Bangkok, Thailand
The city that eats better, sleeps less and sits in more traffic than anywhere else in Asia
Bangkok is the capital of Thailand and the only real city in a country of small towns, home to roughly eleven million people and the hub through which most of Southeast Asia's travellers pass. It is hot, loud, gridlocked and among the most hospitable places on earth.
Rama I founded the city in 1782 as the capital of his new Chakri dynasty, moving the court across the Chao Phraya from Thonburi to an artificial island he called Rattanakosin, fifteen years after the Burmese had burned Ayutthaya. He built the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew there and gave the city a ceremonial name so long it sits in the record books; Thais shorten it to Krung Thep. The nineteenth-century kings, Mongkut and Chulalongkorn, played Britain against France, kept Siam uncolonised and modernised the canal city into one of roads and railways. The absolute monarchy ended in 1932; American money in the Vietnam years and the boom of the 1980s and 90s built the towers; the 1997 crisis, the coups of 2006 and 2014 and a decade of street protests followed. Roughly eleven million people now live in the metropolis, and more in the region around it.
The city sprawls flat across the delta on both banks of the Chao Phraya, with no single centre and a dozen. Rattanakosin, inside the old moat, holds the Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun across the river, with backpacker Khao San Road just north and Chinatown's Yaowarat Road just south. Downstream, Silom and Sathorn are the banks and embassies with Lumphini Park between them; Siam is the mall district around the BTS interchange; Sukhumvit runs east for miles as the expat and nightlife spine, with Thonglor and Ekkamai its fashionable sois. Ari is the coffee-shop neighbourhood to the north, Chatuchak the weekend market beyond it, and Ratchada the newer Thai entertainment district. Thonburi, across the river, is the older, quieter half. Suvarnabhumi airport is to the east and Don Mueang to the north; between them, the eastern seaboard's factories supply the city.
Bangkok is the best eating city in Asia and possibly anywhere: street stalls with Michelin stars, boat noodles under a bridge, som tam pounded at a cart, khao man gai at dawn, and the food courts of the malls where office workers lunch for the price of a coffee. The malls themselves — Siam Paragon, ICONSIAM, CentralWorld — are the public squares in the heat. Muay Thai at Rajadamnern and Lumpinee is the national sport; football is the Thai League's Port, Bangkok United and Muangthong, and English clubs on every screen. The wat and the spirit house are part of daily life, Songkran in April turns the city into a water fight, and the monarchy is revered and legally protected. The nightlife is famous and mostly more ordinary than its reputation: rooftop bars, Thonglor's cocktail rooms, the night markets, and Khao San for those passing through.
The hard parts are the traffic, which is among the worst on earth and defeats the elevated railways where they do not reach; the heat, brutal from March to May, and a monsoon from June to October that floods the sois; and a winter smog of PM2.5 that closes schools some weeks. Scams are old and durable — the closed-temple tuk-tuk tour, the gem shop, the unmetered taxi — and the sex trade is visible in Patpong, Nana and Soi Cowboy. The politics are unstable, with two coups this century, and criticising the monarchy is a serious crime. The city is sinking, slowly. Against that, Bangkok is cheap, safe from violent crime by big-city standards, extraordinarily hospitable, connected to all of Southeast Asia by two airports, and possessed of an energy that makes most Western capitals feel asleep. Few people leave it without planning to return.
Where People Live
Rattanakosin & the old city
The Grand Palace, Wat Phra Kaew and Wat Pho's reclining Buddha, the amulet market, the Democracy Monument and Khao San Road's backpacker strip. Dress for the temples and ignore anyone who says they are closed.
Yaowarat (Chinatown)
Yaowarat Road's gold shops and neon by day and the best street food in the city by night — Michelin-listed stalls, bird's nest, shark fin and grilled seafood. The MRT now stops at Wat Mangkon.
Silom & Sathorn
The financial district and the embassies, Lumphini Park for dawn tai chi and monitor lizards, Patpong's night market and go-go bars, and Sathorn's rooftop bars and serious restaurants.
Siam & Pathumwan
The mall district around Siam BTS — Paragon, Siam Center, MBK's phone stalls, CentralWorld — with the Jim Thompson House and the Erawan Shrine among them. Where teenage Bangkok hangs out.
Sukhumvit, Thonglor & Ekkamai
The long expat spine: Nana and Asok's nightlife, Phrom Phong's Japanese enclave and Emporium, then Thonglor and Ekkamai's cocktail bars, cafés and the restaurants where young Thai money eats.
