Bangkok – One of the Most Visited Cities in the World

Bangkok tops the list as one of most visited cities in the world.  On arrival you immediately get that feeling that the whole world is actually living here. Dusty, chaotic, crazy, wonderful Bangkok is a hub of activity, people arriving here from all over the world to either stay for a few days or to connect with somewhere else in Thailand or even further afield in Asia.

On arrival it can feel a little overwhelming, it certainly was for us when we first visited this city back in 2014, but it has been less of a culture shock this time around. Although the airport immigration queue on arrival did scare us a little bit, but surprisingly the queue moved quite fast and soon we were collecting our luggage.

We are on a 10 weeks backpacking trip exploring Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. We intend to do as little flying as possible, using overland transport options such as buses, trains, boats, cars, motorbikes etc…you get the picture. Bangkok is our first stop, although we only have planed to stay two nights here, we arrived excited and looking forward to exploring a little of the Thai Capital.

Bangkok is packed full of exciting and interesting things to do and see, but this is our second visit to this South East Asian city so we don’t’ feel the need to check out every touristic site available. After a long flight from London we are tired and jetlag, so on our first night, we don’t venture far from our hotel, opting to have dinner at nearby Khao San Road.

Feeling a lot more refreshed by the next morning, we set off to explore two places that we have not had a chance to visit before. We called a “Grab” taxi (the equivalent of an “Uber” in the UK) to take us to the Jim Thompson House. Bangkok’s traffic can be notoriously slow, so our “Grab”taxi got caught in the action for a while, making us consider getting out and just walking there, but with the morning sun already heating things up we opted to stay in the car’s aircon instead.

We often prefer to use the Skytrain, Subway MRT or even the river ferry boats which can offer a faster way of moving around the city.

Jim Thompson House

Jim Thompson, was born in America, he was a business man and an Architect who ended up making Thai silk famous around the world. Unfortunately he disappeared during a trip to Malaysia, never to be seen again.

His house is now a museum housing his amazing South East Asia Art Collection. It is well worth a visit, and it feels like an oasis of calm in the middle of busy Bangkok. We enjoyed our visit, although I would say only visit if you have lots of time in Bangkok as there are other places I would recommend as a priority, particularly if this is your first visit to Bangkok. See at the end my tips for visiting Bangkok for the first time.

His house is near a canal, so it was very easy (and quicker than going by road) for us to jump on a canal boat afterwards, to visit our next destination:

Wat Saket Ratcha Wora Maha Wihan

A Buddhist Temple dating back to the time when Ayutthaya was the capital, it was then called simply Wat Sakae.  But when Bangkok became the capital of Thailand, King Rama I (1737–1809) renovated it and gave its present name. Visit it for some gorgeous views over Bangkok and if at all possible stay for sunset. Wat Saket Ratcha Wora Maha Wihan

Wat Saket Ratcha Wora Maha Wihan, is the crowning glory of the Golden Mt.

Enjoy the interesting statues and fountains as you climb up the stairs.

Great views of Bangkok from Wat Saket Ratcha Wora Maha Wihan.

From the pier it is just a short walk up to the Temple: there are few steps up, but nothing too strenuous, but unfortunately there are no lifts. Make sure you cover your shoulders and knees when visiting. The lovely views of Bangkok from the top will be even more special during sunset.

Khao San Road

As mentioned before, our hotel was just around the corner from this famous (or rather infamous) road. This road was made famous by the book and film “The Beach” which describes Khao San Road as “the centre of the backpacking universe”. It is worth spending sometime here, just walking around, drinking in the many lively bars, eating at one of the little restaurants or street food carts.

Fancy a massage?

Gawping at the unusual sights, such as the peculiar selection of creepy crawlies and spiders on offer for tasting. The many massage parlours with comfy chairs spilling into the pavement. Tattoo and henna shops are plenty and so are the shops selling all sorts of clothing, custom jewellery and foot wear, although prices here are a lot more expensive than in the less touristic parts of the city. For serious shopping I would recommend one of the many markets, including the great Weekend Market.

Street Food

We both love Thai food and there is no better place to try some of the best Thai cooking on offer than on the streets of Bangkok. There is a huge selection of places to try, just walk around and have a taste of the dishes that look appetizing to you. Good places usually have a queue of local people. One of our favourite areas for street food is Chinatown, where there is a mixture of Thai and Chinese dishes. Maybe you would like to try a food tour? Not something we have done there ourselves, so will not be making any recommendations.

If street food is not to your taste or scene there are plenty of great restaurants, including Michelin star places with prices to match. But trust me, there is no need to spend a lot of money to get great food in this city.

Where to Stay In Bangkok

There is no shortage of great places to stay in Bangkok to suit all budgets.  Aim to stay in one of the following main areas, although I have not had first hand experience of all of them:

The Khao San Road area – This lively area is a favourite with the backpacking community, particularly the ones with limited funds. Although there are all types of accommodation here, including the more upscale options that will cost a little bit more.

