Bangkok is the bustling Capital city of Thailand offering a truly unique experience to excite all of your senses. Every backpacker has to pit stop in this chaotic city at least once.
Why Bangkok?
Bangkok is most likely the first place you will visit because of it’s easy access via Bangkok’s international airport Suvarnabhumi (BKK). If you don´t have a lot of time to spend in Thailand we recommend staying a maximum of 3 days in the Capital city.
Bangkok has a wide variety of scenery to discover, one of the main places to go in Bangkok is The Grand Palace. This temple complex is home to the beautiful temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew). The complex was built in 1782 and is a breath-taking mixture of temples, buildings and statues. Admission fee is 500 baht for foreigners and opening hours are from 8:30 AM – 3.30 PM. Be aware that in temples (not only in Thailand) it is necessary to cover your knees (both men and women) and shoulders (women) out of respect. As the grand palace is quite strict it is not always enough to cover your shoulders with a scarf, which we were not aware of on our first visit. Mandy needed to buy a t-shirt and Tom a pair of lovely Thai elephant pants from the museum shop in order to gain entry. Our main tip would be visiting in the morning to avoid the heat and business, also allowing plenty of time to engage in other activities during the afternoon. There are so many more beautiful temples to discover in Bangkok, here are a few musts:
- Wat Saket (The Golden Mount)
- Wat Pho (The Reclining Buddha)
- Wat Arun (The temple of Dawn)
- Wat Traimit (The Golden Buddha)
- Wat Benjamabhopit (Wat Benja) (The Marble Temple)
Maeklong Railway Market
The Maeklong Railway Market is one of our top recommendations to see when you are in Bangkok. It is a local market located approximately an hour outside of Bangkok, but is definitely worth visiting. As the name already states it is a market located on and around railway tracks. Eight times a day a train will pass through the market with the sound of the horn alerting locals to start removing their goods off the track and pulling in their overhanging umbrella’s. As soon as the train passes through the market is summoned back to life like nothing ever happened. It will not take long to stroll over Maeklong Railway market and therefore we recommend tying in a visit with one of the Floating Markets close by. There are various options for tours from Bangkok to these places or you can choose to organise one yourself and look for a private taxi for the day. Mandy took a private taxi with a group of 3 other travellers which meant that it was considerably cheaper, definitely worth considering.
Chatuchak Market
Another market that we consider a must is Chatuchak Weekend Market, the largest market in Asia, open every Friday (6pm – midnight), Saturday and Sunday (9am – 6pm) with more than 15,000 stalls, bringing an average of 200,000 visitors every weekend. Also locally known as JJ Market, it is the perfect place to purchase souvenirs from your Thailand trip. We advise visiting and shopping in the morning beating the mad rush of people. Be prepared to barter on prices as they will charge foreigners more than usual. Although this is the case prices are still considerably cheap so don’t take bartering too far and disrespect locals. Our main tip would be to understand the currency rate, ensuring you know how much you are actually spending. Another would be to learn some Thai words prior to visiting, Sawadee Ka/Krap (Female/Male) being the Thai greeting and Kap khun ka/krap being Thankyou.
Nightlife
After a day of intense sightseeing it is time to have some fun! If you do not want to go out clubbing but instead fancy a beer or two, Khao San Road and it’s intertwining streets is the place for you. Khao San Road is the most popular and knownstreet for vibrant nightlife in Bangkok’s’ backpacker’s city centre. If you are looking for a more intense evening, then you would want to go to The Royal City Avenue. The Royal City Avenue is the best clubbing street of Bangkok, with Onyx Bangkok as the most popular club for backpackers. Most of these clubs ask 500 Baht entrance but that will include one welcome drink.
If you are looking for a moment to relax in the busy city of Bangkok, we would recommend a traditional Thai massage. Even though most of the Thai massages are not as relaxing as you might think, they offer many other options for example a tender oil massage. You can find little boutiques in every street in Bangkok and you cannot miss the locals shouting ‘masaaaage’ to every person walking by. Try to have an idea of what the massage would cost at different places but be aware that a clean looking professional massage shop will cost more than an ‘on the side of the street’ massage bed. You can always try to nibble a bit of the price but always stay respectful in the way of doing so.
Food
The Capital city of Thailand holds a wealth of traditional Thai Cuisine whilst also incorporating other must eat restaurants in ChinaTown. At first you may find it strange sitting in a plastic chair that you might find in your grandmother’s back garden, on the side of a sometimes live road, but you soon learn to love it. Some of these street vendors can leave your senses tingling and craving more. We recommend diving straight in with Thai classics such as Pad Thai, Green Thai Curry and Thai Fishcakes which will be found all over Bangkok. Although most Thai food is moreish other delicacies such as the scorpions on a stick especially aimed at drunk tourists leave much to be desired. Take a trip off the beaten track to the other side of Bangkok where you can find local delicacies such as the Lotus Flower Seeds or try some of the lovely Asian flavoured crisps.
Where to stay
Depending on your budget and the luxury of your stay will impact where to stay hugely. Prices can vary all over the city with some being more expensive than London. We stayed in multiple hostels and hotels varying in prices using hostelworld.com and booking.com. We recommend booking accommodation in advance to ensure low prices and a bed to place your head.
To read more about what Thailand has to offer, click here!
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