Bangkok is the capital and largest city of Thailand. It is also the most visited city for the last 10 years maybe.
When To Go :
Bangkok is hot for 12 months but better to visit on November-February while it is not so humid and hot , also it is not the rainy season.
How To Go :
There are 2 airports in Bangkok ; Suvarnabhumi Airport(BKK) and Don Mueang Airport(DMK). Biggest and most prefered of these airports is Suvarnabhumi Airport. Once you land at Suvarnabhumi , you can use ARL Line and go to city center. From Don Mueang Airport , you can first use SRT Line to Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal and then use MRT Line to City Center. There are also SRT , APM and BTS lines in Bangkok. BTS Line is a sky train that you watch the city while travelling. To use a metro line , first you will need to buy a ticket on the machine or ticket office with choosing the arrival station. There are also many other metro lines under construction. Buses are also common and a good choice too. You can buy the bus ticket inside the bus , telling the arrival station to the ticket officer. While there are also many rivers in Bangkok , ferries are common and a good way to travel. Tuk Tuk , kind of a restorated motorcyle cars are used as a taxi and unique to Thailand , known all around the world. On the other hand you can use Grab and Bolt applications to call motorbike and cars for really good price. I can really say that transportation is really good and cheap in Bangkok.
Where To Stay :
Hotels are quiet cheap in Bangkok. While it was th most visited city for many years , there are many options to stay in Bangkok as hotels and hostels. Also transportation is easy too , this means it is possible to stay in many different districts.
Things To Do In Bangkok :
We can start with the old city part , accepting it as the most central location.
1-) The Grand Palace :
The Grand Palace is not my favourite place but it seems the most central place and the royal palace. It is still used by royal family. It is not possible to visit inside of the big palace but it is a huge complex that you can visit many buildings , especially the most important one ; Wat Phra Kaew(Temple Of The Emerald Buddha). Entrance fee is 500 Baht and you are not allowed to enter without long pants and shirts. For more information ; https://www.royalgrandpalace.th/en/visit/practical-information
2-) Wat Pho :
It is located next to The Grand Palace and it is also a complex. Famous ‘ The Reclining Buddha ‘ is located here. This place is also known as the place where Thai Massage existed and you can have a massage service too. Entrance fee is 100 Baht ; https://www.watpho.com/en/contact/plan
3-) Wat Arun :
With another name Temple Of Dawn , one of the symbols of the city. It is located at the opposite side of the Chao Phraya River , you can get in the ferry at the port in front of Wat Pho. Ferry will cost 5 baht and entrance fee of Wat Arun 100 Baht. With its lights , it is one of the most important view to see in the evenings.
4-) Wat Saket(The Golden Mount) :
It is located in around 20 mins by walk from The Grand Palace. Entrance fee is 50 Baht and it is one of the best places to watch the sunset ; https://www.tourismthailand.org/Attraction/wat-saket-and-the-golden-mount
5-) Wat Traimit(Golden Buddha Temple) :
As you can see , it is the temple where you can see the Golden Buddha Statue. It is located in Chinatown and it means that you will visit this area anyway. It will be great to visit the temple especially on 24 February during Maha Puha Day and watch the ceremony. Also you will visit the temple for free , but other days , entrance fee will be 50 Baht ; https://www.tourismthailand.org/Attraction/wat-traimit-withayaram
6-) Jim Thompson House Museum :
Jim Thompson was Us citizen lived in Bangkok and made silk business. Now his house is serving as a museum. It is located on a very central location , close to National Stadium. You can see collections of Jim Thompson , also many things about Thai Silk. There is also a shop in the entrance of the museum and you can buy some silk products. While you will already some traditional royal clothes etc inside The Grand Palace complex , maybe you will not need to see the collections here. Entrance fee for the museum 200 Baht ; https://www.jimthompsonhouse.com/visitor-information/
7-) Lumphini Park :
It is a really nice park to have some walk or even experience some live orchestral performans or concerts.
8-) Boat Tours :
Another thing to do is river curises on the Chao Phraya River. Especially in the evenings to see around with lights.
Note : Except from these , i would strongly advise to have city tours with public buses , BTS Line and Tuk Tuks.
Now let’s visit the places not inside the center of Bangkok but nearby.
