Hostelworld Guide for Bangkok

Bangkok is a melting pot of nationalities. It's hard to think of a city anywhere else in the world where so
many travellers lay their hat at the one time. The Thai capital is the base point for travellers about to
embark on a trip around not just Thailand, but the whole of South East Asia. The city is also one of the
most popular stop off points for those either travelling to or from Australia. Many who travel there start
their journeys on the infamous Khao San Road, the backpacker hub of the universe. Whether you love it
or hate it, like so many people do, you won't be able to deny its vibrancy and authenticity - there is
nowhere else on earth like it.
In this Guide...
Useful Information
After Dark
Places to Eat
Top Attractions
Budget Tips
Where to Shop
The Essentials Climate
Getting There
By plane: Bangkok is served by two airports -
Bangkok International Airport which is 25km east of
the city centre and Don Muang Airport which is
25km north of the city centre.
The best way to the city from both airports is by taxi.
Make sure to go with the taxis outside the terminal
building and not the hawkers who approach you in
arrivals.
By t r ai n: Bangkok' s mai n t r ai n st at i on i s
Hualampong on Th Rama IV.
Most long-distance trains terminate here.
By bus: Travel to Bangkok by bus from the south
a n d y o u ' l l a r r i v e i n t h e b u s s t a t i o n i n
Boromratchonnani.
Go there from the north and you'll arrive in the one
on Th Kampaeng Petch 2.
Getting Around
On foot: Many of Bangkok's tourist attractions are
within walking distance of each other but you'll need
to use public transport at some stage.
By tuk-tuk: A journey in a 'tuk-tuk' is great fun.
They're more expensive than taxis though, and
tuk-tuk drivers are notorious for scamming people
(see 'Budget Tips' on page 3).
By taxi: Taxis can be picked up throughout the city
and are extremely cheap modes of public transport.
Bangkok facts
Name: Bangkok is also known as the 'City of
the Deity' which is the English translation of the
city's name in Thai.
Population: Approximately 9 million people live
in the city of Bangkok.
Area: Bangkok, which is the largest city in
Thailand, covers an area of around 1,500
square kilometres.
In Bangkok it's hot all year round with temperatures
hitting the 30s every month. The driest months are
November to February while he wet season begins
in June and continues until October. During the wet
season, sometimes it rains at different stages during
the day like at 11am and 7pm, while other days it
rains for the whole day.
Good to know...
Language: Thai, English (spoken by those
working in the service industry)
Currency: Thai Baht (THB)
Electricity: 220 Volts, 50 cycles
Area Code: +66 (Thailand), 02 (Bangkok)
Emergency Codes: Ambulance 1646 / Fire 199
/ Police 191 / Tourist Police 1155
Time Zone: UTC/GMT + 7
Central Post Offices: Th Charoen Krung, Th
Thani (near Th Khao San)
Main Tourist Offices: Look out for yellow
tourist booths at different places around the city
Embassies
USA: +66 (0)2 2054000
UK: +66 (0)2 3058333
Canada: +66 (0)2 6360540
Australia: +66 (0)2 3446300
South Africa: +66 (0)2 6592900
Ireland: + 60 (0)3 21612963*
Germany: +66 (0)2 2879000
Spain: +66 (0)2 6618284/6
Italy: +66 (0)2 2854090
New Zealand: +66 (0)2 2542530
France: +66 (0)2 6575100
*Embassy is in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Hostelworld Guide for Bangkok www.hostelworld.com
Cheap Eats After Dark
Tom Yung Kung, 9 Tr okmayom ( of f Th
Jakapong), Banglamphu Ever wondered what
ingredients go into Thai food? And what they do?
The people of Tom Yung Krung have been kind
enough to inform us in their menu. So if you decide
to dine here, ponder over the vast menu and you'll
discover that lemongrass, among other things,
c u r e s s t o ma c h a c h e . Op e n d a i l y f r o m
8am-midnight.
Street eats
Street stalls Dotted all over Bangkok are street
stalls where you can pick up all sorts of
stomach fillers. Whether it's noodle soup, corn
on a stick, pancakes, pad thai noodles,
watermelon...the list goes on. The more
adventurous travellers can even try deep-fried
cockroaches, scorpions and other bugs. And
yes, we are being serious.
Siddharta, 144 Rambutri, Taladyan Pranakorn,
Banglamphu Neatly tucked down a lane off the
bottom off the Khao San Road, Si ddharta i s a
fusion restaurant that specialises in Indian and Thai
cuisine. Here you can treat yourself to a selection of
extremely affordable and mouth-watering main
courses. The dark dcor makes for extremel y
pleasant surroundings. Open daily from 11am-1am.
