Hi, I will be visiting Bangkok for the first time next week. Plan to stay at the Royal River hotel for about 3 days. Any suggestions on what is not-to-be missed for the first time visitor? Interested in the touristy things as well as stuff of local interest. Thanks!

win1300

There are many websites including =one by the Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT) that deal with first-time must-sees. A good taste of Thailand, IMO, can be had by:

a) The triumvirate of Temples (Wat Phra Kaeow, What Pho and Wat Arun)
They are all clustered around each other (Wat Arun being on the other side of the river) and are a good insight into the history, culture and architecture of Thailand
b) The Golden Palace
c) A Sukhumvit bar or Patpong to see seedy nightlife Asian-style
d) A water taxi ride to see BKK from the river and canals.
e) A ride (hopefully short one) in a open, 3-wheeled motorcycle taxi (tuk tuk)
f) Kicking back at the Oriental Hotel and enjoy dinner with a cultural show at the Sala Rin Naam
g) Shopping at Siam Square to experience local BKK metropolitan life
h) Taking in a Muay Thai kick-boxing match
i) The Jatujak weekend market
j) The Ratchada HwayKwang night market in Ratchada (very local indepth experience-hardly any tourists)
k) Food, food, food from sidewalk hawkers to tony establishments.

All good suggestions. I'd add:

- Get a massage at the massage school at Wat Pho. One hour is about US$6.
- Consider a day tour outside of BKK (your schedule is probably too short for this). We went to (---) floating market about an hour or two and then on to the bridge on the River Kwai.

Jatujak weekend market, water taxi ride to see BKK from the river and canals, The triumvirate of Temples were all highlights for us.

tuk tuk was fun, but not in BKK, too much smog/pollution/traffic, we did it in Chiang Mai.

Also tailored clothing is quite cheap in BKK, had slacks made in � day, shirts in 1 day.

While walking in the non-touristy areas you will see massage/reflexology storefronts. If you walk like my wife and I walk the $4 hour long reflexology massage w/a cold beverage such as watermelon ice tea, is quite a treat and cheap. Very simply put reflexology is a form of foot massage.


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You're not going to Priceline the JW Marriott? $56/night is what I paid, and it's nicer than the Royal River. Riverside is nicer, though, so you might look into the probable riverside hotels through Priceline.

I certainly recommend seeing the Temple of the Reclining Buddha (is that one of the temples listed in item a above?) and several other suggestions from tide.

Here is what I have posted on my BKK page. I'll add a little more to this thread when I have time next week. Hopefully you can check FT from BKK!

Happy travels!


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Wat Pho

Take a canal long-boat ride. You can pick it up northeast of the Royal Palace. It lasts an hour and a half or so. You will really see how some BKK'ers live!!!

Thanks for all of the help! I will be printing this and taking it along. One other question, is there any sort of "airport tax" or anything besides a passport necessary to enter the country? I did some checking and I am pretty sure the answer is no, but it would be nice to be positive! Thanks a lot!

win1300

You pay the tax when you leave the country. Remember to have 500 baht left per person at the end of your travel for this purpose.

Check these sites. Here you will find all info on activities in BKK:

http://bangkoktonight.com/

http://www.bkktonite.com/cgi-bin/forum/index.cgi

Seven days in BKK

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/page...3981&usrsess=1

So if you had to narrow it down to arriving at 10:55PM at night, and leaving the next day at 3:30PM, what would be the things to hit? Keeping in mind we're more than happy to stay out late at night to catch as much as possible.

1) Witness the spectacle of Patpong.

2) Grab something yummy from a street stall.

3) Wat Pho and/or the Grand Palace (nothing, and I MEAN NOTHING, could have prepared me for the beauty of the Reclining Buddha)

4) Get a massage

There is so much more to do. Any way to extend your stay?

What's the easiest way to transit from the airport to a hotel (none specific in mind)? Not having traveled much in Third World countries, I'm somewhat apprehensive about navigating myself through a strange country. Any tips?

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