Bangkok city transport, what to use to get around

We are very active and move a lot while traveling around Bangkok by public transport, and we share our rail experience in the article. You will find out what types of public transport there are in Bangkok, how to use it, the fare and how to pay for it, popular routes and much more about the ways of getting around the capital. Well, if something remains unclear or you just want to talk about the topic of holidays in Thailand, we invite you to our 💬 Thailand travel chat.

Bangkok is famous for its traffic jams, but thanks to the public transport system, including the underground subway, the skytrain (BTS –Sky Train), buses, river transport along the Chaopraya River and numerous canals, you can move around the city quite comfortably and inexpensively bypassing traffic jams.

Tips:

• To plan a route on public transport in Bangkok, we recommend using google maps. Another option is the application ViaBus. With their help, you can set a route around Bangkok by public transport, including with transfers and with a change of mode of transport.

• We have an interactive map of Bangkok with metro lines and attractions. You can use it to determine the route by metro to interesting places in the capital.

On this page we have collected information about all types of transport presented in Bangkok, including the cost, schedule and useful routes. If you are interested in a specific type of transport, then for a more detailed acquaintance you can look at the individual guide instructions:

• Bangkok Water Transport
• Bangkok Metro
• How to get from Don Muang to Bangkok
• How to get from Suvarnabhumi to Bangkok

On foot

• Cost: free.
• Frequency of cruising: at any time.
• Working hours: around the clock.

Some reviews and guidebooks say that Bangkok is not at all suitable for walking, and it is better to take a taxi everywhere. We (the authors of the site) fundamentally disagree with this, and with great pleasure we walk around Bangkok and even travel long distances between districts. After all, this is a great way to see the life of a simple non-tourist Bangkok, besides it's free.

You can move around most areas freely and conveniently, but there are places where walking is really inconvenient because of difficult transport interchanges, railways and canals. Of the places popular with tourists, we know one such – this is the area of the Chatuchak market, the new railway station Krung Thep Aphiwat and Bang Sue, the Mo Chit bus station. In this place, indeed, in order to get from one point to another, sometimes you have to go around many times more than a straight path. But in the historical part of Bangkok on the Ratanakosin peninsula (this is where Khaosan tourist street is located, The Royal Palace and most of the most important temples), in Chinatown, in the districts Pratunam, siam and Sukhumvit walking is a pleasure.

Buses

• Cost: 8-36 baht / 0.25-1.1 USD
• Frequency of cruising: differs on different routes, but in general, popular routes run almost every 5 minutes.
• Working hours: most of the routes operate from 05:00 to 22:00, but there are also round-the-clock.
• Website: http://www.bmta.co.th/en/bus-lines.

Bangkok buses are the cheapest way to get around the city, and therefore our favorite. Buses can take you almost anywhere in the city, although sometimes you have to make transfers. But if you get used to it, then there will be no inaccessible places in the city for you, as when traveling by metro, the coverage area of which is limited. For example, in the tourist area of Khaosthere is no metro, but there are plenty of bus routes, including direct ones from the airport.

However, this is far from the easiest way to move around the capital. The problem is that there are a huge number of routes, they are all confusing, and, as a rule, they are indicated only in Thai. Therefore, there is nothing to think about simply getting out and going somewhere by bus without prior preparation - you will certainly get confused. It is better to study the route map in advance at the hotel, determine the starting and ending points, intermediate stops, and only then go. Unforgettable impressions are guaranteed to you!

To plan a bus route around Bangkok, you can use the already mentioned above google maps or the app ViaBus. But it should be borne in mind that the information on the routes there may not be relevant. For example, we once waited at a bus stop on the outskirts of Bangkok for almost an hour for a bus that was displayed both in the application and on the maps as valid, but as it turned out, it has long been canceled. To check this for sure, after building a route on Google maps, it is better to double-check the existence of buses by route number on the official BMTA website - http://www.bmta.co.th/en/bus-lines. You can also buy a paper map of bus routes in supermarkets "7/11", but to be honest, using it in modern conditions, and even with such a variety and amount of transport in Bangkok, is completely inconvenient.

