Hostelworld Guide for Bangkok

The Essentials 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 train: Bangkok's main train station is Hualampong on Th Rama IV. Most long-distance trains terminate here. By bus: Travel to Bangkok by bus from the south and you'll arrive in the bus station in Boromratchonnani. Go there from the north and you'll arrive in the one on Th Kampaeng Petch 2.

Climate
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.

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.

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

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.

In this Guide...
Useful Information After Dark Places to Eat Top Attractions Budget Tips Where to Shop

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

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.

Hostelworld Guide for Bangkok

www.hostelworld.com

Cheap Eats
Tom Yung Kung, 9 Trokmayom (off 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, cures stomach ache. Open daily from 8am-midnight.

After Dark
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. Caf de Tour, 183-185 Th Khao San, Banglamphu Maybe it's because it can be somewhat cramped. Or maybe it'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.

Don't Miss
Grand Palace/Wat Phra Kaew, Th Na Phra Lan, Ko Ratanakosin Serving as the official residence of the King of Thailand from the 18th to the mid-20th century, the Grand Palace is 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 is one of Thailand's most sacred temples. Open daily from 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, Ratchadamnoen Stadium, 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.

Mark Your Calendar

February - Chinese New Year As Bangkok's Chinese population is huge, so too are the Chinese New Year celebrations. As you would 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 is one of the wetter places to witness it. May - Coronation Day Commemorating the 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 Birthday Celebrations 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.

Street eats

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. Twilo, 70 Patpong Soi 1, Silom Amidst the 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 only 24-hour bar on the Khao San, this 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 watch life go by on the world's favourite backpacker strip. Open daily 24 hours. Gazebo, 44 Th Jakrapong (rooftop), Banglamphu Just around the corner from Gulliver's Travelers, Gazebo opens later than most places in Banglamphu. It's also the area's only Moroccan-style bar as here you can puff on shisha pipes while listening to DJs or live music. Open nightly from 8pm-late.

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, Siddharta is 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 extremely pleasant surroundings. Open daily from 11am-1am. Wang Gcsan, 124 Soi 6, Silom Food isn'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.

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.

Hostelworld Guide for Bangkok

www.hostelworld.com

Neighbourhood Watch
Ko Ratanakosin Translating to 'Ratanakosin Island', this 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 National Museum and Lak Mueang, the city's founding pillar. Silom This part of Bangkok is home to two industries - the sex industry and the financial 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. Sukhumvit Located in south-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 is also one of the longest roads, not just in Thailand, but in the world!

Retail Therapy
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-shirts and Diesel jeans, 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.

Budget Tips
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. Visit the National Museum and Gallery 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 Rattanakosin, admission 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 is 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.

A Day in Bangkok...
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 to Chinatown. Walk down Sampeng Lane and see how the Chinese 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.

Bargain hunting on boats

Backpacker HQ of the universe

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 is precious and you're staying in 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 night market is 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 miss a trip to the world's biggest weekend market. Open Sat & Sun from 8am-6pm.

Don't get caught out

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 Chinese hub is slightly different to Chinatowns in other South-East Asian countries. Here you won't find red lanterns 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. Hostelworld Guide for Bangkok

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.

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. www.hostelworld.com