The transport system in Bangkok is represented by a good range of services, which will be discussed below. For those who have not yet been to Thailand and are going on an independent travel, this information may be useful. And for those who are going to take a ride on the Bangkok metro, and for those who need to get from Bangkok airport to the bus station or railway station to continue the trip.
One of the main questions of a traveler is where to stay, how to find a suitable hotel? I remind you that it is convenient to search for housing through hotel search engine, it is a convenient service where you can compare hotel prices in different booking systems. I have stayed in Bangkok many times and in different hotels. I will not provide links to all my reviews, I will give only a few. Nasa vegas - convenient for stopping near the airport and metro, Rajata - good place to spend the night near Khaosan, S3 Residense located in the center next to the park.
The content of the article
Bangkok subway
Types, opening hours, cost
There are three types of Bangkok metro:
- Underground MRT.
- Ground BTS Skytrain.
- Ground City Line (Airport Link). Only one land line from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport to city center.
Bangkok subway opening hours from 6.00 am to 12.00 am.
The fare for MRT and BTS Skytrain depends on the number of stations, and is approximately the same for both modes of transport - 15-45 baht.
City Line runs in two versions - with stops and express, the cost, respectively, 15-45 baht and 150 baht. For more information on how to get from the airport by metro, read the article - Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport.
City Line metro fare
Bangkok metro maps
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Bangkok metro maps
- The blue and red lines from right to left are the City Line from the airport (there are two of them because, one with stops, the other is express, but physically it is the same line). Separate independent branch.
- The vertical blue narrow line is the MRT underground metro.
- Two wide branches in dark azure and light green are the Skytrain BTS.
- In August 2016, the MRT Purple Line was launched - the purple line of the Bangkok metro. It is elevated, unlike the MRT blue line. Now the terminal station of the lilac line Tao Poon is connected to the terminal on the blue line (Bang Sue) by free shuttles, and in the future it is planned to connect the blue and purple lines..
Tokens and cards
In the underground metro (MRT) - tokens. At the entrance to the station, there are machines where you can buy a token by selecting the desired station in advance. The machine accepts coins, paper, and gives change. There is an English interface. You can also buy a ticket at the ticket office from a person, or exchange paper money for change, if there are machines at the station that accept only metal. When entering, the token must be applied to the turnstile, and not lowered into it! But at the exit, just lower it into the slot. If you got off at a more distant station, then a beep will sound, and you will need to pay extra, there is nothing to worry about, ask, they will tell you how.
With the BTS, everything is the same, only there are not tokens, but cards. They are also bought in vending machines and according to the same principle..
If you have passed your station, then go back, there is a simple transfer between trains there and back, just cross the platform. And in order not to pass the station, follow the names, or count the number of stations. You can still listen, but at first it will be very unusual.
Bangkok Metro MRT. Doors at stations are duplicated
You can't eat or drink on the subway
Bangkok railway stations
Hua Lamphong Station
Bangkok's train station is called Hua Lamphong and is located at the terminus of the MRT underground metro station of the same name (on my map above it is the blue line, on the left).
Hua Lamphong Railway Station
Hua Lamphong Railway Station
Train station in the heart of Bangkok
Train station in the heart of Bangkok
Bangkok Train Station Hua Lamphong
If you are coming from Bangkok airport and you need a train station, then you need to get off at Makkasan station and transfer to Phetchaburi MRT station. This change is simple, now we have already built a crossing and you just need to follow the signs. Transfer takes 10 minutes.
Thonburi Station
There is also the Thonburi railway station serving the direction to Kanchanaburi.
Prices and Schedule
From the Bangkok railway station Hua Lamphong can be reached in any direction. You just need to take into account that during the season, or on the eve of any holiday in Thailand, and there are a lot of them here, there may not be tickets. If they offer you bus tickets here, do not agree. Prices are two times higher than real ones, it is better to get to the bus station and buy it yourself. We were offered once for 1200 baht to Chiang Mai, and «the last» tickets remained, but at the bus station we left without any problems for 500 baht in a half-empty bus. More about railways of Thailand and ticket class.
Train timetables should be viewed on the official website railway.co.th. Choose the departure and destination station and see all the information. For prices, for example, a ticket from Bangkok to Chiang Mai costs in a sleeping car of the second class (reserved seat) with air conditioning - 791 baht top shelf, 881 baht bottom shelf.
How to buy a train ticket online
It is now impossible to buy tickets online on the official website, only at the ticket office of railway stations. If you need a ticket in advance and via the Internet, then only through an agency, for example, 12go.asia. Now it is the only service with such a service. Payment by card or PayPal. But the ticket will not be electronic, since the Thai railways do not have such a system, you will need to get the original, either at the agency's office (several points) or by mail. Here, below you can select the cities you need and see what will come of it 🙂 There, bus tickets will also be offered.
Railway tickets in Thailand>
Bus stations in Bangkok
general information
Intercity bus service is very common and is represented by a large number of private companies. Almost from any point you can get to another. The buses are good, comfortable and air conditioned. As a rule, there are several classes - VIP, 1st class, 2nd class. They differ slightly among themselves, the width of the seat, as well as the presence of food (water + cookies on the bus, and in a cafe at the bus stop).
