The Airport Rail Link is the way into Bangkok: about 30 minutes from level B1 of the terminal to Phaya Thai, for the Skytrain, or 20 to Makkasan, for the MRT. A taxi can take twice as long in traffic, but it's the way back after the trains stop at midnight.
What's the best way from Bangkok airport into the city?
For most layovers, take the Airport Rail Link from level B1 of the main terminal: about 30 minutes to Phaya Thai, or 20 to Makkasan for the MRT to Wat Pho, the Grand Palace and Chinatown, for about THB 45. A taxi takes 45 to 90 minutes and costs about THB 300 to 450 with the airport fee and tolls. Allow about an hour from landing to the train, and leave Phaya Thai 2.5 hours before your flight.
Getting through the border
Before any train, you pass Thai immigration. Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) publishes no queue times, so plan on about an hour from landing to sitting on the Airport Rail Link, and more when the hall is busy.
- Arrival card. Have the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card done online before you land; everyone who passes immigration needs one (visa and transit rules).
- From SAT-1. Landing at the satellite terminal, you ride the airport’s underground train to the main terminal for immigration, about 3 minutes with the wait.
- Bags. Checked through on one ticket, your bags wait for your next flight. Travelling on two bookings, you’ll collect them at baggage reclaim after immigration and check them in again on the way back. Bellugg’s counters on levels 2 and 4 keep a bag for 24 hours from THB 100 under 22 inches, THB 120 up to 26 inches and THB 150 above (seen November 2026); book at least an hour ahead.
- A slow queue costs you time in town, not your flight: the time you must head back stays the same.
The options at a glance
| Airport Rail Link | Taxi | Grab | |
|---|---|---|---|
| To | Phaya Thai for the BTS; Makkasan for the MRT | Anywhere | Anywhere |
| Time | About 30 minutes to Phaya Thai | 45 to 60 minutes, up to 90 in the rush | As a taxi |
| Fare | About THB 45 (our estimate) | Meter from THB 35, plus THB 50 and tolls: about THB 300 to 450 | Shown in the app before you book |
| Pay with | A ticket from the station | Cash, in baht | The app |
Airport Rail Link: the best option for most layovers
- Finding it. The station is on level B1 of the main terminal: after customs, go down to level B1 and follow the signs for the train.
- Where to get off. Phaya Thai, the end of the line, joins the BTS Skytrain’s Sukhumvit line, for Jim Thompson House. Makkasan, on the way, is a walk of about 10 minutes from Phetchaburi station on the MRT Blue Line, for Wat Pho, the Grand Palace and Chinatown.
- The ride. No timetable or ride times are published for the line, so the times on this site are our allowances: about 30 minutes to Phaya Thai, 20 to Makkasan, and up to 15 minutes’ wait for a train.
- Paying. Buy a ticket at the station before the gates. Fares go by distance; expect about THB 45 to Phaya Thai (our estimate). The Link isn’t part of the BTS or the MRT, so you buy a new ticket when you change.
- A difficult year. In July and September 2026 the line had days with a train only every 30 minutes and long waits on the platform. Its operator is running it under a temporary agreement until 31 January 2027, and a new one, SRT Electrified Train Co Ltd, takes over on 1 February 2027. If the platform is crowded or the screens show a long wait, allow 15 minutes more each way, or take a taxi.
- First and last trains. The Link runs from 5:30am to midnight every day, so you’ll only wait for the first train if you land before about 4:30am. No last-train time is published, so we plan the last connections back as below.
| Last connection back from | Every day (our cut-off) |
|---|---|
| Phaya Thai, on the Airport Rail Link | 11:30pm |
| Sanam Chai, on the MRT with a change at Makkasan | 10:15pm |
| Hua Lamphong, on the MRT with a change at Makkasan | 10:20pm |
The two MRT times give you 45 minutes to reach Makkasan for a Link train by 11pm. Few layovers need them: you leave Phaya Thai 2.5 hours before your flight, so they only matter for a flight after about 2am. Missed it? A taxi or Grab takes about 45 minutes with no traffic.
BTS Skytrain and MRT: the connections
- BTS Skytrain. From Phaya Thai, the Sukhumvit line runs to Siam, where the Silom line goes on to National Stadium for Jim Thompson House. It runs from 5am to 1am. Buy a single ticket at the machines, THB 17 to 47 by distance; one ticket covers a change at Siam.
- MRT Blue Line. From Phetchaburi, by Makkasan, ride ten stops to Sanam Chai for Wat Pho and the Grand Palace, about 20 minutes, or seven to Hua Lamphong for Chinatown. Trains run every day from 6am to midnight, every 7 minutes or less, and every 4 minutes at the morning and evening peaks. Tap a contactless bank card at the gates, holding just that one card to the reader.
Taxis and Grab
- Public taxis. Take one from the public taxi counter and ticket machines on floor 1, between gates 4 and 7, open 24 hours. The meter starts at THB 35; the airport adds THB 50, and you pay the expressway tolls. To the centre, expect about THB 300 to 450 in all, and 45 to 60 minutes outside the rush, up to 90 in it (our estimates). Pay in cash, and make sure the meter is running.
- Grab. The ride-hailing app picks up at its own point on level 1, Gate 4, 24 hours a day. Set it up before you fly.
When a car is worth it. After midnight, when the trains have stopped, a taxi or Grab is the way back: about 45 minutes with no traffic. With children or heavy bags, door to door can be worth it at any time. On your own with hand luggage, the train is cheaper and doesn’t sit in traffic, so it’s the safer way back for a flight.
Private transfers
AOT Limousine, the airport’s own car service, has counters on level 2 and runs 24 hours; it quotes its fares at the counter. A pre-booked transfer meets you in arrivals at a price fixed in advance.
Flying on from Don Mueang
If your next flight leaves from Don Mueang (DMK), Bangkok’s other airport, a free shuttle bus runs between the two airports from 5am to midnight, every 30 minutes, for passengers with a flight from the other airport.
Timing your return
Be back at Suvarnabhumi 90 minutes before departure, with your onward boarding pass. With your boarding pass already issued and no bag to drop, that’s time for departure immigration and security. The airport’s advice to arrive 3 hours early is for checking in from scratch; on separate tickets, allow longer.
In practice, leave Phaya Thai 2.5 hours before your flight, Hua Lamphong 2 hours 50 minutes before and Sanam Chai 2 hours 55. If trains are running only every 30 minutes, leave 15 minutes earlier; coming back by taxi, leave 30 to 45 minutes earlier, because of the traffic.
| Layover | Time in Bangkok |
|---|---|
| 6.5 hours | About 2 hours |
| 8 hours | About 3.5 hours |
| 10 hours | About 5.5 hours |
| 12 hours | About 7.5 hours |
These times assume about an hour from landing to the Airport Rail Link, 45 minutes to Phaya Thai with the wait, an hour back to the terminal with the walk to the platform and the wait, and 90 minutes at the airport, as in the itineraries. Plans on the MRT, for Wat Pho, the Grand Palace and Chinatown, have 40 to 50 minutes less.