Siam is a popular shopping district in Bangkok. It is home to some of Bangkok’s most famous malls including Siam Paragon and CentralWorld. If you want to do shopping in Bangkok, these shopping malls in Siam are one of the best places to go.
Siam also has a central location and is well-connected to BTS skytrain system, making it a great area to stay in Bangkok for all visitors. From Siam, you can easily visit major attractions in Bangkok by public transportation.
In this article, we will be looking at the transportation system in Siam, which includes BTS skytrain, boats, and private taxis. I will show you how to get to Siam from various locations in Bangkok like the airport, old town, Khao San Road, Chinatown, or Sukhumvit.
You can check out the top attractions in Siam at 12 Best Things to do in Siam; and if you are looking for a good place to stay in this area, have a look at Where to Stay in Siam.
3 Most Popular ways to get to Siam
1. BTS Skytrain
Siam is well-connected to the BTS skytrain system with two different skytrain lines running through the area, including Silom and Sukhumvit lines. There are three stations in Siam: Siam Station, Chit Lom Station, and National Stadium Station.
All of the three stations are connected to each other by a long skywalk. Siam Station is the transport hub of Siam and is linked to both Silom and Sukhumvit lines. You can use Siam Station to get to Siam Square One, Siam Paragon, and Siam Center.
The National Stadium is a convenient stop for getting to MBK Center and Bangkok Art & Culture Centre. For a shorter walk to CentralWorld, Gaysorn Village, and Erawan Shrine, you can get off at Chit Lom Station.
You can use BTS Sukhumvit lines to visit ChatukChak Weekend Market, and many attractions in Sukhumvit like Terminal 21, Nana Plaza, Soi Cowboy, Emporium, and EmQuartier.
The Silom BTS lines will take you to popular sights in Silom like Patpong Night Market and Lumphini Park. It is also connected to the Riverside where you can transfer to the river boat system to explore old parts of Bangkok and its iconic landmarks like Wat Arun, Wat Pho, Grand Palace, and Icon Siam.
2. Private taxi, Grab, Bolt
If you prefer private transport, you can consider taking metered taxis or riding share services like Grab, InDrive, and Bolt. Grab is the most popular transport, then Bold, and InDrive is the least popular one of three. I prefer using InDrive because it usually offers cheaper fares.
Take a note that Bangkok is known for its traffic jams, especially during peak hours. If you want to avoid the traffic jam, you can consider using Grab Bike or motorbike taxi because these small vehicles can still move in a small lane while cars are stuck in one spot for a long time.
3. Canal Boat
In the north section of Siam is the Saen Saep Canal. This canal has boat services that take you all the way to the Golden Mount in Bangkok Old Town. The boat runs daily from 6am to 7-8pm. It is a good way to avoid the road traffic, experience local ways of travel, and get to the historic area of Bangkok.
There are two piers close to Siam, including Pratunam Pier and Huachang Bridge Pier. Pratunam Pier is within a 10 minutes walking distance from CentralWorld, Chit Lom Station, and Big C Supermarket.
Huachang Bridge Pier is closer to MBK Center, Siam Paragon, Siam Discovery, and Siam Square One. It is around 10 mins walk to these malls, Jim Thompson House Museum, and National Stadium Station.
From Suvarnabhumi Airport
The best way to get to Siam from Suvarnabhumi Airport is by taking the public trains but you can also consider using a private transfer like metered taxis or shuttle services from your hotel.
Airport Rail Link train + BTS Skytrain
Using the combination of Airport train and skytrain is my preferred option to get from the airport to Siam. This is a quick ride and also avoids the road traffic. Both trains run frequently everyday from 6am to 12am mid night. The journey is around 45-60 minutes and the ticket is around 50 baht.
From Suvarnabhumi Airport, you can buy a ticket at the automatic machine at the B Floor, to get on the Airport Rail Link train to Phaya Thai Station. Phaya Thai is the last station on the airport rail link train. The ride is around 30 minutes and it costs 35 baht.