Wang Gcsan, 124 Soi 6, Si l om Food i sn' t
something which people tend to enjoy when playing
patient in a hospital. But the chef's in this resturant
affilated with Silom's Christian Hospital know how to
throw together a decent 'pad thai' among other
dishes. It's a seafood restaurant meaning some
mains are pricy but stick to the Thai food and dinner
won't be too costly. Open daily from 11am-4am.
Noodle 'N More, 513-514 Rong Muang, Th Rama
IV, Chinatown When eating from stalls becomes
tiresome, find this noodle-shop near Hualamphong
subway station. Food is good and it's a great place
to people watch. Open daily from 11am-4am.
Gulliver's Travelers Tavern, 2 Th Khao San,
Banglamphu As the name suggests, Gulliver's
Travelers is heaving with backpackers from all over
the world on a nightly basis. Waitresses attend to
them by bringing them cocktails that inevitably
causes them to mount the pool table in the back of
the bar to the sounds of the cheesiest of chart
tunes. Open daily from 12 noon-1am.
Ca f d e T o u r , 1 8 3 - 1 8 5 T h Kh a o Sa n ,
Bangl amphu Maybe i t ' s because i t can be
somewhat cr amped. Or maybe i t ' s because
musicians here like to play singalong music for the
Khao San's endless amount of jovial backpackers.
Either way, people always seem to be enjoying
themselves in this upstairs venue. Don't be afraid to
join in. Open daily from 2pm-2am.
Gay / Lesbian Bangkok
Bangkok is an extremely gay-friendly city and
there are no shortage of gay bars, stage shows
and more. Most of the action is centred around
the Silom area of the city. Telephone (114/11
Silom Soi 4) is the city's best-known gay bar
where every table has a telephone so you can
call people you like at other tables! Freeman
Dance Arena (60/18-21 Silom Road) is home to
the city's best gay cabaret, while DJ Station
(8/6-8 Silom Soi 2) is one of the city's biggest
gay clubs.
Twi l o, 70 Patpong Soi 1, Si l om Ami dst t he
massage parlours, go-go bars and flying ping pong
balls on Patpong 1, Twilo uses live music as its
main form of entertainment. Here Thai musicians
play to those in the area for Patpong's night market.
Open daily from 9.30am-3am.
Khao San Center, 80 Th Khao San, Banglamphu
The onl y 24-hour bar on t he Khao San, t hi s
watering hole isn' t the most eventful bar in the
world. But as there's no music and a hell of a lot of
seats, it's extremely easy to meet people here.
Once you're finished swapping travel stories you
can move upstairs to the adjoining Irish bar 'The
Shamrock' or wat ch l i f e go by on t he worl d' s
favourite backpacker strip. Open daily 24 hours.
Ga z e b o , 4 4 T h J a k r a p o n g ( r o o f t o p ) ,
Banglamphu Just around the corner from Gulliver's
Travelers, Gazebo opens later than most places in
Ba n g l a mp h u . I t ' s a l s o t h e a r e a ' s o n l y
Moroccan-style bar as here you can puff on shisha
pipes while listening to DJs or live music. Open
nightly from 8pm-late.
Don't Miss Mark Your Calendar
Grand Palace/Wat Phra Kaew, Th Na Phra Lan,
Ko Ratanakosin Serving as the official residence
of t he Ki ng of Thai l and f rom t he 18t h t o t he
mi d- 20t h cent ur y, t he Gr and Pal ace i s an
architectural delight. The intricate detail of the roofs
of the palace along with the immaculate grounds
makes walking around it a delight. Beside it, Wat
Phra Kaew i s one of Thai l and' s most sacred
t empl es. Open dai l y f r om 8. 30am- 3. 30pm;
admission 350B. Free guided tours in English are
available at 10am, 10.30am, 1.30pm and 2pm.
Golden Mount, Th Chakkaphatdi, Banglamphu
For unrivalled views of the Thai capital you simply
can't miss a visit to the Golden Mount. Up here you
can really appreciate how vast this city is. To get to
the summit you have to climb a painful 318 steps to
the top, but the hard work is ultimately worth it.
Open daily from 8am-9pm.
Tour on the Chao Phraya River Along the banks
of the Chao Phraya River are a host of attractions.
These include the Royal Barges Museum, Wat Arun
and the fish farm at Wat Srisudaram. Some tours
also visit the Thonburi floating market. Tourist boat
operates everyday from 9.30am-3pm, departing
every 30 minutes from Sathorn.
