How to Use the Public Transport in Bangkok, Thailand

The Skytrain (also known as BTS: Bangkok Transit System) is a comfortable air-conditioned train that gets around Bangkok fast. Its only downside is that it covers only a part of the city. Trains depart every few minutes and run between 6 am and midnight. The two lines, the Silom Line and the Sukhumvit Line stop near many of the main tourist attractions in Bangkok, the shops on Sukhumvit Road and the Chatuchak Market. The two lines meet at the Siam station, and there are also interchange stations for the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit: Bangkok’s metro). The Skytrain offers a range of smart cards and travel passes that can be good value if you plan to use the Skytrain a lot.

Bangkok’s metro is called Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and it is another efficient and cheap way to travel around Bangkok. The MRT has just one line, with 18 stops, and the air-conditioned trains leave every 5 to 7 minutes. The MRT stops close to many tourist attractions and shopping areas, including Sukhumvit Road, Chatuchak Market, Lumbini Park and Hualampong railway station. The MRT stations Silom and Sukhumvit are interchange stations with connections to the Skytrain. Like the Skytrain, the MRT has a variety of ticket options including travel passes and smart cards.

Express boats and river taxis shuttle along the Chao Phraya River. Many Bangkok tourist attractions are easy to get to by boat, and a boat trip on the Chao Phraya is also more fun than sitting in a taxi in a traffic jam. Piers are located at regular intervals along the river. There are several types of boats: some Express boats only stop at certain piers, and some boats travel mainly across the river.

The Chao Phraya River Express has a regular boat service that stops at the main piers along the river. The Banglampoo Pier is the closest pier to the Khao San Road backpacker area, and for a convenient interchange with the Skytrain, the Sathorn Pier is just a few minutes' walk from the Saphan Taksin Skytrain station. In addition to the regular boats, the Chao Phraya Tourist Express is a tourist service that stops at Bangkok’s most important sights.