Travel Notes > Thailand > Bangkok Travel Guide
Bangkok Blog Posts
Bangkok Mass Transit System – A guide to the urban railways of Bangkok
The desolation of Khao San Road
Notes on Bangkok – Thailand’s cautious reopening
Bang Sue Grand Station construction update – The future central station of Bangkok
View Bangkok from the King Power MahaNakhon Tower – While it’s no longer the tallest tower in Bangkok, it offers one of the best views.
The re-emergence of Bangkok Chinatown – get there before the metro does – Chinatown in the old city area of Bangkok is starting to gentrify in anticipation of the Blue Line MRT metro extension.
Soi Ngam Dupli – The old backpacker neighbourhood of Bangkok – My report on the area where backpackers congregated before the days of Khao San Road.
Dusit Thani Bangkok – The iconic modernist hotel that will soon be demolished – A classic hotel that will be lost to redevelopment.
Visiting the aircraft graveyard of Bangkok – An aircraft graveyard in the suburbs of Bangkok, features an old 747 you can explore.
Bangkok vs Ho Chi Minh City – population size and other comparisons – With the amount of time I’ve spent in both cities I made a comparison of both.
Cafes in Bangkok to work from.
Royal Barge Procession – Bangkok 2012 – The Royal Barge Procession on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok is one of the great spectacles of Thai royalty.
Bangkok Accommodation
Bangkok Hotels – Agoda consistently returns the cheapest hotels deals in Bangkok.
If you’re new to Bangkok visit the Nomadic Notes guide on where to stay in Bangkok, which covers the best areas to stay for visitors.
Malaysia Hotel – One of the original “Recommended by Lonely Planet” hotels in Bangkok
Flights to Bangkok
Bangkok is served by two international airports: Suvarnabhumi (BKK) and Don Muang (DMK). Suvarnabhumi is the main airport and is where Thai Airways is home-based. Don Muang was the original airport until it moved to Suvarnabhumi in 2006. It was reopened in 2007 when Suvarnabhumi was becoming overcrowded. Don Muang is mostly used by regional low cost airlines (such as AirAsia), though some low cost airlines use BKK (eg Jetstar and VietjetAir). When looking for cheap flights to Bangkok search for Bangkok (all) unless you specifically want to use either airport.
Bangkok Travel Guides
Bangkok – Official Bangkok travel site by the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Coconuts Bangkok – News blog about Bangkok from the coconuts.co network, featuring lifestyle stories, nightlife, and restaurant reviews.
BK Magazine Online – Magazine blog covering Bangkok events, nightlife, restaurants, shopping, and travel.
Bangkok and surrounds – Guide by Travelfish is a good starting point for things to do.
bangkokforvisitors.com – Comprehensive guide for Bangkok travel by Michael Holland.
Tour Bangkok Legacies – Eric Lim is a Singaporean living in Bangkok and has compiled a guide with lots of useful nuggets of information for visitors.
Bangkok Travel Ideas – Things to see and do in Bangkok as well as trips from the city.
Bangkok’s Official Name
[The full name of Bangkok, inscribed in front of the Bangkok Administrative Building]
Bangkok’s name in Thai is Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (Krung Thep for short). It’s official long name is another mouthful all together. In fact it’s the world’s longest place name, according to the Guinness Book of Records.
Bangkok’s official full name in Thai translates as:
“The city of angels, the great city, the eternal jewel city, the impregnable city of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarma”.
I’ll stick with Bangkok.
Bangkok Blogs
Wat Arun Rajwararam is located on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok. It is known as the Temple of the Dawn, though it looks good at dusk as well. This photo was taken from The Deck, a restaurant that sits by the river opposite the temple.
Richard Barrow – Do a search for “Thailand” on Twitter and the chances are you will see a Tweet from Richard “Mr Thailand” Barrow. He is based in Bangkok so his Thailand sight has lots of Bangkok information.
Greg to Differ – Greg is a Canadian who has been living in Bangkok for years writes a with a humorous view of expat life.
In Search Of Sanuk – Dwight Turner is a teacher from Atlanta, GA, who has set up a shelter for survivors of torture and trauma. The blog features events and fundraisers which visitors to Bangkok can take part in.
