Getting Around Bangkok on New Year's Eve:
Trains, Road Closures, Boats and Taxis

The night goes wrong in the same place every year: the way home. Roads around CentralWorld close in the afternoon, the trains run late but fill up, and the taxis stop moving at midnight. Here is how the city moved last year and how to plan around it.

Take the Train

The BTS Skytrain and the MRT are the way to move on the night. On 31 December 2025 both ran until 2 AM, the last BTS trains left Siam for every station at 2:45 AM, and the Gold Line, the short line that serves ICONSIAM, ran until 2:25 AM.

These hours were announced in the final days of December, and we will post the 2026 hours here the day they are confirmed.

Two things to know. The stations nearest the countdowns, Siam and Chit Lom for CentralWorld, Lumphini for One Bangkok and Charoen Nakhon for ICONSIAM, are packed from midnight to about 1 AM, with queues on the stairs.

Buy or top up your travel card before the evening, and if you can, wait 30 to 45 minutes after the fireworks before heading to the platform.

The Road Closures

Last year the roads around CentralWorld closed in stages: Ratchadamri between Pratunam and Ratchaprasong from noon on 31 December until 5 AM, and Rama I, Phloen Chit, Ratchaprarop and Phetchaburi from 4 PM until 2 AM. In practice the whole Ratchaprasong block is a pedestrian zone from the afternoon, so a car, a taxi or a hotel transfer cannot get you to CentralWorld, Centara Grand or the surrounding hotels.

Arrive by BTS Chit Lom or Siam, and if you are staying in the area, be back before the closures or come in on foot.

Streets around One Bangkok and along the river are managed on the night too, with police directing the crowds. The 2026 closures are announced in late December.

The River: Boats to ICONSIAM and Asiatique

For the ICONSIAM countdown, the Gold Line from BTS Krung Thon Buri takes you to Charoen Nakhon station inside the mall. From the Bangkok bank, shuttle boats cross from Sathorn Pier at BTS Saphan Taksin.

Last year an electric boat loop linked Charoen Nakhon, Asiatique, Sathorn, ICONSIAM and River City until about 1 AM, and Asiatique’s own free shuttle boat runs from Sathorn Pier.

After the fireworks, the piers are as crowded as the stations. The Gold Line is the quickest way off the Thonburi bank; the boats fill in order of arrival and the queues take a while.

Taxis and Ride-Hailing at Midnight

Do not count on a taxi at midnight. With the roads closed and the whole city leaving at once, cars are slow and scarce, the ride-hailing apps raise their prices, and a trip that takes 20 minutes on a normal night can take more than an hour.

If you must take a car, walk away from the closed zone first, to a main road that is open, and expect to wait. Carry some cash in small notes for the drivers who do not take the apps.

Walking Routes That Work

• From CentralWorld: BTS Chit Lom is a few minutes along the Ratchaprasong Skywalk, and Siam about ten minutes further. Both are inside the closed zone, so walking to them is the plan.
• From One Bangkok: MRT Lumphini is next to the park, with MRT Silom and BTS Sala Daeng a 15-minute walk away when Lumphini is full.
• From ICONSIAM: the Gold Line at Charoen Nakhon, inside the mall, or the shuttle boats to Sathorn Pier for BTS Saphan Taksin.
• From a Sukhumvit rooftop: the BTS stations along the avenue, Asok, Phrom Phong and Thong Lor, are a short walk from most of them, and the Sukhumvit fireworks finish well before the trains do.

Before You Go Out

• Book your night by early December, and keep the confirmation on your phone: see Rooftop Parties and Dinners.
• Fix a meeting point with your group, and keep your phone and wallet in a front pocket. Bangkok deploys thousands of police around the countdowns, with bag checks at the entrances.
• Save the tourist police number, 1155.
• Know the rules. You must be 20 to drink in Thailand, and drinking is not allowed in parks, at temples or on public transport.
• Dress for the weather: December is dry, with nights around 23°C. A light layer is enough.
• Choose one countdown. Two in one night means missing both. The Countdowns helps you pick.