The BTS Skytrain is the fastest way to skip Bangkok’s traffic, and it’s the mode of transport I love and use the most. If you’re coming to Bangkok for the first time, navigating the lines and the ticket options might be a bit confusing, it certainly was for me.
You might be asking: should I buy single tickets, the Rabbit Card, or the One-Day Pass? They all work a bit differently, and buying the wrong one can mean either wasting your money or wasting time in a queue that around 5pm can be extremely long, especially at stations like Asok, Siam and Phrom Phong.
In this guide I’ll tell you which ticket to buy for your specific trip, what the Rabbit Card does and doesn’t cover, the current 2026 fares, the best stations worth knowing if you’re sightseeing, and other practical tips.
➞ This guide is part of my full Bangkok transport guide. Head there for taxis, Grab, river boats, and getting in from the airport.
❤️ This article contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support.
My Quick Overview: BTS Skytrain in Bangkok
| Lines | Sukhumvit (light green), Silom (dark green), plus the 3-stop Gold Line to ICONSIAM |
|---|---|
| Operating hours | 5:15am to midnight (Sukhumvit), 5:30am to 00:15am (Silom) |
| Single fare | 17–65 THB, based on distance |
| One-Day Pass | 150 THB, unlimited rides on the Sukhumvit and Silom lines |
| Rabbit Card | 100 THB (non-refundable) for the card + 100 THB minimum top-up |
| How to pay | Cash or Thai QR only |
| My advice | Choose a hotel within walking distance of a BTS station |
My Experience Using the BTS Skytrain
Bangkok’s Skytrain is one of the best things built in the city. It takes you quickly and safely from one part of the city to another. I use it a few times a week: to get to Benjakitti Park for my run, to malls like Emsphere or Siam Paragon when I need to pick something up, or to National Stadium for an evening on Banthat Thong Road. When I’m heading to the Old Town or Chinatown, I take it to Asok and switch to the metro there.
The platforms and carriages are super clean. Every platform has a worker who helps blind and disabled travellers navigate, makes sure nobody crosses the yellow line, and steps in if there’s any emergency. Most platforms have a protective door so you can’t accidentally fall onto the rails, and there’s always a lift from street level up to the ticket floor and then to the platform, which is handy if you have a heavy suitcase or a pram.
It certainly has its peak hours, mainly in the morning when people travel to work, and again after 5pm when they head home. I find the stations between Siam and Thonglor the busiest, and sometimes I have to wait for the second or third train to get on.
NEVER WONDER WHERE TO GO IN BANGKOK AGAIN
150 of my favourite spots, ready on Google Maps. Tap once and the best restaurants, cafés, bars, shops, markets and sights land straight on your phone.
Get the maps · $12The BTS network: which line goes where
The Sukhumvit Line – Light Green
This line runs through the areas most tourists actually stay in (like Siam, Asok, Phrom Phong and Mo Chit where Chatuchak Market is) before heading out to the northern and southeastern edges of the city. It also links up with the Airport Rail Link to Suvarnabhumi, which I usually take during rush hour when I don’t want to get stuck in a taxi. And if you need to connect to the metro, you can switch lines at Asok.
The SilomLine – Dark Green
This line covers the central business district and Silom, and crosses the river into Thonburi. It’s much shorter than the Sukhumvit Line, and at Silom (the BTS stop called Sala Daeng) you can change to the metro line as well.
The Gold Line
I only discovered this line a few months ago, when I was figuring out how to get back to Thonglor from ICONSIAM mall. I didn’t want to take the ferry across the river, as the pier is nowhere near the metro or Skytrain, so I found there’s a short, three-stop Gold Line connecting the mall (stop Charoen Nakhon) with the dark green BTS line at stop Krung Thon Buri. The fare on this line is 17 THB, and you’ll only need it if you’re going to ICONSIAM.
Good to know: the BTS and the MRT are run by two completely different companies, so a BTS ticket or Rabbit Card won’t get you through an MRT gate, and vice versa.
BTS ticket types & how to buy them
Single Journey Ticket
Every station has a machine and a counter window where you can buy a single ticket. All machines accept coins, and some accept notes as well. You can’t pay by card, so make sure you have cash on you.
You also need to know where you’re going, as the price of the ticket depends on how far you travel. The ticket itself is a thin plastic card you tap at the entry gate and drop into the exit gate once you get off.
One-Day Pass
If you plan to use the BTS a lot in a single day, it might work out better to buy a One-Day Pass that gives you unlimited rides on the BTS Sukhumvit and Silom lines. You can only buy it at the BTS ticket office at each stop, and it costs 150 THB for a single day.
Rabbit Card
The Rabbit Card is a reloadable card you tap at the gate instead of buying a ticket each time. When you buy the card it costs 200 THB, 100 THB is for the card itself (non-refundable), and the other 100 THB is your minimum top-up, which you use as fare. Once you’ve used that up, you can top up again at the counter, through an app, or at a Rabbit top-up machine, with a top-up range of 100 to 4,000 THB.
You can get your Rabbit card at every BTS station, and you’ll need your passport to register it. When I was getting mine, they also asked for an address, phone number and email.
It’s worth considering if you plan to stay in Bangkok a bit longer and know you’ll be using the BTS a lot. There aren’t any discounts, but it saves you queuing for tickets. You should also know that it only works for the BTS, not the metro, and you can use the card to pay in some shops and cafés. I usually use mine to pay for water in those little shops inside the BTS.