Ari
A low-rise neighbourhood north of Victory Monument of coffee shops, small restaurants and shophouse bars, on the BTS. Where Bangkok's creative class lives when it can.
Thonburi & the riverside
The west bank — Wat Arun, the canals of the old Venice of the East, ICONSIAM's mall, and the riverside hotels and Talat Noi's warehouses on the other side. Take the express boat.
Chatuchak & Lat Phrao
The weekend market of some 15,000 stalls beside the park, Or Tor Kor's produce market next door, and the ordinary northern suburbs where most of the city actually lives.
Where to stay
Restaurants & places to go
Billboard Agogo
Billboard Bangkok · barnewsbangkok.com
Lollipop Nana Plaza
Suckers Nana Plaza · barnewsbangkok.com
Twister BKK
Bangkok Bunnies · barnewsbangkok.com
Nana Plaza
3-3/1 Sukhumvit Soi 4, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10110, Thailand · nanaplazabkk.com
Escape Bangkok
bangkok nightclubs, bars · . BAR•BEATS•BISTRO 🎟 contact: +66 (0)2-003-6000 Building B / Rooftop / 5th Floor Facebook: Escape Bangkok LINE MAN DELIVERY…
Bisou Bangkok
fine dining · 68 Lumpini Sub-Dustrict, 9 Soi Langsuan, Bangkok, Thailand 10330
Airports
Suvarnabhumi New Bangkok International Airport (BKK) 24 km to the centre
Bangkok, 10, TH — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 98 airlines (Thai Airways International, Bangkok Airways, China Southern Airlines, Turkish Airlines…) · direct flights to 121 destinations incl. Hong Kong, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Seoul, Singapore… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 98 airlines, 121 direct destinations
- Thai Airways International TG (330, 777-300, 777, A330-300, A320, 747-400…) · 78 routes: Antananarivo*, Auckland, Bahrain*, Bandar Seri Begawan*, Bangalore, Beijing, Brisbane, Brussels, Busan, Cairo, Chengdu, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Chongqing, Colombo, Copenhagen, Delhi, Denpasar, Dhaka, Dubai, Frankfurt, Fukuoka, Guangzhou, Hanoi, Hat Yai, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Hyderabad, Islamabad, Istanbul*, Jakarta, Johannesburg, Karachi, Kathmandu, Khon Kaen, Ko Samui, Kolkata, Krabi, Kuala Lumpur, Kunming … +38 more
- Bangkok Airways PG (A320, A319, ATR 72, 767, 777-300ER, A330-300…) · 25 routes: Abu Dhabi*, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Dhaka, Hong Kong, Ko Samui, Krabi, Kuala Lumpur*, Lampang, Luang Prabang, Male, Mandalay, Mumbai, Naypyidaw, Osaka, Phnom-penh, Phuket, Siem-reap, Sukhothai, Tokyo, Tokyo, Trat, Udon Thani, Vientiane, Yangon
- China Southern Airlines CZ (737-800, A320, 767-300, 737-700) · 9 routes: Changcha, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Nairobi, Nanning, Shantou, Wuhan, Xiamen, Zhengzhou
- Turkish Airlines TK (330, 747, 777, 777-300ER, 777-300) · 9 routes: Auckland*, Brisbane*, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong*, Istanbul, Kuala Lumpur*, Melbourne*, Perth*, Sydney*
- All Nippon Airways NH (777, 777-300, A330-300, 734, 747, 767-300…) · 8 routes: Chiang Mai*, Chiang Rai*, Mumbai, Nagoya*, Osaka*, Phuket*, Tokyo, Tokyo
- Etihad Airways EY (A320, A319, 330, 777-300ER, ATR 72) · 7 routes: Abu Dhabi, Chiang Mai*, Hong Kong*, Krabi*, Luang Prabang*, Mandalay*, Phuket*
- Japan Airlines Domestic JL (767, A320, 330, A330-300, 734, 747…) · 7 routes: Chiang Mai*, Chiang Rai*, Fukuoka*, Osaka, Phuket*, Tokyo, Tokyo
- Malaysia Airlines MH (330, A320, A330-200, 734, 737-800, 777-300) · 6 routes: Amman*, Bahrain, Cairo*, Chiang Rai*, Kuala Lumpur, Penang*
- Qatar Airways QR (A320, A319, 777-300ER) · 6 routes: Chiang Mai*, Doha, Hanoi, Krabi*, Mandalay*, Phuket*
- Air France AF (A320, ATR 72, 777-300ER) · 5 routes: Chiang Mai*, Krabi*, Luang Prabang*, Paris, Phuket*
- Air Madagascar MD (A340-300, A330-300, 747, 777) · 5 routes: Antananarivo, Guangzhou, Hong Kong*, Kuala Lumpur*, Singapore*