So, there are several types of buses of different comfort and at different prices. The cheapest non-conditioned ones are called Regular (Reg), all other conditioned ones are called AC. They can be distinguished by color, as well as by closed or open doors and windows (in air-conditioned they are always closed). Both types can walk on the same route. By color, they are distributed mainly as follows:

• Small green Regular – 8 baht, the cheapest, non-conditioned, non-ventilated.
• Red, pink and orange Regular buses – 8 baht, the same as the green ones, only more spacious.
• Blue-yellow and blue air–conditioned AC - the price depends on the distance, from 16 to 36 baht.
• Orange air–conditioned AC - the price depends on the distance, from 16 to 36 baht.

In addition to those mentioned, there are special city bus routes A1 and S1 and others like that. These are express buses for long-distance trips, i.e. they make few stops. They are especially convenient in order to travel budget from airports to the city center to tourist areas. They were told in more detail separately:

• How to get from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Khao San district by bus
• How and how to get from Don Mueang airport

Buses in Bangkok stop strictly at bus stops, and it will not work here to sit in any arbitrary place, as on songteo minibuses. There is a separate lane for buses on some roads, and while the cars are in traffic jams, the buses are moving calmly. The fare is paid in the cabin to the conductor, and usually in cash, although in some rare buses you can pay by card. The conductors themselves monitor the incoming passengers and will come to you to pay for the fare. Since on some buses the cost depends on the length of your trip (it is charged by zone), you need to tell the conductor the area or some iconic place where you are going, and they will tell you the prices. After payment, a paper ticket is issued, which must be saved until the end of the trip.

Bangkok Skytrain (BTS Skytrain)

• Cost: 16-44 baht / 0.49-1.35 USD
• Frequency of cruising: every 2-8 minutes.
• Working hours: 05:15 to 00:40.
• Website: https://www.bts.co.th/eng/.

The Bangkok Skytrain System (BTS) is the most convenient way to travel around Bangkok between individual districts, especially in the center. Thais built this modern subway themselves, and they are very proud of it. And for good reason. Spacious air–conditioned carriages move around Bangkok above ground at the level of 3-7 floors bypassing all traffic jams and congestion and opening up a wonderful view of the city. If you want to see the city and take impressive photos, then get on the first or last car.

If you are not lazy to walk a kilometer or two from the station to any attraction, then this transport will be an ideal option for you.

Currently, there are two branches of the skytrain – Sukhumvit (Sukhumvit, long, light green on the map) and Silom (Silom, short, dark green on the map). The lines cover most of Bangkok's central business and tourist districts.

The fare depends on the distance of the trip. Tickets are sold at each station at ticket offices or vending machines. There are two types of vending machines: Ticket Issuing Machine (TIM) – accepts only coins and gives change in coins (5 baht each); Integrated Ticketing Machine (ITM) - accepts coins and banknotes (20, 50, 100 baht) and gives change in coins (5 baht each).

Tickets are sold by zones (S1, E3, etc. are indicated on the map), and the price is determined by the table and ranges from (16 to 44 baht). Traffic patterns and cost tables are available at each station, and when you buy a ticket, you don't need to calculate anything at all, but just need to specify the destination station, and the amount of the trip will be indicated immediately.

Ticket control takes place at the entrance and exit from the subway. If you bought a ticket to any station, and are trying to get off at another, a siren will sound and the turnstile will not let you out. Then you will either have to buy a new exit ticket at the ticket office, or get back on the train and go to the right station.

But the train stations, sights, monuments, shopping centers near the skytrain stations:

• Ekkamai East Bus Terminal exit on E7.
• Hua Lampong Central Railway Station exit on W1.
• Northeast bus terminal Mo Chit 2 – N8.
• Chatujak Park – N8.
• Lumpini Park – S2.
• Queen Sirikit Park – E5.
• Santipharp Park (Santipharp) – N3.
• Paolo Memorial Hospital – N7.
• Erawan Temple – E1,S1.
• Victory Monument – E4.
• Hua Mark Stadium – N3.
• National Sports Stadium – W1.
• Jim Thomson House Museum - W1.
• Shopping center Amarin Plaza – S1.
• Central Chidlom – E1.
• Sunday market Chatuchak (Chatuchak) – N8.
• Emporium Shopping Center – E5.
• Gaysorn Plaza Shopping Center – E1.
• Ma Boon Krong Shopping Mall (MBK) – W1.
• Narayana Phand Folk Crafts Center – E1.
• Patpong S2 quarter.
• Robinson store on Silom – S2.
• Robinson store on Bangrak – S6.
• Central World Plaza Shopping Center – E1.

