Bangkok doesn’t have one transit system — it has several, built by different companies at different times, and they still don’t fully talk to each other. The elevated BTS Skytrain and the underground MRT are the two you’ll use most, and each has its own fare card. Once you know that going in, the rest is easy: trains are frequent, air-conditioned, and a fraction of what a taxi costs stuck in Bangkok traffic.
The basics
Two rail systems cover most of what a visitor needs:
- BTS Skytrain — elevated trains on the Sukhumvit Line (northern suburbs through Siam and on to Samut Prakan/Pathum Thani) and the Silom Line (National Stadium to the river and across to Bang Wa), plus the short Gold Line monorail out to IconSiam. Siam station, where Sukhumvit and Silom cross, is the system’s hub.
- MRT — underground and elevated trains on the Blue Line, a loop-shaped route through Chinatown, Silom, and Chatuchak that meets the BTS at several stations, and the Purple Line, running northwest to Nonthaburi.
Around those two, you’ll also run into the Yellow and Pink Line monorails (newer routes out to the eastern and northern suburbs), the Red Line commuter trains linking Bang Sue’s Krung Thep Aphiwat terminal to Rangsit and Taling Chan, city buses run by the BMTA, and the Chao Phraya Express Boat, which is a genuinely useful way to reach riverside sights like Wat Arun and the Grand Palace without touching the road network.
How to pay
The BTS and MRT each use their own card, and as of 2026 they’re not interchangeable:
- BTS: buy a paper Single Journey Card from a station machine (coins, or scan a QR code and pay through a mobile banking app) or the ticket counter, then tap it at the gate going in and out. Each ticket is only good for 300 minutes in the system. For repeat rides, get a stored-value Rabbit card at any ticket office — the BTS doesn’t accept a contactless bank card directly at the gate the way the MRT does.
- MRT: buy a coin-fed single-journey token from a vending machine or counter, or simply tap a contactless Visa, Mastercard, or UnionPay bank card (or phone wallet) straight at the yellow reader — no card to buy first. The MRT’s own stored-value cards (MRT and MRT Plus) stopped being accepted in June 2026, so a token or a bank card is now the way in.
There are no exceptions for cash on the trains themselves — pay before you’re through the gate. City buses are a mix of flat and distance-based fares collected by a conductor on board.
Fares
- BTS: 17–47 baht depending on distance for a single ride on the core Sukhumvit and Silom lines (Mo Chit–On Nut and National Stadium–Taksin Bridge). The Green Line extensions beyond those points (toward Khu Khot, Kheha, and Bang Wa) are priced separately, and a single trip that crosses from the core onto an extension is capped at 65 baht. If you’re making several trips in a day, a One-Day Pass (150 baht from the ticket office, not the machines) covers unlimited BTS rides until the system closes that night. Senior citizens using a registered senior Rabbit card get 50% off.
- MRT: 17–44 baht on the Blue Line depending on distance, under the fare schedule that took effect July 3, 2026. The Purple Line was revised the same day under a parallel regulation, with children under 120cm and disabled-card holders riding free and seniors paying half fare.
- Red Line (SRT commuter rail): fares run by distance at 1.50 baht per kilometre — for example, 42 baht from the Bang Sue area (Krung Thep Aphiwat) out to Rangsit, or 35 baht to Taling Chan.
- Chao Phraya Express Boat: flat or zone fares depending on the flag colour painted on the boat — 19 baht on the Orange flag route, 24 baht on Yellow, 17–36 baht by zone on Green-Yellow, and 33 baht on the air-conditioned Red flag boats.
Getting from the airport
Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) connects to the city by the Airport Rail Link City Line, which runs from the basement of the terminal to Phaya Thai station. Fares are 15–45 baht depending on how far you’re going — the full ride to Phaya Thai costs 45 baht. Along the way it stops at Makkasan (a walk to MRT Phetchaburi) and Hua Mak (MRT Yellow Line), so you can transfer onto the subway without going all the way to Phaya Thai first. At Phaya Thai, it connects directly to the BTS Sukhumvit Line.
If you’d rather take a bus, the airport’s own Public Transportation Center runs public buses into the city, including BMTA route S1 to Sanam Luang near the Grand Palace (60 baht flat) and minibus 552 to On Nut BTS station (29 baht maximum).
Taking a taxi is easy, too: go to the official taxi stand on the arrivals level rather than anyone who approaches you inside the terminal. You’ll pay the meter plus a 50-baht airport surcharge (which the driver keeps) and any expressway tolls.
Don Mueang Airport (DMK), used by many budget airlines, isn’t on a rail line — buses and taxis are the way in and out.
Apps to download
- BEM MRT — the official app for MRT maps, timetables, and service announcements.
- Google Maps — handles trip planning across BTS, MRT, and buses with live positions, and is the easiest single app for a visitor.
When it runs
MRT trains run from around 5:30am to just past midnight on both the Blue and Purple lines, with the exact last train depending on the station and direction. The BTS keeps similar hours, running from early morning until shortly after midnight every day, with trains every few minutes at rush hour and a bit less frequently in the evening.
Accessibility
The MRT is the easier system for wheelchair users — every station has an elevator. The BTS is only partially accessible: elevators exist at some but not all stations, including the Siam interchange. If you need to move between the Airport Rail Link and another line, MRT Phetchaburi (reached from Makkasan) is the only step-free cross-line connection; the Phaya Thai transfer to the BTS has gaps and stairs that make it difficult for wheelchair users.
Etiquette & local quirks
- No eating or drinking inside stations or on board trains on either the BTS or MRT — it’s enforced, not just a suggestion.
- Stand right, walk left on escalators, same as most of Asia.
- Give up priority seats near the doors for monks, the elderly, pregnant passengers, and people with disabilities.
- Rush hour (roughly 7–9am and 5–7pm) is genuinely packed on both the BTS and MRT — build in extra time or travel just outside those windows if you can.
- The BTS and MRT literally don’t share a ticketing system yet — don’t expect your Rabbit card to work on the MRT, or a tapped bank card from the MRT to get you through a BTS gate.
Good to know
- Thailand has also experimented with steeply discounted flat fares (as low as 20 baht) on some lines, but those schemes have required registering a Thai national ID card through a government app — they’re not something a visiting tourist can use, so the fares above are what you’ll actually pay.
- Avoid unmetered taxis and tuk-tuks that quote a flat price before you get in, especially right outside tourist sites — insist on the meter, or use a ride-hailing app.