Area guide · Getting around

BTS or MRT: which side of Bangkok suits you?

Last checked 5 October 2026 · 6 min read · English

Most people choose a Bangkok neighbourhood from photos: a rooftop pool, a café street, a view. Six weeks later, what they actually notice is the 25 minutes between their front door and their desk. Before you fall for a building, look at which train line it sits on, and where that line takes you.

The two systems in one minute

	BTS Skytrain	MRT
What it is	Elevated lines above the main roads	The Blue Line runs underground through the centre; newer lines such as Purple, Yellow and Pink run elevated further out
Main routes	Sukhumvit Line (Mo Chit, Siam, Chidlom, Asok, Thong Lo, Ekkamai and beyond); Silom Line (Siam, Sala Daeng, Saphan Taksin)	Blue Line loop: Sukhumvit, Queen Sirikit Centre, Lumphini, Silom, Sam Yan, Hua Lamphong, Chinatown, Rama 9, Huai Khwang, Chatuchak
Feels like	Frequent, busy at peak hours, city views	Cool, quieter platforms, links business districts and the old town
How to pay	Rabbit card or single tickets	Tap a contactless Visa, Mastercard or UnionPay card, or buy a token

The two are run by different operators, so a trip that uses both means two fares. Both run from early morning until around midnight.

Where the lines meet

Living near an interchange gives you the whole city with one change. The ones that matter most for our clients:

Asok / Sukhumvit: BTS meets MRT at Terminal 21. The busiest and most flexible junction on Sukhumvit.
Sala Daeng / Silom: BTS Silom Line meets MRT, beside Lumpini Park and the Silom–Sathorn offices.
Siam: the two BTS lines cross; walkways connect to the malls and to Chidlom.
Phaya Thai (BTS) and Makkasan / Phetchaburi (MRT): the Airport Rail Link to Suvarnabhumi.
Saphan Taksin: BTS meets the river boats at Sathorn Pier.

The BTS side: Chidlom to Ekkamai

This is the corridor we know best. Along the Sukhumvit Line you can walk from the station to cafés, supermarkets, clinics and international restaurants. Chidlom and Langsuan are calm and central, with skywalks to the malls. Asok and Phrom Phong put you near offices, Benjakitti and Benjasiri parks and EmQuartier. Thong Lo and Ekkamai are more residential, with the best choice of family-size condos and houses.

The catch: at 8 am the trains towards Siam can be full for several stops, and the stretch from Asok to Siam is the most crowded part of the network. Low-floor units right beside the tracks also hear the trains.

The MRT side: Lumpini, Rama 9 and beyond

The underground Blue Line connects the business districts the BTS misses. Lumphini and Silom stations serve Sathorn and the park-front residences. Queen Sirikit Centre sits between Benjakitti Park and Sukhumvit Soi 16. Phra Ram 9 is a growing office district with newer, often more affordable condos, and Huai Khwang beyond it has a large Chinese community.

The catch: MRT neighbourhoods are generally less walkable than lower Sukhumvit, and you may need a taxi for the last few hundred metres.

Choose by your daily routine, not the map

Start from the office. Silom, Sathorn or Rama 9: look at the MRT. Sukhumvit, Chidlom or Ploenchit: the BTS. One line with no change beats a nicer building with two.
Then the school run. Many families choose a home for the school, not the train. NIST is on Sukhumvit Soi 15, near Nana and Asok; Bangkok Patana is further east, past Bearing. See the schools guide.
Count the walk, honestly. 500 metres in April heat or a monsoon downpour feels very different from the map. Covered walkways and skywalks are worth paying for.
Think about the airport. If you fly often, a home near Phaya Thai or Makkasan puts the Airport Rail Link within reach.
Visit at rush hour. Stand on the platform at 8 am on a weekday before you sign.

Kathy's view: clients often ask me for "a nice area". The better question is "where will you be at 9 am and 6 pm?" For most of our expat clients who work on Sukhumvit, the BTS corridor from Chidlom to Ekkamai is hard to beat: walkable, lively and full of daily conveniences. If your office is in Silom, Sathorn or Rama 9, a building near the MRT can save you an hour a day, and that is worth more than a better gym. And if you can afford it, living within a short walk of an interchange gives you both.

Frequently asked

What is the difference between the BTS and the MRT?

The BTS Skytrain is elevated and runs along Sukhumvit and Silom. The MRT Blue Line runs underground through the business districts, the old town and Rama 9. They are run by different operators and charge separate fares.

Can I use a credit card on the BTS and MRT?

On the MRT, you can tap a contactless Visa, Mastercard or UnionPay card at the gate. On the BTS, you still need a Rabbit card or a single-journey ticket.

Where do the BTS and MRT connect?

The main interchanges in central Bangkok are Asok/Sukhumvit, Sala Daeng/Silom and Mo Chit/Chatuchak Park. The Airport Rail Link connects at Phaya Thai (BTS) and Makkasan/Phetchaburi (MRT).

Which is better for expats?

It depends on where you work and where your children go to school. Lower Sukhumvit on the BTS is the most walkable for daily life; the MRT is often faster for Silom, Sathorn and Rama 9.

Finding your side of the city

Tell us where you work and study.

We'll suggest buildings with the shortest door-to-desk trip, then line up viewings so you can test the commute yourself.

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Lines, payment methods and services checked October 2026; operators can change routes, hours and fares. Kathy & Co. is an independent agent.

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