Hello! Some advice please.
I have only 2 days in Bangkok at the beginning of a SE Asia trip. What should I prioristise in seeing and doing? I want to make the most of my time. I'm a young girl travelling alone and like to party by night but am keen to be proactive and "see the sites" by day.
Also, any advice for BKK accomodation for someone like me? Somewhere sociable maybe?
Thanks!
Reply to this Hey
In your situation I would suggest that you stay in the Khoa San Road area. It has it's own website with links to all the accomodation. You can google it. I would stay on Rambuttri because it's a bit quieter. This area is full of backpackers, many of them in exactly the same situation as you - the beginning of their trip. There are bars, restaurants, stalls and if you want to 'party', it's the place to be.
It's also close to the main 'sites' of Bangkok. In one day you can tour the Grand Palace (don't believe people when they stop you en route and tell you it's closed for some rediculous reason). You can see Wat Arun and Wat Po. Both are beautiful old temples. The three sites are relatively close together and you can easily tour them in a day.
I would also suggest you combine this with a trip on the canals. You can get a river boat down the river which gives a spoken tour which is very interesting. IT's also really cheap! You can also arrange a longtail boat tour around the canals from Saphan Taksin skytrain station/boat stop. This is more expensive so I would suggest joining a group.
You could book a tour from Khoa San Road to the floating markets, which are about 2 hours away. You will have to get up early to do this so I don't know how it combines with partying. I've never managed to get motivated to get up this early,.
If you are flying into Bangkok from America or Europe, you will also need some time to recover from the long flight and jetlag, so remember to fit in some resting time. If this is your first time in Asia, you are also likely to get a little culture shocked - so bear in mind that you mind need some time in your room getting used to everything (the heat, the smell, the sights, the traffic, the sheer intensity....).
Hope this helps and have a great time. We love Bangkok.
Reply to this Hello Clara and welcome to the Forum!
Fully agree with the above post re the Grand Palace, Wat Arun and Wat Po area. The Grand Palace (nor the others) is never closed for any reason, and if anyone tells you it is, ignore and keep walking. These people are usually part of a gem scam, where you get sold worthless pieces of glass for an expensive price. The same applies to any taxi driver or otherwise who wants to show you a shop (usually jewellery) - if they suggest this, I suggest you terminate the ride and find another mode of transport.
One other thing to be aware of is the heat and humidity, if you are not used to it, the weather can tire you, so plan to take things slowly and you should be fine.
Reply to this Hi guys!
Thank you so much for your advice! I appreciate it and have read-up a bit on these places so it's good to know you'd recommend them! Good thinking RE the atmosphere acclimatisation.
Thanks again. How exciting!
Clara
Reply to this A good way to avoid the heat is to head out earlier rather than later - but that not be possible after an extremely big night of partying.
I found that by around lunchtime, things could become very humid, but it would improve by mid-afternoon. So you may want to split your day this way:
morning - sightseeing
lunch - somewhere cool (shopping mall, restaurant, pool)
mid-afternoon - sightseeing
night - socialising
Reply to this Wow I think Bangkok will impress you as the first place you see on your trip. It's overwhelming but I love it. We stayed on Rambuttri Road (I think it was Rambuttri Village Hotel) a guesthouse with a nice rooftop pool, but not too expensive. I would agree with the other posters, start early to avoid the heat and go somewhere cool during the midday hours to relax.
Because Bangkok is a place where there are so many interesting sights, I would leave the 'hardcore' partying for the beaches or other places where you might stay a few days and not have that much sightseeing to do...and have time to recover on a beach bed 😊
We had the advantage of seeing Bangkok with some Thai locals which gives a whole different perspective on the city.
Re: the boat trip, we didn't do an organised boat trip instead we used the river boat as a transport option (the Chao Phraya Express) as it takes you to other parts of Bangkok real fast (Silom Rd, for example) from where you can use the amazing metro system as well. we use dit several times, it costs a few Baht (14 if I remember right) and if you go around sunset you have amazing views of Wat Arun etc...
For shopping (I'd leave it until the end of your trip though, don't want to be carrying all your stuff around 😊 MBK is a huge shopping mall (very good A/c) and Chatuchak market is a huge sprawling market with loads of vintage clothing, and pretty much anything else you can think of. We ended up here in the midday heat, not advisable....but a great shopping experience.
Have fun!!
Reply to this I'd second Chatuchak market, absolutely wonderful place to shop and it has some fantastic bargains. However, I believe it is only open on weekends, and if you do go, ATMs are very sparse in that area, so make sure you bring enough cash.
Reply to this Thanks guys! great tips. I'm off to BKK tomorrow and I'm so excited. You've prepped me well 😊
Reply to this Hope you have time to post some blogs - enjoy your journey!
Reply to this Enjoy - we had a totally unintentional trip to Bangkok for the one night (from Aus) a couple of weeks ago and did exactly as Rat suggested - although skipped the Khao San road party scene because we are old and were not expecting to even go to Bkk. We retired to our hotel after a cruise on the canals and watched DVDs but still had a great time - please tell us what you got up to!
Reply to this Hello Clara 😊
Maybe you would like the Vertigo bar. It has a fantastic view, as far as I can see from photos of it. I havent been there yet, because I travel with my kid to Bangkok these days, and bars and kids dont mix.
As you are young and like to party, I bet you would enjoy the world famous backpacker haunt and party spot, the Khao San Road. You could stay in a guesthouse there too, or in a street nearby.
And, for something very economical to keep you amused and cool(becasue of the breeze), you can ride up and down the river on the passanger riverboat, and check out riverside life. You can even hop off at places like the royal palace and walk around the market there, and look at the palace. You can get all the way up the river or all the way down for just around a Euro.
If you want to add something cultural/educational, then I suggest Jim Thomsons house, and I certainly recommend you hang out at the restaurant in the garden there too. It is a bit pricey, compared with backpacker cafes, but worth splashing out on for a treat in lovely surroundings, in my opinion.
Mel
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