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.

Bangkok Airport Metro (Airport Rail Link)

The ARL Airport Metro line connects the Suvarnabhumi International Airport with the city center. There are two lines - Express Line (Express Line) and City Line (City Line).

The express line is mainly used to get to the city from the airport as quickly as possible. Trains on it do not make any stops, and proceed from the airport directly to Makkasan station (City Air Terminal). This trip will take you 15 minutes and will cost 90 baht. Trains depart every 15 minutes from 6 a.m. to midnight. From Makkasan Station, you can continue your journey through the city by taxi, transfer to the City Line (to get to the Phaya Thai terminal station to transfer to the SkyTrain subway), or transfer to the underground MRT subway (Phetchaburi MRT station).

The city line is cheaper, stops at all stations, and goes further into the city. From the Suvarnabhumi Airport, trains run to Phaya Thai Station. At Phaya Thai Station, you can take the skytrain. The whole journey takes no more than 26 minutes and costs 45 baht.

Attention! Since 2014, the Express Line has been suspended, only the City Line operates

High-speed bus route (BRT Bus Rapid Transit)

This is potentially a very cool transport system in Bangkok, which was launched in 2010, but, unfortunately, is not going through the best of times right now. Of the planned five routes, only one remains operational, but its further fate is unknown, so check the current information about the work before you decide to use it.

So, BRT is something like trams, only in the form of buses that run along a dedicated lane. No other vehicle can physically enter this lane, which allows BRT to bypass all traffic jams. Currently, only one route is operating – from Sathon to Ratchaphruek, and travel on it is temporarily free. The only tourist use we found for this route is to get on it to unusual Wat Pariwat Ratchasongkram temple, popularly known as David Beckham Temple.

Monorail

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.

City trains (SRT Red Lines)

• Cost: 12-42 baht / 0.37-1.29 USD
• Frequency of cruising: every 15 minutes.
• Working hours: 05:00 to 24:00.
• Website: https://srtet.co.th/en/.

In 2021, another new type of urban transport was launched in Bangkok – city trains, now known as the Red Line Red Line. Trains are not directly connected to any other type of metro and generally belong to the railways of Thailand, but there are metro transfer points. Now there are two lines, both marked on the maps in red and dark red.

So far, SRT Red Lines is of interest to tourists and travelers only because these trains can quickly get from Don Mueang Airport to the main new Bangkok railway station Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal for 33 baht, and there is also the northern bus station Mor Chit and Chatuchak market. We have not found any other applications for this line yet.

Tuk-tuks (Tuk-tuk)

The most exotic and most expensive mechanical means of transportation is the Bangkok tuk-tuk. Three-wheeled almost homemade cars carry tourists around Bangkok, leaving behind clouds of smelly smoke.

Tuk-tuk drivers will be waiting and pouncing on you from every corner near tourist places :-), and offer free or almost free trips to any place in the city or along the tourist route. They will say that today is a special holiday and therefore everything is free. Naturally, all this is a divorce of tourists for money, which carries a catch. Don't believe them. For the trip you will have to pay a considerable amount for a very short distance. Sometimes tuktukers cross borders and get their money by threats, bringing tourists into narrow streets and surrounded from all sides by a gang of angry tuktukers :-). Of course, the latter is a joke, but sometimes they really deceive tourists by agreeing to take them for one amount, and then they demand a large one under all sorts of pretexts.

The only way to get a free ride on a tuk-tuk is to agree to an "excursion" trip to a jewelry factory, restaurant or other "tourist promotion company" where the driver will receive a commission for your "head". Well, if your desire to ride a tuk-tuk around Bangkok is not discouraged by anything, be sure to agree on the price before the trip, write it down on paper and do not agree to the driver's persuasions like: "Verify chip", "Special price", "Its OK" without a specific price. Moreover, it should be agreed that the price should be for the entire trip, and not for each passenger separately.

