Thailand is one of the top tourism destinations in the world. As such, its capital, Bangkok, is also the destination of many tourists who want to explore the jungles, islands, beaches, and more that the country has to offer.
Bangkok is a bustling, chaotic metropolis that offers everything but doesn’t easily open itself up to first-time visitors. Its beauty sort of remains hidden. Spending a couple of days here as a foreigner and ticking only the tourist boxes always seems like a big part of the city was not seen and was missed. To really enjoy it, one has to explore it and wander around, immersing themselves in the street food, markets, and local life.
The city offers some wonderful attractions, including royal palaces and Buddhist temples such as the picture-perfect and awe-inspiring Wat Arun and the immense reclining Buddha at Wat Pho, high-end restaurants and shops, wild nightlife in the red-light districts, and dozens of bustling markets both on land and on the Chao Phraya river.
One thing is for sure: Bangkok is certainly overwhelming.
Bucket List
What to expect
Thailand Info & Stats
- Language: Thai is the official language
- Population: 69 million (2019 est.)
- Timezone: UTC +7
- Ethnic Make-up: Thai 96%, Burmese 2%, other 2%.
- Religion: 93% Buddhism (official religion), 5% Islam, 1.2% Christians, 0.8% others.
- Political System: constitutional monarchy
- Credit Cards: Credit cards are accepted in large cities and tourist destinations but even there street markets and food require cash.
- Electricity: Socket types A, B and C, 220 volt / 50 hertz
- Haggling Culture: Common in markets and street stalls
Weather
If possible, avoid traveling during the peak of the hot season (April or May). Anyone who has ever been to Bangkok will for sure have this memory of exiting the airport seared into their brain: the impact from the wall of humidity and heat akin to stepping into a Turkish bath. Also, you are in a very hectic and busy city and will be surrounded by fumes from the street food carts, smog from the cars, motorbikes, and tuk tuks, and if deviating from the largest roads, grey water from shops cleaning and possibly rotting food. Having that sense of apnea is quite normal the first few days, and there is no need to worsen it by traveling in the hottest months under unbearable heat. I tried to visit one of the most touristic temples at noon on a sunny day, and although I was happy to be the only one in the shrine, the temperature at that moment was 46 degrees.
As with any tropical-climate country, mosquitoes are your main enemy here. Ditch the perfume and take out the insect spray. As expected, this is especially true during the evening or at sunset.
Money
The currency is the Thai Baht (THB).
Credit cards are mostly accepted, but there is a lot of card fraud in the city. As one would expect, all street food and general street commerce, like in markets, is done in cash. ATMs are commonly distributed around the city, although quite a few look very sketchy.
The exchange rate from US dollars is 1 USD = 35 THB.
Prices: Bangkok is cheap. There are some extremely luxurious options that are appropriately priced for tourists, so they are not cheap. Haggling and agreeing on prices is perfectly accepted and, in some places, almost expected when there aren’t fixed price tags. So don’t be afraid to challenge the price that is offered to you by street food vendors and in the markets. However, if you are not on an extremely low budget and traveling as a tourist, always remember the relative cost of things. There is no need to haggle to death for a cab ride from 6$ to 4$.
Tipping: Tipping is not customary in Bangkok, and many places include a surcharge of 10%. However, if not present, and since waiters and people in the service industry are not paid much, tipping will be greatly appreciated and goes a long way toward ensuring extra careful service.
Getting around
There is an extensive network of public transport in Bangkok. The BTS Skytrain and MRT metro allow easy access to most areas of the city, and there are many crowded buses navigating all corners of the city. Ticket prices are very low, and there is no such thing as a city transport card, so each ticket must be paid individually.
Taxis are extremely cheap in Bangkok. However, the city estimates having three times as many vehicles as it can support to have a fluid traffic system, so keep this in mind in case you have a tight schedule, such as going to the airport.
Taxis that do not have a meter should be treated like tuk-tuk drivers, namely by agreeing beforehand on the price. On the other hand, metered taxis will take it offensively if you try to haggle on the price, as they follow the strict rules of the meter.
Safety
Safety: The biggest worries are small theft and scamming, the latter being very common.
Natural risks: The area is known for tsunamis, earthquakes, and storms, so from a natural disaster point of view, it does have some risks.
Emergencies number: 191 (police), 199 (fire department), +66-1669 (emergency medical services)
Tips & Impressions
- I think the biggest “shock” or impactful sight for a tourist visiting for the first time is the traffic (Bangkok has an estimate of almost 10 million vehicles which the government states is eight times what the city infrastructure can support), and the humidity. So no matter which season, it is a tropical rainforest climate immersed within the smog of a large metropolis.
- Although always a good thing to know some basic words in the local language, at least know your way around the “wai”. Hold your hands together upright, bring them to your chest, and bend your head in a small bow so that your nose points to the point of your fingertips. Use it to greet people or say goodbye, say thank you and generally return it to anyone who does it to you. There are obviously many nuances related to societal stratification, religious peculiarities, and age rankings, but as a visitor, it is enough to stick to the basics and not perform the wai if your hands are busy holding a phone, beverage, sunglasses, or anything for that matter. Better to simply nod respectfully in this case.
