You know the sort. “Don’t talk to strangers’”, “look both ways when crossing the road”, “always wear clean underwear”. When you’re starting out in life – or a new city – there are a whole heap of tips it pays to remember. Written in a manner that aims to enlighten, not spoon feed, here are our top 10 useful tips for mastering this exciting, but potentially aggravating metropolis. Are we up to the task? Yes, we believe so. We aren’t wise old sages with long straggly beards, but we do know Bangkok.
1. Buy a good map
Bangkok maps is your guide to popular districts within the capital of Thailand’s metropolitan area. Featured here are eight of the city’s important commercial and business districts with illustrations of popular landmarks and hotels. Each illustration shows major thoroughfares and secondary roads which lead into and out of specific areas. You can click on the hotel names to view more information about their room and facilities. You also can make online booking. Enjoy and discover the capital of Thailand!
2. Barter, but nicely
Shopping in Bangkok is an experience to thrill and delight the most discerning of shoppers – whatever it is you’re looking for. From the gleaming chrome and towering size of modern, air-conditioned malls, to the hustle and bustle of its famously buzzing street markets, Bangkok has all kinds of places to blow your baht. With everything from antiquities and the latest pair of trainers to designer jewellery available, Bangkok has an equally exhaustive, and potentially exhausting, variety of things to buy.
3. Drink lots of water
Planning your vacation to Thailand should involve some preparations at home as well as taking certain precautions while you’re in the country. Fortunately, there are no major health risks in Thailand that you wouldn’t be able to prevent. Make sure you are up-to-date with your routine immunizations and inform yourself about additional jabs when planning travel to rural areas. Also, protect yourself from mosquito bites at all times, and be careful about what and where you eat. But should for some reason medical attention be required, rest assured that Thailand provides excellent health services. In fact, medical services are so exceptional, that the Kingdom is increasingly becoming popular as a medical tourism destination.
4. Beware Scammers
It begins with a polite stranger: “the Grand Palace is closed this afternoon”. You thank them and tell them where you’re from. Then, before you’ve even had a chance to shake their hand, you’re gripping the sides of a tuk-tuk as it whizzes towards temples your guidebook has never heard of, and pushy gem stores. The general, but by no means universal, rule of thumb: a Thai who approaches you in the street is after more than a chat.
5. Try an organized Tour
Discover Bangkok’s beautiful, gleaming temples and the magnificent Grand Palace. Get lost in ancient Siamese history with a river cruise to the famous ruins of Ayuthaya, the Kingdom’s former capital. Experience the novelty and fun of a floating market, or apply your bargaining skills for some unbeatable prices in the stifling heat of the weekend market. Cycle around hidden trails for a completely different experience… But whatever you do, make sure to arrive in Bangkok with a zest to explore, and to make the most of every minute in this magical metropolis.
6. Plan ahead
Unlike Rome or Paris, Bangkok is not an eminently walkable city. Rather, making the most of this daunting sprawl of crowds, commerce and culture takes planning… Work out what you want to see, where they are (refer to ‘Buy a Good Map’), then work out a logical route. Taxis are likely to be unavoidable, as is a bit of footwork, but wherever possible use our favourites: the waterways, underground and Skytrain. Sight-wise, don’t bite off more than you can chew – Bangkok’s flavours are best savoured slowly.
7. Getting around Bangkok
Yes, Bangkok’s traffic is notorious – with good reason. It’s very easy to get caught up in gridlock traffic any time of the day or night, and waste a lot of valuable time in the process. However, with excellent and modern public transport systems in place, Bangkok is surprisingly easy to navigate your way around. The Skytrain (BTS) and underground (MRT) rail systems connect the main shopping, entertainment and business areas of the city, while river taxis and express boats can be used to explore many historic sites and attractions at the riverside. Taxis are cheap and appear on virtually every corner at almost any time. Tuk-tuks, once a big Bangkok attraction, are slowly disappearing in favour of more comfortable transport, but are still worth a ride at least once.
8. Taxi Tips
Besides the BTS and MRT, the easiest and most convenient way to get around Bangkok is by taxi. Most taxis are new, spacious and, in addition to the traditional green-yellow and red-blue, they also come in funky colours like bright orange, red and even pink. Finding a taxi is not a hassle, especially around hotels, shopping malls and other tourist attractions.
9. Carry a photocopy of passport
Your tickets are booked, the excitement is mounting… You’re coming to Bangkok!
It’s a fascinating, intoxicating and chaotic place, brimming with sights, smells, thrills, gracious people, contradictions, cultures, cars, noise and bedlam. To steer clear of the negative experiences during your first time here, dust off that sage old adage: Knowledge is power! We’ve accumulated a lot of facts and useful information about Bangkok – everything the first-time visitor needs to plan a wonderful and memorable trip.
10. Carry a Hotel card with Thai directions
It’s simple. It isn’t rocket science. But this ingenious device, little more than a piece of card with your hotel’s address written on it in Thai, will save endless how-do-we-get-home headaches. Flash it beneath the eyes of your chosen driver and watch how his shrugs of utter incomprehension instantly change to reassuring nods.