In addition to tourist three-wheeled tuk-tuks, four-wheeled ones (actually called songthaew) also run around Bangkok. They are cheaper and are used by the local population for short-distance trips. They follow pre-established routes, but if you start asking them if they are going there, they will take your question no other way than that you want to hire them in the form of a taxi. Therefore, be careful with them too.

Taxi

Taxi in Bangkok is a very common and relatively inexpensive form of transportation. Despite the fact that this is the capital, you can drive almost the entire city center from 100 baht. You just need to use the taxi correctly so as not to overpay or be deceived.

The best option is to take a taxi on the meter (Taxi Meter). An exception may be a trip to the airport or long-distance to neighboring cities (Pattaya, Ayutthaya, Hua Hin, etc.), when it is more profitable to hire a car at a fixed price. Unfortunately, not all taxi drivers on the street are always ready to take you to the meter right away (they usually say that the meter is broken), and not all meters work correctly. Before boarding a taxi, you should make sure the driver that the meter works with a simple question "Taxi Meter?". If he claims that the meter is broken, just look for another taxi.

Catching a taxi is more profitable on the road than hiring taxi drivers who are waiting for customers at tourist gatherings. Usually taxi drivers who stand and catch customers at shopping malls, attractions, nightclubs, immediately begin to impose fabulous prices for a trip at a fixed and inflated price (after all, they have to pay for such a profitable place to wait for customers). Therefore, if you want to save money, it's best to just move a little further away from this place and catch a taxi.

Well, the most profitable and convenient option is, of course, to use applications to order a taxi. There are applications in Bangkok Grab, Taxi-Maxim, InDrive. Uber in Bangkok does not work!!! In our experience, Grab has the most machines and the fastest delivery, but also higher prices. If you are not in a hurry, you can save a little baht when ordering through Maxim or inDriver, but we have had cases when we simply did not wait for the submission. But the situation may, of course, change over time.

In all these applications, immediately after specifying the destination point, you will be able to see the final price of the trip. Moreover, several options will be offered at once, but the application does not always show the most profitable option at the top of the list. So open it and choose what is cheaper, but taking into account the delivery time of the car, of course. There are also motorcycle taxi options that are twice as cheap as a car taxi, but only suitable for one passenger.

You can pay for a trip when ordering through the apps with a linked card (Russian cards are not linked) or in cash at the end of the trip. Payment will be strictly according to the cost that is displayed in the application, although, of course, sometimes taxi drivers do not find small change for change from tens of baht.

Obviously, to order a taxi through the application, you need the Internet, and it will be ideal if you connect your mobile Internet via a local SIM card or roaming (read how to choose and where to buy a SIM card in Thailand). But as a last resort, you can also use free Wi-Fi in public areas and hotels. In this case, make an order, wait for confirmation and appointment of a car or motorcycle taxi, take a screenshot from the screen about the cost of the trip in case of disputes over the amount of payment, and you can go on a trip without the Internet. See more details how to use Grab taxi in Thailand...

There are several toll roads in Bangkok and beyond, and ordinary roads run parallel to them. You always have a choice whether to take the toll road or the free road, but if you choose the toll road, you will get to the place faster. Of course, you will have to pay for the toll road. Discuss this issue with the drivers.

Many drivers in Bangkok do not understand a word of English and do not understand maps at all. If you come across one, do not hesitate to contact passers-by who will be your interpreters while you explain to the driver where you need to get to.

Tips in a taxi are not required, but you can round up the amount and leave the change to the driver.

Bangkok River Transport

In case you don't know, Bangkok is called the "Venice of the East" because of the many canals. Accordingly, water transport in Bangkok is very common, inexpensive, convenient and, in some cases, one of the fastest ways to get to the right place.

The Chaopraya River meanders through the whole city, and from it many canals go deeper into remote corners of the city. They are used by regular boats, tourist boats, ferries for crossing from one side of the coast to the other, and even a water taxi.