- Cathay Pacific CX (A330-300, 777-300, A319, A320, A340-300, 777-200…) · 5 routes: Colombo, Hong Kong, Karachi, Krabi*, Singapore
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL (A320, A319, 340, 777) · 5 routes: Amsterdam, Chiang Mai*, Chiang Rai*, Phuket*, Taipei*
- China Airlines CI (A340-300, A330-300, 737-800, 747-400, 777-200) · 4 routes: Amsterdam, Kaohsiung, Moscow, Taipei
- China Eastern Airlines MU (A320, A330-200, A330-300, 737) · 4 routes: Chengdu, Kunming, Ninbo, Shanghai
- Ethiopian Airlines ET (767-300, 777-200, A330-300) · 4 routes: Addis Ababa, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul*, Singapore
- EVA Air BR (777-300ER, A330-200) · 4 routes: Amsterdam, London, Taipei, Vienna
- Qantas QF (A320, A319, A330-300, A380, 777-300ER) · 4 routes: Chiang Rai*, Dubai*, Krabi*, Sydney
- Scandinavian Airlines System SK (777-300, A330-300) · 4 routes: Copenhagen, Oslo, Singapore*, Stockholm
- Transaero Airlines UN (767-300, A330-300, 747-400, 777-200) · 4 routes: Krasnoyarsk, Moscow, Taipei, Yekaterinburg
- Vietnam Airlines VN (A321, 767) · 4 routes: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Nairobi*, Phnom-penh
- Air India Limited AI (A321, 777-200) · 3 routes: Delhi, Mumbai, Singapore*
- Asiana Airlines OZ (330, A330-300, 734, 777-200) · 3 routes: Busan*, Chiang Rai*, Seoul
- British Airways BA (A320, A319, 777) · 3 routes: Chiang Mai*, London, Phuket*
- BusinessAir 8B (767-300) · 3 routes: Chongqing, Phuket, Seoul
- Druk Air KB (A319) · 3 routes: Baghdogra, Dhaka, Guwahati
- Emirates EK (A380, 777-300ER) · 3 routes: Dubai, Hong Kong, Sydney
- Kenya Airways KQ (767-300) · 3 routes: Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Nairobi
- Lao Airlines QV (ATR 72, A320) · 3 routes: Luang Prabang, Savannakhet, Vientiane
- Lufthansa Cargo LH (A330-300, A340-600, 747) · 3 routes: Frankfurt, Krabi*, Munich*
- Royal Jordanian RJ (330) · 3 routes: Amman, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur
- SriLankan Airlines UL (A330-200, A321) · 3 routes: Colombo, Guangzhou, Hong Kong
- Air Canada AC (777, A330-300) · 2 routes: Seoul*, Tokyo*
- Air China CA (737-800) · 2 routes: Beijing, Shenzhen*
- Alitalia AZ (777-300ER) · 2 routes: Abu Dhabi, Paris*
- American Airlines AA (737, 767-300) · 2 routes: Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo
- Cambodia Angkor Air (K6) K6 (A321, ATR 72) · 2 routes: Phnom-penh, Siem-reap
- Egyptair MS (777-300) · 2 routes: Cairo, Kuala Lumpur
- Hainan Airlines HU (737-800) · 2 routes: Beijing, Nanning
- IndiGo Airlines 6E (A320) · 2 routes: Delhi, Kolkata
- Jeju Air 7C (737) · 2 routes: Busan, Seoul
- Jet Airways 9W (737-800, 737-900) · 2 routes: Delhi, Mumbai
- Korean Air KE (A330-300, A330-200, 747-400, 777-200, 777-300) · 2 routes: Busan, Seoul
- Kuwait Airways KU (340) · 2 routes: Kuwait, Manila
- Norwegian Air Shuttle DY (787-8) · 2 routes: Oslo*, Stockholm*
- Oman Air WY (A330-200, A330-300, A340-300) · 2 routes: Guangzhou, Muscat
- Rainbow Air Polynesia RX (737) · 2 routes: Chittagong, Dhaka
- Royal Air Cambodge VJ (A320) · 2 routes: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City
- S7 Airlines S7 (A320, 767-300) · 2 routes: Irkutsk, Novosibirsk
- Shandong Airlines SC (737-800) · 2 routes: Jinan, Qingdao
- Singapore Airlines Cargo SQ (767-300, A330-300, 777-200) · 2 routes: Addis Ababa, Singapore
- Xiamen Airlines MF (737-800) · 2 routes: Fuzhou, Xiamen
- Aeroflot Russian Airlines SU (A330-300) · 1 route: Moscow
- Air Astana KC (757, 767) · 1 route: Alma-ata
- Air Austral UU (737-800) · 1 route: Madras
- Air Berlin AB (A319) · 1 route: Chiang Mai*
- Air Macau NX (A319, A320, A321) · 1 route: Macau
- Asia Wings Y5 (A320) · 1 route: Yangon
- Austrian Airlines OS (777-200) · 1 route: Vienna
- Biman Bangladesh Airlines BG (737-800) · 1 route: Dhaka
- Brussels Airlines SN (777-300) · 1 route: Brussels*
- Cebu Pacific 5J (A320) · 1 route: Manila
