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64 thoughts on “Ultimate Travel Guide For Your First Time in Bangkok: What to do & Where to StayΒ ”

  1. What an incredible post! Really comprehensive, it definitely has everything you need for your visit to Bangkok. Makes me miss SE Asia even more. I’ll be back in January, but it’s not soon enough.

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  2. You’re right that Bangkok can be overwhelming. It’s a massive and busy Asian city. We really enjoyed visiting the Taling Chan floating market, which definitely didn’t have any tourists. We just took a taxi, which wasn’t very expensive, there and ate our way through whatever looked good. We also enjoyed Asiatique and going on the big ferris wheel.

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  3. Thanks for the great guide with so much good information! We haven’t been to Bangkok yet, but this will be super helpful for when we finally visit. Everything looks fantastic–the details at Wat Pho are amazing, the floating market looks so cool and the rooftop bars look great, too!

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    • Hi Anna,
      This is the longest post on Love and Road, and took me a few days to up all the info and details together, but I believe it was worth it. Bangkok is one of my favorite cities in Southeast Asia and I would love to inspire people to travel more and better here…
      Cheers,
      Nat

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  4. Awesome guide! I have been to Bangkok a few times and those were definitely the places and things I did as a first time tourist. Great tips for those planning their trip!

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  5. Thankyou for the uber helpful post! We’ve been considering Bangkok for a trip next year – we’ve settled down in Australia now so it’s quite close to get to Asia. Though as you mentioned, it can be really intimidating knowing where to start and what to take in, because there’s just so much!! And I suffer from fear of missing out syndrome lol so I get very anxious if I can’t cram everything into one trip πŸ˜€ This really helps πŸ™‚

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    • Hey Megan,
      We are quite alike, I also try to see and visit as much as possible, I hate that feeling when I arrive home and discover that I have missed an important attraction during the trip… When you decide to come to Bangkok give us a shout, I’m more than happy to share more info!
      Cheers,
      Nat

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  6. Great tips, I couldn’t agree more on most of them. I’m heading back to Thailand for my second time soon but am flying directly yo Phuket but I’ll definitely keep this blog in mind for the future as it’s always great to re-read for inspiration!

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  7. This is the ultimate guide to Bangkok and perfect for me because I will be a first timer when I eventually get chance to go! I’ve heard so many wonderful things about Thailand but Bangkok in particularly, especially the floating food market and Khao San Road. I want to go and see everything and then finish my time in that epic rooftop bar for a relaxing drink to enjoy the chaos below πŸ™‚

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  8. I’ve been to Bangkok a few times, but I think that is a very useful guide to a first-timer.
    I guess I wouldn’t stay in Khao San Road again though – it was quite ok when I was younger and newer to the world of backpacking, now I’d definitely look for something away from all that noise.

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  9. The great thing about Bangkok is that every time you go there, you can have a totally different experience depending on where you’re gonna stay or what you’re gonna do. I love it and I can never get enough of it even though I’m not a fan of big cities. Great article!

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  10. This is an awesome post. Definitely something I wanted to read since I will be traveling for the first time to Thailand.
    I do have a question on the sim cards, what type of phone did you guys use. I have apple iPhone and wanted to see if the sim card is compatible.

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    • Hi Lily!!
      Rob has an Iphone 6 and I have a Huawei P9 (Android), but in any shop you can get all sizes of SIM Card, they even instal it on your phone for you. The only think is that your phone needs to be unlocked to work with a Thai SIM card.
      Happy travels,
      Nat

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  11. Hi Natalie, Travelling to Bangkok with my teens to see Coldplay. Thanks for the hints. Tourist SIM card fab! Will limit shopping to EMQuarter, AsiaTique… anywhere else? Catuchak market sounds amazing, giant buddha… any other musts??

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    • Hi Donna,
      I’m so happy you liked the post! I’m sure it will be an amazing trip!
      I think you and the teens would love a nice bike trip to Bang Krachao, one of the islands in the middle of ChaoPraya River. You can find more info about this island and other cool things to do in Bangkok in this post. About shopping, Central World and Siam Paragon are other good options.

