Travelling from Khlong San · Gold Line, boats and Grab
Getting around Bangkok from Khlong San — picking the train, the boat or the car at the right moment
🚝 BTS Gold Line — Khlong San station is close to the hotel🔁 Two stops to Krung Thonburi, where you change to the BTS Silom Line⛴️ The cross-river ferry at our lane end — ฿5, about 3 minutes🚶 Sky Park about 1.3 km, roughly a 15-minute walk · ICONSIAM about 2 km
People who have never stayed on the Thonburi bank usually ask whether it is awkward to get around from here. It is not — and it is often easier, because from our front door you have both rail and river. Khlong San station on the BTS Gold Line is close by, two stops to Krung Thonburi, where you change to the Silom Line for downtown, and the cross-river ferry pier at the end of our lane puts you in Chinatown for ฿5. This page is how we think about it: which days call for the train, which for the boat, and which for simply booking a car.
Why the Thonburi bank is easier to travel from than people expect
House of Happiness is at 558/1 Tha Din Daeng 16 in Khlong San, on the west — Thonburi — bank of the Chao Phraya. The advantage of this address is that we have two entirely independent networks to choose from. One is rail: Khlong San station on the BTS Gold Line is close to the hotel, two stops from Krung Thonburi where you change to the BTS Silom Line. The other is the river: the cross-river ferry pier at the end of our lane is ฿5 and about 3 minutes to Ratchawong on the Chinatown side. On the days the roads seize up completely, both rail and river still keep to a time you can predict. And the neighbourhood is closer in than it looks: ICONSIAM sits on our bank about 2 km away, or one Gold Line stop; the Chao Phraya Sky Park is about 1.3 km, roughly a 15-minute walk; Wat Pho is about 3.5 km; and Wat Arun and Chinatown are directly across the water.
Seven ways out of our door, and when to pick each one
BTS Gold Line — the short line that serves as our front gate. Khlong San station sits close to the hotel on a short line running along the Thonburi bank. Two stops take you to Krung Thonburi, where you change to the BTS Silom Line, while ICONSIAM is just one stop away. Being elevated, it never meets traffic, and with lifts and escalators it is easy with a bag. Whenever you are heading into town, this is the first thing we suggest.
BTS Silom Line — change at Krung Thonburi and you are downtown. Get off the Gold Line at Krung Thonburi and walk up to the Silom Line in the same station. It runs through Sathorn and Silom and meets the rest of the network at Siam for the Sukhumvit side. If your destination is central Bangkok, this is the most direct route there is. Buy a single ticket from the machine or tap a BTS stored-value card. It is elevated the whole way, so the journey time is far more predictable than by car.
The MRT — a separate system with a separate card. The MRT is the underground metro, and it runs on its own stored-value card, so switching systems means a fresh ticket or a second card. You join it at the station where the Silom Line and the MRT connect. It is useful for Hua Lamphong, for reaching Chinatown by land, or for heading north towards Chatuchak — but if Yaowarat is all you want, the ferry at the end of our lane is both quicker and cheaper.
The river — the shortcut traffic cannot follow. The cross-river ferry pier is at the end of our lane: ฿5, about 3 minutes, and you are on the Chinatown side. The Chao Phraya express boats run up and down the river, told apart by the flag they fly, reaching Wat Pho at Tha Tien and the other riverside piers. The advantage is a journey time the roads cannot spoil; the limits are that the boats stop in the evening and only serve places near the water. We have put the full detail in our boat guide.
Grab and taxis — the answer for heavy bags, rain and late nights. From our door it is about 10 minutes over Phra Pok Klao Bridge to the Phra Nakhon side when the roads are clear. Booking a Grab through the app shows the price up front and saves you explaining the address in Thai. It is the obvious pick when you arrive with big luggage, when the rain is heavy, when there are several of you, and on the way home after the trains and boats have stopped. The catch is the morning and evening rush, when traffic is serious and a quoted journey time can easily double.
Motorbike taxis — for the short last stretch. Riders in coloured vests wait together at stands at lane mouths and outside stations. They are ideal for anything from a few hundred metres to a couple of kilometres — dashing to the station before the rain lands, or getting from the main road back to the door with your hands full. Name your destination and agree the price before you get on, wear the helmet they hand you, and remember it is one passenger at a time and no good with a large suitcase.
Walking — closer than the map makes it feel. The Chao Phraya Sky Park is about 1.3 km away, roughly a 15-minute walk; ICONSIAM is about 2 km, on our own bank; Wat Pho is about 3.5 km but on the far side of the river. Khlong San is a good neighbourhood to cover on foot, with somewhere to stop all along the way. The one trick is to walk early, before the sun bites, or after it sets — Bangkok's midday heat is heavier than the distances suggest.
Two card systems: the BTS, Gold Line included, and the MRT run on separate stored-value cards that cannot be used on each other. If you are staying several days and riding often, a card for whichever system you use most beats queueing for a ticket every trip.
Rush hour means rail: weekday mornings and evenings clog the roads, and in those windows the Gold Line, the Silom Line or a boat will almost always beat a car.
Budget extra time in the rain: heavy Bangkok rain slows the roads badly and stretches Grab waiting times. Keep an umbrella with you and favour covered walkways and the rail lines.
Take a car on arrival and departure days: our lane is small, so send the driver our pin and they will drop you right at the door — far kinder than hauling a case up pier or station stairs.
Coming back late: the trains and boats stop in the evening*, while Grab and taxis run all night. Our team is here until 6 PM and after that it is self check-in — message us on LINE or WhatsApp with your arrival time and we will send the door details in advance.
Common questions
What is the quickest way to Siam or Silom from the hotel?
Take the BTS Gold Line two stops from Khlong San to Krung Thonburi, then change to the BTS Silom Line into town. It is rail the whole way, so traffic barely touches you and the timing is fairly predictable. Fares go by distance and are adjusted from time to time — check the ticket machine or the station board before you buy. If there are three or four of you with bags, one Grab can work out better once you add it up.
Which travel cards do I need?
You do not have to buy anything at all: both the BTS and the MRT sell single tickets from machines inside the stations. If you will be riding often over several days, a stored-value card saves the queue — just remember the BTS and MRT cards are separate systems and cannot be swapped. For the boats and motorbike taxis, always keep small cash on you.
Is it awkward to get around from the Thonburi side?
Not at all, and often it is easier, because you have both rail and river. Khlong San station on the Gold Line is close by and only two stops from the Silom Line interchange, the ferry pier at the end of our lane crosses to Chinatown for ฿5, ICONSIAM is on our own bank about 2 km away, and a car over Phra Pok Klao Bridge takes around 10 minutes. When one route bogs down, another is usually still moving.
* We deliberately do not print fixed fares, first and last train times or boat schedules on this page, because they are adjusted from time to time · check the board in the station or at the pier before you travel · the Chao Phraya express boats run mainly Monday to Friday — only the midday yellow flag runs at weekends and on public holidays — and times and fares are published on the Chao Phraya Express Boat company's site · distances and walking times are approximate, measured from our front door · if you would like us to check something before you set out, message us on LINE or WhatsApp. · the ฿5 ferry fare is what our guests pay today
Written by the House of Happiness team · Last updated
