Bangkok - tips and sights worth seeing?

[Dav_s]

Off to Bangkok and then Koh Samui next week.

Anyone got any tips or suggestions of must do/see things in Bangkok?

(...and nothing dodgy!! )

[$nake eye$]

Koh Samui is awesome.. probably my favourite beach ever.

When i went there was a good bar called inner circle i think with a great live band.

Quite jealous. try get to a full moon party if there is one

[v15ben]

Eat street food - things like duck's feet are worth it just to say you have.
The floating markets are good fun.
The huge shopping malls are an experience even if you don't buy
Muay Thai boxing is a good craic
The main palaces and temples near the river are stunning, especially the ornate Grand Palace.

For day trips I really enjoyed Ayuthya with its temples and ruins and very few tourists when I was there. Hired a bike to get around everywhere and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Also Kanchanaburi to see the River Kwai. A haunting place, but worth the trek. I'd also check out some of the outlying cemetries as they are manicured, but unlike the one in the town centre they are usually deserted. A very strange and emotion jerking feeling!

[Nat_H]

Going with you partner?

Have dinner here, even if you just go for a drink...!

Yes, its expensive, but its out of this world.

[Dav_s]

Yep, that's actually the hotel we're staying at (Lebua State Tower) - looks amazing!

[GlenMH]

Dinner at Vertigo (on the roof of the Banyan Tree hotel - 62nd floor ) is excellent.

Chatuchak market has to be seen to be believed - 20000 stalls, selling anything you could ever want!

Take a look at www.facebars.com as we got engaged at their Bankok branch - awesome venue.

[King Herald]

Go to the worlds biggest flea market, Chatuchak. It's just outside town, take the sky train to Mo Chit station, and it is just over the road. Everything from tacky souveniers to local food, hill tribe embroidered wall hangings to pet Doberman is available.

I haven't been for quite a few years, but I bet it is still there.

[Rach*]

King Herald said:

Go to the worlds biggest flea market, Chatuchak. It's just outside town, take the sky train to Mo Chit station, and it is just over the road. Everything from tacky souveniers to local food, hill tribe embroidered wall hangings to pet Doberman is available.

I haven't been for quite a few years, but I bet it is still there.

Yep it's still there! I really like Lumphini night market too and the Muay Thai stadium is just next door - Tues & Fri 6.00pm well worth seeing I went twice I liked it so much. (the huge fish restuarant next door is expensive and only OK, but I saw a matt black Lambo going into the car park so thought I'd better go investigate)

Snake farm - milking is now at 11.00am if you're into that kind of thing, show at 14.30, exhibition is pretty good.

Bridge Over the River Kwai is defo worth the trip, very moving indeed.

Nana plaza for some sleaze

I thought Ayuthaya was a little dull

[shakotan]

I loved the beaches and the islands around Koa Samui, but I found the beach road just too commercial.

Bar, Bar, Restaurant, shop that sells knock-off gear, bar, massage parlour, sex shop, massage parlour, ad-infinitum.

[don4l]

Dav_s said:

Off to Bangkok and then Koh Samui next week.

Anyone got any tips or suggestions of must do/see things in Bangkok?

(...and nothing dodgy!! )

Go to Chao Phaya. Choose bird on right. Do NOT agree to pay for extras!


You will have the best hour of your life!!!


Don
--

[thehawk]

Shopping Malls :

-Siam Paragon
-Central World
-MBK
-Panthip Plaza

If you have a day at the weekend a visit to a floating market is good - Ampawa is the best and is much better than the touristy one. Packed on the weekends with Thais

Suan Lum Night Bazaar (if it's still there) is great in the evening with a huge tankard of beer with an ice core (3 - 5 litres)
Chatuchak as mentioned is great.

Pak Khlong market is fantastic, but best between 2am and 6am- massive flower market
Chinatown markets are alao worth walking around

Temples - Wat Pho (massive reclining Buddha), Wat Phra Kaew (Emerald Buddha) all worth visiting, as is the Grand Palace.

Forensics Museum in Siriraj hospital

Definitely a canal boat ride or two, not just on the main river, also the smaller 'khlongs' to see the real Bangkok

Eden Club

[King Herald]

Rach* said:

Bridge Over the River Kwai is defo worth the trip, very moving indeed.

Nana plaza for some sleaze

I thought Ayuthaya was a little dull

If ever you say River Kwai to a Thai, say 'Kwaaaaai', slowly, because said short and quick it means 'cock' in Thai.

They'll know what you are on about though in a tourist area. Probably.

[Rach*]

Teehee, I was shown cock without asking goodness knows what would have happend if I'd mentioned my tourist exploits then!