How much does the BTS Skytrain cost in 2026
| Ticket type | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Single Journey Ticket | 17 – 65 THB | Price is based on distance |
| One-Day Pass | 150 THB | Unlimited rides that day, Sukhumvit and Silom lines only |
| Rabbit Card | 200 THB | 100 THB card, 100 THB minimum top-up, pay-as-you-go |
BTS Skytrain operating hours
Sukhumvit Line
The trains on this line run from 5:15am from their final stops, so by the time the first train reaches Asok, for example, it’s 5:36am. The last trains run between midnight and 1am, so if I’m coming home after that, I just take a Grab.
Silom Line
This line starts operating at 5:30am, and the last train from Siam towards Bang Wa leaves at 00:15am.
What’s less enjoyable about the BTS is the rush hour, when everyone’s trying to get to and from work, usually between 7:30–9:30am and 5:00–8:00pm. Trains during these windows, especially on the stretch between Siam and Thonglor, get very packed, so if you need to get somewhere with a big suitcase, it might not be the best time.
Best BTS stations for tourists
BTS Mo Chit
If you’re planning to visit Chatuchak Weekend Market, this is where you get off. The station is also right by Chatuchak Park and Queen Sirikit Park, which are amazing for walks, runs and little escapes into nature.
BTS Phaya Thai
This station connects directly to the Airport Rail Link, so it’s good to know if you’re heading to or from Suvarnabhumi Airport. It takes about 30 minutes to get to the airport from here.
BTS Siam
Siam is one of the busiest stations. You can change here onto the Silom Line, or walk straight into Siam Paragon mall, which is right next to Siam Centre, Siam Discovery, MBK, and the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre.
This is also a great area to shop for Korean and Thai skincare. Read more about that here: Where to Buy Skincare in Bangkok: My favourite beauty Shops & Brands
BTS Asok
Asok is the second busiest interchange, where you can connect onto the MRT metro line. Here you can walk straight into Terminal 21 mall, or reach Benjakitti Forest Park in just eight minutes.
BTS Phrom Phong
Another great stop for those who love shopping, as this is where you’ll find Emsphere, Emporium and EmQuartier, malls with food courts, luxury brands like Gentle Monster and YSL, bookshops, beauty stores, electronics and more. Phrom Phong is also great for dining, spas and cafés. Read more in my guide: Phrom Phong Bangkok: My Guide to Things to Do, Food & Spas
BTS Sala Daeng
This station is on the Silom Line, and I mention it because it sits right next to Lumphini Park and the newly opened Dusit Central Park mall, which has a stunning rooftop garden overlooking the city and the park. There’s also a great rooftop bar, Spire, inside the Dusit Thani hotel attached to the mall.
BTS Skytrain Map
The map is available on every platform and on the floor where you buy your tickets, so it’s always there whenever you need it. You can also check it on the BTS website.
Practical tips for using the BTS Skytrain in Bangkok
- Don’t eat or drink on the train or platform: you’re not allowed to carry an open drink inside, so if you buy a coffee or an iced drink before getting on, ask for a plastic bag, which is fine to carry.
- Always have cash on you: the only way to pay for tickets is with cash, so make sure you have smaller notes and coins. Many stations have ATMs, though.
- Lower your voice: the trains in Bangkok are super quiet. It’s considered rude to shout, have loud conversations or be on the phone. When the trains are packed, people want to hear which station they’re at.
- Be spatially aware: I can tell you, there’s such a difference between a packed train in Bangkok and a packed train in Prague. In Bangkok I somehow always manage to keep my personal space, and nobody’s stuffing their elbows in my face or their bag into my hip. I notice so many tourists doing exactly that, taking up as much space as they possibly can, without really noticing the people around them.
Plan your Thailand trip
A few things worth sorting early
FAQ: About BTS Skytrain Bangkok
How do you pay for BTS Skytrain?
The only way to pay is by cash or via Thai QR payment. You can buy a single ticket, a Rabbit Card or a One-Day Pass.
Is a Rabbit Card cheaper?
No, it’s not cheaper. You pay exactly the same fare as if you bought a single ticket, and you also pay a non-refundable card fee of 100 THB. The biggest advantage for me is that I can go straight past the gates without having to queue to buy a ticket.
How much does the BTS Skytrain cost?
How much you pay depends on how far you go. The lowest price is 17 THB per journey. That’s if I go one stop, from Thonglor to Phrom Phong, for example. And the highest is 65 THB, for example from Kheha to Khu Khot, where the journey takes 88 minutes.
Is it worth getting a Rabbit Card in Bangkok?
I’d buy one if I was staying more than a week and knew I’d be doing multiple journeys a day. It’s not worth it if you’re staying for three days and using the BTS once or twice a day.
Is it better to use BTS or MRT in Bangkok?
Neither is better. First find out where you’re heading, then choose the BTS or MRT based on which one gets you to your point B. They’re both affordable, clean and very efficient. The only difference is that the MRT is underground, while the BTS is above ground.
Check Out My Other Bangkok Guides
- How to Get from Bangkok Airport to the City Centre (Suvarnabhumi + Don Mueang)
- How to Get Around Bangkok: Transport Guide & Costs
- Bangkok 3 Day Itinerary: A Realistic First-Time Route + My Tips
- Where to Stay in Bangkok for First-Timers: Best Areas and Hotels
- Best Things to Do in Bangkok: My Favourite Sights, Markets & Hidden Gems
