The metro is the most reliable way to avoid traffic jams in Bangkok. However, it looks simpler on the map than it is in practice.

The BTS, MRT and airport trains all have different ticket systems. Furthermore, not all ticket barriers accept payment by bank card.

Furthermore, there are many areas you cannot easily reach by metro. At least not yet: the Bangkok metro network is expanding rapidly.

💬 Have you come across a change to card payments or a tricky change of line? Please share it in the comments below the article. We’ll check it out, and you’ll be helping other travellers.

My recommendations for your first trip:

• In the city centre, mainly use the green BTS lines and the blue MRT line.
• Take the Airport Rail Link to Suvarnabhumi Airport. The red suburban line goes to Don Mueang.
• On the blue MRT line, you can simply tap your contactless Visa or Mastercard. On the green BTS line, buy a ticket or use a Rabbit Card.
• When changing between the BTS and MRT, you’ll need to pay again.

Below you’ll find an overview of payment methods by line, specific transfers and fares. In the following sections, we’ll go through the routes in detail, as well as hotels near stations and how to get to the sights.

Do you get around Bangkok in other ways? We cover taxis, Grab, Bolt, boats and buses in a separate chapter: Transport in Bangkok.

When choosing a hotel, it’s worth staying close to the right bus route. You’ll save time and avoid paying for extra transfers.

Choose a hotel in Bangkok near the metro

Where can you pay by card on the metro?

The key factor is whether you tap your bank card directly at the entrance. Buying a ticket via a QR code or paying by card at the ticket office is a different matter.

Line	Using your own card at the turnstile?	What to use instead
Blue and Purple MRT lines	Yes	You can also use a single-use token from a ticket machine
Yellow and pink MRT lines	Yes	Single-journey ticket or Rabbit Card
Red SRT lines	Yes	Ticket from a ticket machine or ticket office
Airport Rail Link	Yes	You can also buy a single-journey token from a ticket machine
BTS Green Lines	No	Single-journey ticket or day pass
Golden Line	No	Single ticket

How do transfers between lines work?

The individual metro lines are operated by different transport operators, who do not recognise each other’s fares.

You can only ever buy a transfer ticket within a single system.

• BTS Skytrain (dark and light green lines)– changing at Siam station is very straightforward and does not require an additional ticket
• MRTA (blue, purple, pink and yellow lines) –you can change between these lines using a single ticket or token
• Airport lines –when changing to any other underground line, you will need a new ticket

How much does the metro cost, and when is a day ticket worth it?

You pay for a single journey based on the number of stops travelled. As a guide, expect the following prices:

Line	Fare for a single journey
Blue MRT	17 thb up to 44 thb
MRT Purple	15 thb to 42 thb
BTS Green Line	17 thb to 65 thb
MRT yellow or pink	15 thb to 45 thb
Airport Rail Link	Airport ↔ Phaya Thai costs 45 thb
Red SRT lines	journey from Krung Thep Aphiwat ↔ Don Mueang Airport costs 33 thb
Gold Line	17 thb per journey

BTS day pass: 150 thb

A One-Day Pass is available for both green BTS lines for 150 thb. You can buy it from station staff. It is valid for unlimited journeys on the day of activation, not for 24 hours from first use.

Buy this if you’re planning several longer journeys in a single day, exclusively on the green lines.

When is it worth it?

For two or three journeys, single tickets are usually cheaper. The day ticket is not valid on the blue MRT, the Airport Rail Link, the yellow or pink lines, or the gold line to ICONSIAM.

Personally, however, I’ve never travelled on the green lines in Bangkok more than three times a day, so I’m not sure how good a value this ticket is for tourists.

Is there an all-day ticket valid on all metro lines?

No. There isn’t a single standard tourist ticket valid for all of Bangkok’s rail lines.

On the red SRT suburban lines and the purple MRT lines, there is currently a combined daily cap of 40 thb, provided you pay for all journeys using the same contactless card. The blue MRT and green BTS lines are not included in this cap.

The Rabbit Card makes it easier to make repeated journeys on the BTS, the yellow and pink lines. However, it is not an unlimited all-day ticket, and the fare is deducted for each journey. The new card costs 120 thb to issue, and you’ll need to top it up with at least 100 thb. For a short stay, buy it mainly for convenience, not for the automatic savings.

Be aware of old articles about the MRT or MRT Plus top-up cards. Their use on the blue and purple lines ended in June 2026.

How do I buy a single-journey ticket?

1. On the ticket machine, switch the language to English and select your destination station. If you’re changing to the green, yellow or pink lines, try entering your final destination.
2. Pay. Make sure you have small notes or coins. On some lines, you can also use QR code payment, although this may not work with your international app.
3. At the entrance, hold your ticket or token up to the reader.
4. Keep your ticket until you reach your destination. When exiting, depending on the type of turnstile, either tap it again or insert it into the slot.

On the Blue MRT and the Airport Rail Link, you will be given a token which you must tap against the turnstile when entering the station and insert into the turnstile when exiting (it will remain there).

The Green BTS and the Yellow or Pink lines use a thin, card-style ticket.

If the machine rejects a banknote or card, ask a member of staff at the ticket office. At larger stations, they can also help you change your cash.

On the Blue MRT line or the airport line to BKK Airport, you can pay using your own contactless card.

Map of the Bangkok Metro

As the official websites of the individual systems do not provide high-resolution maps, we have created our own map of the current Bangkok Metro network.

Where should you stay if you want to use the metro?

When choosing a hotel, don’t just check the distance to the nearest station. Also check which line runs there and how many times you’ll have to change. In Bangkok, this is more important than a difference of a few minutes’ walk.

