Fares and rules verified 15 October 2026. Next review 13 January 2027.
Short answer. Travelling light, take the Airport Rail Link to Makkasan and the MRT Blue Line to Si Lom — one change, and no road traffic. With two big suitcases, take a public taxi from Floor 1 (Gates 4–7) and pay the meter, ฿50 surcharge, tolls and up to ฿20 a bag over 26 inches. The deciding factor is your luggage, not the fare.
Silom and Sathorn are where many business travellers and first-time visitors stay, and the rail route there is better than most people expect. It is also a route with two changes of level and a long skywalk, which is a very different proposition with a 25 kg case in each hand. So every option below is answered twice.
What are the ways from Suvarnabhumi to Silom?
| Option | The route | What it costs | With big bags | Travelling light |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public taxi | Floor 1, Gates 4–7, straight to the door | Meter + ฿50 surcharge + tolls + up to ฿20 per bag over 26″ | Best | Fine off-peak; traffic decides the time |
| ARL → MRT Blue Line | ARL to Makkasan, skywalk to MRT Phetchaburi, MRT to Si Lom | ฿45 or less on the ARL, plus the MRT fare | Possible off-peak | The best route at rush hour |
| ARL → BTS | ARL to Phaya Thai, BTS to Siam, change to the Silom Line for Sala Daeng | ฿45 on the ARL, plus the BTS fare | Two changes — avoid | Works, but slower than the MRT route |
| Ride-hailing app | The app’s signposted pickup point | Quoted in the app, changes with demand | Good in a larger car | Fine |
MRT Si Lom and BTS Sala Daeng are linked to each other at the corner of Lumphini Park, so the MRT route lands you at the top of Silom Road. For Sathorn hotels, get off one stop earlier at Lumphini, at the Sathorn end of the park.
Is the train realistic with suitcases?
The ARL is; the interchange is the test. Makkasan links to MRT Phetchaburi by a covered skywalk with escalators and a lift. Off-peak, with one case each, it is a few minutes of walking and entirely manageable. In the evening peak it is a commuter corridor, and you are the person blocking it.
The BTS route is worse with bags for a simple reason: two changes instead of one, and the operator’s own rules ask riders not to bring big or heavy packages into its stations.
Do not carry big or heavy packages into BTS Stations.BTS SkyTrain, “Dos and Don’ts of riding the BTS” — read 15 October 2026
No size limit is published by the BTS, and we could not find one for the MRT. Suitcases ride both systems daily. What matters in practice is the interchange. Makkasan’s skywalk has escalators and a lift; with bags, plan to use them and to avoid the rush hour.
What will a taxi actually charge?
The meter, plus three regulated extras: the ฿50 airport surcharge, the expressway tolls (both listed on the airport’s own taxi page as the passenger’s to pay), and the airport luggage fee in force since November 2020.
- Up to ฿20 a piece for bags over 26 inches — a normal large check-in case.
- Up to ฿20 for every bag after the first two, whatever its size.
- Up to ฿100 for golf bags, bicycles and similar over 50 inches.
- Nothing for carry-on bags or mobility aids, and the driver must tell you about any luggage fee before the trip.
So two large suitcases add ฿40 at most, and each bag after the second another ฿20. A taxi to Silom is still the simplest way to move heavy luggage — the only real cost is that the road, not you, decides how long it takes.
What changes if you send the bags ahead?
The MRT route stops being a compromise. Our Suvarnabhumi counter is on the B floor in the Airport Rail Link zone, the same floor as the train, and open 24 hours: hand the cases over and walk to the platform.
- Cost: from ฿299 per bag up to 25 kg; golf bags from ฿399, oversize items from ฿599. Booking is required.
- Timing: same-day to Bangkok hotels for daytime drop-offs; the exact cutoff is shown when you book.
- Room not ready? We have no counter in Silom itself. Around Siam, our CentralWorld counters (Siam or Chit Lom BTS) and MBK (National Stadium BTS) are open daily 10:00–22:00; Siam-Chula 16, near Samyan, keeps office hours and is closed on Sundays.
Two bags sent ahead cost from ฿598; a taxi may charge ฿40 for the same two bags. That is the honest comparison. Sending them is worth it when your time in the first afternoon is worth more than the difference — a meeting, a short trip, an arrival into rush hour — and not otherwise.
So which should you choose?
- Big bags, straight to the hotel — public taxi. Regulated fees, no stairs, no changes. Sending the bags is the more expensive way to get the same result.
- Landing into the weekday evening peak — the ARL and MRT are the predictable route. With bags, either accept the crowded skywalk at Makkasan or send the bags ahead.
- Business trip, meeting on arrival day — send the bags, take the train, arrive with a laptop bag. This is the case the service is built for.
- A backpack only — ARL to Makkasan, MRT to Si Lom. One change, no traffic.
- Arriving after midnight — taxi. The ARL runs from about 6am to about midnight; check the posted last train if you are close.
Common questions
How do I get from Suvarnabhumi to Silom by train?
Airport Rail Link to Makkasan, then the MRT Blue Line to Si Lom. A covered skywalk with escalators and a lift links Makkasan to MRT Phetchaburi. Si Lom station connects to BTS Sala Daeng at the top of Silom Road. The ARL costs at most 45 baht. Checked 15 October 2026.
Is a taxi from Suvarnabhumi to Silom worth it with luggage?
Usually, yes. You pay the meter, a 50 baht airport surcharge and the expressway tolls, and airport taxis may charge up to 20 baht per bag over 26 inches. Two large suitcases therefore add at most 40 baht, with no stairs or changes. The trade-off is that traffic, not you, sets the journey time.
Can I send my luggage from the airport to a Silom hotel?
Yes – from 299 baht per bag up to 25 kg. AIRPORTELs has a 24-hour counter on the B floor of Suvarnabhumi beside the Airport Rail Link, and delivers to Bangkok hotels the same day for daytime drop-offs; the exact cutoff is shown at booking. Booking is required.
Is there luggage storage in Silom?
Not from AIRPORTELs. Our nearest daily counters are at CentralWorld and MBK Center around Siam, open 10:00 to 22:00 at 150 baht per piece per 24 hours, a short BTS ride from Sala Daeng. At the airport, our Suvarnabhumi counter is open 24 hours at 100 baht per piece per 24 hours.