- For the smokers out there, you cannot, and as per good manners, smoke in front of entrance places. Preferably carry a portable ashtray or an empty pack where to put the buds. In some areas such as Siam, there are extensive no-smoking areas and the police are just waiting for you to throw a cigarette bud on the sidewalk. The entire Lumphini Park is a no-smoking area, as are understandably all areas surrounding temples. It is also not advised to smoke in the areas surrounding the grand palace and the government buildings as there are depictions of the king.
- To that matter in general remember that Thailand is a monarchy and disrespect towards the king is not tolerated. Also, police forces can be very authoritarian and should not be messed with or treated with condescendence.
- The national anthem is played daily every morning and evening throughout the city, and during that short time everything stops, and you are expected to do the same. Also, before movies, shows, or exhibitions, there might be music played in respect for the King, where you are expected to stand like everyone else. Thais take this very seriously, and for both anthems, there are actually laws (which may not be enforced everywhere, but that is beside the point) that could lead to incarceration for people not following these rules.
Deals for Bangkok
Where to stay
Luxury
Boutique & Eco-friendly
Budget & Local experience
Travelogue
- Day 1
- City walk
- Lumphini Park
- Siam Paragon
- Day 2
- Day 3
My accommodation was The Sukhothai Bangkok Hotel.
With teakwood furnishing and Thai silk, this luxury hotel is a garden within the center of Bangkok on Sathorn Road, very close to Lumphini Park and a few minutes walk from Siam Paragon.
It hosts an Italian restaurant with a high-level chef which is amazing and a wonderful pool which can be enjoyed if the mosquitoes in the evening, and the crows in the morning allow you to.
Day 1
Woke up early to visit Lumphini Park and soak up the local scene just watching people jog and exercise. Small clusters of people would be gathered doing yoga, tai chi with hand fans, or weight lifting.
At 8:00 when I was walking amidst the joggers an announcement was heard from unknown speakers in the gardens followed by music. Everybody stopped and from what I could imagine it was to pay respect to the King and lasted only a few seconds but the unexpected immobility of all the people in the park created a surreal situation that seemed taken from a movie.
The park is practically overrun by monitor lizards and due to my interest in animals and almost obsession with reptiles, I spent quite a long time just observing the ecosystem and animal hierarchies which were unfamiliar to me. It was interesting to see how crows basically owned the place and would push away any kind of other bird from pigeons to other exotic ones and even cats and lizards. The cats, which are in huge numbers, would almost all rest on the benches while people would sit on concrete or stone ones. These enormous lizards would travel on the surface of the water, pushing away the carp and other fish beneath them and sometimes slowly traverse the gardens to move from one pond to another.
SEAWorld
Not that it is a particular interest of mine but the Siam Paragon shopping mall is rightly famous as it has interesting and well-thought architecture, and hosts a huge amount of shops and high-end brands which must be a paradise for fashion “addicts”. I went to see Sea World, yet another aquarium. Although very child and fun-oriented, it was relieving to see it almost empty of people, providing me that peace that I did not find in the arguably better Oceanographic of Valencia. There is something extremely calming and blissful in being in the water tunnels or circular shark tank completely alone and in total silence.
Day 2
I was ready to do a full-blown, all-day tour of the city temples: Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Phra Kaew. After a big breakfast, I poked my nose outside and was hit by a gazillion percent humidity without the faintest cloud in sight and temperature close to the surface of the sun. I scurried back inside, emptied my bag of sunscreen, water bottle, hat, etc., filled it with laptop computers, and headed to the hotel pool, where I spent the whole day.
At around 5 in the evening, as soon as I saw a small cloud in the sky, I repacked everything, jumped on the metro, and headed to Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn), famous and often immortalized in pictures at dawn or sunset. I managed to get there just in time, and most tourists were leaving to go to the other side of the Chao Phraya River to take pictures of it, leaving a wonderful atmosphere of peace and seclusion.
I also took a late ferry to cross the river and found a beautiful cafe with lounge music where I enjoyed the last minutes of the day.
Day 3
There are a few perks to waking up early and just sprinting to popular tourist places: few people. The Grand Palace was very nice to explore in almost total isolation although I regret not being accompanied or using a guide as the inner walls are all decorated with murals depicting scenes from Buddhist and Hindu mythology. I have always been interested in all mythologies but have to admit to being quite ignorant of Eastern ones besides basic common knowledge.
The same perk of tranquillity applies also when going to another highly sought-after destination at lunchtime during arguably the peak heat moment. I thought I would die from heat strokes about 3 times, and half of the photos are literally undecipherable due to my sweat pouring on the phone. But yes, it has its perks.
Also, it’s true what I read that nothing can really prepare you for the sheer size of the statue of the reclining Buddha.
