Bangkok

Bangkok is home to up to 10 million people and is the capital of Thailand. It was established in 1782 by King Rama I. Bangkok has many temples and cultural attractions as well as modern amenities to satisfy everyone.

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General Facts About Bangkok

Bangkok is the main tourist entry point to ‘The Land of Smiles’ with Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi (pronounced Sawanapoom) International Airport only 45 minutes taxi journey away.

It is a vast sprawling urban jungle, but most attractions are located in key specific areas and the vast taxi network and SkyTrain BTS mass transit system make it easy to get around.

There is a large variety of hotels ranging from the basic backpacker hostels on the Khao San Road to high-quality five-star hotels overlooking the Chao Phraya river. There is high-end shopping in Sukhumvit Road with a massive variety of restaurants spread all over the city.

For amazing views across the city head for The State Tower and dine or drink in its high-quality bars overlooking the night time Bangkok skyline below.

Bangkok has endless amounts of shopping centers, western language cinemas, leisure activities, water parks, entertainment shows, and in the evening the nightlife scene has something to offer everyone with night clubs and live bands playing music as diverse as rock to reggae!

Accommodations

Since it’s a popular tourist destination, Bangkok is full of hotels and places to stay at all budgets. However, it can be a little overwhelming choosing where to stay, since there are so many options available.

Bangkok has everything from backpacker dorms, boutique accommodations, five-star resorts to match the requirements of every type of traveler from backpacker to businessman.

The following 8 areas are the best areas to stay in Bangkok:

Khao San/ Banglamphu Area
Sukhumvit Area
Bangkok Riverside
Chinatown Area
Silom Area
Siam Area
Pratunam Area
Suvarnabhumi Airport Area

Bangkok Tourist Places

The most popular activities on the tourist ‘things to do’ list include:

Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaeo: Royal residence & holy temple housing the Emerald Buddha
Chatuchak Weekend Market: The biggest open street market in Thailand!
Khao San Road: Bangkok’s backpacker street
Wat Pho: Bangkok’s oldest temple housing the reclining Buddha
Jim Thompson’s House: Thai residential architectural home of the silk merchant
Lumphini Park: Arrive at sunrise to join the Tai Chi fanatics
Khlong Canal Tour: The famous Floating market
Sunset Cruise on Chao Praya river: boat trip to Ayutthaya past beautifully lit temples
Siam Square: The shopaholics dream!
The State Tower: evening drink on the top floor for amazing sunset views
MBK shopping complex: For all things cheap in laptops, mobiles, and electronics!
Vimanmek Teak Mansion Museum: built in 1868 in the reign of Rama V with 81 rooms
Anantasamakkhom Palace & Parliament: Renaissance style used for official ceremonies
Royal Barge National Museum: Many historical and royal Thai artifacts
National Museum: Thai art and the largest in Asia
Sampeng: Bangkok’s China Town
Phahurat: Bangkok’s Little India district

Day Trips from Bangkok

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market: it’s located in the Ratchaburi Province, which is just an hour and a half from Bangkok city.
Ayutthaya: the old capital two hours north of Bangkok and full of Khymer temples.
Kanchanaburi: Two hours west of Bangkok is the bridge over the river Kwai, hot springs, Erewan seven-tier waterfall & the famous tiger temple.
Khao Yai National Park: Two hours northeast of Bangkok see amazing wildlife such as hornbills, deer, and the waterfall in the movie ‘The Beach’ which was filmed here.
Pattaya beach: this is one of the most popular coastal areas located close to Bangkok, even though Pattaya’s beach is often busy, there is always a space for another sun-worshipper.

Social Life

Bangkok is world-famous for its colorful nightlife, especially Khao San Road which becomes alive in the evening with street vendors, cheap food stalls and street bars serving the hoards of young backpackers. Don’t forget to try the fried insects! There’s a variety to choose from including locusts, grubs and even scorpions deep fried to perfection and apparently very tasty!

For the more up-market types, Sukhumvit has a lot to offer with both standard and high quality dining plus a vast array of bars and nightclubs.

You could even take an evening cruise on the river with a full program of live entertainment and dinner dance whilst cruising towards Ayutthaya past amazing temples lit up with amazing effect in the evening darkness..

Bangkok has it all! Live music and nightclubs for the younger generation, entertainment and glamour shows, a vast array of international bars and restaurants.

Weather

It’s one of the hottest cities in the world. The temperature is always between 28 and 38 degrees!

Bangkok has 3 main seasons: hot season lasts from March to June, the rainy season is from July to October, and cool season from November to February.

Travel to and Around Bangkok

The most popular way to get around Bangkok is by the mass transit Skytrain BTS system which now links directly to the airport.

The other good way to get around is to take a metered taxi which will make a small fixed charge on entering the vehicle but all rates will be fixed.

Tuk Tuk’s are an experience that many want to try but be on your guard as many will offer low transport rates but will try to take you to jewelry shops, suit makers and even reclining buddha where they are paid commissions and you waste most of your day!

If you’re planning a journey from Nong Khai, the most convenient way to get here is by taking a first class train to Bangkok.

Shopping

Bangkok is a shopper’s paradise with vast open air markets, masses of street vendors, rows and rows of shops, supermarkets and indoor shopping malls catering for every need all over the city

Banks & ATM’s

There is an abundance of ATM’s and banks all over Bangkok. There are also facilities for international money transfer via Western Union.

Police, Post office & Medical Emergencies

There is a Tourist Police Station on Khao San Road. There are a number of large international hospitals in Bangkok. The main Post Office is on Charoen Krung but there are many sub-branches spread around the town.

Important Numbers

Police emergency: 191
Tourist Police: 02 678 6800
Tourist Police – Emergency: 1155
Fire Department: 199
Bangkok General Hospital: 02 318 0066
Bangkok Immigration: 02 287 3103
TAT Bangkok Office: 02 694 222 and 02 282 9773