From Phaya Thai, you transfer to BTS sky train Sukhimvit line to get to your destination in Siam. If you stop at Siam Station, it is only 2 stops away from Phaya Thai Station.
Private taxi, Grab Taxi
If you are arriving at the airport outside of the train operated time, or you just simply want to use private transfer to your hotel. You can easily order a metered taxi at the taxi counter on the Floor 1 area at the departure terminal of the airport.
The price from Bangkok airport to Siam is around 300 baht. Whether you are using a public train or taxi, it is handy to have small Baht Thai notes with you.
You can exchange too little money at the airport for the transport then go to the city for more exchange for better rates. Another way is to go down the B Floor where the train station is located, to find Happy Rich or Supper Rich Exchange. They usually have the best rates at the airport.
From Bangkok Old Town
Bangkok Old town is located around 5km west of Siam. They are not very well connected by public trains. It is possible by the combination of BTS skytrain Silom line and River boat but it is a very long trip.
The most convenient way to reach Siam (Siam Paragon, Siam Square, and Central World) from Old Town is by regular metered taxis or riding shares services like Grab, Bolt, or InDriver. The ride is around 100-150 baht.
Bangkok Old Town is also connected to Siam by the Saen Saep Canal and there are boat services operated on this canal. The Golden Mount boat line connects Panfa Leelard Pier near Wat Saket in the Old Town to Huachang Bridge Pier and Pratunam Pier in the northern area of Siam.
Depending on your location in the old town, you can walk or take a short tuk tuk ride to Panfa Leelard Pier for the boat. When arriving at either Huachang Bridge or Pratunam Pier, you can walk or take additional transport to your destination in Siam.
From Khao San Road
Khao San Road is located 5 km away from major points in Siam like MBK Center, Siam Station, and Siam Paragon. The best way to reach Siam from Khao San, in my opinion, is to take a motorbike taxi or Grab Ride. It is the cheapest and easiest option to travel between these two popular areas.
You can also walk for a few minutes or take a short tuk tuk ride from Panfa Leelard Pier to catch the boat on Saen Saep Canal to Pratunam Pier. From this pier, you can walk for around 10 minutes to CentralWorld, Big C, then use skywalk to reach other shopping malls in Siam,
From Bangkok Riverside
You can use BTS skytrain Silom line to reach Bangkok Riverside from Siam. You can get off at Saphan Taksin BTS station then walk to Sathorn Pier for the river boats. This is a popular transport route in Bangkok to explore major sights along the river and old town Bangkok from downtown Bangkok.
The River Boat can take you to all malls and attractions along the river like Icon Siam, Asiatique, Wat Arun, Chinatown, and Old Town with famous landmarks like the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, and Khao San Road.
From Chinatown
It is around 3.5 km between Chinatown Night Market and Siam on the driving routes. The taxi ride is around 10 minutes with good traffic conditions. It is a bit longer if you take the combination of BTS skytrains and MRT trains.
If you use public trainsport, you can take the BTS Silom line to Sala Daeng BTS Station, then transfer to the MRT underground train at Silom MRT Station. These two stations are a few minutes walk from each other.
To get to Chinatown, you can get off at either Hua Lamphong Station or Wat Mangkon Station. From these stations, you can walk to major sights like Yaowarat Road, Sampeng Market, Talat Noi, or Wat Traimit (temple of Golden Buddha).
From Pratunam
Pratunam is located right north of Siam. You can just hop on the BTS skytrain at either Phaya Thai Station or Ratchathewi Station to get to Siam Station. It is just one to two stops away.
If you are staying around Platinum Fashion Mall or Pratunam Market, you can walk on the skywalk, connecting Platinum Fashion Mall with Big C Supermarket and CentralWorld easily for around 10-15 minutes.
I hope this short guide on transportation in Siam and how to get to this shopping district of Bangkok is useful. Once you’re in the area, you can easily explore all the malls and cultural attractions on foot. See more: Best places to Stay in Bangkok.