It is a very fun area with lots going on in the evening and although we are no party animals this is the area we chose to stay, at the Casa Vimaya Riverside at around £70 per night. Our room had air-con and a private bathroom, and there was also a small pool on the top floor. We were very happy with our choice. Located on a side streets to Khao San Road, by a little canal and not on Khao San itself, since it can be very noisy there.

When we visited in 2014 we also stayed in this area, at the more upscale Riva Surya (at around £120 per night) located on the riverbank about five minutes walk away from Khao San road. An elegant boutique hotel, with beautiful balcony rooms overlooking the river.

The River Side Area – By the Chao Praya river is great for romantics, since many of the hotels have great river views, glittering temples and shrines. This area has many of Bangkok’s 5 star hotels with a prices to match. There are also some lovely little boutique hotels that can be a little more budget friendly. The great thing about this area is being able to use the river ferries as a means of transportation.

Sukhumvit area – One of Bangkok’s most modern and cosmopolitan neighbourhoods. Here you can find the lungs of Bangkok, the famous Lumphini Park a great green and peaceful space to unwind. There are good public transport links in this area as it has several Skytrain and Subway (MRT) stations, making it an excellent base from which to explore the city.

Siam Area– Has the largest concentration of shopping malls in Bangkok, this area is shopping heaven. If you want to shop in air-conditioned and fashionable shopping malls such as MBK, Siam Paragon, Central World, Siam Discovery, Siam Centre and Central Chitlom, this is the area for you.

Chinatown area – One of the oldest areas of Bangkok, it used to be the sole domain of budget travelers but not any more, since there are many upscale yet affordable boutique hotels here. Some of the streets and buildings are not very well maintained and has a bit of a run down feel.

There are no Skytrains in this area, but there is a Subway station (MRT) at nearby Hua Lamphong Station and two new Subway stations have recently opened. There is fabulous street food available in this area. Most of the action centres around Yaowarat Road. This street comes alive in the evenings and there is nothing better than spend some time eating your way around this area.

Just a Few Tips For Your First Visit to Bangkok

• Most people arriving by air will be landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport. We bought a SIM card on arrival at the airport. But you can also get it from many other places around the city.
• If getting a taxi from the airport to your hotel, make sure you have the address and name of your hotel handy. Some hotels can arrange a pick up for you (a private airport transfer) from the airport, we did that and it worked very well indeed. You can also use the Airport Rail Link from the Suvarnabhumi Airport via Makkasan Station, to Phaya Thai station into central Bangkok and then a taxi or tuk-tuk to your hotel.
• For a first visit I would recommend a minimum of three days, more if your schedule allows it. Take it easy on the first day, if you are flying long-haul you will be very tired and jetlag.
• As with all large cities, planning ahead pays dividends and even a loose plan is better than no plan. Do some research beforehand about things to do and see here in the Thai Capital that would appeal to your taste. It is important to get a good balance of sightseeing, absorbing the culture and enjoying the delicious food.
• We find the Lonely Planet travel guide to be a very good resource to get you started. Travel blogs can also be a very up to date resource giving you lots of ideas to try out.
• Other good resources to use are: google maps, Grab taxi app (equivalent to Uber, you just have to download the app), google translator, currency converter app, . We also really like using the Revolute Card for loading money on and avoiding paying the withdrawing fees. We also discovered the TrabeePocket app which is a brilliant and very cheap app to track trip expenses in multiple currencies.
• There are many options for transport around Bangkok, it is cheap and easy to get around the city via taxi (or Grab taxi), tuk – tuk, Skytrain, subway, river ferry etc.
• A good place to start your exploring is Rattanakosin, aka the Old City. It’s the historic centre of Bangkok and where many of the main attractions are located. A visit to the Grand Royal Palace and Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) is a must. I also recommend the nearby Wat Pho, or the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. From Wat Pho head over to visit Wat Arun/ The Temple of Dawn.
• Bangkok is famous for its floating markets, but they are further out of the city, the Damnoen Saduak floating market for example is located about one and half hours away. You might want to check out the hugely famous Chatuchak Weekend Market (if you are here over a weekend). The sheer size of this market is part of what makes it such a destination in Bangkok.
• It is also worth checking out other street markets, spend time in Chinatown, Khao San Road and maybe try a Thai cooking class. Don’t leave Bangkok without spending at least one evening sipping a cocktail at one of the many amazing roof top bars with incredible views and amazing sunsets over the city. We visited the Sky Bar, at the top of the Lebua Hotel, made famous by the America movie The Hangover 2. Fans of the film will certainly recognize the large golden dome. The views from the top are spectacular.

Bangkok is a fascinating, intriguing, crazy, captivating city and wether you love it or hate it, one thing is for sure, you will never be bored here. Many find it overwhelming, but once you have taken your time to explore it a little, you will soon realise that it is not as scary as you first thought. We are on a ten weeks trip around SE Asia and Bangkok is only our first stop, it will also be our last, since our flight back to the UK will departure from here mid March/2020. We can’t wait to be back again!