Bangkok Travel Guide
Thailand’s cosmopolitan capital Bangkok can be a chaotic, complex and confounding city – until you cruise the Chao Phraya River, discover the Old City and its glittering pagodas and gleaming spires, and explore the quiet canals. For many visitors Bangkok is little more than a shopping stop punctuating a beach holiday. Yes, there’s cheap accommodation and dirt-cheap street food, but there are also beautiful boutique hotels, heady cafés and buzzy bars, and brilliant restaurants serving inventive Thai food – not to mention new art and design destinations, a rejuvenated riverside, and a rapidly gentrifying Chinatown. Go now.
Bangkok Itineraries
ONE DAY
Itinerary
TWO DAY
Itinerary
Stay in Bangkok
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Best Bangkok Riverside Hotels on the Chao Phraya River from Luxury Resorts to Heritage Hotels
The best Bangkok riverside hotels on the Chao Phraya River range from one of Bangkok’s oldest hotels, the Mandarin Oriental, to the city’s most luxurious, The Siam, and everything in…
Where to Stay in Bangkok – Hotels for Foodies
The best Bangkok hotels for foodies range from atmospheric Shanghai Mansion, slap bang in the centre of Chinatown, to the sleek Como Metropolitan, home to Nahm, Bangkok’s number one Thai…
Accomodation
Insurance
Eat in Bangkok
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Best Bangkok Street Food Tours for Thai Food Lovers and Street Food Fans
The best Bangkok street food tours offer immersive experiences with expert culinary guides with a deep knowledge of Thai cuisine, dishes, ingredients, and Thailand’s culinary history and culture. They give…
Chef Sujira Pongmorn of Saawaan Restaurant Bangkok on Food Memories and Inspirations
Chef Sujira Pongmorn of Saawaan Restaurant Bangkok speaks to us about her early food memories and inspirations, her first restaurant experiences and biggest influences, how she conceived her first restaurant…
Drink in Bangkok
Explore Bangkok
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Bangkok Parks and Gardens — A Breath of Fresh Air in the Big City
One of the first things we like to do after arriving in a city following a long-haul flight is stretch our legs and get some fresh air, which generally sees…
Experience Bangkok
Book Bangkok Tours
Absorb Bangkok
Shop Bangkok
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Bangkok’s Best Boutiques
I love shopping Bangkok’s boutiques because I love Thai fashion. Take homegrown brands such as FLYNOW, Theatre, Wonder Anatomie, Tipayaphongpoosanaphong, and Palette – they’re fresh, quirky, colourful, and fun. And…
Kicking Back in Bangkok: Chatuchak Weekend Markets
My favourite thing to do on a weekend in Bangkok is kick back at the sprawling Chatuchak Market or JJ Market, as it’s also known locally. Banjo-plucking cowboys, lipstick-wearing coffee…
Festivals & Events in Bangkok
Bangkok Local Knowledge
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Footpath Feasting: From Street Food to Soul Food
As travel and food writers we have to eat out every day, sometimes two or three times a day. In Bangkok one of those meals will involve street food. That means…
Bangkok Resources
Bangkok Essentials
WHEN TO GO
Nov–Feb The temeratures in Bangkok don’t vary much, it’s the humidity and change of rain that varies, this is the best time to travel and it’s crowded.
Mar–Jun Weather This shoulder season is less crowded but the chance of rain is higher.
Jul–Oct Wet season commences and while it’s a little less crowded, the storms
can be ferocious.
HEALTH
Bangkok has excellent healthcare facilities, in fact it’s where most people in Southeast Asia head for medical treatment if they can afford it and is a medical tourism destination. It’s still of great importance that you get full medical insurance for your visit. Recommended Vaccinations
VISAS
Nationals of most countries can get a free tourist visa on arrrival in Thailand, it’s the length of the visa that varies and can range from 15 days to 90 days. Overstaying visas incurrs daily fines and rules can change overnight so be aware. Some visas can be extended, check the Thai Immigration website.
CURRENCY
CURRENT EXCHANGE RATES
$1.00 USD = 36.21 THB
$1.00 AUD = 24.57 THB
€1.00 EUR = 36.88 THB
£1.00 GBP = 43.19 THB
The Thai currency (THB) is called the ‘Baht’, and it’s the only currency used in the country. In touristy areas they may acccept USD but and give change in THB but you’ll suffer an unfavourable exchange rate. It is, however, easy to change most major currencies into THB.
LANGUAGE
THAI IS THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF THAILAND.
ELECTRICITY
ELECTRICITY IN THAILAND IS 220 VOLTS. 50 CYCLES/SEC.
LOCAL TIME
Time in Bangkok:Bangkok’s Time Zone is (GMT+7) Bangkok has never utilised daylight saving.
WEATHER
CURRENT THAILAND WEATHER
TRANSPORTATION
AIR/LAND/SEA
There are direct international flights to Bangkok from major international destinations. Domestic flights cover major tourist destinations. Less expensive is bus travel covering all of Thailand, but for major routes minivans are becoming more popular – not great for tall or large foreigners. Within towns and sections of cities, besides taxis and motor-taxis are pick-up trucks with benches in the back that run specific routes.
Bangkok Daily Costs
BUDGET
Daily Budget Up To:
US$30
- Guesthouse dorm room: US$3–10
- Cheap restaurants, street food: US$0.5–3
- BTS Daily Ticket: US$3:60
MID RANGE
Daily Budget From:
US$31–200
- Air-con hotel room: US$20–45
- Good local restaurant meal: US$5–15
- Medium distance taxi ride: US$4:50
LUXURY
Daily Budget From:
US$201+
- Boutique hotel or resort: US$80–500
- Degustation meal without drinks: US$50+
- Private airport transfer: US$80+
