Views, costs and important Bangkok subway stations

All tourists note that the Bangkok Metro is the most convenient and fastest way to get around the city. The high fare does not deter passengers and is more than compensated by the comfort, high speed and decent service of this form of transport. Separately note the professionalism and friendliness of metro workers, who sometimes can be intimidating in their military uniform.

Bangkok subway map is clear to every tourist: all lines are highlighted in color, making it easy to determine how exactly you can get to the desired point of the subway.

Some difficulty for tourists is the independence of the subway lines in Bangkok, as tokens and cards for the airport, underground and surface metro must be purchased separately.

1. The blue and red branches from right to left are the City Line from the airport.
2. The blue vertical narrow branch is the subway MRT subway.
3. Green and blue two wide branches - Sky Train BTS.

Airport Rail Link Subway

This part of the Bangkok subway is considered the most popular among tourists, as it allows you to quickly and cheaply overcome the distance between the airport and the city.

There are two parallel lines:

• Red line subway - with an express train that travels without stopping to Makkasan station from the airport. The convenience lies in the presence of a terminal at the station, allowing you to check in extra luggage or check in for your flight. The price of the trip here is quite high (90 baht), but it is compensated by the time of overcoming the distance (no more than 20 minutes) and convenience.

• Blue City Line This part of the Bangkok subway is a route with the usual stops. The trains run from the airport to Phaya Thai station: travel time is about 40 minutes and the cost is 45 baht. At the terminal station there is an option to change to a land line and continue to the south or north of the city.

Overground Subway (BTS)

Bangkok's elevated subway (BTS) is the pride of the city and the entire country. The Sky Train, or Sky Train, passes through all the most popular tourist areas of the city, making it the most frequently used transportation by travelers.

This part of the subway consists of two lines, Sukhumvit and Silom, which intersect at Siam station. In addition, the lines are also connected to the Bangkok Underground (crossings operate at 3 stations), as well as to the line leading to the airport, at Phaya Thai station.

The right to use the surface metro is granted on presentation of a special plastic card: one card must be operated by one passenger.

For a one-day visit to the city, a single ticket valid for one day is sufficient. The cost of such a purchase depends on the length of the trip: it usually ranges from 15 to 55 baht. Having bought such a ticket at one of the terminals near the turnstile, you should put it into a special hole and take it from the other side. During the trip the card is with the passenger, but at the exit the device does not give the card back.

Watch your time at the turnstile: for staying in the subway for more than two hours you will have to pay a fine of 40 baht.

The one-day pass is purchased exclusively at the ticket office (price - 130 baht) and allows you to make any number of trips. It is extremely important to understand that the ticket is valid only on the day of purchase - until 24:00, and not for 24 hours after purchase. Tourists are attracted not only by the opportunity to keep the card as a souvenir after the end of the day of travel, but also by the significant savings.

Passes for 30 days with a fixed number of trips does not take into account the distance, so they are considered advantageous only if the minimum trip exceeds 3-4 stations. The cost of such tickets depends on the number of trips provided: 375 baht for 15, 575 baht for 25, 840 baht for 40 and 1000 baht for 50 trips.

Bangkok subway travel card with the ability to recharge for 130 baht, of which only 70 baht can be used to travel, valid for 5 years. The price of the trip is not fixed, as in the card for 30 days, and varies in proportion to the length.

Visit tours in Bangkok

The main difficulty in using this part of the subway is not the complicated layout or difficulty in identifying the necessary station, but the machines. Different kinds of machines accept different bills and coins:

• The Ticket Issuing Machine (TIM) works with 5 and 10 baht coins and gives the change to the customer at 5 baht;

• Integrated Ticketing Machine (ITM) "eats" both coins 1, 5, 10 baht and bills 20, 50 and 100 baht, while giving out only 5 baht in change. For tourists, these machines are attracted by the ability to change the language in the menu;

• The Ticket Vending Machine (TVM) is a much more advanced device that works with all coins and bills, as well as giving change of 1, 5 and 10 baht.

Among all the stations on this line, the following are especially important for tourists:

• Phaya Thai (possibility of transfer to the line to the airport)
• Saphan Taksin (exit to the river cab station)
• Victory Monument (intercity bus stop)
• Siam (shopping malls)
• Morchit (near the bus station of the same name).

Subway Railroad (MRT)

Bangkok's underground subway is unlikely to be of any use to tourists, as it connects residential neighborhoods that tend not to be very attractive to travelers. However, the only underground line should not be overlooked if you need to get to the train station of the city. The layout of this part of the subway is extremely simple: it is shaped like an inverted C and is usually marked in blue.

This branch of the Bangkok subway operates from 6:00 to 24:00, which is convenient for tourists and locals alike.

Tickets (tokens) are purchased in special machines located in front of the turnstiles: at the entrance they are leaned against the turnstile, at the exit they are thrown into a special compartment. The tourist chooses a destination station on the screen, and then the machine calculates the cost of the trip. The price of the token varies between 15 and 40 baht, the criterion for an increase may be a greater distance.

In addition to tokens, you can buy cards with the accumulation function (sold exclusively at cash registers), which do not provide any benefits other than not having to buy tokens all the time. Of the 230 baht paid for the card, only 150 baht is credited to the balance, and the minimum top-up is 100 baht.

View of evening Bangkok from the Airport Express train window

Certain benefits are available to children under the age of 14 and seniors over 65. Those who want to save money can buy a one-day, 15-day or 30-day pass at Metro ticket offices, which cost 120, 600 and 1400 baht respectively. Keep in mind that each tourist needs a separate pass, as it is illegal to use one for several people.

Among the stations of this line tourists should highlight:

• MRT Hua Lamphong, located right in front of the city train station.

• MRT Morchit and MRT Phahon Yothin, from which you can get to the bus station (North) quite quickly both on foot and by cab. Not far from the point is the famous Chatuchak market for tourists.
• MRT Si Lom, which allows you to quickly reach one of the popular night streets of the city.