Where to Stay in Bangkok: Six Areas by Rail Line

Choose a Bangkok base by rail line, not by name. Siam is where both BTS lines meet. Sukhumvit and Ari sit on the Sukhumvit Line. Silom and Sathorn sit on the Silom Line. Old Town and Khao San have no BTS station, so you reach them by MRT, bus or river boat.

By Vincent Nguyen and team

The six areas at a glance

Bangkok runs on rails, so your station decides your week. The table lists the six areas, the stations to look for and the first leg from Suvarnabhumi.

Every BTS station carries a code such as E4 for Asok and N5 for Ari. Match a hotel’s “near Asok” to E4 on the map.

Sukhumvit

Sukhumvit is the long east-west strip on the BTS Sukhumvit Line, which runs along Sukhumvit Road. Nana, Asok, Phrom Phong and Thong Lo are four of its stations.

The MRT Blue Line has a Sukhumvit station and its route follows Asoke Road, so you reach a second line without leaving the area. Stay here if you want a train at the door and a second line within reach.

The 04:00 closing time belongs to licensed entertainment venues, so a hotel next to one is a different bet from a hotel next to an ordinary bar. Read the noise section below before you book.

Siam

Siam is the one station where the Silom Line meets the Sukhumvit Line. Chit Lom is next on the Sukhumvit Line and National Stadium is the end of the Silom Line.

From Siam the adult fare is THB 17 to a neighbouring station. The last train from Siam to all stations leaves at 00:02.

Choose Siam if you want to change lines without a long walk and plan to move between districts each day.

Riverside

Riverside works if your plan is the old royal sights by boat. From Saphan Taksin Station, take Exit 2, walk to Sathorn Pier and board the orange-flag Chao Phraya Express Boat to Tha Chang.

An express boat to Tha Tien is one of the most popular ways to reach the Grand Palace. For Wat Pho, get off at Tha Chang or Wat Arun and take the cross-river ferry to Tha Tien Pier.

Saphan Taksin is on the Silom Line, which crosses the Chao Phraya River there. Rail and boat share one base.

For the palace itself, see Grand Palace tickets and dress code. For the temple, see Wat Pho tickets and hours.

Silom and Sathorn

The Silom Line crosses the river via Saphan Taksin to Sathorn Road, then runs along Silom Road past Lumpini Park. Sala Daeng and Chong Nonsi are two of its stations.

Patpong in Bang Rak is one of Bangkok’s three licensed entertainment zones. Venues in a zone may open until 04:00, so check the noise section before you book nearby.

The line ends at Siam and National Stadium in the east, so a change at Siam gets you onto the Sukhumvit Line.

Old Town and Khao San

There is no BTS station here. From the MRT, leave Sanam Chai Station by Exit 1 and take bus 3, 9, 44, 47, 53 or 82 towards the Grand Palace.

Airport bus S1 runs from Suvarnabhumi to Khao San Road (Sanam Luang) from 06:00 to 20:00. The fare is about THB 60.

Choose this area if the temples and the river matter more than rail speed. The routes in are the MRT plus bus, the river boat or the airport bus.

Ari

Ari is a BTS station on the Sukhumvit Line, code N5. Phaya Thai, the Airport Rail Link interchange, has the code N2.

The line passes Victory Monument between Phaya Thai and the northern stations. From Don Mueang, bus A2 runs to Victory Monument from 06:00 to 23:00.

Ari suits a longer stay: the Sukhumvit Line carries you south to Phaya Thai for the airport link, and on to Siam.

Airport routes

The Airport Rail Link station is on Level B1 of the Suvarnabhumi main terminal and runs 05:30 to 24:00. The fare runs from THB 15 to THB 45 depending on distance. Phaya Thai links to the BTS and Makkasan to the MRT.

A taxi fare starts at THB 35 or THB 40 plus the meter. A THB 50 airport surcharge is paid to the driver. The passenger pays expressway tolls.

The Red Line from Don Mueang to Krung Thep Aphiwat costs THB 33 and takes about 17 minutes. Krung Thep Aphiwat has an indoor link from ticket hall 2 to MRT Bang Sue station.

For fares and hours in full, see Suvarnabhumi to Bangkok and Don Mueang to Bangkok. For rail fares, see BTS and MRT fares.

Noise and nightlife rules

Dance halls, massage parlours and the other entertainment-venue types in clause 6/3 may stay open until 04:00 the next day. A venue inside a hotel may open on the same terms anywhere in Thailand. On 1 January a venue may stay open until 06:00.

An ordinary bar is different. Nobody may sell alcohol outside 11:00 to 24:00. A licensed entertainment venue may sell within the hours its own licence allows, and hotels are exempt from the sale hours.

Bangkok has three entertainment zones: Patpong in Bang Rak, Phetchaburi Tat Mai in Huai Khwang and Ratchadaphisek in Din Daeng and Huai Khwang. Of 207 licensed service places, 73 are inside the zones and 134 outside them.

Drinking during the banned hours at a place that sells alcohol is an offence, with an administrative fine of up to THB 10,000. The full rules sit on two pages: Bangkok bar closing times and Thailand alcohol sale hours and fines.

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Not confirmed: Walking time from each station to your street: check a map before you book, because no walking distance is stated. MRT station names on the Silom and Sathorn stretch of the Blue Line: check the BEM map before you book.

Prices, timetables and opening hours change; check with the operator before you travel. See how guides are checked.

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