Your Travel Guide to Thailand
All information & tips to prepare your trip in Thailand
Bangkok metro MRT Blue Line
What you need to know about the MRT Blue Line
The Blue Line originally linked the Hua Lamphong area, near Chinatown, to Bang Sue station in the northwest of Bangkok. In 2019, it was considerably extended, with long-awaited new stations serving Chinatown (Wat Mangkon station) and the Grand Palace, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and Wat Pho (Sanam Chai station). The Blue Line is now about 48 kilometers long with 38 stations. The most useful stations for tourists are Sanam Chai, for the Grand Palace, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew) and Wat Pho, and for the ferry across the Chao Phraya to Wat Arun; Hua Lamphong, for trains still leaving from Bangkok's old main station; Wat Mangkon, for Chinatown; and Bang Sue, in the basement of Bangkok's new main station, Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal (Bang Sue station).
There are no tickets for single journeys: instead, you buy black tokens from vending machines that accept coins and banknotes (the counters mainly provide information, but also sell tokens). The fare depends on the length of your journey. On the touch-screen machines, a network map lets you choose the line by its color and select your destination station; the fare is then calculated according to your route. Don't forget to switch the language to English with the button at the top of the screen – it makes things easier. Then just insert your coins or notes to get your token. At the end of your journey, the exit gate swallows the token to put it back into circulation, so don't lose it!
The MRT Blue Line connects with the MRT Purple Line at Tao Poon station; with the BTS Skytrain at Bang Wa, Silom (BTS Sala Daeng), Sukhumvit (BTS Asok), Phahon Yothin and Chatuchak Park (BTS Mo Chit); with the MRT Yellow Line at Lat Phrao; and with the Airport Rail Link (ARL) at Phetchaburi (ARL Makkasan). It also connects with the Khlong Saen Saep boats at Phetchaburi (Asok pier) and the Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem boats at Hua Lamphong (Hua Lamphong pier). It is probably the most useful metro line for tourists in Bangkok!
Practical information
Trains run from 6 am to midnight.
MRT Hotline: 02 624 5200
Website: metro.bemplc.co.th
Other public transport in Bangkok
Bangkok Skytrain
Bangkok's Skytrain is called the BTS. Its air-conditioned trains glide above the capital's heavy traffic. It doesn't go everywhere, but combined with the Chao Phraya Express boats, it takes you to Bangkok's major temples.
Chao Phraya Express
The Chao Phraya Express boats run regularly along the river that flows through Bangkok and stop near all the monuments and sights on its banks, including Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Pho and Wat Arun, the three must-see temples in Bangkok. Fares are cheap.
Bangkok bus lines
The bus is clearly neither the easiest nor the fastest way for a foreign tourist to get around Bangkok, but it is the cheapest. The network is huge and you can go almost anywhere – you just need to be patient.
Transport in Bangkok
Bangkok offers the widest choice of public and private transport in Thailand (metro, buses, boats, tuk-tuks...). Because no, there's more than tuk-tuks and pink taxis to get around Bangkok!
