Bangkok

Bangkok is a big city, spreading both vertically and horizontally. Thailand’s biggest city and capital is one of the most traveler-friend cities in Asia. Beautiful orchids bloom pretty much everywhere. Beautiful Thai architecture, spicy dishes, a variety of exotic fruits, tropical weather and traffic jams, all make Bangkok a unique city.

Location

Bangkok is located on both sides of the Chao Phraya River. It is Thailand’s capital, the biggest city in the country and 22nd most populous city in the world.

How to get to Bangkok

There are two airports in Bangkok. Suvarnabhumi Airport is the main airport in the capital. It handles all international flights as well as Thai domestic flights. It’s located at 30 km / 19 miles from the city center. It has all the facilities of a big airport but please note that there aren’t any ATMs beyond immigration check point. To get from the airport to the city, you can catch a metered taxi (follow the “public taxi” sign, queue up and tell your destination at the desk), Airport Express buses (each route takes between 60 and 90 minutes to cover) and BMTA public bus.

Buses link Bangkok to the other important cities in Thailand.

There are three main train stations in Bangkok which provide train links to most of the major cities in Thailand.

Weather

Bangkok has a tropical monsoon climate. The coldest month is January and the hottest is April, but temperatures don’t vary so much during the year. Hailstorms are virtually non-existent in the city. The relative humidity is rather high.

Temperatures

Jan avg high 89 F / 31 C ; avg low 71 F / 21 C
Apr avg high 94 F / 34 C ; avg low 80 F / 26 C

Things to do

Bangkok is one of the tourist hot spots in the world and is considered the best city to visit in Asia. The city’s most visited landmarks are: the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, and Wat Arun.

The Grand Palace served as a residence of the King of Thailand from the 18th century to mid-20th century. The complex is located on the east bank of the Chao Phraya River.

The most important buildings in the complex are:

• Wat Phra Kaew, a temple which contains the Emerald Buddha
• Chakri Mahaprasad Hall

Wat Pho is also known as The Temple of the Reclining Buddha. It’s located in Phra Nakhon district right near the Grand Palace. The temple is recognized as the birthplace of the Thai massage. It is one of the largest and oldest wat (monastery temple) in Bangkok. The temple is home to over 1000 images of Buddha

Wat Arun is a temple located in the Bangkok Yai district, on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River.

Bangkok is also popular for its street markets. The Chatuchak weekend market is one of the biggest and the most popular among tourists.

If you are hungry, you can find street food carts pretty much everywhere. There are also many restaurants in Bangkok which serve anything from noodle soups to curry.