First Time To Bangkok

Hi all ,

I'm going to bangkok in 2 weeks. And gonna stay at Khaosan road.
Can anyone tell me, is it possible or not to do this full day tour alone ( i mean not using a tour guide ) ?


Golden Budha
Grand Palace
Wat Po 8
Wat Arun
Vimanmek Mansion
Jim Thompson House
Night : China Town
Saun Lum Night Market

My plan is to use Skytrain, and passenger boat. I read at http://www.bts.co.th/en/ticket_new.asp , that we can use One Day Pass ticket at 120 Baht. Is it true ?
Also can someone inform me how can i get to those places ?

To go to Grand Palace, i know that i should take BTS Skytrain to Taksin Station and then continue with boat to Tha Chang Wang Luang Pier.
To go to other places, i should use what kind of transportation ?

Thanks a lot !!

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As Mell says, surprisingly often the taxi comes out as the cheapest option as soon as there are two people travelling. I'd just like to point out that getting taxis often involves getting stuck in gridlocks and this in turn means that quite a few taxidrivers may refuse to take you to where you wish to go. However, I don't think that going to any of the big sights would present much of a problem, it is much harder getting to a destination across town.

A lot of the sights you picked are clustered relatively close to each other, so try to organize your trip with that in mind. It is no fun wasting your time in the traffic. Also, try not to cram too much into one day, your experience will be ruined if you have to keep the pacing up, it is better to pick your most interesting sights and do them proper. If you enjoy your visits to the wats I would like to recommend two additional places to go, Wat Benchamabophit and Wat Saket.

Have fun in BKK! 😊 Reply to this

For the first day, i'm using local guide because i want to go to Chatuchack Market and other shopping area. I'm afraid having trouble with languages there if i'm not using local guide. Make sense or not ?? Its my only fear for thailand :D

Many people in Thailand speak a few words of English. A lot of tourists go to the Chatuchack market, so they are used to them. No need for a guide.

The only time that I think a guide is useful is if you are going to someplace where tourists dont go. For example, I was one time going to visit a slum in Bangkok. I was advised to take a Thai person with me to translate and prevent misunderstandings. But that is also because there are a lot of drug addicts and alcoholics there.

If you are going to only reasonably safe places, you dont need a guide. Most of the time you will just be buying something or asking directions. Say Bahts, when you want to ask the price. If they cant tell you how many in English, they will have a calculator to show you. Or if you want directions, then show them where on the map you want to go. Or ask a taxi driver to take you there.

For third day, i don't know if its better to go to Ayuthaya or Pattaya. Any suggestion ? =D

Pattaya has a reputation for being very sleezy. I am not sure it is a place I would bother spending time in. What you could do is take a night bus to Surat Thani and then a boat to Koh Pha Ngan. Or try another Southern island option. Getting to them is not much trouble even though the distances are long, because if you go at night you can just sleep through it and it only takes one night and maybe a few hours.

Its my only fear for thailand :D

If you want to have a fear, dont let the language barrier be it. Concentrate more on finding out about the various scams and thefts that happen in Thailand, so you can avoid them. Do you have a copy of the Lonely Planet Guide for Thailand. It gives good information to prepare you to be vigilant.

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No Skytrain stop in the Khao San Road area. You would have to probably use meter taxi cabs for part of the way. When you take a meter taxi cab don't bargain the fare - tell the driver meter only! Wave a moving taxi down at the road, they are more likely to use the meter than a parked (lurking) taxi near a hotel or bus station.

Meter taxi cabs are cheaper than tuk-tuks. You can also use the local buses to get you close to a Skytrain stop. You can get a lot of directions by using Google. Suk 11 Hostel is off of Sukhumvit Road and only a few minutes walk to the Nana Skytrain stop.
http://www.suk11.com/

You can go to Chatachak market on your own (it is a weekend market) by using the Skytrain. It is the last regular stop. Bangkok will probably be safer than your own capital city. Even during these past protests tourists were not the targets - it was all politics! Google up 'scams in Bangkok and you will get several hits. Some scams deal with gems, gold and tuk-tuk drivers. Check out MBK, it is also off a Skytrain stop.

You can do some of the places alone but there may be some situations where taking a cheap tour from a travel agency may be a good choice. Tour companies pick you up at your hotel and return you there at the end of the day.

Pattaya/Jomtien is a top destination for families visiting Thailand. Many family groups return there year after year! Many people who say don't go there have never even been there! Yes, there are bars in Pattaya - also - bars in Bangkok and in Phuket too! What Pattaya has is cheap hotels, cheap transportation and it is even cheap to get there from Bangkok (only around 121 baht on a bus from the Ekamai bus station which is off a Skytrain stop.) Jomtien, near Pattaya, has the better beach. Take the ferry to Koh Larn Island from Pattaya. Up to you!

Good luck.
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if you meet someone can't speak even few words in english, try to ask them in Thai, i just learnt in my recent trip there. normally the most useful question would be "how much?" = "To Rai?", but add "kap" after this to show politeness. So when you wanna know the price just ask in Thai "To Rai Kap?". normally the stuffs in markets have price range among 50 baht til 300 baht. learn this in Thai so you know how much the price they tell you:
50 baht = "Ha sip baht"
100 baht = "Neng Roi baht"
150 baht = "Neng Roi Ha Sip baht"
200 baht = "Song Roi baht"
250 baht = "Song Roi Ha Sip baht"
etc...
wish this help hehe.. Reply to this

If you want to do all of those in one day, you could be pushing it. Depending of course on how much time you spend at each site. The Royal Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun is easily a full day if you want to have a decent look at each site. Reply to this

Hi Javen,

Thanks for you advise, i'll choose ayuthaya since there is just one man in our group, so girl's rule !! ^^
For Suan Lum Night Market, i think i'm still gonna go there, just wanna see how it looks like and maybe a little shopping again :D
Day 1 is for shopping !!! Hihihi....


Hi Neil,

Thanks for your help in thai languange. Its really help ! I will practice from now.. Hope that i'm good enough when speak in front of local people ... LOL

Hi Deronda,

I'm using local gide for day 2. I don't push to do it all in one day, just noted it in the schedule, and see if we can make it to all places, if its not..its ok ^^
Anyway, thanks for your reply ^^ Reply to this

you will find the taxi rank kiosk outside the terminal doors only take a taxi from there ok if somebody tries to take you elsewhere just smile and say no thankyou
i have taken many taxis from the airport without any hassle elsewhere in the city only travel if they will turn the meter on it saves any problems at the end of your trip
enjoy Thailand and bangkok its a great city
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There may be 2 Meter Taxi stands. When there is a lot of planes landing around the same time they often open up a second meter taxi desk. Roughly they will be at either end of the curb area outside the arrivals hall. So, if you see a really long line at the meter taxi sign up desk - the other desk might be open and only a few people in line. When the airport first opened up the taxi sign up desks were down one level, now they are on the same level as the arrivals hall.

Looking at a photo I have of the meter taxi desk the color is kind of grey and white. There is a sign that says
"TAXI-METER PAY BY METER" attached to the front of the desk. I usually look for the desk that is not so close to the arrivals hall.

Have some small bills to pay for the taxi ride. Some taxi drivers may not have change for a 500 baht note. It is not unusual for the taxi driver to ask for the toll money during the trip, just don't pay him a second time when you arrive at the hotel. The fare meter in the taxi should start at 35 baht.

Good luck. Reply to this

The most important thing to remember about taking a taxi in Bangkok, is to always tell the driver to turn on the meter.

Also, dont take one of the taxi offers inside the international airport. These are a lot more expensive than the ones outside. Reply to this