Guide to Bangkok, Thailand
A lot of friends ask me for recommendations when coming to Thailand so I figured it’s easier to compile a list to share with everyone
Tourist Scams and Traps First
The temple or palace or whatever attraction is not closed.
You can trust the hours listed on Google Maps
If someone tells you this, they’re trying to take you to a tourist scam where they get commission for things you pay for
Don’t accept day tours from tuktuk and taxi drivers
They will only take you eating and shopping from commissioned shops and waste your vacation time
Don’t buy gems, suits, herbal medicine, or xyz from touts or unreputable shops in the tourist areas
The gems are usually fake and claimed to be precious stones
The “tailor made xyz” will purposely be half finished when you pick it up and they offer partial or no refund
The herbal medicine is usually super cheap items, sometimes repackaged, and sold as a cure for all your problems at a crazy price
Wrong change
Many taxi drivers or small restaurants will purposely give you less change and hope you don’t notice
The 1000 note and the 100 note are similar colors, sometimes they swap it and tell you you didn’t give the right amount
Scooter or car rental damage or theft
They may claim previous damage as yours and charge you. Make a video recording of the vehicle when you pick it up
They might find the vehicle and take it back with their spare key and claim you lost it
Theft doesn’t really happen often in Thailand so call and find the tourist police if this happens
You will be asked for a large deposit or for them to hold onto your passport. This is normal but make sure you find a reputable shop to rent from so they don’t hold you hostage
SIM Cards
Buy this for $5 online and install it before or when you arrive. It gives you unlimited data at 5G speeds for 7 or 10 days depending on the package. If you are staying longer, just buy 2 or 3. It’s easier and cheaper than visiting the store but make sure your phone is unlocked.
The same card is about $20 at the airport and you have to wait in line to register with your passport. This one can also be topped up in the DTAC app for more time and data.
In general, AIS > TRUE/DTAC in Thailand but it doesn’t really matter in Bangkok.
https://www.kkday.com/en-us/product/149762-thailand-network-card-dtac-esim
Transport
Always try to take the Bangkok SkyTrain (BTS) or the subway (MRT)
Grab and Bolt are the Uber for Thailand but use the cars as a last resort, especially during rush hour since traffic can be insane
Taxis will try to offer a flat rate if you look and act like a tourist. I usually just use Grab to avoid the headache.
Prepare cash if you plan to take a taxi
See short change scam above, they almost always will give you less change.
Airport to Bangkok - most will ask for 600 THB flat rate but meter is also possible
Actual metered fare is ~350 THB + 40-100 THB baggage fee + 75 THB in highway toll = ~500 THB
They may ask you to pay the highway toll - please do or else you will be stuck in traffic
If you have cash, you can give them the money and they’ll pay the toll booth and give you a receipt
If you don’t have cash and you called a Grab, it can be added to your total bill at the end and charged to your card
Bolt does not have this feature so you will need to prepare some cash
Most trips within town will be 100-150 THB metered
You will probably be asked 200-300 THB and negotiate from there, especially in the evenings. You can always ask them to meter but often times they’ll just take you the longest route possible too.
The quickest option to go a short distance from point to point is a Grab or Bolt Bike
You ride on the back of someone’s scooter and they weave in and out of traffic
Tuktuks are almost always more expensive than a taxi or Grab
200-500 THB for a 10 min ride but more fun!
Areas
Bangkok is split up into a bunch of districts
Siam, Chitlom, Plenchit (Wireless Road) - tons of shopping malls, a tourist + business district
Silom - newer business district with fancy hotels, some LGBTQ bars, and a night market nearby
River area (Chinatown, Old Town Bangkok, and ICONSIAM) - mainly tourist attractions
Asok - major transit intersection between BTS and subway
Nana - red light district and lower end party area
Phrom Phong - expat residential area with some nice malls and restaurants
Thonglor - expat residential and high end party area, some nice restaurants too
Ekkmai - young and trendy area for cheaper eats, drinks, and clubs
Ari - new up and coming area, lots of younger influencer type restaurants
Things to do
Tourist Day
You will be visiting palaces and temples. Dress modestly with covered shoulders, close toed shoes, and cover your legs all the way for both men and women.
