Bangkok Travel Guide | My Life Trips

Bangkok

Information

Bangkok is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. Bangkok has a population of over eight million, which is 12.6% percent of the country’s population and it is really an almost chaotic city for the traveller. Back in 2007, Bangkok was our second trip and we could say that we almost shocked from the different culture and the way of life, compared to someone who lives in Europe and especially in Greece like we do.

You will need several days to see the major sights of this city, as we said before, it is really huge in size. In Bangkok, you will definitely not find the tranquility you are looking for on your vacation, since it is a truly stressful city, but with lots of interesting attractions. The hundreds of temples you will find here are truly amazing, but the most interesting thing, is the diversity of the people and the contrast you will encounter in this city. Below we will mention some very important sights that you should not miss if you are here… The currency of Thailand is Baht and 10 Thai Bahts equals to approximately 0.26 euros. For the latest updated exchange rates visit the XE Currency Converter page. Another interesting thing in Bangkok is the language, because it is quite difficult to find someone who speaks English. We don’t really remember how we managed to communicate but we can surely say that we did not experienced serious problems. Be prepared to communicate with the body language most of the times. Good luck!

What To See...

Grand Palace

The Grand Palace are a complex of buildings at the heart of Bangkok and it has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam since 1782. If there is a must see sight that everyone should visit, surely this is the dazzling Grand Palace, which is undoubtedly the city’s most famous landmark. Within the palace complex there are several impressive buildings including Temple of the Emerald Buddha, which is Thailands most sacred place. This place is magical and cannot be described in words, so better to go there and see by yourself.

An important thing that we have to mention is the strict dress code that applies. Visitors must be properly dressed before entry to the temple. Men must wear long pants and shirts with sleeves, no tank tops. If you’re wearing sandals or flip flops you must wear socks (in other words, no bare feet.) Women must be similarly modestly dressed. No see through clothes, bare shoulders, etc. If you show up at the front gate improperly dressed, there is a booth near the entrance that can provide clothes to cover you up properly. The opening hours are daily from 08:30-15:30 and the ticket costs 500 Bahts per person.

Wat Pho

The Wat Pho Temple or otherwise the temple of the lying Buddha is located behind the emerald Buddha’s temple and is one of the temples that you must visit. The temple operates daily from 08:00-17:00 and the ticket costs 100 bahts per person.

Baiyoke Tower

Baiyoke Tower is the 2nd tallest building in Thailand with a height of 343 meters. The tower operates like a hotel, restaurant and bar and you can admire the view in the city from the 84th floor. The ticket costs 400 bahts per person and opening hours are from 10:00-22:30.

Pratunam Market

Pratunam Market is located right next to the Baiyoke Tower and is one of the most popular markets in the city. Here you will find mostly clothes, shoes and accessories at very low prices. The market is overcrowded most times of the day and if you can not afford that, better not visit it at all.

King Rama IX Park

King’s Rama 10 IX Park, as it is called, is a real oasis in the chaos that prevails in Bangkok. A very popular destination for tourists and locals and an ideal place for those who want to enjoy a peaceful walk away from the madness in Bangkok.

Wat Arun Ratchawararam

Wat Arun is located opposite from Wat Pho Temple and is definitely one of the most impressive temples you can see in Bangkok. Wat Arun is built on the banks of the Chao Praya River and is definitely one of those who need to be visited. The ticket costs 100 bahts per person and the opening hours are from 08:30-17:30 daily.

Chao Phraya River

This huge river that crosses Bangkok is one of the city’s main attractions and a very important way of transport for the locals. Chao Praya River is used daily to move thousands of people in order to avoid the huge traffic of the city, but of course for cruises and goods transportation. Chao Praya River is definitely one of the dirtiest rivers we have ever seen in our life, which is absolutely normal if we imagine the size of the city.

Golden Buddha

The Golden Buddha Temple is also an impressive sight of the city and one of the hundreds of temples that deserve a visit. It is located in the china town district and its opening hours are from 08:00-17:00 daily. The ticket as well as for the most temples in Bangkok cost 100 bahts per person.

Lumphini Park

Lumphini Park is located in the heart of Bangkok among huge buildings and along with King Rama’s park are the two most beautiful parks in the city. Lumphini Park could be described as Bangkok’s central park in a much smaller size, of course.

Nearby Excursions

Bangkok is a gigantic city that will surely not leave you many choices to see something else besides the city itself on your trip. However, if you are in Bangkok, you have the chance to visit some of the most beautiful and exotic places in the world which are, Phuket and Phi Phi Islands. We have referred to them in separate articles and there you can find everything you need. One thing is for sure, both Phuket and Phi Phi islands are some of the most beautiful places we visited in Thailand and we suggest you to visit them unreservedly.

Phuket can be visited by airplane from Bangkok with a very short flight, about an hour at extremely affordable prices. Phi Phi Islands can be visited by speedboat when you arrive in Phuket from Bangkok.

What To Eat

In Thailand, you can try some of the most strange things you can eat in your life. It is true that the Thai cuisine did not impressed us at all and we chose to eat mostly foods from fast food chains or some classic dishes of the asian cuisine that we were familiar with before.

Those of you who are quite courageous and like strange-disgusting things, Bangkok is the perfect place for you. In every corner of the city you will find stalls selling the famous street food, where you can really taste everything you can imagine. Freshly fried, cockroaches, worms, grasshoppers, scorpions, rats and other disgusting things that we did not even think about trying. If you tried anything of those or something like that we are really curious to tell us how they tasted.

How to move

Bangkok is a huge city and it is impossible to see everything within a few days, either on foot or by public transport. The safest way to move around is by far the metro of the city that can take you almost anywhere or at least very close to many of the city’s main attractions. If you like adventure and want to move in a little more traditional way you can try the experience of ” tuk tuk ” something like the well known taxis. However, we did not try it because of the traffic and the atmosphere, combined with extremely heat, make the experience very unpleasant but also time consuming, even if you want to travel a short distance.

Bangkok Airport is about 30 km away from the city center and the best way to get there is by taxi because of fairly cheap prices.

Where to stay

Accommodation in Bangkok is very cheap and the options are too many. You can stay in luxurious hotels in the city center at rates of about 25-30 euros per night. Some of the world’s most famous chains such as Hilton have extremely low prices and offer 5 star amenities at hostel prices.You can make your reservations via Booking.com

Booking.com