[blueg33]

GlenMH said:

Dinner at Vertigo (on the roof of the Banyan Tree hotel - 62nd floor ) is excellent.

Chatuchak market has to be seen to be believed - 20000 stalls, selling anything you could ever want!

Take a look at www.facebars.com as we got engaged at their Bankok branch - awesome venue.

That's what I was going to recommend.

If you are really brave and an adrenalin addict, take a motorbike taxi! If you like being driven to a jewlery factory against your will, take a Tuc Tuc.

If you like traditional houses etc, there is a famous Teak House museum (forget its name) and Wat Po (a temple) is rather impressive.

[Nobby Diesel]

Rent yourself a longtail boat for a trip up and down the river, back into some of the klongs and throuw in a couple of sights too.
Make sure that you get the boat to yourself and throw a few extra baht at the driver, to encourage him to keep the throttle wide open.
Ride the BTS skytrain. Cheap, easy to navigate and very safe. good for sightseeing the streets, without the heat and dirt. Then jump off when you see something that you want to investigate.
Take a tuktuk ride for the fun of it.
Royal Palace is worth a visit, although can get very busy.
If you're tired of the heat/noise/fumes, take a look in the aquarium.
Definately get some street food down you at the markets.
Nana Plaza, Soi Cowboy, Patpong have got to be worth a visit, just for the sightseeing!

[Nobby Diesel]

thehawk said:

Shopping Malls :

-Siam Paragon
-Central World
-MBK
-Panthip Plaza

If you have a day at the weekend a visit to a floating market is good - Ampawa is the best and is much better than the touristy one. Packed on the weekends with Thais

Suan Lum Night Bazaar (if it's still there) is great in the evening with a huge tankard of beer with an ice core (3 - 5 litres)
Chatuchak as mentioned is great.

Pak Khlong market is fantastic, but best between 2am and 6am- massive flower market
Chinatown markets are alao worth walking around

Temples - Wat Pho (massive reclining Buddha), Wat Phra Kaew (Emerald Buddha) all worth visiting, as is the Grand Palace.

Forensics Museum in Siriraj hospital

Definitely a canal boat ride or two, not just on the main river, also the smaller 'khlongs' to see the real Bangkok

Eden Club

I was going to say the Eden club too. Make sure that you stay thr right side of the yellow line!

[thehawk]

Here's a good list.

http://www.cnngo.com/bangkok/play/worlds-greatest-...

Will be persnally trying reason 27 next time I am there - looks a lot of fun.

[Herman Toothrot]

I stayed in a beach hut for a couple of days on Lamai Beach on Koh Samui which was nice, but then I stayed in Baan Taling Ngan 5 star hotel and it was amazing, the colour of the sea, the cleanliness of the beach etc made the more public bits of Koh Samui look scabby.

http://www.baan-taling-ngam.com/

Edited by Herman Toothrot on Wednesday 7th October 09:23

[thehawk]

BAHN-STORMA said:

thehawk said:

Shopping Malls :

-Siam Paragon
-Central World
-MBK
-Panthip Plaza

Off there myself shortly and knowing clothes are meant to be a bargain am planning to stock up.

Question is, as I am quite tall are large sizes an issue?

Also, how safe is it to use credit cards? I have heard that MBK is like a modern Mall, full of knock-off outlets - is cash the best/only option?

Well I think the UK is probably the best place (along with the US) for good value clothes.

In my experience Bangkok (and most of Asia) have loads of knock-offs and other weird brands but the quality can be really dodgy. You get the occasional good bargain - one example are a couple of the jean shops in MBK that sell pretty much identical designer brand jeans for around 10 pounds. (In the basement - right up the end near the Pathumwan Princess hotel)

If you go to all the genuine designer stores, or the chains stores over there (Next, M&S, Topshop etc) then they are usually more expensive than back home.

[blueg33]

BAHN-STORMA said:

thehawk said:

Shopping Malls :

-Siam Paragon
-Central World
-MBK
-Panthip Plaza

Off there myself shortly and knowing clothes are meant to be a bargain am planning to stock up.

Question is, as I am quite tall are large sizes an issue?

Also, how safe is it to use credit cards? I have heard that MBK is like a modern Mall, full of knock-off outlets - is cash the best/only option?

After using my credit card at a certain 5* resort on Koh Samui someone tried to spend £15,000 in it in 2 days. Fortunatelythey had an incorrect expriry date so the card company blocked the transactions. They also blocked the card which was decidedly inconvienient as I didnt find out until I cam to pay for a very expensive hotel in Bangkok a few days later. Most embarrassing when the hotel had upgraded us to a £4000 per night suite.