A traveler's guide to Bangkok
Stay near the river or a BTS station. The city is huge; your Bangkok can be small. Eat constantly. The temples are real — cover up, go early, and do not make them your only plan.
Bangkok is a shock and then a habit. Temples and traffic in the first 24 hours; then you find a soi with a grill, a canal boat, a rooftop, a massage, and a night market that recalibrates what dinner can be. It is cheap if you want it to be, and excellent if you are hungry.
Moving
BTS Skytrain and MRT beat taxis in traffic. Chao Phraya express boats are both transport and a sightseeing cruise. Grab (the app) is how you get home. Tuk-tuks are for a short joyride, not a cross-town fare.
Temples
Grand Palace and Wat Pho are the pair. Wat Arun is the photograph. A calmer morning is Wat Benchamabophit or a neighborhood wat with no tour buses. Shoulders and knees covered; shoes off when required.
Food
This is one of the world's great eating cities at every price. Boat noodles, grilled pork, mango sticky rice, a proper southern curry, and a late-night Chinatown crawl. Drinking water should be bottled.
If you only remember this
- The cool season is still hot. Hydrate.
- Scams cluster around the Grand Palace. Walk past anyone who says it is closed.
- A Thai massage is part of the culture. Pay a fair price in a normal shop.
- Bangkok is a hub: Chiang Mai, the islands, and Angkor are easy next steps.