Photo by ZenoWai09
In South East Asia, all roads lead to Bangkok. If you are in this part of the world, it is almost impossible not to pass through this legendary city. Home to around 12 million people, Bangkok stands is a place where old and new, foreign and local meet in a giant melting pot of culture.
Weather
Hot and humid all year round. Bangkok tends to be quite smoggy but don’t the let clouds fool you, you can still get sunburnt.
Average exchange rate
$1 = 35 baht, £1 = 50 baht.
Cost of living
Bangkok has everything from dirt cheap $2 dorms to some of the finest 5star hotels in the world. Avoid tourist trap restaurants to save some money. Western meal 200 baht, local meal 50 baht, bottle water 10 baht, beer in a bar 60 baht.
Top 3 places to visit
- MBK Centre – Buy all your clothes here, great knock offs of all your favourite brands. For an escape, head over to the IMAX movie theatre in the nearby Siam Paragon Mall. Sunrise Tacos in the Paragon foodcourt have the best tacos and burritos in Asia.
- Khao San Road – Backpacker Mecca of Asia. It is intense and you may hate it quickly but you simply have to go at some point. Good for early evening beers and people watching. The streets off the road itself have much cheaper food/drink/accommodation.
- Sky Bar & Distil (Sirocco) – Bring your smart shoes and camera for this one. A beer is 500B but free to get up to the top. The open air view and layout is phenomenal. Not for those with a fear of heights!
Most awesome place to stay
Lubd Hostel is a quirky and clean hostel that’s good for meeting people. A bit out of the way location wise. If that’s a problem head to Khao San Road and ask some backpackers for their opinions on nearby digs. Stay off the road itself for slightly cheaper prices.
Budget
Most people shop and party in Bangkok so spending lots is a possibility. You can do it on the cheap for less than 300B per day, but spend 1000B and you’ll have a great time
Get there
All roads lead to Bangkok. Seriously, you can’t avoid this place!
There are so many airlines that fly here, there is always a deal to be had. Air Asia and various other budget airlines serve regional and domestic routes from Bangkok.
Get around
Meter taxi’s are everywhere and cheap. Insist on using the meter – always! Tuk Tuk’s are always a rip off – only use for novelty purposes. Subway/Skytrain is great but offers a limited number of destinations.
Why go there
Bangkok is hard to avoid. Go there are the end of your trip and buy lots of fake clothes. Most people agree that it’s not the best place to start your trip. If you must do so, just stay one night then leave. Bangkok is very different from the rest of Thailand.
Good advice Mark!! I stayed at Lubd recently and had a great time. Met cool people from lots of countries every day. I prefer this sort of environment but many Thai guest houses don’t follow the usual hostel setup. Weird!
Yeah it’s weird how that is. Any hostel, hotel or guest house which puts some thought into helping people to meet is usually worth checking out. It’s the sign of a good owner. While the dorm setup can be annoying at times, I think it’s worth putting up with a few irritations for the massive benefits on the social side.