1-) Samut Songkhram :
Samut Songkhram is the name of the city where famous Mae Klong Train Market and Damnoen Saduak Floating Market located. There are daily tours from Bangkok to this places but i will explain how to reach by public transportation. First if you are nearby , you can walk to Wongwian Yai Train Station and catch the first train to Maha Chai around 05:00. It will take 1 hour 15 mins and will cost 10 Baht only. After getting of the train you can have a 5 mins walk to ferry station and go across the river in 5 mins and pay 3 Baht. When you reach to other side of the river , you can have another 5 mins walk to Ban Laem Train Station and catch the train to Mae Klong at 07:30. This journey will take 1 hour and 10 Baht. So we can reach at Mae Klong Train Market by paying 23 Baht from Bangkok. Here you can see around , spend sometime and also check the train schedule at the station and watch the arriving of the next train , or else you can leave it for return. There is a bus station 2 street next to Mae Klong Train Station , there you can catch the minibus to Damnoen Saduak Floating Market and pay 20 Baht. Damnoen Saduak Floating Market is really amazing. It is one of the must see in Thailand. On the other hand ice cream , food , drinks etc. Are much cheaper compare to many parts of Thailand. You can use the same way back to Bangkok , be careful about last train.
2-) Ayutthaya :
Ayutthaya is former capital of Siyam Kingdom and was one of the most populated cities in the world , located 85 km north of Bangkok. There is not much left of course but still worth visiting. First we need to go to Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal. Ticket fee to Ayutthaya will be 30-40 Baht and will take around 2 hours. Once you reach at Ayutthaya Train Station , it will be better to rent a bike or motorbike and see all around ancient city.
SHOPPING
Bangkok is also well known for shopping. Main places for shopping are below ;
1-) Chatuchak Weekend Market :
Chatuchak is the largest market area in Bangkok. While its name is weekend market , it is open in the weekdays too. You can use MRT Blue Line and arrive at Kamphaeng Phet Station or else BTS Line and get off at Mo Chit Station.
2-) Shopping Centers :
There are a lot of shopping centers in Bangkok. Most important ones are located around Siam BTS Station ; Siam Paragon , Central World , MBK Center , next to Asok BTS Station ; Terminal 21 and on the Chao Phraya River ; Iconsiam.
Note: Beside these , there are a lot of malls , night markets and weekend markets in all around Bangkok.
FOOD
There is a big kitchen in Thailand and various food. While many people don’t cook at home , there are really a lot of mobile cooks. Even you can find food all night long and visit a night market. 7 Eleven markets are also open for 24 hours and they can cook some quick food at the markets. Lamb and beef is not so common in Thailand but seafood , chicken , duck and noodle are great and quiet cheap.
1-) Thipsamai :
It is located in old city , 4-5 mins by walk from Golden Mount Temple , one of the best in Bangkok. You can get one of the best Thai food , Pad Thai. Especially their special one Superb Pad Thai which is cooked shrimp oil , only for 150 Baht.
2-) Jeh O’Chula :
Jeh O’Chula is a Michelin awarded restaurant located in the Banthat Thong Avenue where where full of with restaurants and located 15 mins by walk from National Stadium. Their signature dish that awarded , Mama Tom Yum. Mix one is for 2 people and costs 300 Baht. You will need to wait around 3 hours to have a sit , so you can first take a queue token and come back later.
3-) Ban Khun Mae :
Here you can try classic Tom Yum. Ban Khun Mae is located in MBK Center next to National Stadium Station. Also you experience a nice atmosphere with some traditional live music and waitress with traditional costums. Here you will pay around 250 Baht for Tom Yum.
We can make a really long list of restaurants. Apart from these 3 restaurants , there are many other good restaurants and dishes in Bangkok. For example when you visit a open market area , like weekend markets or night markets etc. you can just the meat or fish and they cook it for you. You can find fresh fish cooked in salt , shrimp , calamary and lobster for reasonable price. I also definitely recommend to try all kind of street foods. Stick Mango Rice which is amazing , Pad Thai and Tom Yum have very different types , Noodle Soups , Rice with Crab , Rice in Pineapple and many others… On the other hand youmust try many kind of drinks unique to Thailand or region like Thai Tea , Butterfly Pea Tea , Hibiscus Sabdariffa and many other tea and coffee. Also you can try many different fresh fruits and fruit juices where you can find nearly in any street. Especially Mango , maybe even Durian , which has the worst smelling fruit. Beside Mango Juice , Coconut Juice is also very common. Coconut Ice Cream is also one of the most common. Thong is the traditional drink , which is kind of a rum , most consumed local beer is Chang. You can try many different food in Chinatown. One another place to eat something in the evenings is Asiatique The Riverfront. If you would like to visit some bars , especially Sukhumvit Line , Khaosan Road , Silom , RCA Road , Patpong and Nana are the most visited areas.
In short , i can say Bangkok is the best city so far for me.
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