Prices are: Bangkok-Chiang Mai (~ 700 km) 400-800 baht. More about buses in Thailand. You can buy a ticket online at 12go.asia..
Bus tickets>
Typical ticket sales window at a bus station
First class on the bus
Sai Tai Mai South Bus Terminal
Sai Tai Mai Bus Station, located in the west of Bangkok City (Boromratchchonnani Rd, +66 2435-1200, 2434-7192), serves western and southwestern destinations, such as Phuket, Koh Samui, Krabi, Hua Hin.
Unfortunately, you cannot reach it by metro, only by bus or taxi. I would choose a taxi to quickly and without crap. The cost is about 200 baht by meter from the center of Bangkok and about 500-600 baht from Suvarnabhumi airport. By bus, it will take 1.5-2 hours to cut from the center of Bangkok. It is better to check with the Thais on the street or at the hotel which bus, because there is a list of buses on the Internet, but it does not correspond to reality. Alternatively, use Google Maps, there is an opportunity to build a route by bus, however, Google is also mistaken, judging by my experience.
South Bus Station (Sai Tai Mai)
South Bus Station (Sai Tai Mai)
South Bus Station (in Thai, buses go south from here. We need a new Sai Tai Mai. Ticket offices on the 3rd floor.
More details.
Southern Bus Station (in Thai, buses go south from here. We need a new Sai Tai Mai. Ticket offices on the 3rd floor..
Moh Chit North Bus Station
Moh Chit Bus Station, located in the north of the city (Kampaengphet 2 Rd, +66 2936-3660). The largest bus station. Direction to Chiang Mai, Ayuthaya, Kanchanaburi, Pitsanulok, Sukhothai and others. But you can also go to Pattaya and Hua Hin (by minivans) and to Koh Chang in Trat province (bus several times a day).
You can get to the bus station on foot from Chatuchak Park station (MRT metro) or Mo Chit station (BTS Skytrain), walk for 15 minutes, you can also take bus 138. Accordingly, if you are traveling from Bangkok airport to City Line, then you need to change trains from Makkasan Station on Phetchaburi (MRT) or at Phaya Thai Station change to BTS Skytrain. The last option is shorter.
How to get from Bangkok to Chiang Mai
East Bus Station Ekkamai
Ekkamai Bus Station, located in the southeast of Bangkok City (Sukhumvit Rd, +66 2391-2504), near the Ekkamai BTS Skytrain Station, and opposite Soi 63. Directions to Pattaya, Rayong, Koh Chang.
You can get to the Ekkamai bus station on foot from the Ekkamai station (BTS Skytrain). And if you are traveling from Bangkok Airport to City Line, then you need to change at Phaya Thai station, where change to BTS Skytrain.
How to get from Bangkok to Pattaya
How to get from Bangkok to Koh Chang
Ekkamai Bus Station
Ekkamai Bus Station
Eastern bus station. From here, buses travel mainly to the east of Thailand. Located right next to BTS Ekkamai metro station of the same name.
More details.
Eastern bus station. From here, buses travel mainly to the east of Thailand. Located right next to the BTS Ekkamai metro station of the same name. More details.
Bus station at Victory Monument
Victory Monument is a metro station. Near it, until October 2016, there was an unofficial Bangkok bus station, from where about 4,000 minivans started in various directions in Thailand. The place was terribly popular, because it was almost the only bus station (albeit illegal) where people got into microbuses right from the metro and immediately went home. All this pleasure was accompanied by serious traffic jams on the square near the monument, with which, in fact, the military decided to fight. Now all four thousand minibuses are distributed between state bus terminals, and only a few routes continue to stop temporarily on the square, which carry people to the nearest suburb..
Considering that the illegal bus station has been functioning for several decades, and hundreds of thousands of people come here out of habit, the Bangkok government has provided citizens with free shuttles to the bass terminals, which, it should be noted, are scattered throughout the city and are difficult to access even for the local population. In the sense that going there is hemorrhoids, costs and wasted time. Shuttles run from Chatuchak to Mo Chit 2 and from the monument to Sai Tai Mai and Ekkamai daily from 5:30 am to 8:30 pm every 20 minutes. The shuttle to Sai Tai May starts even at 4:30.
Mo Chit Terminal 2 - For those traveling north, northeast and central Thailand. Buses leave from the Sai Tai Mai bus station to the south; and from Ekkamai you will be taken to the east.
Victory Monument unofficial bus station
Victory Monument unofficial bus station
Minivans start from here in different directions: Pattaya, Hua Hin, Ayutthaya, etc. It is located right next to the metro, you go down from BTS and there are minibuses with barkers down there..
Minivans start from here in different directions: Pattaya, Hua Hin, Ayutthaya, etc. It is located right next to the metro, you go down from BTS and there are minibuses with barkers down there..
City buses in Bangkok
The bus service in the city of Bangkok is also developed, and you can only go to some places by bus (or tuk-tuk), for example, to Khao San Road, popular among backpackers, where a large number of guesthouses and hotels are located. Information on bus routes can be found at bmta.co.th. Also, bus routes can be built on Google Maps. It does not always show the correct bus numbers, but generally works fine.
P.S. I also recommend using Taxi. They are very cheap there if you go by the meter. But at rush hour, of course, it is better to move by metro, otherwise you can stand in traffic jams.
