BANGKOK TRAVEL GUIDE

Bangkok Transport

Text and commentary:

Where should you board and get off for shopping in Siam, walking in Chinatown or crossing to Wat Arun? First find a station near your destination on the map. Select its name to see connecting lines and passenger guidance.

BANGKOK TRANSPORT

Bangkok rail network map

Use the map to see where to board and get off. Select a station for line and travel information.

Loading route geometry and station locations.

Choose a line to see its ticketing and boarding instructions.

Route geometry and station positions: © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL. Consult each operator's service and ticketing information.

Buying BTS tickets

  • Single-journey ticket: buy at TIM machines, accepting only 1, 2, 5 and 10-baht coins; TVM machines, selecting the destination and ticket count and following displayed payment options; or the ticket office.
  • Single-journey ticket validity: valid for one journey during operating hours on the purchase date.
  • Rabbit Card: types include Adult, Standard, Corporate, Special and Co-Branded, with Adult, Student, Senior and Child categories.
  • One-day pass: valid only on the day it is registered at the ticket office.
  • Ticket-machine operating hours: 06:00–24:00

Based on BTSC's official ticket conditions effective 2023-02-01.

Buying MRT Blue and Purple Line tickets

  • Visa tap payment (EMV Contactless): hold a domestic or foreign Visa credit card displaying the contactless symbol against the gate reader to enter without buying a separate ticket. Use the same card to enter and leave; one card is for one person. No card registration is required.
  • Supported cards Check the guidance. Accepted cards are Visa, Mastercard and UnionPay credit cards, and Krungthai, Krungsri, Kasikorn, SCB and UOB debit cards.
  • Former MRT and MRT Plus cards discontinued: online top-ups ended on 1 April 2026 and card use ended on 1 June 2026. The balance and deposit can be refunded in cash at station ticket offices until 31 December 2027; bring ID.
  • Card registration and travel history: check the Mangmoom EMV website, www.mangmoomemv.com.

Based on BEM's official guidance for MRT Blue and Purple Lines. This does not mean every Visa debit card or mobile payment is supported; check the accepted cards and contactless symbol. Official contactless payment conditions →

Buying Pink Line tickets

  • Accepted cards are Single Journey Card·Rabbit Card·EMV Card 3 types.
  • Commercial service across all 30 stations began on 7 January 2024. Operating hours are daily from 06:00 until midnight.
  • Enquiries: 02-617-6111, LINE @pinkyellowline

Based on NBM's official website and a BTS Group official press release. The official route name is MRT Wiwat Nakhon Line.

Going through the ticket gates

  • Automatic Gates include standard gates and 90cm-wide gate are available. Use a wide gate for a wheelchair or large luggage.
  • Official term: Paid Area(inside the paid area), Unpaid Area(outside the ticket gates), Ticket Office(ticket office).
  • Every station ticket office has a POS terminal.

Based on BTSC's official ticketing system guidance.

How to use BTS (official)

Buying a ticket at a TVM

  • Touch the screen and select the round station-code button for your destination. Up to 4 tickets can be issued at once.
  • Choose coins or supported QR payment, then collect the ticket and change.
  • TIM accepts only 1, 2, 5 and 10-baht coins. TVM accepts coins, 20, 50, 100 and 500-baht notes, and QR payment. Check the machine for the available ticket count and payment methods.

Going through the ticket gates

  • One ticket per person. Tap the reader both when entering and leaving.
  • Ask at the ticket office if you have stayed in the paid area for more than 300 minutes.
  • Do not stop or move backwards while passing through; keep bags close. Carry children 90cm tall or shorter, or let them go first. Pregnant passengers should request the manual gate.

Rabbit Card

  • The issue fee is 120 baht with no deposit. Top-ups range from 100–4,000 baht and are available at every station ticket office and Yellow/Pink Line ticket offices.
  • Staying more than 300 minutes in the paid area incurs the maximum fare.

Travel etiquette

  • Do not rush at the doors; queue behind the yellow line, let passengers off first and mind the gap between platform and train.
  • If the closing warning sounds, wait for the next train. Tell staff immediately if something falls onto the track.
  • Do not lean on train doors or consume food and drink on BTS.

Based on BTSC's official passenger guidance.

