Trains over traffic. The BTS Skytrain and the MRT Blue Line cover most of it: Sanam Chai for Wat Pho and the Grand Palace, Wat Mangkon for Chinatown, Chatuchak for the weekend market. Fares run by distance, from under 20 baht to around 60. Both take a contactless Visa or Mastercard at marked gates. The Rabbit card works on the BTS but not the MRT and needs a passport to register. The 20-baht flat fare in the headlines was never for visitors and has since been dropped.
The river is a line too. The Chao Phraya Express Boat’s orange flag service is a flat 18 baht from Sathorn pier, under Saphan Taksin BTS, up to Tha Tien for Wat Pho and Phra Athit for Khao San. The cross-river shuttle to Wat Arun is a few baht; the blue flag tourist boat costs more.
Grab, the meter and the tuk-tuk. Grab gives a fixed price and no argument. In a taxi the meter starts around 35 baht and is the law; if the driver quotes a flat price, take the next one. A tuk-tuk offering a tour for 20 baht ends at a tailor or a gem shop.
“Closed today.” Outside the Grand Palace and Wat Pho, well-dressed men will tell you the temple is closed for a ceremony and offer a tuk-tuk to a better one. It is never closed. The Grand Palace opens every day from 8:30 a.m. with tickets sold until 3:30 p.m., around 500 baht for foreigners; Wat Pho is 300 baht and opens into the evening; Wat Arun is around 200.
Dress and manners. The Grand Palace enforces it: shoulders and knees covered, no leggings, no sleeveless tops, no ripped jeans, and a sarong rental line for those who forget. Wat Pho asks the same and is gentler. Shoes off at every hall; feet never point at a Buddha; no climbing on anything or posing with your back to a Buddha; women do not touch monks.
Tipping and the heat. Tipping is not expected. Round up a taxi, leave 20 to 50 baht for a bag carried, and the coins in a restaurant unless a 10 percent service charge is on the bill. April is the hottest month, with highs around 97°F (36°C); the rains run from mid May to October, September wettest at over 300 millimeters (about 12 inches), in afternoon downpours. November to February is dry and cooler.
On the day. Temples at 8 a.m., then a river boat, then air-conditioning after lunch. Carry small bills for boats and tuk-tuks, and keep Grab open so the “closed today” tuk-tuk has nothing to offer. Waystop’s hours check will tell you if a temple stop lands after the ticket window shuts.