Transit · 2 min
BTS Silom Line
The BTS Silom Line is the second of Bangkok's two BTS lines (the other is Sukhumvit). It's shorter — runs roughly north-south with an east-west bend in the middle — but covers important business / hotel / river territory. Stations are coded S (Silom) but interchange with the Sukhumvit Line at Siam (CEN) for the trip across central Bangkok.
Operating hours: ~6 AM – midnight. Tickets 17–62 baht. Same Rabbit Card works on both BTS lines.
Stations a traveler should know (north to south): - National Stadium (W1) — Jim Thompson House, MBK Center, Siam Square. Interchange-walk to Siam is 5 min on the BTS skywalk. - Siam (CEN) — interchange to BTS Sukhumvit Line. Siam Paragon, Siam Center, Siam Discovery malls. - Ratchadamri (S1) — Central World, Erawan Shrine, Lumpini Park entrance. - Sala Daeng (S2) — Silom interchange to MRT Silom. Patpong Night Market is at the western end of Silom Road from here. Silom Soi 4 (rooftop bars + nightlife). - Chong Nonsi (S3) — Mahanakhon SkyWalk + Sky Beach attached. - St. Louis (S4) — Sathorn-area hotels. - Surasak (S5) — quiet residential. - Saphan Taksin (S6) — gateway to Sathorn (Central) Pier and the Chao Phraya Express boats. The route to Old Town for most travelers.
Travel time anchors (from Siam interchange): - Siam → Sala Daeng: 6 min, 2 stations. - Siam → Saphan Taksin: 13 min, 5 stations. - Sala Daeng → Saphan Taksin: 7 min, 3 stations.
Operational tips: - The interchange between BTS Silom and BTS Sukhumvit at Siam station is the single busiest junction in Bangkok transit. Allow extra time at peak hours; the platforms can fill in 30 sec. - The Silom Line is short — only 14 stations end-to-end vs Sukhumvit's 47. You're rarely far from your destination if you're on it. - Most premium hotels (Banyan Tree, Sukhothai, Mandarin Oriental, Lebua) are along Sathorn or Saphan Taksin — Silom Line is the right BTS for premium hotel access.
Critical pairing — Silom Line + Chao Phraya Express boat:
The canonical "tourist day to Old Town" route uses both: 1. BTS Silom Line to Saphan Taksin (S6). 2. Walk down to Sathorn pier. 3. Chao Phraya Express boat (orange or blue flag) to Tha Tien pier (Wat Pho/Grand Palace).
Total: 30–40 min from anywhere on the BTS network. The boat segment is the iconic Bangkok transit experience — better than taxi for both views and time.
When the agent should reference this: any plan going from Sukhumvit to Old Town via the river (recommend Silom Line route over MRT Sanam Chai for first-time travelers — the boat is the experience), any rooftop-bar plan in Silom, any premium-hotel stay along Sathorn, anyone heading to Patpong (warn them off the Patpong scams; suggest Silom Soi 4 cocktail bars instead).
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