How to use the Pink Line (NBM official)

Buying a ticket

  • Touch the machine screen → choose the line → touch the station-code circle for your destination → select the number of tickets, up to 10.
  • Pay with coins, notes or QR scanning, then collect the card and change.
  • Single-journey tickets are valid only on the purchase date and are retained by the exit gate. Staying in the paid area for more than 120 minutes incurs the maximum fare.

Going through the ticket gates

  • One card per person. Tap the reader when entering and insert the card into the slot when leaving.
  • Tap a Rabbit Card when entering and leaving. If you exceed 120 minutes in the paid area, ask at the ticket office.
  • Rabbit Cards come in 3 types: Adult, Student and Senior. They cost 200 baht, including issue fee and stored value, at every station ticket office.
  • EMV contactless is also accepted, including domestic and foreign Visa, Mastercard and UnionPay credit cards. Using different cards to enter and leave incurs a 45-baht charge.

Fare

  • Single-journey tickets cost 18–45 baht. The lowest fare is 18 baht for an adjacent station, with a maximum of 45 baht for 15 or more stations. Seniors pay half fare. This follows the official fare table effective 2025-06-17.
  • Pink–Purple transfers within 30 minutes receive a 15-baht discount.

Travel etiquette

  • Smoking, flammable items, animals, food, oversized luggage and excessive noise are prohibited. Tell staff about lost or suspicious items.

Based on NBM's official passenger guidance. The timetable is effective from 2025-09-01, with first/last trains at approximately 05:00/01:00.

How to use MRT (BEM official)

On the platform

  • Queue behind the yellow line and let passengers off first. After boarding, move towards available space inside.
  • Mind the gap between platform and train. Tell staff if something falls onto the track.
  • All food, drink and snacks are prohibited inside the paid area.
  • Do not board or get off when the warning signal sounds or doors start closing.
  • Do not use your body or belongings to obstruct train or platform doors.

On the train

  • Mind the gaps by the doors and hold a handrail or pole.
  • Do not lean on train doors or block doorways.
  • Offer seats to pregnant passengers, children, older people and passengers with disabilities.

Station layout

  • Ground level → stairs, escalators or lift → passenger service level with ticket machines and gates → platform.
  • Platforms have semi-enclosed screen doors that open after the train has fully stopped.
  • Each station has 2 lifts, and toilets at every station are inside the paid area.

Based on BEM's official passenger and facility guidance. For detailed ARL and SRT Red Line procedures, consult the respective operator.

Operating hours and frequency

RouteOperating hoursService frequency
MRT Blue LineDaily 06:00–24:00Up to 7 minutes normally; up to 4 minutes during peaks, 07:00–09:00 and 16:30–19:30
MRT Purple Line (Chalong Ratchadham Line)Mon–Fri 05:30–24:00; weekends and public holidays 06:00–24:00Up to 9 minutes normally; up to 6 minutes during peaks, 06:30–08:30 and 17:00–19:30
SRT Red Line05:00–24:00 in the official timetableTimetable check needed

Based on official BEM guidance. Transfer from the Purple Line to the Blue Line at Tao Poon.

Contact

  • BTS customer service: 0 2617 6000, daily 06:00–24:00. Official website: Routes and Fares Check routes and fares in the menu.
  • MRT Information Center: 0-2624-5200, weekdays 07:00–20:00, weekends and public holidays 08:00–17:00

Example journeys

For your first BTS journey, choose your destination on the TVM touchscreen and check the ticket count and payment methods shown to buy a single-journey ticket. It is valid for one ride during operating hours on the purchase date. Go through the gates into the Paid Area and continue to the platform. For a wheelchair or large luggage, use the 90cm-wide gate.

For MRT Blue and Purple Lines, tap an EMV Contactless card directly at the gate. The former MRT card stopped working on 1 June 2026. To recover any balance, show ID at a station ticket office by 31 December 2027 for a cash refund.

Frequently asked questions

  • How long is a single-journey ticket valid? — Valid for one journey during operating hours on the purchase date.
  • Can I still use the former MRT card? — No. Use ended on 1 June 2026. Tap an EMV Contactless card instead.
  • How do I use the gate with large luggage? — BTS has 90cm-wide accessible ticket gates.
View official sources · 31

The links above are the official detail pages used to verify each fact.

Sources checked:

Suvarnabhumi Airport Rail Link guide

Main terminal Basement Level 1 (B1)is the boarding point. From arrivals, follow Airport Rail Link signs down. The city-bound terminus is Phaya Thai is the option.

