Bangkok, officially known as Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit is the capital of Thailand. Bangkok was known as the Sin City but eventually, Pattaya took that title away. Bangkok, however, is still the street food capital of the world. You can find tons of delicious street food across Bangkok city. Bangkok offers beautiful sightseeing destinations to look for, activities to experience, and nightlife to get entertained. So if you are ready to travel to Bangkok this information might be the best guide for you.
Weather, Seasons & Best Time to Visit
Bangkok is very hot due to its geographical location and Pollution. Located close to the ocean, Bangkok humid feels like you are in a desert. The highest temperature goes up to 32°C, and the lowest will be 22°C. Bangkok is an international city, therefore, you cannot track the low and high seasons.
Cost of Living
Bangkok is the richest city in Thailand, and the cost of living is a little higher than in other cities. Even though the hotels and food might cost less, conclusively it is much costlier than other cities in Thailand.
Best Area to Stay
Bangkok is a huge city, and navigating is very easy. Bangkok has multiple means of transport, mainly BTS. Bangkok according to me, can be divided into two parts basically, either side of Chao Phraya river. Most of the attractions are on the airport side of the Chao Phraya river, therefore, staying I don’t recommend staying across the river.
Choosing the Best Hotel
Bangkok has tons of hotels from Five-star to basic backpack hostels. Your selection of hotel should be dependent on the purpose of visit and budget. If you are looking for cheap accommodation then, check it out near Khaosan road. The hotels and hostels in and around Khaosan road are decent and suitable for budget travellers. If you are travelling with family or maybe just for fun with little extra cash then you can get premium stays from 1500 baht onwards. I usually stay at Aspira Parc Sukhumvit 39 (Currently Metropole Residence) because I love the huge apartment rooms and friendly staff.
Important Sightseeing Destinations
Bangkok has a lot of sightseeing places to experience and not everything is only for adults. Bangkok has wide verities of sightseeing places that are for everyone. Some of them which you should visit are
- The Grand Palace – Was the house of the Thai king previously
- Temple of the Emerald Buddha – Attached to the Grand Palace
- Wat Arun Ratchawararam – is a nice Buddhist temple located across Chao Phraya river.
- Chatuchak Weekend Market – This is Asia’s biggest market. The best place for shopping and eating.
- Wat Traimit Withayaram Worawihan – Beautiful Buddha Temple
- Lumphini Park – 360 rai park
- ASIATIQUE The Riverfront – A riverfront is a large open-air mall.
- Safari World – Bangkok Zoo
- Wat Saket – Historic Temple on the hill, best Sunset spot.
- The Erawan Museum
- Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market – The best street food marketplace.
What & Where to Eat?
Bangkok is famous for its street food, therefore, try eating in small places and karts. Look for places where the locals go and try those places. If you want to explore deep-routed Thai Food then head to Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market. This market has a wide variety of delicious food offerings that you cannot miss. Look for other popup markets in Bangkok to try local delicacies. Bangkok does offer varieties of food, so I cannot pinpoint one dish. You can explore the choice of seafood, red meat and even vegan foods available.
Where to do shopping?
Chatuchak Weekend Market is the best place to do shopping as you can haggle and buy souvenirs at a discounted rate. Mind it that the market is open only from Friday to Sunday till 6 PM. If you are not visiting Bangkok at the weekend then do not worry, there are a lot of markets around and even malls.
Adult Entertainment
Bangkok has a lot of Adult Entertainment places. I kid you not, they have a whole complex (mall) for Adult Entertainment. Nana Plaza is the mall where you can find tons of bars offering women, ladyboys and drinks. If you are looking for other places that may be less expensive then head to Soi Cowboy street. The street is full of bars with sexy working girls. You can also find freelance girls in and around Nana Plaza and Soi Cowboy who can entertain you privately in your room. The freelancers might ask 4000-6000 baht per night (You can negotiate to 2000 baht) and bar girls are expensive as they might ask 5000 baht and above.
Massage
Massage is famous in Bangkok and they offer varieties of services. Look for a place where the workers are very busy and do not miss to get at least a foot massage when you are in Bangkok. You can also try nude massage, sandwich massage, soapy massage and many other dirty massages.
Travel Tips to Pattaya
Bangkok is one of my favorate cities to relax and explore, but if you are not careful, you might end up on the wrong side. The following are some really important tips for you to know before you land in Suvarna Bhumi.
Scams – Watch out travellers, Bangkok does have a lot of scammers. The scam varies from small tuk-tuk overpricing to a big scam like Jem Stones. Now I cannot list out all the scams for you, but I can list out some common ones like
- The Palace is Closed Scam – Thai men (Mostly taxi/ tuk-tuk drivers) will approach you and say that the grand palace is closed and they will offer to take you to a better place. Do not believe them. Just ignore.
- Gemstone Scam – This is the most common, and popular among all the other scams. Taxi driver convinces you to visit a gem shop with him. He offers a free or a discounted drive to visit the gem shop. Do not encourage him at all because it is all fake.
NightClubs – There are many nightclubs in Bangkok, getting to know each of them before entering is a must. There are 5 types of nightclubs you can see in Bangkok
- Thai Local Nightclub – Clubs where the locals hang out. No freelancers around, just a local Thai population with great Thai music. Micro-Breweries are also included.
- Beer Bars – A bar with tons of girls who just want to give you a good time. They also have attached short time rooms for your maximum comfort.
- Agogo Bars – Sexy-looking girls in tiny clothes or topless dancing. Expensive place to hire any girl.
- Gentlemen’s Club – Strip club look-alikes with friendly staff.
- Ladyboy Bars – If you are interested try the two best words in a single body.
Caution – Do not ring the hanging bell in any club. If you ring it then, you have to buy everyone a drink.
Language – Many Thai People do not speak English, therefore, learn little Thai language to navigate around Pattaya. The first thing to learn is the greeting Sawadee Ka/Krap, and Kapkun Ka/Krap meaning Thank you. Use Ka if you are a Woman and Krap if you are a man.