Muay Thai , Rat chadamnoen St adi um, Th
Ratchadamnoen, Dusit Not for the faint-hearted,
'muay thai' (Thai kickboxing) is quite violent but also
an important part of Thailand's culture. Check local
listings for fight times and prices.
The reclining Buddha
Wat Pho, Th Thai Wang, Ko Ratanakosim
Wat Pho, or 'Temple of the Reclining Buddha',
is home to an enormous gold Buddha sporting
the cheekiest of grins. This may be largely due
to its nonchalant position in what is Thailand's
biggest temple. Standing...sorry, lying a proud
46 metres long and 15 metres high, it is not to
be missed. Open daily from 8am-5pm;
admission 20B.
February - Chinese New Year As Bangkok' s
Chinese population is huge, so too are the Chinese
New Year cel ebrati ons. As you woul d expect,
Chinatown is the setting for most of the celebrations
when parades and fireworks displays entertain
thousands.
March - Bangkok Kite Festival Each March the
skies over Sanam Luang (the open ground across
from the Grand Palace) and Lumphini Park are
decorated with hundreds of kites.
April - Songkran This water-throwing festival is
extremely good fun and one of the year's most
popular events. Celebrated throughout the country,
Thao Khao San i s one of the wetter pl aces to
witness it.
May - Coronati on Day Commemorat i ng t he
coronation of the King and Queen of Thailand in
1946, Coronation Day takes place on May 5th and
is a public holiday throughout Thailand.
August - Queen' s Bi rt hday Cel ebrat i ons
Buildings on Th Ratchadamnoen and in the area
around the Grand Palace are doused with coloured
lights to ensure the Thai capital looks its best for the
Queen's Birthday.
September - Swan Boat Races Bangkok's Chao
Phraya plays host to Thailand's Swan Boat Races
every September. Over twenty teams from around
the world take part including ones from America,
Australia and, of course, Thailand.
November - Ngan Wat Saket Held around the
city's Golden Mount, this festival is a temple fair
where merchants sell all sorts of paraphernalia
such as paper, incense, bells and saffron cloth.
November - Loy Krathong Arguably Bangkok's
most beautiful festival and taking place on the
evening of November's full moon, people go down
to their local canal and float 'kathrongs' - ornaments
with flowers and candles.
November - Bangkok Pride This celebration of
everything camp in Bangkok sees the city's ever
increasing gay population take to the streets. The
highlight of the festival is the 'Pride in the Park'
party in Lumphini Park.
December - King's Birthday Celebrations Sanam
Luang across from the Grand Palace is the setting
for the year's most important royal celebrations.
Hostelworld Guide for Bangkok www.hostelworld.com
Neighbourhood Watch Retail Therapy
Ko Ratanakosin Transl ati ng to ' Ratanakosi n
Isl and' , thi s part of Bangkok east of the Chao
Phraya River is where many of the city's top sights
can be found. The best known of these are the
Grand Palace and the Temple of the Reclining
Buddha (Wat Pho). Less-visted ones include the
Nati onal Museum and Lak Mueang, the ci ty' s
founding pillar.
Si l om Thi s par t of Bangkok i s home t o t wo
i ndustri es - the sex i ndustry and the fi nanci al
industry. The city's very own version of Wall Street
is here, as is Patpong, a place where you will find
bars where (some would argue) talented women do
the unthinkable with their private parts. Lumphini
Park is also here, as is one of the city's 'muay thai'
stadium.
Sukhumvi t Locat ed i n sout h-east Bangkok,
Sukhumvit is where you will find Th Sukhumvit,
Bangkok's main shopping drag which is also the
main street in Bangkok's 'new town'. Incidentally, it
i s al so one of t he l ongest roads, not j ust i n
Thailand, but in the world!
Backpacker HQ of the universe
Banglamphu Located only ten minutes walk
from Bangkok's Grand Palace, Banglamphu is
the neighbourhood where you will find the
infamous Khao San Road, the best known
backpacker strip in the world. It is inevitable that
you will end up here at some stage during your
visit, and no matter what time of day or night it
is, you can be guaranteed there will be
something happening somewhere.
Chinatown Bangkok' s Chi nese hub i s sl i ghtl y
different to Chinatowns in other South-East Asian
countri es. Here you won' t fi nd red l anterns or
Chinese gates. Instead along Sampeng Lane, the
heart of the district, you must walk slowly to make
your way among the hundreds of people shopping
for fabric, sweet delicacies and other things.
MBK Shopping Centre, cnr Th Phayathai and Th
Phra Ram I, Patumwan Forget the Khao San and
Patpong - this is where the kids from Bangkok go to
get their rip-off goods. It's a bit odd walking into a
fully legit shopping centre to see stalls selling fake
Armani t -shi rt s and Di esel j eans, but who' s
complaining?! Step inside with an empty backpack
and you're bound to leave with a far heavier one.
