Bangkok

Getting around

Most residents who can afford it plan their housing around a walk to a BTS or MRT station. Taxis and ride-hailing apps are everywhere, but they sit in the same traffic as everyone else. A trip that takes fifteen minutes on the train at midday can take an hour in a car during the morning peak.

The main lines

The BTS has two primary lines, Sukhumvit and Silom, which meet at Siam. A short extension also serves the National Stadium and some stops west of the river on the Silom Line. The MRT Blue Line is the one most people use to cross between the Sukhumvit corridor and areas such as Huai Khwang, Rama 9, Lumpini and Hua Lamphong. The MRT Yellow and Pink Lines are monorails on the eastern and northern edges of the built-up area; they help if you live out that way, but they do not replace the older inner lines.

The Airport Rail Link runs from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Phaya Thai, with stops that serve the east of the city, including Ban Thap Chang and Ramkhamhaeng. It is a city line as well as an airport train. Hua Lamphong remains a long-distance railway station; some southern and northeastern trains also use Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal (Bang Sue). If you are travelling to Hua Hin, you are on the southern railway, not the BTS.

Boats and buses

Chao Phraya express boats call at piers such as Sathorn (near Saphan Taksin BTS), Si Phraya and Rajinee. They are useful along the river and slow or closed in bad weather. Canal boats still run on some khlongs, including parts of Khlong Saen Saep, which cuts west-east across the central districts. City buses cover ground the trains do not, but routes and waiting times are harder to learn in a first month than the rail map.

Buy a stored-value card once you know you will use the BTS or MRT often. The systems are not a single ticket. Allow time to transfer on foot at interchange stations; Asok/Sukhumvit and Sala Daeng/Silom are busy and the walks are signed but not short.