Operating hours
Daily 05:30–24:00 · check that day's last departure at each station
Fare
15–45 baht by distance · 45 baht to Phaya Thai
To the city
Train ride to Phaya Thai: about 26–30 minutes · waiting, transfers and walking are additional

Boarding at the airport

  1. After immigration and baggage collection, go down to the Airport Rail Link station on B1 of the main terminal.
  2. Choose Makkasan, Ratchaprarop or Phaya Thai according to your accommodation, then buy a ticket at a machine or ticket office. Check the machine's displayed payment options.
  3. Take a train towards Phaya Thai and get off at your destination station.
  4. To change to MRT or BTS, leave the ARL ticket gates and use that operator's ticket or supported payment method. Transfer fares are separate.
Station from the airportReference fare per personTime on the trainOnward journey
Makkasan35 bahtAbout 22–25 minutesWalk through the connecting passage to MRT Phetchaburi
Ratchaprarop40 bahtAbout 25 minutesPratunam area · continue to your hotel on foot or by vehicle
Phaya Thai45 bahtAbout 26–30 minutesChange to the BTS Sukhumvit Line

Stops and transfers

Suvarnabhumi → Lat Krabang → Ban Thap Chang → Hua Mak → Ramkhamhaeng → Makkasan → Ratchaprarop → Phaya Thai

Makkasan: Walk through the connecting passage to MRT Phetchaburi and transfer to the Blue Line. Phaya Thai: Change to the BTS Sukhumvit Line. Also consider Ratchaprarop for accommodation in the Pratunam area.

For a late arrival, first check whether the train will still be running after immigration and baggage collection. If it has stopped, compare airport taxis and app rides.

Sources: AOT airport transport information · Thai Government ARL station and fare information

Where would you like to go?

Siam and major shopping malls

BTS Siam

Plan around the interchange of the Sukhumvit and Silom Lines.

Asok and Sukhumvit

BTS Asok · MRT Sukhumvit

Choose BTS or MRT according to the most convenient line from your starting point.

Chinatown

MRT Wat Mangkon

The Blue Line connects the old town and Chinatown.

Museum within walking distance of National Stadium station

From Exit 1 of National Stadium station on the BTS Silom Line, you can walk to Jim Thompson House Museum. The main house is visited with a guide; the museum detail page provides the address and map.

Jim Thompson House Museum · พิพิธภัณฑ์บ้านจิม ทอมป์สัน →

Your first Bangkok rail journey: the steps

  1. Find a station near your destination

    Check the station and line on the map, then the stations and direction for your selected line. For similarly named stations or interchanges, check the operator and line together to avoid confusion.

  2. Buy a ticket for the operator you will use

    For one ride, choose your destination at a station machine or ticket office and buy a ticket. Payment methods can differ between BTS, MRT and monorails, so check the line you will use.

    Buying tickets and using gates on the selected line →
  3. Follow destination signs to the platform

    Check the destination signs for your direction rather than the line colour alone. Let passengers off before boarding. When changing trains, distinguish connecting passages from another operator's ticket gates.

  4. Find the exit towards your destination after getting off

    Keep your ticket safe and use the exit gate in the way required by that ticket. The attraction detail page's station and pier map helps with the final walk.

Explore by line

Consider boats for riverside attractions too

Boats travelling along the Chao Phraya and ferries crossing it are different services. For opposite-bank attractions such as Wat Arun, check the pier and onward route after getting off.

Wat Arun and Tha Tien piers

Check the map and walking guidance to see whether the destination is on the same bank or requires crossing the river.

View attraction and pier map →

Frequently asked questions

Can I use the same ticket on BTS and MRT?

Operators and ticket types differ. Card acceptance can also vary by line, so check payment guidance for the line you will use.

Can I get to Wat Arun by rail?

Get off at Itsaraphap station on the MRT Blue Line and walk. The attraction detail page has a map and the final route to the destination.

If two stations look close on the map, can I change directly?

Nearby stations are not necessarily connected within the ticket gates. Check changes of operator, walking connections and tickets.

Explore other transport options

Work status and sources for local review

Muse's official station-list comparison covers Blue, Purple, BTS Sukhumvit, Silom and Pink Lines. Other station lists, interchanges and fares are still being checked. Actual map geometry uses OSM data and is managed separately from official route information.

BTS official routes · BEM official routes · NBM official routes

Sharing image credit: Suikotei · CC BY-SA 4.0