Open daily from 10am-10pm.
Bargain hunting on boats
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market Thailand's
most famous floating market, where women in
straw hats offload their fruit, vegetables and
flowers to throngs of tourists, is more a tourist
attraction than a place to go shopping. Located
80km outisde Bangkok, it's fascinating to see
how they operate and is well worth the trip.
Open daily from 4am-12 noon.
Th Khao San Market, Banglamphu If your time in
Bangkok i s preci ous and you' re stayi ng i n the
vacinity of the Khao San Road, you'll still be able to
stock up on lots of things here. On its hundreds of
stalls you'll pick up pretty much anything you're
looking for. Make sure to explore the many lanes
which branch off it. Open daily from 10am-11pm.
Patpong Night Market, Sois 1 and 2, Silom
Bangkok' s best -known ni ght market i s more
organised than the one of the Khao San, meaning
the selection is better. The vast majority of stalls
here sell t-shirts, designer underwear or watches. If
you're missing an episode of Lost on your travels
don't worry - you'll pick up an entire series on DVD
here also. Open daily from 6pm-2am.
Chatuchak Weekend Market, Chatuchak Park,
Chatuchak Staying in Bangkok on a Saturday or
Sunday? Then don' t mi ss a tri p to the worl d' s
biggest weekend market. Open Sat & Sun from
8am-6pm.
Budget Tips A Day in Bangkok...
Bargain! Bargain! Bargain! When shopping in
Bangkok (in shopping centres as well as markets),
make sure to barter with the traders to get the best
possible price. There's no golden rule as to how
much you should offer, but a good guideline is to
intially offer half the advertised price, wait for their
counter-offer and then work out a happy medium
somewhere between the two figures.
Vi si t the Nati onal Museum and Gal l ery As
admission charges for both these museums are
minimal, they are the perfect places to visit on rainy
days. The National Museum (Th Na Phra That 1,
Ko Rattanakosi n, admi ssi on 50B) houses the
largest collection of Thai art and artefacts in the
country, while the National Gallery (Th Chao-Fa 4,
Ko Rattanakosin, admission 30B) is where you'll
encounter some contemporary Thai artworks.
Chill out in Bangkok's parks Bangkok can be
insanely chaotic at the best of times, and all it takes
i s one more person to offer you a tuk-tuk or a
tailored suit before you may tip over the edge. To
get away from it all take refuge in one of the city's
parks which are free to enter. Try Dusit Park in
Dusit or Lumphini Park in Silom.
Don't get caught out
Beware of conmen Bangkok is notorious for
conmen doing their utmost to scam
unsuspecting travellers. Don't get caught out!
The scam works like this - you are told by a
tuk-tuk driver or a 'friendly local' outside one of
the main temples that it is shut for the day. As
an alternative they can bring you to other
temples in the city for a mere 20B per person.
You are then told that as you are a tourist you
can buy gems in jewellery shops at discounted
prices, and that you will make money by selling
them double the price in your home country.
Don't listen to them! It's a scam! If anybody tells
you the main temples are closed, don't believe
them.
Begin your day in the Thai capital at the Grand
Palace, Bangkok's top attraction. Make sure to have
your shoulders and knees covered as if you don't
they won't let you in!
After the palace take the short stroll to the pier at Th
Chang. Jump on a boat and take a tour down the
Chao Phraya River.
Visit Wat Pho, otherwise known as 'Temple of the
Reclining Buddha'. See how the smirk across the
face of the Golden One's is an infectious one.
Wander on down t o Chi nat own. Wal k down
Sampeng Lane and see how t he Chi nese
community in Bangkok live. Find a noodle shop for
some lunch.
Jump in a cab or tuk-tuk to Thao Khao San, the
world's best-known backpacker strip. Browse the
stalls, think about getting your hair braided and chat
to other travellers.
Go to the Golden Mount which is about twenty
minutes walk from Th Khao San. Climb the 318
steps to the top for amazing panoramic views of the
Thai capital.
Cross town to the Patpong Night Market. See if you
can wrangle the best possible prices out of the
traders. If you're male watch out for locals enticing
you into their bars!
Return to the Khao San Road for dinner before a
night on the tiles. Indian food lovers should visit
'Siddharta', while Thai food lovers should go to
'Tom Yung Kung'.
Finish the day off bar hopping along the Khao San.
Meet other travellers from around the world on one
of the most vibrant streets in South East Asia.
Hostelworld Guide for Bangkok www.hostelworld.com