KENTAR THAILAND

Bangkok BTS and MRT: tickets and your first transfer to the Old Town

Prepare this journey: BTS Siam to Sala Daeng, walk to MRT Si Lom, then ride to Sanam Chai for Museum Siam. You buy tickets for the two systems separately.

Your journey: Siam to Museum SiamRead steps 1–4 in order. Original schematic; not to scale. Boxes show actions, not station positions or distances.
  1. 1 · BTSSiam → Sala Daeng

    Silom Line towards Bang Wa. Buy a BTS ticket to Sala Daeng.

  2. 2 · Walk / change systemsSala Daeng → Si Lom BL26

    Exit the BTS paid area. Follow signs to MRT Si Lom. BEM lists Exit 2 as the BTS connection.

  3. 3 · MRTSi Lom BL26 → Sanam Chai BL31

    Buy a separate MRT ticket. Confirm Sanam Chai on the platform display; next station Sam Yan.

  4. 4 · ExitSanam Chai Exit 1 → Museum Siam

    Use Exit 1 for the museum. Check current service notices before travelling.

Separate BTS and MRT tickets. No journey duration or fare is shown. Return: reverse to Si Lom, walk to Sala Daeng, then BTS towards National Stadium for Siam.

Save this journey card

Step What to do Checkpoint
BTS At Siam, choose the Silom Line towards Bang Wa and buy a ticket to Sala Daeng. Do not board the Sukhumvit Line.
Transfer Exit BTS at Sala Daeng and follow signs to MRT Si Lom BL26. BEM lists Si Lom Exit 2 as the BTS connection. Walk outside the paid area.
MRT Buy a separate ticket to Sanam Chai BL31. Take the Blue Line towards the Old Town, next station Sam Yan. Confirm Sanam Chai on the platform display. The opposite direction goes first towards Lumphini.
Arrival Use Sanam Chai Exit 1 for Museum Siam. The museum lists this exit; Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–18:00, closed Mondays.
Return Reverse to Si Lom; walk to Sala Daeng; BTS to Siam. BTS back towards Siam uses the National Stadium direction.

This example combines operator station/line information and the museum’s published access instructions, reviewed 1 October 2026. It is not a claim of a new ride. Allow time for queues, walking and waits; a current service notice takes priority over the planned route.

Concept illustration of a rectangular transit card and a round token held separately near station gates.
Keep your ticket until the exit. BTS single-journey cards tap in and out; BEM MRT cash tokens touch in and go into the token slot to exit. Buy tickets separately. Concept illustration.

BTS: buy and use a single-journey card

  1. On the touchscreen, choose the destination area, swipe to your station and select its station-code circle.
  2. Choose the card quantity; published instructions allow up to four. Each passenger needs a card.
  3. Pay using an option shown on the machine. BTS instructions show coins and QR payment. If your app is not eligible, use coins or ask the ticket office for cash assistance.
  4. Collect cards and change.
  5. Tap the card on the gate reader on entry and exit.

QR support does not make every foreign banking app eligible. A practical cash fallback is the accepted money on the machine or a staffed ticket office. Show “Sala Daeng” for the first leg above.

MRT: the cash single-token method

  1. Select Sanam Chai at the BEM Blue Line ticket machine.
  2. Pay the displayed fare. BEM lists THB 1, 5 and 10 coins and THB 20, 50 and 100 notes; change is in coins.
  3. Collect one single-journey token per passenger.
  4. Touch the token on the reader above the entry gate.
  5. At Sanam Chai, put the token into the exit gate’s token slot.

The ticket office can issue a token if the machine is difficult to use. Tell staff the destination and passenger count. These are BEM Blue/Purple Line instructions, not a rule for every rail service called MRT.

Can I tap a bank card instead?

BEM lists Visa and Mastercard credit cards and specified UnionPay credit products. Its listed debit issuers are Krungthai, Krungsri, Kasikorn, Siam Commercial Bank and UOB. This does not establish eligibility for an overseas debit card or phone wallet.

With an eligible card, use one card per passenger and the same card on entry and exit. Take it out of the wallet so another card is not read. When eligibility is unclear, use the cash-token method. BTS payment remains separate.

Before leaving

  • Save the four station names and destination exit.
  • Carry small cash alongside any card.
  • Keep the BTS card or MRT token until the exit.
  • For a late return, check current service times before leaving the station.

Exact route fares and last trains are not quoted. The purchase screen supplies the fare for the selected destination; you do not need to rely on an old fare copied into a guide.

Sources and editorial basis

Editorial review: 1 October 2026. The listed operator information on tickets, gates, connections and card eligibility, plus Museum Siam access information, was reviewed. Specific journey fares, last trains and temporary service changes were not verified.

Keep planning