Bangkok in general > Reviews > Bangkok Basics

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money	Excellent
Shopping	Excellent
Nightlife	Excellent
Ease of getting around
Family Friendly

Advantages:	Wonderful city
Disadvantages:	As with any city, it may take a little time to find your feet .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Bangkok is deservedly a popular destination these days. I find that I'm often asked for advice from those who plan to go for the first time. They want to know if they'll need to take Baht (the Thai currency,) if they'll need to book a hotel before they go, and various other such questions. This op is intended to help those who have never been there before to learn a little of the ropes and to get them through day one without any hassles.

I'm assuming that you're going to arrive at Bangkok's Don Muang airport. This is on the outskirts of the city, as one would expect, so you'll be wanting to get to whatever area you're planning to stay in. Bangkok doesn't have a city centre, as such, but has several distinct areas. The ones of most interest to us here will be:

Sukhumvit - a business and tourist area (most of the Embassies are here too)

Silom - another tourist area which includes the infamous Pat Pong night market and general sleaze

China Town - where allegedly Lonely Planet types hang out in grubby dormitories, although it's definitely worth a visit

The Indian quarter - as above but with good Indian food (quelle surprise!) and plenty of fabric shops

Having seen all the tourist sites years ago, I tend to hang out mostly in the Sukhumvit area. And anyway, I'm not writing a book here. We're just talking about day one. If you're on a package deal, you won't need much of this, just follow the herd.

OK, so here we are at the airport. There was no point in bringing Baht with you, but you're going to need some now. It's simply not true that US dollars are accepted everywhere. Where the heck did this piece of misinformation come from? If you want to go on a bus, drink a beer, or eat some food, you need Baht. That's easy. There are plenty of exchange kiosks in the airport offering reasonable rates. Change ten or fifteen quid for starters - you can always shop around later.

In the arrivals lounge you'll find signs for the airport bus. Unless you want to pay over the odds for a hair-raising taxi ride, take the bus. There are different routes for the different areas. If you're going to Sukhumvit, for example, you'll get the A3. It costs 100 Baht and you buy your ticket before you board. The airport bus service is totally unlike the free-for-alls on the normal bus service and caters especially for lost tourists with luggage.

Simply tell them the Soi number (sub-street) of your hotel and the friendly and efficient bus staff will take good care to let you off at the most convenient place.

Aha, but you'll need somewhere to stay first. Well, you have at least two options. Either you can take your chance at finding a guest house or cheap rooms - easy enough once you're there but maybe difficult for a jet-lagged first-timer with luggage. I think you'd be better booking an hotel. A pretty decent one will set you back less than £15 for a night. If you are going to stay in an hotel, always book through a Thai travel agent as they get good discounts compared to the walk in rate. Guest houses are so cheap that you can just "walk in" to them.

You can find Thai travel agents in the search engines or you can try www.npkpattaya.com - they are very reliable. (They are also relatives of mine, so it's up to you whether you want to trust them or not.) I suggest that you book at least one night in a hotel to give you a chance to find your feet before inflicting yourself on an unsuspecting Bangkok.

And then... well, that's another story, and besides I must've done 90 words by now and got a free advert for my rellie - what more do you want?