- China SSS 9C (A320) · 1 route: Shanghai
- Delta Air Lines DL (A330-300, 747-400) · 1 route: Tokyo
- Eastar Jet ZE (737-800) · 1 route: Seoul
- El Al Israel Airlines LY (747-400, 767-300) · 1 route: Tel-aviv
- Finnair AY (A340-300) · 1 route: Helsinki
- FlyNordic LF (737) · 1 route: Vientiane
- Garuda Indonesia GA (737-800) · 1 route: Jakarta
- Gulf Air Bahrain GF (330, A330-200) · 1 route: Bahrain
- Homer Air MR (A319) · 1 route: Ulan Bator
- Hong Kong Airlines HX (A330-200, A330-300) · 1 route: Hong Kong
- Iberia Airlines IB (777) · 1 route: London*
- Jetstar Airways JQ (A330-200) · 1 route: Melbourne
- Jetstar Asia Airways 3K (A320) · 1 route: Singapore
- Jin Air LJ (737-800) · 1 route: Seoul
- Juneyao Airlines HO (A320) · 1 route: Shanghai
- L MJ (A320, A330-200, A340-300) · 1 route: Colombo*
- Mahan Air W5 (313) · 1 route: Tehran
- Mandala Airlines RI (A320) · 1 route: Jakarta
- Myanmar Airways International 8M (A320) · 1 route: Yangon
- Orient Thai Airlines OX (M82) · 1 route: Hong Kong
- Philippine Airlines PR (A320, 330) · 1 route: Manila
- Royal Brunei Airlines BI (A319, A320) · 1 route: Bandar Seri Begawan
- Royal Nepal Airlines RA (757) · 1 route: Kathmandu
- Scoot TZ (777-200) · 1 route: Singapore
- Shanghai Airlines FM (737-800, 757) · 1 route: Shanghai
- Shenzhen Airlines ZH (737-800) · 1 route: Shenzhen
- South African Airways SA (777) · 1 route: Johannesburg*
- South East Asian Airlines DG (A320) · 1 route: Angeles City
- Swiss International Air Lines LX (A340-300) · 1 route: Zurich
- Tiger Airways TR (A320) · 1 route: Singapore
- TransAsia Airways GE (330) · 1 route: Taipei
- Tway Airlines TW (737) · 1 route: Seoul
- Ukraine International Airlines PS (767-300) · 1 route: Kiev
- United Airlines UA (777) · 1 route: Tokyo*
- United Airways 4H (ATR 72) · 1 route: Dhaka
- Uzbekistan Airways HY (767-300, 767-400) · 1 route: Tashkent
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Don Mueang International Airport (DMK) 20 km to the centre
Bangkok, 10, TH — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 7 airlines (Thai AirAsia, Nok Air, City Airways, Indonesia AirAsia…) · direct flights to 48 destinations incl. Phuket, Kuala Lumpur, Changcha, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 7 airlines, 48 direct destinations
- Thai AirAsia FD (A320) · 36 routes: Changcha, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Chongqing, Denpasar, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Hanoi, Hat Yai, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Khon Kaen, Krabi, Kuala Lumpur, Kunming, Macau, Madras, Mandalay, Nakhon Phanom, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Narathiwat, Ninbo, Penang, Phitsanulok, Phnom-penh, Phuket, Shenzhen, Siem-reap, Singapore, Surat Thani, Trang, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Wuhan, Xi'an, Yangon
- Nok Air DD (737-800, ATR) · 22 routes: Buri Ram, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Chumphon, Hat Yai, Krabi, Loei, Nakhon Phanom, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Nan, Phitsanulok, Phrae, Phuket, Ranong, Roi Et, Sakon Nakhon, Surat Thani, Tak, Trang, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Yangon
- City Airways E8 (734) · 3 routes: Changcha, Nanchang, Phuket
- Indonesia AirAsia QZ (A320) · 2 routes: Jakarta, Surabaya
- Orient Thai Airlines OX (M82) · 2 routes: Guangzhou, Phuket
- AirAsia AK (A320) · 1 route: Kuala Lumpur
- Malindo Air OD (737-900) · 1 route: Kuala Lumpur
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Supawan Mini Airfield 26 km to the centre
Bang Yai, 12, TH
Best Ocean Airpark 32 km to the centre
Samut Sakhon, 74, TH
Getting there by ferry
Pratunam
Ferry terminal · 0.5 km from the centre
Sapan Hua Chang
Ferry terminal · 0.7 km from the centre
Chidlom
Ferry terminal · 0.8 km from the centre
Wireless
Ferry terminal · 1.2 km from the centre
Sapan Charoenpol