      Have a great trip, enjoy Bangkok!
      Cheers,
      Nat

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  12. I am so glad I found your site! going for a 2 week holiday at the end of May to Bangkok and thinking of going to Krabi. Any suggestions for a cool place to stay at the beach for a solo female traveler over the age of 40? Where would you recommend if I wanted to hear some good house music during my travels?

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  13. Hi Natalie,
    This is such an awesome and informative post. Exactly what i needed. We leave to Bangkok in two days and after reading your post it makes me feel a little prepared. Thank you.

    Vrithi Pushkar

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  14. hey Natalie, thank you very much for such useful info…….Me and my friends (girls only) we going to Phuket for 7 days (end of November) but have decided to spend at least one day in Bangkok……we dont want to miss out…..any suggestions around airlines to use from Phuket to Bangkok and places to see and accommodation for one night……many thanks

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  15. Hi. Thanks for such informative post. This is by far the best post I read on Thailand travel. It would be great if you could answer a few questions of mine-
    1) How do we bargain while shopping, since there is a language barrier?
    2) For first time travel, is it fine to plan by ourself or plan via some MMT or thomas cook etc?
    3) How much currency should we carry from India? How much does it cost to withdraw money there from ATM? Which is better?

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  16. So much info. Great sit.
    Question Is there a site that you recommend that does package deals eg. air/hotel/guided tours?

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  17. Great advice!! Still a bit overwhelmed …We will be in Bangkok for only 2 days then off to Krabi and Koh Lanta. Do you recommend booking internal flights sooner then later? Do you have a printer friendly version we can take with? Leaving this Tuesday! So excited!!

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    • Hi Doron,
      I would recommend the internal flights in advance. Keep an eye on Air Asia, Nok Air and Scoot, usually they have good rates.
      We don’t have a PDF or printer friendly version of the post but you can save it on Pocket, and read it later even offline.
      BTW, we just published an article about Krabi πŸ˜‰
      Enjoy Thailand!

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  18. Loved this blog! It will be our first trip to Asia and could not be more excited! We are staying at the Lamphu Tree Hotel for 4 nights at the beginning of our 6 week trip (2 weeks each in Thailand, Cambodia and Sri Lanka) and will have one afternoon at the end of our trip (shopping!). I have not booked our last night yet as I am not sure which part of the city I should stay in. I was looking at the Shanghai Mansion Hotel in Chinatown but not sure if that will be around any good shopping? When I say shopping I don’t mean big malls! I would be interested in local art, unique gifts. I don’t know how often you update your blog, wondering if there are any things you would suggest for a January 2019 trip that are not currently in your blog? Thanks! Your blog was the most comprehensive article I could find on what to do in Bangkok.

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    • Hi Judy,
      Tks for the kind words!
      Chinatown is definitely a great area to do some shopping. There you will find everything, from cheap fake stuff to antiques.
      This year I’ve visited Lhong 1919 and loved it. Old warehouses turned into shops and restaurants facing the river, there are a few local designer shops there.
      Another place that I like is the Rod Fai Market near Esplanade Shopping Mall, some local designers tons of food and a nice atmosphere.
      If you stay in Chinatown, Siam or Silom areas you can easily take a tuk tuk to Lhong 1919 or Rod Fai Market.
      Enjoy Asia!

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  19. Since my one and only day in Bangkok (on a cruise ship), I’ve been longing to return. Looking at the pictures in this guide makes my yearning to return even stronger. I just posted this to Flipboard and will retweet and save on both Pinterest and G+ as well. Thanks from

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  20. Hi,
    Your post is really informative for first time travellers. We will be reaching Bangkok around afternoon around 3pm. Can you guide us on what should we plan for that day. We will have another two days on our way back from Krabi.

    Thank you.

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  21. What caused you to get ill in Thailand? I know you have to be careful with the food, but was that ever an issue for you or your partner?

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    • Hi Jana,
      No, nothing related to food.
      In fact, during those 5 years of traveling the only time we got ill because of food was in a fancy restaurant in Istanbul. We ate our way in the streets of Asia and never got bad food πŸ˜‰
      Enjoy Thailand!

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  22. Due to my previous need for Visa Run from Myanmar have visited so many times Bangkok and found the area of Ekkamai one of the best in terms of hotels price & restaurants and easy to go. And while in Bangkok the Chao Phraya River it’s a must as you mentioned; did mine with Shangri-la Boat:

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