Bangkok Girl – Expat blog written by a Brit based in BKK (Anna) who is eating, drinking and exploring her way around Bangkok.
Bangkok Food Blogs
Bangkok $1 Menu – Eating Thai Food is a food guide by Mark (Migrationology) and Dwight (In Search Of Sanuk) and this downloadable ebook is a great introduction to street food.
Bangkok Glutton – Bangkok street food blog.
Blog Posts About Bangkok
Migrationology Bangkok travel guide for food lovers – Migrationology by Mark Wiens is an international food travel blog but as Mark is based in Bangkok there is a load of good info here (especially strong for food recommendations).
Entering the Sathorn Unique, the abandoned ghost skyscraper in Bangkok – Jeremy Scott Foster climbs the tower that has become popular with urban explorers.
Rich upper levels VS poor lower levels of Bangkok –
Solo travel tips: Bangkok, Thailand – A guide for solo female travelers by solitarywanderer.com.
The do’s and don’ts of Bangkok – By theglobewanderers.com.
Locals’ favorite places in Bangkok – By bunchofbackpackers.com.
A cheat sheet for Bangkok first-timers – By theglobetrottingteacher.com.
Digital Nomad Life: One month plus in Bangkok, Thailand – By soloflighted.com.
A shortcut city guide to Bangkok – By savoredjourneys.com.
MBK Shopping Center Bangkok – Shopping Mall – By nelmitravel.com.
36 Hours in Bangkok, Thailand – By theglobalcouple.com.
Visiting Taling Chan floating market in Bangkok – By trailingrachel.com.
Golden Mount, Golden Views – By trekkingwithbecky.com.
A guide to the top rooftop bars and hottest restaurants in Bangkok – By travellingking.com.
Bangkok shopping guide – By geekyexplorer.com.
Books About Bangkok
Guide Books
101 things to do in Bangkok – Mark Wiens from Migrationology (again!) has put together a value-packed guide to Bangkok. Read my full review here.
Bangkok Podcasts
Bangkok Podcast – Greg (from gregtodiffer.com) interviews people living in Bangkok on life in the Big Mango.
Bangkok Photos
[Bangkok from the air.]
Bangkok Photo Gallery – Photo gallery of my visits to Bangkok since 2005.
The Erawan Shrine in Bangkok is dedicated to the four-headed deity Brahma (Phra Phrom), the Hindu God of creation. It has a reputation for granting wishes, thus it is very popular. The shrine is in front of the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel, on a busy intersection in the shadow of two sky train lines near Siam Square. Those who have had a wish granted may then return to commission dancers and musicians at the shrine.
Changing Money in Bangkok
Most Thailand banks charge 180 THB for cash withdrawals at ATM’s. Citibank is the only bank I know of that don’t and they have branches at Central World and at the big Asok intersection. You can withdraw 30,000 THB here as well, where local banks have a 10,000 THB limit.
For currency exchange look for independent exchanges over banks. The best exchange rates I’ve found is at Siam Exchange, at 422/3 Pathumwan Intersection, Payathai Road (the road between MBK shopping centre and Ratchathewi BTS).
Hi James,
I consistently use Agoda and i find that in practice I don’t have time to be flitting from site to site to compare all the last details of the offer to work out the very cheapest deal.
Agoda offers reward points and the long term value of these redeemable points more than outweighs any potential saving made by scouring the internet.
I just used about 200,000 points for a 4-night stay in Mai Khao beach on Phuket and had to put up $75 in cash which meant the stay was almost free. I also love to stay at Koh Samet outside of Bangkok, but it is just so expensive and so I use the points to get the nightly price down to about $100.
With more than 100 personal bookings under my belt (I have lost track of the total number now) I really can’t fault them for anyone undertaking Asian travel.
Hi James, if you are up at Siam then the best exchange rate is from the Superrich Thailand shop. Just walk down towards Platinum Mall and in a soi on the right just after crossing the klong and the Bangkok Bank Branch is where you will find it.
You will need your passport or Thai ID.
I agree with Super Rich. They’re the highest rate so far. And a photocopy of your passport page is acceptable as well. And for those US citizens – bring your Passport Card with you at all times. They’re awesome. Better than lugging that book around.