Bangkok transport for first-timers: which train, boat or taxi to take

Take the train. In daylight the BTS Skytrain, the MRT and the Airport Rail Link beat a car on time and on price, and the river is a scenic way to reach the old city. Keep taxis and apps for luggage, late nights and places the rails don’t go.

As of October 2026, the old MRT stored-value cards no longer work; tap a contactless Visa, Mastercard or UnionPay card at the gate. For fares, see getting around Bangkok and the Bangkok transport board.

Who it’s for: first-time visitors and new arrivals who want one plan for the whole city. Who can skip it: anyone on a hotel-transfer-and-tour-bus trip.

The quick answer

Taxis and ride apps

Taxi

Use the official public taxi queue on the ground level at Suvarnabhumi. Take a numbered ticket from the machine, walk to the matching bay, and keep the ticket: it carries the driver’s details if you need to complain.

• Meter on before you move. The driver should switch it on before the car moves.
• Airport surcharge. It is currently 50 baht; check the airport’s taxi page. It does not show on the meter, so confirm it at the queue.
• Expressway tolls. Pay them in cash to the driver. They are worth paying, because they usually save time.

A taxi booked through an app or call centre can add its own booking fee.

The catch: a refused meter is rare at the official queue but not unknown. Get out and take a new ticket.

Taxis in the city

• Wave down a moving taxi with the red light showing in the windscreen. Taxis idling outside tourist sights, hotels and malls usually want a flat fare.
• Insist on the meter. If the driver refuses, get out.
• Follow your route on Google Maps and carry small notes, since short-changing is common.
• Ignore any recommendation a driver makes for a shop, restaurant or tour. Drivers are often paid commission for taking you there.

Taxis of every colour charge the same rates. For more tricks, see scams in Thailand.

Grab and Bolt

The price is fixed before you get in, the ride is tracked, and you can pay by card. Check both apps and book the cheaper one. The fare is usually a little above a meter taxi.

The catch: a card payment can carry a small extra fee, and tolls are paid to the driver in cash.

Drivers occasionally cancel and ask you to rebook, or ask for more than the app price. Check the plate matches the app, and pay only the app fare.

Airport Rail Link

The Airport Rail Link runs from the airport to Phaya Thai, from early morning until about midnight. The operator and fares may change, so check at the station.

Change to the MRT Blue line at Makkasan or the BTS Sukhumvit line at Phaya Thai.

Buy a ticket at the machine or ticket booth, and keep it: you need it to exit.

The catch: it stops at midnight, and the changes at Makkasan and Phaya Thai mean long walks with a suitcase. Pack light, or take a car.

Between the two airports

A shuttle bus links Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang; ask at the airport information desk who can use it and how long the journey takes. If you can’t use it, take a taxi or app car.

Arriving at Don Mueang, the SRT Dark Red line goes to Bang Sue, where you change to the MRT Blue line. The first-hour guide has the Suvarnabhumi side in detail.

BTS Skytrain

The BTS is the line most visitors use, and it has its own tickets and Rabbit card. The Sukhumvit line and the Silom line meet at Siam, and you change between them without paying again. Key interchanges are Asok, Mo Chit and Sala Daeng for the MRT, and Saphan Taksin for the river boats.

Check the fare map at the station. Some ticket machines take coins only, so keep coins handy or queue at the ticket office. Keep your ticket: you need it to leave the station.

For a busy day, ask at a ticket office about the One-Day Pass, which covers unlimited rides on the Sukhumvit and Silom lines. For a longer stay, a Rabbit card saves the ticket queue; buy it at a ticket office.

The catch: the BTS has its own tickets and Rabbit card. Check bts.co.th for whether bank cards are accepted. The Gold Line (Krung Thon Buri to Khlong San, for ICONSIAM) is a separate fare.

MRT

The MRT is the easiest system to use because you tap a card. Tap a contactless Visa, Mastercard or UnionPay card on the reader and tap out with the same card.

Ask at the ticket office if you want a paper ticket instead of tapping a card. The Yellow and Pink monorail lines serve the eastern suburbs, and most visitors will not need them.

The catch: foreign cards sometimes fail at the gate. Carry a second credit card, or ask at the ticket office about a ticket. Each MRT line charges separately, and the MRT does not link to the BTS fare.

Rail rules

• No eating, drinking or smoking on trains or platforms.
• Give your seat to monks, older people, pregnant women and small children.
• Avoid roughly 7am to 9am and 5pm to 7pm, when trains are full.
• Carry coins for BTS machines.
• Most stations have lifts, but check the station before you go with a wheelchair or pushchair.

River and canal boats

The Chao Phraya boats are cheap and run past the main sights. Services differ by boat type and fares vary, so read the fare and timetable board at the pier. Sathorn pier sits under BTS Saphan Taksin.

Tha Chang and Tha Tien serve the Grand Palace and Wat Pho, and Ratchawong serves Chinatown. A small cross-river ferry takes you to Wat Arun; check the fare at the pier.

The canal boat on Khlong Saen Saep runs parallel to Sukhumvit and Phetchaburi roads, and can be a quick route into the old city at rush hour. Pay the conductor on board and carry small notes, because change is scarce. Check the fare board at the pier.

The catch: boarding a canal boat means stepping onto a wet deck across a moving gap, so skip it if you’re unsteady on your feet. Both boat networks wind down in the evening, so check the last service before planning dinner on the other side.

Buses

Buses are cheap and slow, and rarely the best way to get anywhere. Fares vary by bus, so check before you pay. Pay a conductor on board, with small notes, and set up Google Maps or ViaBus for routes and arrival times.

The catch: routes are hard to read without Thai, and buses sit in the same traffic as everything else. Most visitors will use the rails instead.

Tuk-tuks and motorbike taxis

A tuk-tuk has no meter, so agree the fare first and expect to pay well above a metered taxi. Ignore a tuk-tuk driver’s shop tips. MuvMi runs electric tuk-tuks at fixed prices through its own app.

Motorbike taxis wait at stands near stations, malls and condos, drivers in orange vests. They are quick through traffic and risky: most road deaths in Thailand involve motorbikes.

Agree the price first, or book through Grab or Bolt. Don’t set your app pickup next to a stand, because drivers there have confronted people using the apps, and many app riders won’t stop near one.