Speedboats should cost 10-30 THB, ask for the orange express boat and make sure to get a receipt for cash payment.
Start at the Grand Palace, the entire tour takes about an hour and half.
Take the speedboat to Tha Chang if you’re staying along the river, otherwise Grab or taxi to the entrance gate
Visit Wat Pho to see the reclining buddha
Visit Wat Arun and take some photos
There are rental costume shops in the back alleys if you want to dress up and hire a photographer. Most also do makeup and hair as well.
Options to take ferry to
Chinatown at Ratchawong pier
Warehouse 30 and other art galleries at Si Phraya pier
Chinatown and Warehouse 30 are within a 20 min walk
ICONSIAM - One of the largest luxury malls in Asia, has its own pier
Has an indoor street food and traditional market in the underground floor
Upper floors have a ton of restaurants
Mandarin Oriental Bamboo Bar at Oriental pier
Sathorn Pier - connect to the BTS at Saphan Taksin station
Malls
In no particular order, most of the shopping malls are along the main Sukhumvit road connected to the BTS:
Siam BTS station
Siam Paragon - highest grossing mall in SE Asia, has all the luxury brands, fantastic food court underground
Try Thipsamai - shrimp pad thai wrapped in egg (pad thai isn’t really thai food btw)
Siam Center - younger streetwear focused mall for Gen Z
Siam Discovery - more trendy luxury brands
Chitlom station
CentralWorld - midrange and fast fashion mall, good place to pick up affordable Thai local brands too
Plenchit station
Central Embassy - luxury mall in a modern building attached to the Park Hyatt. has a beautiful library and open cafe space on the top floor
Asok station
Terminal 21 Asok - mostly fast fashion and trendy, local Thai shops upstairs
Phrom Phong station
Emsphere - newest luxury mall in Bangkok, really good food court on the 1st floor and really cool space
“beach club” called TRIBE upstairs on the 5th floor and a whole floor of restaurant, bar, pubs, and clubs that open late
Emquartier - Has lots of greenery, usually has cool events outdoors on the weekends. it’s split up into two separate buildings. the upper floors called Helix has a bunch of good restaurants
Chin Bo Dang - Thai bbq and hot pot
Emporium - the oldest out of the EmDistrict malls with a food court on the 4th floor full of local eats
Ongtong - khaosoi curry noodles
there’s a beautiful hidden coffee shop, bistro, natural wine shop, and home goods store on the 3rd floor called Friend Friend
Thonglor station
theCOMMONS - indoor & outdoor restaurant and community space
ICONSIAM mall
take the BTS to Saphan Taksin and a then a ferry across the river
also possible to transfer BTS trains and arrive directly at Chareon Nakhon but takes more time
Clubs
Havana Social - latin club and lounge, good for dancing, even on the weekdays
DECOMMUNE - techno, check schedule
Dope & Dirty - younger crowd, top 40s + EDM
ETA - small intimate techno space run by a friend
SWAY Thonglor - bunch of Thai and hip hop music clubs around in this area, they’re all kind of the same. make sure you like the vibes and the crowd before you pay cover
Sing Sing Theater - late night spot, usually open on the weekdays too
Thaipioka - gin bar, turns into a hip hop place after 10pm
Baia - more of a party restaurant, fun dining spot to go with friends
Sugar Club - top 40 and tourist friendly, good place if you really don’t have anywhere else to go, goes pretty late
MUIN - Korean mega club in Ekkamai, EDM focused
Social Lounges
Upper House - lounge with great energy and an attractive crowd, come dressed to impress
BACCARAT - late night lounge with some throwback and top 40s music
Rim - good pre-drinks spot for a night out, transitions from a cocktail bar to a lively club, popular place for friends to hang out on the weekends since it never gets too busy
Rhodes - beautiful lounge with a great design, popular influencer photo spot in the evenings
APT 101 - penthouse apartment and living room style lounge with a few different rooms and vibes
Truth or Dare Langsuan - social lounge popular with many younger influencers
REC. Bangkok - record bar themed social lounge