• The easiest BTS ↔ MRT interchange: Grande Centre Point Terminal 21, near Asok and Sukhumvit stations.
• Travelling from BKK Airport by train: Eastin Grand Hotel Phayathai, with access to BTS Phaya Thai and a short walk to the Airport Rail Link.
• BTS and boat connection: Centre Point Plus Hotel Silom near Saphan Taksin and Sathorn pier.
• Hotel right next to the BTS platform: Eastin Grand Hotel Sathorn, connected by a footbridge to Surasak station.
• A more affordable option near a shopping centre: ibis Bangkok Siam, next to BTS National Stadium, one stop from Siam.

If you’re unsure which neighbourhood to choose, read our comparison of where to stay in Bangkok. It also takes into account locations that offer good transport links around the city.

Compare hotel prices in Bangkok

Bangkok Metro lines

The city is currently served by 8 metro lines, comprising 1 traditional underground line (which runs above ground on the outskirts), 6 lines of pure elevated rail running on elevated concrete corridors, and 1 line of an automated elevated train.

However, the metro is far from covering all directions and areas of the city, and you’ll find it difficult to get around without taking additional taxi journeys.

The metro is not a unified system; it is operated by four different companies, which do not recognise each other’s tickets.

Metropolitan Rapid Transit (MRT)

This system consists of three lines:

• Blue Circular Line (MRTA Blue Line) – runs through the historic centre and some of modern Bangkok’s most popular accommodation districts; it also goes to Bang Sue Central Station and stops near Mo Chit Bus Terminal. Key stations:
  • Sanam Chai – historic centre, Wat Pho, Grand Palace+ view of Wat Arun
  • Hua Lamphong – Golden Buddha, Chinatown
  • Silom
  • Sukhumvit
  • Chatuchak Park – Chatuchak Market, Mo Chit bus station
  • Bang Phai – Wat Paknam temple
• Purple Line (MRTA Purple Line) – from the Tao Poon interchange with the Blue Line in the north of the city, it continues further north beyond the city limits of Bangkok and is of no use to tourists

MRT official website:metro.bemplc.co.th

The Blue Line is almost entirely underground, whilst the Purple and Yellow Lines run entirely above ground. The Blue Line is also the busiest of all the Bangkok Metro routes.

BTS Skytrain

This system operates two green lines – light and dark – which intersect at Siam station.

• The light green line (Sukhumvit Line) – runs through Bangkok from north to south, passing through the city centre via the Sukhumvit and Siam districts, which are popular with tourists, and also stops near the Mo Chit and Ekkamai bus stations. Important stations include the following:
  • Mo Chit – Chatuchak Market
  • Victory Monument
  • Siam
  • Asok –Sukhumvit district
• Dark green line (Silom Line) – starts in the centre of modern Bangkok in the Siam district and continues through the popular Silom district, crossing the river towards the east of the city. Key stations:
  • Siam
  • Sala Daeng – Silom district
  • Chong Nonsi – Mahanakhon skyscraper
  • Krung Thon Buri – change to the Gold Line towards ICONSIAM
• Gold Line (Gold Line) – a very short route running from the dark green line to the luxury shopping centre ICONSIAM
• Yellow Line (Yellow Line) – runs through the eastern part of Bangkok and is not yet of much significance from a tourist’s point of view
• Pink Line (Pink Line) – runs through the northern part of Bangkok and connects, for example, the red metro line from Don Mueang Airport with the light green or purple lines. The transfer from the airport line to the pink line is at Lak Si station

Official BTS Skytrain website:www.bts.co.th/eng

All routes are above ground. The green lines are operated by conventional metro trains, whilst the gold line is a so-called ‘ peoplemover ’ – an automated, driverless train.

The Gold Line also has a separate fare structure from the two Green Lines, and you must always purchase a separate ticket.

SRT Railway

The final operator is the Thai State Railways, which operates three electrified elevated railways.

• Suvarnabhumi City Line (Airport Rail Link) – connects the modern centre of Bangkok with Suvarnabhumi Airport. Key stations:
  • Phaya Thai – terminus with a connection to the light green BTS line
  • Makassan – the northern edge of the Sukhumvit district
• Red Line – connects Bang Sue railway station in the north of the city with Don Mueang Airport
• Light red line – runs eastwards from Bang Sue railway station to Taling Chan and is of virtually no use to tourists

Official website:www.srtet.co.th

Timetables and frequencies

All Bangkok Metro lines start running between 5.15 and 5.30 from their terminus stations, meaning they reach the city centre around 6.00. The last services run between 23:20 and 23:40 from the terminus stations, meaning they leave the city centre around midnight.

Service intervals on the Blue Line and both Green Lines range from 5 to 10 minutes; they are shorter in the morning and afternoon, and longer around midday and at weekends (though never exceeding 10 minutes).

When travelling toSuvarnabhumiAirport (BKK), the interval is 10–15 minutes, whilst toDon MueangAirport (DMK) it is 12–20 minutes.

Metro trains

All metro trains are modern and air-conditioned. Sometimes they are even over-air-conditioned, and it is not unusual for the temperature difference between outside and inside the train to exceed 15 degrees.

Both the trains and stations are spotlessly clean, and travelling on the metro in Bangkok is very safe.

What facilities are there at metro stations? Are there toilets?

At most metro stations, you’ll find vending machines selling drinks and light refreshments; there are always ticket machines and a ticket office staffed by a member of staff.

You won’t usually find toilets at metro stations.

Luggage lockers are available at stations on the airport line to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport.