Oh, Bangkok – such an under-rated city! Most of my clients only want to spend a night here before jetting off to the beach or up north, but it really IS worth a few days. It can be a crazy and daunting city, so hopefully these tips help you navigate it a little.
- Where to Stay: The answer to this largely depends on your budget and what “side” of BKK you want to see. There are tons of cute to cheap small hotels and guest houses that cater to backpackers in/around Khao San road, just north of the center part of town. For the “expat life”, there are amazing high-end (and high-rise) hotels either along the Chao Phraya river or out along Sukhumvit road. If you’re not staying along the river, make sure you’re near a station ideally for the BTS high-speed train system, or the MRT line for easy access to the center of town.
- Where/What to eat: You can find any kind of food in Bangkok, even western foods like TexMex (the food courts at the malls are actually usually amazing, fyi), but you’re going to want to stick to restaurants serving actual Thai dishes. Luckily you can find those all over. You’ll especially want to try some street food, either at Lumpini park or near the Thong Lor BTS stop out in Sukhumvit. Conveniently, this area is also great for roof-top restaurants/bars, like Above 11 (or Sirocco, in nearby Silom, which was featured in “The Hangover II”). Khao San road has lots of cute little patio restaurants with typical fare for cheap, but they can get repetitive. For an experience, check out Cabbages & Condoms, a restaurant that funds family planning and whose decor is made primarily of condoms. It’s a trip, and the food’s decent too! As far as what to eat? Well – everything. Noodles, curries, soups, mango sticky rice – it’s honestly all SO good. Be aware that Green Papaya salad is almost always pretty spicy, and that the color of the curry doesn’t necessarily translate to level of spiciness as it can here in the states. (I almost died from a green curry once – usually mild at home!) If you’re worried about spice, you can tell them “mild for a fareng” (foreigner) and you’ll likely be ok… or just get massaman/massuman curry – a delicious, rich and creamy brown curry with cashews and potatoes.
- What to do: It shouldn’t be surprising that in a city this big, there is simply tons to do. Besides the major sites like Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn), Wat Pho (home to the massive Reclining Budda), and the Grand Palace (ridiculously amazing complex of temples and, yes, a palace) – there are tons of markets you’re going to want to walk through. Just south of Wat Pho is a sprawling complex that moves from fish to vegetables to spices to flowers, depending on which block you’re on. On the weekend, try to head out of town either to the insanely massive Chatuchak Market (accessible from either the MRT or BTS train lines) or to one of the many Floating Markets. Be aware, though, some of the floating markets outside of town are mostly tourist traps included on tours with lots of other tourist traps. ALSO be aware that traffic into & through town can be a complete nightmare… so if you want to do a floating market (which I did love), just plan on only that for the day. If you want to get on the water, but not out of town – not to worry! Besides tours in longboats on the “klongs” (canals) that slip through town, you can (and should) take a ride along the mighty Chao Phraya. Besides the fact that it’s great public transport north/south to all the major sites, it’s also just a lovely & fascinating ride! There are museums in town, but for history here I prefer the sublime Jim Thompson House, located near Sukhumvit. This is the actual, restored/preserved home of an expat-American silk magnate, and it is everything you’d want in a house if you were mega rich in 1940s Bangkok.
Because BKK is SO big and sprawling, I made y’all a little map with few of the important or major items highlighted for you below.