Bars
Rabbit Hole - good Thai inspired ingredients and cocktails
G.O.D. (Genius on Drugs) - very edgy and experimental cocktail bar
Opium Bar - rooftop of POTONG, uses herbal medicinal ingredients for cocktails
PrumPlum Stand - bar for Japanese plum wine (umeshu)
Vesper - one of the award winning cocktail bars in BKK, drinks are on the lighter side
Bamboo Bar - jazz bar inside the Mandarin Oriental, one of the best in Asia, check schedule
BKK Social Club - spacious lounge inside the Four Seasons
Penthouse and Rooftop at Park Hyatt - excellent drinks in a quiet lounge setting
Akara Sky Hanuman - Lively rooftop with cultural shows shows
Mutual Bar - chill dive bar with live music sometimes
Tichuca - famous rooftop bar for taking photos, lots of influencers, drinks are pretty bad
Paper Plane Project - coworking space during the day, live music and cocktails at night, right below Tichuca
Aire Bar - budget friendly and chill rooftop bar above Hyatt Place, usually has happy hour BOGO wines and half off bottles, never gets too crowded
Ba hao - Chinese herbal inspired bar in chinatown
TAX - grungy speakeasy bar in chinatown
TEP BAR - live traditional music bar in chinatown, book ahead of time
Chenin - natural wine bar near Phrom Phong
Mod Kaew Wine Bar - natural wine bar near Mahonakhon
No Bar Wine Bar - natural wine bar in Ari
Yoichi Nikka - japanese whiskey bar with amazing bar snacks
Pour Decisions - hidden sake bar in a local area owned by a sake sommelier and importer
Restaurants
There are too many good restaurants in Bangkok to name them all. Here are a select few that are tourist friendly Thai restaurants with amazing or interesting food
Fine Dining
Sorn - the only fine dining place in Bangkok the flavors are authentic yet innovative, reserve months in advance, 3 Michelin stars
Le Du Kaan - rooftop fine dining restaurant, food isn’t that great but good enough, original has 2 Michelin stars
Samrub Samrub - innovative tasting menu mostly from old Thai imperial menus, interesting cocktails from infused herbs too
Homeburg - the best burger and fries in town with some very adventurous dishes too, reserve on Instagram months in advance
Nice but not too pricy
Sri Trat - Eastern Thai restaurant with interesting cocktails
KhuaKling PakSod - Southern Thai restaurants with various spicy curries
Charmkrung - Thai Chinese fusion wine bistro in an old building in Chinatown
Somtum Der - Northern thai restaurant known for papaya salads and spicy food, has a few locations
Taling Pling - expat friendly restaurant with a few locations, authentic Thai but not too spicy and good for large groups
Casual
Thipsamai - shrimp pad thai, original is in old town but the Siam Paragon or ICONSIAM locations are just as good
Thong Smith - popular chain of made to order boat noodles with many stores all over the city
Ongtong - Khaosoi curry noodles, original shop is in Ari but there’s a few locations in theCommons Saladeng and Emporium too
Go-Ang Chicken Rice - thai style chicken and rice, few stores but original is on Phetchaburi Road
NO NAME NOODLE BKK - amazing Japanese ramen shop, rivals some of the best in Japan
Other Attractions
Traditional Thai wooden house of American expat that created a silk and scarf empire who mysteriously disappeared
Bangkok Art and Culture Center
Cool art space with rotating displays, looks like Guggenheim, free to enter
One of the only places to see modern Thai art, beautiful museum and lots of art pieces worth seeing.
It is quite far with no public transport, take a taxi or Grab.
Evening river cruise with dinner, one of the nicer high end river cruises
departs from ICONSIAM
One of the best private galleries in BKK, check schedule for rotating exhibitions
Sky Beach Bangkok for sunrise & sunset
Tallest rooftop in Bangkok with the 360 view. small bar at the top, mostly a space to lounge and take photos
Biking in Sri Nakhon Park
Take the ferry from here
Plenty of rental bikes on the other side including e-bikes
Bike to Sri Nakhon Park
The other side is very rural, has some small shops and cafes. Bring whatever you need and sunscreen.
