong).

• BTS Victory Monument (Sukhumvit Line)

  Right at this station there is Victory Monument bus parking lot, from which it used to be possible to travel by minivan to the cities closest to Bangkok. But now there are only city buses left, and this is a good place to change from route to route on city buses to get to almost any corner of Bangkok.

• BTS Morchit (Sukhumvit Line)

  From this station on foot (about 20 minutes) or you can take a shuttle bus to Bangkok Morchit North Bus Station. It is also home to Bangkok's largest market, Chatuchak.

• BTS Ekkamai (Silom Line)

  Next to this station is Bangkok Ekkamai East Bus Terminal.

Bangkok Underground Subway (MRT)

There are currently two metro lines in operation:

• Blue (Blue Line or M.R.T. Chaloem Ratchamongkhon Line). Yaerez passes Hua lamphong railway station north to Bang Station through the districts of Silom, Sukhumvit, Ratchadaphisek and Chatuchak district. It intersects with Skytrain Skytrain lines at Si Lom (S2), Sukhumvit (E4) and Chatuchak Park (N18) stations.
• Purple or Purple (Purple Line or M.R.T. Chalong Ratchadham Line). This is a new line, opened in 2016. Skytrain does not intersect with the Skytrain.

To be honest, the underground metro is of little interest to tourists, because it mainly passes through a residential area where there are few attractions. But it connects Bangkok's Hualamphong railway station and MorChit North bus terminal (Chatuchak Station), which can be useful when traveling with a rest stop in Bangkok.

The order of use and payment in the underground subway is exactly the same as in the skytrain: the cost depends on the distance of the trip, tickets are purchased at the entrance and controlled at the turnstiles at the exit at the terminal station. While tickets for the underground and elevated metro are separate, transfers on one ticket from one type to another are not possible. But there are plans to combine these types of metro.

The cost of travel on the MRT

Access to the Bangkok underground subway is carried out using travel cards or one-time tokens. You can buy such tickets at every metro station in vending machines or at the ticket offices.

The fare depends on the length of the trip (number of stations) and starts from 16 baht per trip to one station and ends with 42 baht per trip to 12-17 stations. For children, trips are cheaper - from 8 to 21 baht. Tickets (tokens or cards) are controlled automatically when entering and exiting the subway, so you need to save them until the end of the trip. At the exit, as well as at the entrance, you need to pass the ticket through the turnstile, and if you try to get off at the wrong station, the turnstile will not let you out.

For all types of tickets, there is a time limit for the maximum stay in the metro area: after entering through the turnstile, you must leave the metro within 90 minutes, otherwise you will be fined 40 baht.

Types of MRT tickets

• One-time ticket-token (Single Journey Token)

  Cost: from 16 to 42 baht depending on the length of the trip.

  This ticket is a plastic token that leans against the reading pad on the turnstile in front of the subway entrance, and when exiting, it falls into the slot on the turnstile and stays there. The token is valid only on the day of its purchase.

  Such tokens are bought at vending machines and ticket offices at stations. Tokens for children are bought only at the ticket offices.

• Cumulative card (Stored Value Card)

  Cost: from 230 baht (150 for trips, 50 deposit, 30 for issuing a card), top-up is only 100 baht. There is also a children's card (up to 14 years old) and a card for the elderly (over 65) at reduced rates.

  This card does not give any savings when traveling in the subway. For each trip, it is charged exactly as much as you would have spent using a one-time ticket. Its only advantage is convenience: you don't need to buy a token every time. Leans against the reading area of the turnstile every time you enter and exit.

  Sold only at the box office.

• One-Day Pass (One Day Pass)

  Cost: 120 baht.

  Allows you to move around the whole day without restrictions using the underground subway. It is necessary to purchase a card for each passenger separately. Valid only during the day in which the first trip was made on the card before midnight of that day. Sold only at the box office.

• Multi-day travel cards

  The same as a one-day travel card, only valid for different times.

  Cost:

  • 15-day (15-DAY PASS) – 600 baht.
  • 30-day (30-DAY PASS) – 1400 baht.

How to buy an MRT ticket

One-time ticket tokens can be purchased at ticket offices and vending machines, travel cards are sold only at ticket offices. Vending machines sell tokens only for adults, so for children a ticket should be bought at the ticket office.

When buying from a vending machine, you need to select the desired station and "feed" the amount to the machine in coins of 1, 5 and 10 baht and banknotes of 20, 50 and 100 baht. The device issues the change in coins.

Important MRT Stations

• MRT Hua Lamphong

  This station is right on Bangkok's Hualamphong Railway Station. Also within walking distance from this station is Temple of the Golden Buddha (Wat Trai Mit) and Chinatown district.

• MRT Si Lom

  The station is located near Patpong Night Entertainment Street.

• MRT Morchit and MRT Phahon Yothin

  From these stations on foot (about 20 minutes) or you can take a shuttle bus to Bangkok Morchit North Bus Station. It is also home to Bangkok's largest market, Chatuchak.

Bangkok Airport Metro (ARL) Airport Rail Link

ARL connects the city center with Suvarnabhumi International Airport, and this is the fastest and very inexpensive way to get from the city center to the airport or back. In addition, this type of metro can be used to move within the city or to the suburbs of Bangkok. Trains run from 06:00 to 24:00 at approximately 15-minute intervals.

There are two lines or two types of trains on this metro: Express Line (Express Line) and City Line (City Line):

• City Line

  These trains follow the entire route with stops. You can not only get to the airport, but also drive as many stops as you need. The line starts from the Phaya Thai station (this is also the BTS Phaya Thai station). If you want to transfer to the BTS skytrain, then you need to use this line. The fare, depending on the length of the route, costs from 15 to 45 baht.

• Express Line (Since 2014 Express Line has been suspended)

  These are fast trains that run from Makkasan Station (please note, not from Phaya Thai Station) to the airport and back non-stop. The fare is 90 baht. There is an airport terminal at Makkasan Station, where you can check in for an airplane flight from Suvarnabhumi Airport and even check in your luggage. At Makkasan Station, you can either continue on the City Line or switch to the underground subway line.

How to buy an ARL ticket

Tickets are sold at each station using vending machines. Ticket control takes place at the entrance and exit to the station.

Important ARL stations

• ARL Phaya Thai. Transfer to the BTS skytrain.
• ARL Makkasan. Transfer to the MRT Phetchaburi station.
• ARL Ratchaprarop. The nearest metro station to the tower is Bayok Sky (10 minutes on foot).

Bangkok Monorail (MRL)

The monorail is a new mode of transport and a new yellow line on Bangkok's public transport schemes, launched only in 2023. So far, we (the authors of the site) have not personally used this transport, because it simply was not necessary. The fact is that this line passes through residential areas of the city almost on the outskirts, and we simply did not find a use where we could go by monorail.