Thailand - Things to do during short stopover in Bangkok?

I'll have a short stopover in Bangkok in early September, arriving about 1 pm and leaving the next day around 10 am. Staying at St. Regis hotel. It'll be my first time in Thailand. What kinds of things should I plan on doing or seeing with the time I have?

It is an incredible hotel, you will love it there, and it is connected to the sky train so this makes getting around very simple, even on the hottest days. A fun way to clear the cobwebs from the brains is to take the train down to the river and hire a boat for a spin around the canals. You should make time to see the Palaces and as the Shops are open till late, the shopping malls which are close to the hotels will be a magnet for the girls. This week I flew in at 6am and the 8am flight I was on was overbooked and I was offloaded onto a 4pm flight. I had time to go into town for a haircut, then some lunch, followed by a nap, before heading back t o the airport. They will charge you 750baht. You will never tire of Bangkok, enjoy it

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Sorry, my fault. The problem is that, given a chance, I want to see *everything*, but obviously that's not possible in the amount of time I have, so I was looking for some sort of popular itinerary for first-time visitors.

The one listed on Wikitravel (http://wikitravel.org/en/One_day_in_Bangkok) looks good, but since I arrive in the afternoon, I don't know whether being out on the canals during the afternoon is a good idea, since it'll probably be 2-3 pm before I'm ready to start. I'd like to visit Wat Po and maybe something else in that area, get some good food, check out nightlife, etc.

I'll have a short stopover in Bangkok in early September, arriving about 1 pm and leaving the next day around 10 am.

A fun way to clear the cobwebs from the brains is to take the train down to the river and hire a boat for a spin around the canals. You should make time to see the Palaces

The canal tour from Saphan Taksin is a distinct possibility if they're still running that late in the afternoon. But I sit here scratching my head pondering how OP can make any of the palaces considering the time of arrival/departure versus palace closure of 3:30 for the Grand Palace and 4PM for Dusit.... why I even bother. :rolleyes:

OP, you've plenty of time for wandering and food. Unfortunately many tourist sites will be difficult since they will close mid-afternoon and open after you'll be on your way back to the airport in the morning.

OP, you've plenty of time for wandering and food. Unfortunately many tourist sites will be difficult since they will close mid-afternoon and open after you'll be on your way back to the airport in the morning.

Fair enough, I'll just have to come back. :)

Guess I'll orient my stay towards food, drink, and entertainment –.are there suggested areas to do that in?

Fair enough, I'll just have to come back. :)
Good idea ^

I changed the incoming flight and will now be getting into BKK at 11 in the morning. Does that open up some possibilities for palaces and canals?

I changed the incoming flight and will now be getting into BKK at 11 in the morning. Does that open up some possibilities for palaces and canals?

Yes, for the palaces and vicinities or canals. But for both I doubt it.

If you're looking for great quality authentic Thai food, try the Erawan Tea Room.

Tripadvisor people say great things about it too.

With such a short time and on a 1st time visit I'd get a tour guide. For around 1500-2000 baht they'll whisk you to the main sights and even customize your itinerary. Otherwise you may spend hours just figuring out how to get around, which is not a big deal if you have the time, but a guide will really allow you to you see a lot if that's what you want.

With such a short time and on a 1st time visit I'd get a tour guide. For around 1500-2000 baht they'll whisk you to the main sights and even customize your itinerary. Otherwise you may spend hours just figuring out how to get around, which is not a big deal if you have the time, but a guide will really allow you to you see a lot if that's what you want.

For four hours of touristing I don't think this is worthwhile.

OP can see the Grand Palace and Wat Po/Wat Arun. They're together in a small area and it's possible to do these (quickly) in a few hours.

Alternatively a relaxing afternoon can be had for about 2 hours on a long tail canal tour. I'd head to one of the major docks on the river (Saphan Taksin, Tha Chang, Tha Tien) and contract with someone for the trip. Personally I enjoy the travel and avoid the tourist stops but to each their own. If memory serves we paid 1600 THB for 4 people for the trip.

I'll have a short stopover in Bangkok in early September, arriving about 1 pm and leaving the next day around 10 am. Staying at St. Regis hotel. It'll be my first time in Thailand. What kinds of things should I plan on doing or seeing with the time I have?

I forgot to mention the last time we stayed(3 months ago) at a suite at the st regis the bathroom had a horrible stench. It apparently came from the drainage pipes, I hope they have fixed it by now. Be sure to not let them get away with it if the problem still exists. Check the room before you get cozy.

hong nam meen = smelly washroom in thai :)

you can always try street food. Foods like thai spring roll, grill chicken, grill beef, thai salad etc..... very tasty

If you are there on a weekend you can go to the Weekend Market. If you like shopping and don't mind being around hundreds of thousands of people you can get great prices.

http://chatuchak.org/

are you more interested in shopping or seeing the sites ?

pretty hard to do both in a short time period but at least the Malls are open till 9pm or so

Not interested in shopping in the slightest.

Not sure I would waste my time on a canal ride , maybe a river ride ?

Or at least not the stinky canal that runs behind Pantip and is more a water taxi going down the stinky canal then a "James Bond" speed run :)

Soarer

Not sure I would waste my time on a canal ride , maybe a river ride ?

Or at least not the stinky canal that runs behind Pantip and is more a water taxi going down the stinky canal then a "James Bond" speed run :)

Soarer


The canal tour goes through Thonburi, to the west of the Chao Phraya river, and is mostly in residential areas. It's very interesting and is not related whatsoever to the saen saep canal ferry runs.