Big urban park with monitor lizards - they’re huge and pretty cool
Red Light District things
drag and ping pong shows
Spa and Thai Massage
Loft Thai Spa - 3 locations, the Soi 24 location is next to Phrom Phong BTS, the best independent luxury spas I’ve tried. make reservations a few days before.
Health Land - several locations in BKK, the best budget Thai massages, therapists don’t speak English and use traditional hard pressure. can usually walk in before 5PM. ~$16 for 2 hours, might be a bit long if its your first time
Healthy Massage - several locations in BKK, smaller shops but consistently good therapists, best one is in the Novotel
Quan Spa at Marriott Queens Park - ask for Natty and call for booking, at least a day before. she is amazing.
Laundry
Pickup and drop off service
My Laundry Thai - book and pay online with card, they can pick up from your hotel front desk or apartment lobby
Hotels
Stay close to the activities and places you want to go because traffic is insane during the day. There are often 1 night staycation, spa day, or dine and stay certificates online as well.
River
Royal Orchid Sheraton - every room has a view of the river, older hotel but great service
Mandarin Oriental - this is the original historic hotel that merged with the Mandarin hotel to become the Mandarin Oriental. lots of history as it is the first luxury hotel in Bangkok. has impeccable service but a bit stiff and posh.
Bamboo Bar is one of the best jazz bars in Asia, dress up a bit if you want to go.
Capella, Four Seasons, and the Peninsula are all great picks for more luxurious stays
Sukhumvit Area
Kimpton Maa-Lai - one of the top rated hotels in Bangkok, under IHG brands
Atheene, Luxury Collection and Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit are probably the best Marriotts
Hyatt Place Sukhumvit 24 is in a really good, quieter and more residential neighborhood, budget but still nice. short walk to the BTS and my go-to hotel
The Standard - inside the tallest building in Bangkok called the Mahonakhon
Waldorf Astoria is the best Hilton
Outside of Bangkok
Ayutthaya
Old imperial capital from 1400-1700s that got destroyed by war. Tons of temple ruins spread around the city. 2 hours by train from BKK, or just book a day tour on Viator
Khao Yai
National park in the mountains with wineries, more wineries, resorts, and glamping. This area is a winter weekend hangout for younger, affluent locals
Kanchanaburi, Sai Yok National Park, and River Kwai
Remote river area with over the water bungalows, boutique hotels, and other quiet spots
Hua Hin Beach
4 hour drive away, closest beach area near Bangkok that isn’t Pattaya. Many locals go here for the weekend but the beaches are much better on the islands if you don’t mind flying
The Standard, Hua Hin is a great spot with trendy restaurants and stylish rooms, not too pricey either
Koh Samui
Quieter island with enough tourist infrastructure, lots of high end resorts, and wellness retreats on the other
Phuket
Phuket is quite big, some areas are a few hours drive from the airport so definitely keep that in mind.
Kamala beach and Kata beach are the nicer quieter beaches
Patong beach is where the walking street is and pretty busy all hours of the day
The actual City of Phuket has an old town with a bunch of historical Chinese shop houses and Phuket style Chinese food
Krabi
Ao Nang is the more popular beach to stay at and a good starting point for the Koh Phi Phi boat tours and Railey Beach ferry
Other islands
There’s probably a different island for every person. It usually takes a long time to reach via flight + boat, so do your research and plan ahead. On the less populated islands, there might be little to no infrastructure as well.
AirAsia usually has a plane + bus/boat/shuttle combined ticket to most islands, search on their website for it. it’s slightly more but you don’t have to worry about separate bookings and missing your bus or boat connections
Pattaya
There’s better places to go in Thailand but if you must go, book a nice resort. The city center is one big red light district.
Andaz Jomtien Beach is your best bet
The Standard, Pattaya is newly opened too