Water taxi is the most expensive type of water transport. The price for an hour trip on a long-tailed boat starts from 500 baht per hour (15.33 USD). And it doesn't matter if you are sailing or going to see the attraction, the payment will be the same. It is possible to bargain before the trip, but this gives weak results. The maximum you can count on is a discount for a few hours of travel. If you plan to rent a boat for a group of more than two people, you will have to pay almost twice as much. Ideally, you should take a water taxi for small groups and walks on the water, and see the sights while traveling by other means of transport. You won't have to search for a water taxi for a long time. It is only necessary to appear on one of the piers of the Chaorpaya River, you will immediately be offered a "charter boat".

A much cheaper option for moving is regular or express boats (express boat) on the Chaopraya River. Tickets for them cost from 14 to 33 baht and are bought at the ticket offices on the pier or in boats from the conductor. The boat routes differ in colors and are marked with flags of different colors, although in fact the route along the river is the same, just different boats make stops at different piers, skipping some of them. Orange line boats make stops at all piers.

An important pier for regular boats is Sathon (also Taksin), since the BTS Saphan Taksin subway station is located next to it. This is, in fact, the only metro station near the piers. If you are not at all familiar with Bangkok's water transport, then it is best to start your acquaintance with this pier. At the pier you can find the necessary information about the routes.

Another convenient type of water transport for tourists is regular boats along the canals (klongs). The most useful and most popular route is the Golden Mount Line route. The boats of this route run between the pier in the heart of the Pratunam district and the Panfa Leelard Pier in the historic district of the city.

Another indispensable type of water transport is ferries across the Chaopraya River. They allow you to move from one side of the river to the other on almost any pier from only 4 baht. For example, it is convenient to get to the Wat Arun Dawn Temple, to the Thonburi district (to the railway station in Kanchanaburi and to the medical museum).

Learn more about Bangkok's water transport is here...

Bicycle rental system

In Bangkok there is an ecological way of transportation for tourists – bicycle rental. For this purpose, a network of rental stations has been created where you can take a bike, ride it around the city, and then return it to any other station. On the one hand, it is convenient, but on the other hand, there are enough disadvantages:

• Traffic in Bangkok is too dangerous for cycling, and there are no dedicated bike lanes. Where there are bike paths, they will still be occupied by parked motorbikes or mobile shops
• The free rental period is only 15 minutes, then it is paid in full
• There is no mobile app with a station map
• To start using them, you must first visit the office with your passport

If all this doesn't scare you, then here is instructions for using the bicycle rental system in Bangkok...

Rent a motorcycle

As in other resorts in Thailand, in Bangkok you can find a motorbike for rent to move around the city. However, unlike popular beach resorts, here you can't just walk down the street to find the first rental you find. There are rentals here, but these are mostly large shops for the sale and repair of motor vehicles, and they are scattered around different areas of the city. Therefore, if you have plans to move around the city on a motorbike, it is better to find rental offices near your hotel in advance via the Internet. The easiest way to find a rental is through a request on a Google map "motorcycle for rent bangkok". Rental prices here are slightly higher than in other tourist places – from 300 baht per day for the simplest scooter, for a period of a week or more, a discount is provided.

To manage transport in Thailand, tourists no longer need to obtain an international driver's license (IDP). On May 1, 2021, the long-awaited event finally took place - Thailand ratified the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, which it initially joined back in 1968. And now in Thailand, theoretically, it is possible to manage rented transport using ordinary Russian rights. However, so far in Thailand there has not been a practice of adopting national VUS on the roads by police officers, therefore, in order not to finish off our rightness every time, we still recommend that you additionally issue an IDP. For more information about renting a transport in Thailand, read here. At the same time, it should also be borne in mind that in order to control any motorcycle by law, you must have category A.

Traffic in Thailand, and especially in Bangkok, is very dangerous. The country ranks second in the world in terms of the number of deaths in road accidents, so be extremely careful, or even better, abandon this idea and use a taxi or public transport.

However, if you decide to rent a motorcycle, now you can find and book it in advance, and it is even delivered to the place you need, for example, to a bus station, airport or hotel. You can do this on the website BikesBooking.com: