Bangkok for first time. What MUST I do in the city?
Jan 13, 2011, 1:34 am
#16
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If I could make one suggestion, it's that a lot of the appeal of Bangkok is wandering around taking in the sights and smells--Chinatown (heh-heh) and other parts of the older areas of the city near the river are quite good for this. Try to arrange your itinerary by geographic areas, and don't be afraid to do a bit of walking.
Jan 13, 2011, 1:44 am
#17
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(...)
If I could make one suggestion, it's that a lot of the appeal of Bangkok is wandering around taking in the sights and smells--Chinatown (heh-heh) and other parts of the older areas of the city near the river are quite good for this. Try to arrange your itinerary by geographic areas, and don't be afraid to do a bit of walking.
If I could make one suggestion, it's that a lot of the appeal of Bangkok is wandering around taking in the sights and smells--Chinatown (heh-heh) and other parts of the older areas of the city near the river are quite good for this. Try to arrange your itinerary by geographic areas, and don't be afraid to do a bit of walking.
Jan 13, 2011, 3:18 am
#18
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Everybody focuses on seeing the Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha complex, and I suppose it would be an oversight to get to Bangkok and not see this, but I actually find it less interesting than Vimanmek Palace--which fortunately you can visit at no additional charge on the same ticket 9keep your stub!).
I also find Wat Po a must-see, and everytime I visit, I find something new and interesting about that place. For a relatively inexpensive hoot, you can have your fortune told there. I would make Wat Po the #1 temple priority.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalboz/2967514290/
Jan 13, 2011, 4:26 am
#20
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The Temple of the Emerald Buddha in the breathtaking Grand Palace houses a shrine to Phra Kaew Morakot, a revered and most scared Buddha image in Thailand. Carved from a jade block and raised on platforms, no one is allowed near the sacred Buddha except Thailand's King ...
There's no doubt it's something everyone should see. But there are so many things to see and people tend to concentrate on just a few. I would go every so often until they just priced me out. What is the entrance fee for farang now? 350B? 400B?
Jan 13, 2011, 5:47 am
#21
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... until recently when the Crown Prince took over his father's duties of changing the Emerald Buddha's clothes for the seasons.
There's no doubt it's something everyone should see. But there are so many things to see and people tend to concentrate on just a few. I would go every so often until they just priced me out. What is the entrance fee for farang now? 350B? 400B?
There's no doubt it's something everyone should see. But there are so many things to see and people tend to concentrate on just a few. I would go every so often until they just priced me out. What is the entrance fee for farang now? 350B? 400B?
dsquared37, I might be wrong here but I believe that this is the OP's first visit to the Kingdom, and, hence the suggestion to visit the Grand Palace.
NOTE: There is a strict dress code for visiting the Grand Palace. The Temple of the Emerald Buddha is Thailand's most sacred site. Visitors must be properly dressed before being allowed entry to the temple. Men must wear long pants and shirts with sleeves -- no tank tops. Women must be similarly modestly dressed. No see-through clothes, bare shoulders, cleavage, etc. If you show up at the front gate improperly dressed, there is a booth near the entry that can provide clothes to cover you up properly. You must leave your passport or credit card as security.
Last edited by Kalboz; Jan 13, 2011 at 5:54 am
Jan 13, 2011, 6:17 am
#22
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It should definitely be seen. (Though I believe for a first time visitor the importance and surroundings are not understood in a meaningful way.)
Jan 13, 2011, 9:41 am
#23
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Grand Palace
I took some friends who were visiting Thailand for the first time and they wanted to see it.
The queue was horrendous, touts everywhere trying to sell overpriced rubbish. 350 baht a ticket and the queue is basically a 20+ minute thing.
In the end we just left.
Most visitors feel it's a rite of passage to see the Grand Palace and Wat Po and maybe the floating market but in general I like dsquared's suggestions better. A bit off the beaten track, more of the real thing, less kitsch and overcharging.
Avoiding tourist traps
I love seeing the world but I hate being a tourist. Think Eiffel Tower in Paris /shudder. Yet when I went to Paris for the first time or go with someone who was not there before I still "do" the Eiffel Tower.
My point is that it's not going to be an authentic experience and you will be paying a lot of money by local standards but I would feel weird telling you not to do it at least once. 350 baht is what an unskilled worker earns here on an 8 hour shift. In comparison a guy in Paris can work at McDonalds for 2 hours and visit the Louvre. The tourist prices are in no relation to what I would feel is normal.
I will get flamed for this am sure but you can't just say "never mind the taxi isn't switching on his meter, I'm going to the airport for 500 baht, what's that, like 15 dollars." We aren't in the west. We are in Thailand and we should determine fair prices based on Thai baht. If a tour guide tells you he wants 1000 baht to drive you in his 10 year old private car to visit some Gem wholesalers you should not dismiss it as "what the hell its just 30 bucks". 1000 baht it what professionals who graduated from top universities earn for a full day's work in their first job. Always related prices quoted to you to local standards, don't do the "It's just x Euro/Dollars/GBP" thing.
I would not recommend tuk tuk as a mode of transportation. They make up the prices as they go along and they aren't regulated or metered. They will size you up and it you for as much as they think you are stupid enough to pay, then they tend to take detours to try and take you to other places who pay them a commission to bring a stupid tourist for some more ripping off.
Some places in Thailand you have to just deal with that and stand your ground once you learn the "local" prices. In Bangkok you are in luck. Taxis are abundant and they are metered. Within the city they must use the meter. Some will try not to use it and offer you a flat rate "discount price". Don't take it. No Thai person would accept this so neither should you. In most cases the metered price will be much lower.
Then again, take a tuk tuk once. The hot smog and smell of delicious street food and the overall buzz aren't noticeable in a car and if you just cruise around Bangkok in an air conditioned car for your entire stay you are depriving yourself of some of the vibe...
Special mention if you are in Sukhumvit around Emporium Shopping Mall
There are uniformed guys near Benjakriti Park next to Emporium mall who work for Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. They have a booth close to Emporium and ride the footpath between Emporium and Sukumvit 22 on a bicycle that has "law enforcement" written on it. Be on your best behavior around them. Their sole purpose in life is to wait for foreigners to walk past and do anything untoward. They will watch you like a hawk hoping you will drop something, then extort a ridiculous 2000 baht fine from you. It's a well known corruption issue and comes up in local media every now and then but last week they were at it again. Local people can litter right in their face, no issues. An American dude drops a chewing gum and all hell breaks lose.
Casual outdoor dining (and boozing)
Like others have said, there is EVERYTHING you can imagine in BKK, so unless we know you personally it's hard to tailor a recommendation but one thing I like to recommend to people is to go to a local beer garden/restaurant out in the suburbs where you get awesome food, good live music (Thai rock bands are pretty cool) and more beer than you can handle at a good price. No touts, no trash.
A lot of these places will not have English speaking staff or menus though so you need someone with language skills or I can recommend a few places that do have English menus. Stay clear from venues that have mostly foreigners as customers. It won't be authentic and you ill pay too much.
The obligatory spa treatments
Don't tell me you don't like massage. Bangkok has a gazillion spas and I strongly suggest you go visit one every few days.
I mention some legit places with sane pricing in this thread
Stay away from massage shops around the tourist areas where they often have touts outside enticing you to go in. They're usually filthy or they aren't legit. Too hard to sort the wheat from the chaff for a first timer so stick to the franchises in the thread above. Also avoid the hotel spa. You will pay 5000 baht ++ for a 3 hour session. The receptionist at my office has a Bachelor degree and works a 40 hour week for 5000 baht. See the prices at Healthland and Urban Retreat in the thread I mentioned for guidance on real prices.
By now I am sure people are tired of my wall of text. Feel free to PM me if you have specific interests and I will have a more targeted response for you.
I took some friends who were visiting Thailand for the first time and they wanted to see it.
The queue was horrendous, touts everywhere trying to sell overpriced rubbish. 350 baht a ticket and the queue is basically a 20+ minute thing.
In the end we just left.
Most visitors feel it's a rite of passage to see the Grand Palace and Wat Po and maybe the floating market but in general I like dsquared's suggestions better. A bit off the beaten track, more of the real thing, less kitsch and overcharging.
Avoiding tourist traps
I love seeing the world but I hate being a tourist. Think Eiffel Tower in Paris /shudder. Yet when I went to Paris for the first time or go with someone who was not there before I still "do" the Eiffel Tower.
My point is that it's not going to be an authentic experience and you will be paying a lot of money by local standards but I would feel weird telling you not to do it at least once. 350 baht is what an unskilled worker earns here on an 8 hour shift. In comparison a guy in Paris can work at McDonalds for 2 hours and visit the Louvre. The tourist prices are in no relation to what I would feel is normal.
I will get flamed for this am sure but you can't just say "never mind the taxi isn't switching on his meter, I'm going to the airport for 500 baht, what's that, like 15 dollars." We aren't in the west. We are in Thailand and we should determine fair prices based on Thai baht. If a tour guide tells you he wants 1000 baht to drive you in his 10 year old private car to visit some Gem wholesalers you should not dismiss it as "what the hell its just 30 bucks". 1000 baht it what professionals who graduated from top universities earn for a full day's work in their first job. Always related prices quoted to you to local standards, don't do the "It's just x Euro/Dollars/GBP" thing.
I would not recommend tuk tuk as a mode of transportation. They make up the prices as they go along and they aren't regulated or metered. They will size you up and it you for as much as they think you are stupid enough to pay, then they tend to take detours to try and take you to other places who pay them a commission to bring a stupid tourist for some more ripping off.
Some places in Thailand you have to just deal with that and stand your ground once you learn the "local" prices. In Bangkok you are in luck. Taxis are abundant and they are metered. Within the city they must use the meter. Some will try not to use it and offer you a flat rate "discount price". Don't take it. No Thai person would accept this so neither should you. In most cases the metered price will be much lower.
Then again, take a tuk tuk once. The hot smog and smell of delicious street food and the overall buzz aren't noticeable in a car and if you just cruise around Bangkok in an air conditioned car for your entire stay you are depriving yourself of some of the vibe...
Special mention if you are in Sukhumvit around Emporium Shopping Mall
There are uniformed guys near Benjakriti Park next to Emporium mall who work for Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. They have a booth close to Emporium and ride the footpath between Emporium and Sukumvit 22 on a bicycle that has "law enforcement" written on it. Be on your best behavior around them. Their sole purpose in life is to wait for foreigners to walk past and do anything untoward. They will watch you like a hawk hoping you will drop something, then extort a ridiculous 2000 baht fine from you. It's a well known corruption issue and comes up in local media every now and then but last week they were at it again. Local people can litter right in their face, no issues. An American dude drops a chewing gum and all hell breaks lose.
Casual outdoor dining (and boozing)
Like others have said, there is EVERYTHING you can imagine in BKK, so unless we know you personally it's hard to tailor a recommendation but one thing I like to recommend to people is to go to a local beer garden/restaurant out in the suburbs where you get awesome food, good live music (Thai rock bands are pretty cool) and more beer than you can handle at a good price. No touts, no trash.
A lot of these places will not have English speaking staff or menus though so you need someone with language skills or I can recommend a few places that do have English menus. Stay clear from venues that have mostly foreigners as customers. It won't be authentic and you ill pay too much.
The obligatory spa treatments
Don't tell me you don't like massage.
Bangkok has a gazillion spas and I strongly suggest you go visit one every few days.I mention some legit places with sane pricing in this thread
Stay away from massage shops around the tourist areas where they often have touts outside enticing you to go in. They're usually filthy or they aren't legit. Too hard to sort the wheat from the chaff for a first timer so stick to the franchises in the thread above. Also avoid the hotel spa. You will pay 5000 baht ++ for a 3 hour session. The receptionist at my office has a Bachelor degree and works a 40 hour week for 5000 baht. See the prices at Healthland and Urban Retreat in the thread I mentioned for guidance on real prices.
By now I am sure people are tired of my wall of text. Feel free to PM me if you have specific interests and I will have a more targeted response for you.
Last edited by forumpersona999; Jan 13, 2011 at 9:53 am
Jan 13, 2011, 10:59 am
#24
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BTW, during both visits, we did not have to linger in long queues as the structures are in such a huge complex that everyone was accommodated even though our visits were in the high season.
Jan 13, 2011, 11:05 am
#25
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Special mention if you are in Sukhumvit around Emporium Shopping Mall
There are uniformed guys near Benjakriti Park next to Emporium mall who work for Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. They have a booth close to Emporium and ride the footpath between Emporium and Sukumvit 22 on a bicycle that has "law enforcement" written on it. Be on your best behavior around them. Their sole purpose in life is to wait for foreigners to walk past and do anything untoward. They will watch you like a hawk hoping you will drop something, then extort a ridiculous 2000 baht fine from you. It's a well known corruption issue and comes up in local media every now and then but last week they were at it again. Local people can litter right in their face, no issues. An American dude drops a chewing gum and all hell ...
There are uniformed guys near Benjakriti Park next to Emporium mall who work for Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. They have a booth close to Emporium and ride the footpath between Emporium and Sukumvit 22 on a bicycle that has "law enforcement" written on it. Be on your best behavior around them. Their sole purpose in life is to wait for foreigners to walk past and do anything untoward. They will watch you like a hawk hoping you will drop something, then extort a ridiculous 2000 baht fine from you. It's a well known corruption issue and comes up in local media every now and then but last week they were at it again. Local people can litter right in their face, no issues. An American dude drops a chewing gum and all hell ...
Jan 13, 2011, 11:57 am
#26
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I didn't realize they run the same thing around MBK, also
Jan 13, 2011, 12:05 pm
#27
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I just followed some of Kalboz' very informative posts about Thailand and came across a link to this gem, also useful Intel if you are coming for the first time:
Etiquette - How to tip in Thailand
@:-) We should make a consolidated thread somewhere taking a first timer from the moment he leaves immigration at the airport to doing all the "must do" stuff. What to do, how to do it, what to avoid. ^ Would be fun.
Etiquette - How to tip in Thailand
@:-) We should make a consolidated thread somewhere taking a first timer from the moment he leaves immigration at the airport to doing all the "must do" stuff. What to do, how to do it, what to avoid. ^ Would be fun.
Jan 13, 2011, 4:57 pm
#28
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I will get flamed for this am sure but you can't just say "never mind the taxi isn't switching on his meter, I'm going to the airport for 500 baht, what's that, like 15 dollars." We aren't in the west. We are in Thailand and we should determine fair prices based on Thai baht. If a tour guide tells you he wants 1000 baht to drive you in his 10 year old private car to visit some Gem wholesalers you should not dismiss it as "what the hell its just 30 bucks". 1000 baht it what professionals who graduated from top universities earn for a full day's work in their first job. Always related prices quoted to you to local standards, don't do the "It's just x Euro/Dollars/GBP" thing.
I'm in agreement with your entire post, but the above really hit home.
but one thing I like to recommend to people is to go to a local beer garden/restaurant out in the suburbs where you get awesome food, good live music (Thai rock bands are pretty cool) and more beer than you can handle at a good price. No touts, no trash.
A lot of these places will not have English speaking staff or menus though so you need someone with language skills or I can recommend a few places that do have English menus. Stay clear from venues that have mostly foreigners as customers. It won't be authentic and you ill pay too much.
A lot of these places will not have English speaking staff or menus though so you need someone with language skills or I can recommend a few places that do have English menus. Stay clear from venues that have mostly foreigners as customers. It won't be authentic and you ill pay too much.
I took some friends, last year, to the Warm Up Cafe in CM. They were resistant at first but between the ragingly loud band inside and the eye candy everywhere were quite happy sitting and drinking a bottle of whiskey. The staff seemed to bend over backwards to help the farang table.
Jan 14, 2011, 4:17 pm
#29
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I would get a day pass for the BTS and go everywhere it goes with a map in your hand, might do the same with the MRT Subway but you cannot see anything underground so its not as fun.
Mark down on the map things that might interest you and what stop on the BTS,
Walk around Chinatown between the 7-11s and get some cold water or Pepsi ! Chinatown is at one end of the MRT Subway, the weekend market is a couple stops from the other end.....
Go to MBK once just to see it , maybe Pantip if you want to see electronic stuff.
If you go to do tourist stuff, go EARLY, as it gets hot pretty quick....
in Mexico city I played "Gopher" on the subway, found a stop that sounded interesting , got off the subway , got to ground level, if it looked interesting I would walk around , if not back to the subway and try it again......I have done the same in Bangkok....
Lots of things to do, I always find something new.....
Rally
Mark down on the map things that might interest you and what stop on the BTS,
Walk around Chinatown between the 7-11s
and get some cold water or Pepsi ! Chinatown is at one end of the MRT Subway, the weekend market is a couple stops from the other end.....Go to MBK once just to see it , maybe Pantip if you want to see electronic stuff.
If you go to do tourist stuff, go EARLY, as it gets hot pretty quick....
in Mexico city I played "Gopher" on the subway, found a stop that sounded interesting , got off the subway , got to ground level, if it looked interesting I would walk around , if not back to the subway and try it again......I have done the same in Bangkok....
Lots of things to do, I always find something new.....
Rally
Jan 11, 2013, 6:07 pm
#30
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this is an excellent thread, we will be there for 1 day, and i can't wait to visit some of the places mentioned. We should be out and about by 1130am (provided the taxi from the airport is smooth). So I'd think a river cruise to start it off, and then the grand palace and wat pho, and conclude the dinner at the state tower for a view of the city should be no rush. Of course, we will try to squeeze in more if we can. But we have to catch a 8am flight the next day....