Interesting that you wouldn't 'waste your time' on something you know nothing about.

Not sure I would waste my time on a canal ride , maybe a river ride ?

Or at least not the stinky canal that runs behind Pantip and is more a water taxi going down the stinky canal then a "James Bond" speed run :)

Haven't done the stinky rides yet, but will one of these days :p

The tour is not done in these, and it didn't smell when I did it.

On a first time visit, and a short one at that, I'd second the Grand Palace and the Wat nearby. You don't need a tour guide for this, but I would recommend going by Skytrain to the river and taking the boat to the palace @:-) I took an organized tour on my first trip, and the bus stopped at a "gem shop" on the way back, wasting over an hour in addition to the wasted time picking up other people :mad: (this was my first trip to Asia outside of Turkey).

Individual guide will be better of course, but still may be faster via Skytrian / boat than a car.

Oh, and while the Chatuchak weekend Flea Market is fun (at least for me), it's not everyone's cup of tea :eek:

EmailKid

The canal tour goes through Thonburi, to the west of the Chao Phraya river, and is mostly in residential areas. It's very interesting and is not related whatsoever to the saen saep canal ferry runs.

Interesting that you wouldn't 'waste your time' on something you know nothing about.

I do know about the "stinky" canal ride as I took it a few weeks ago.....

So IF he was thinking of that canal ride I was vote against it , he did not really say which one he was thinking of taking.

Soarer

I do know about the "stinky" canal ride as I took it a few weeks ago.....

So IF he was thinking of that canal ride I was vote against it , he did not really say which one he was thinking of taking.

Soarer

Where was this stinky canal ride you speak of?

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Sorry, my fault. The problem is that, given a chance, I want to see *everything*, but obviously that's not possible in the amount of time I have, so I was looking for some sort of popular itinerary for first-time visitors.

The one listed on Wikitravel (http://wikitravel.org/en/One_day_in_Bangkok) looks good, but since I arrive in the afternoon, I don't know whether being out on the canals during the afternoon is a good idea, since it'll probably be 2-3 pm before I'm ready to start. I'd like to visit Wat Po and maybe something else in that area, get some good food, check out nightlife, etc.

Starting out at 2 or 3 PM from your hotel you could take the BTS (Skytrain) to Saphan Thaksin, then a orange-flagged Chao Phraya Express Boat to Tha (pier) Thien.

http://chaophrayaexpressboat.com/en/home/

Then shoot across to Wat Arun on one of the many frequent cross-river boats. Then back across to Wat Pho.

Dress in long pants.

At that point you could head back to the hotel, via the boat/BTS/taxi, tuk tuk, motorcy, freshen up, then head out to Central World, a large mall nearby to the hotel. There are a lot of sidewalk restaurants just opening up for dinner trade, on Ratchadamri, or even up and to the left onto Petchaburi. Obviously there are a ton of restaurants inside Central World including a Food Court on level 7 (I think). Then a taxi or even Khlong San Saeb boat to Soi 3 or Asoke, then on to Soi Cowboy or Nana Entertainment Plaza, but not sure if that's what you mean by nightlife?

At that point you could head back to the hotel, via the boat/BTS/taxi, tuk tuk

Unless it's your own hotel's tuk tuk avoid them at all costs. It's a scam waiting to happen :eek:

EmailKid

Dress in long pants.


Is this to respect local custom?

Is this to respect local custom?

To respect Buddha. wj

Is this to respect local custom?

To respect Buddha. wj

Many tourists wear short, but they go past the knees.

You should wear long pants if you want to visit temples and the Palace.

EmailKid

Is this to respect local custom?
Yes. There are extra special dress requirements for foreigners at certain sacred temples, of which there are ~ 15 including Wat Pho and Wat Arun, here in Thailand, and any Royal sites, which are considered most sacred. It is best to dress is loose fitting clothing which completely covers your legs, and arms to the elbow. While you can rent covering garments this only delays your available time, hence the recommendation for the OP.




Unless it's your own hotel's tuk tuk avoid them at all costs. It's a scam waiting to happen :eek:
EmailKid

Tuk tuks are an integral part of the transport scheme here in Bangkok. Thousands of people utilize these for short/medium point-to-point journeys daily, especially coming back from the market with that day's shopping. The process is to say hello, state your destination and then ask the price. If the price is unacceptable then negotiate an acceptable price or move on. I've taken hundreds of tuk tuk journeys and never once been scammed. Obviously, when it is pouring rain, and your only option is a tuk tuk then you should expect to pay a premium.

Tuk tuks are an integral part of the transport scheme here in Bangkok. Thousands of people utilize these for short/medium point-to-point journeys daily, especially coming back from the market with that day's shopping.

OK, let me rephrase.

Tuk tuks in tourist areas that are not picking up locals are a scam waiting to happen. They will try to take tourists to overpriced gem stores among other things.

Of course anyone is welcome to see how it goes :rolleyes:

EmailKid

Never been scammed either, but for me, I just don't see their purpose in most of BKK, (except maybe the small lanes of Yaowarat). Taxis are just as cheap, air conditioned, safer, & all around any hotel area. If traffic's at a standstill I grab a motodop or BTS. I take plenty of tuk tuks, just not in BKK. wj

In the interests of saving time, to get to St. Regis, should I take the Airport Link to Phaya Thai and transfer to BTS or take a taxi and hope to avoid traffic?

According to your OP, flight arrives @ 1 p.m. Traffic should not bee too bad that time of the day, but it is Bangkok, so you never know. I am a big fan of going by rail, but in my instance it's mostly to save money :p

EmailKid