Ferry terminal · 1.4 km from the centre
Nana Nua
Ferry terminal · 1.8 km from the centre
Khlong Saen Saep Express Boat
Ferry route
Boat: Panfa Leelard => Pratunam
Ferry route · Golden Mount Line
Boat: Pratunam => Panfa Leelard
Ferry route · Golden Mount Line
Sawatdi-Wat Thong Thammachat Ferry
Ferry route
Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem Express Boat
Ferry route · บริษัท กรุงเทพธนาคม จำกัด
Si Phraya-Khlong San Ferry
Ferry route · กรมเจ้าท่า
Icon Siam-Si Phraya Pier Shuttle Boat
Ferry route · Thai Smile Boat Co., Ltd.
Rachawongse-Tha Din Daeng Ferry
Ferry route
Local transit
Trains & rail
Airport Rail Link Bangkok
Rail operator
State Railway of Thailand
National rail
Private aviation
On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.
Air Charter Service
Broker · Any aircraft via operators worldwide · Global charter broker with 30+ offices; private jets, group charters and cargo.
ExecuJet
FBO, charter, management · Managed fleet · FBO network and management across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
Flexjet
Fractional, jet card · Embraer Praetor, Bombardier Challenger & Global, Gulfstream · Fractional ownership and jet cards in North America and Europe.
Global Jet
Charter, management · Large-cabin & VIP airliners · Geneva-based operator known for large-cabin and VIP airliner charters.
Jet Aviation
Charter, management, FBO, MRO · Managed fleet worldwide · General Dynamics company: charter, completions and FBOs in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the US.
Tours & experiences
Bangkok Herping Tour
Sightseeing
Bangkok Hangover Tour
Sightseeing
Living Here
Getting about
- The BTS Skytrain (Sukhumvit and Silom lines) and the MRT (Blue and Purple lines, plus the Yellow and Pink monorails) cover the centre and are the only way to beat the traffic. There is still no single fare card: the BTS uses the Rabbit card, the MRT its own card or a contactless bank card. Single journeys are cheap.
- The Chao Phraya Express boats and the Saen Saep canal boats are fast, cheap and the most enjoyable transport in the city. Taxis are metered and cheap — insist on the meter — and Grab and Bolt work well; motorcycle taxis at every soi mouth are the fastest thing on the road.
- Suvarnabhumi (BKK) is 30 minutes to Phaya Thai on the Airport Rail Link; Don Mueang (DMK), the budget-airline airport, is served by the SRT Red Line and buses. Trains to the rest of the country leave from the new Krung Thep Aphiwat station.
- Walking is hot and the pavements are poor; plan around the rail lines and the river, and give yourself an hour for anything by road in the rush hours.
Health
- Dial 1669 for an ambulance, 191 for police and 1155 for the tourist police, who speak English. Bumrungrad, Bangkok Hospital and Samitivej are among the best private hospitals in Asia and the reason people fly in for treatment; Siriraj and Chulalongkorn are the great public teaching hospitals.
- Pharmacies are everywhere and sell most things over the counter. Dengue is present year-round, especially in the rainy season; use repellent. Drink bottled water and be sensible about ice and raw food, though street food is generally safe.
- Visitors should carry travel insurance; the private hospitals are excellent and priced accordingly, and a motorcycle accident without cover is the classic disaster.
Work & study
- Chulalongkorn and Thammasat are the elite universities, Mahidol leads in medicine and Kasetsart in agriculture; all teach some programmes in English and take exchange students.
- The city is Thailand's finance, media, government and corporate centre and the regional headquarters for much of Southeast Asia; manufacturing — cars, electronics, food — sits on the eastern seaboard, and tourism and hospitality employ vast numbers.
- Foreigners need a work permit, and teaching English remains the classic entry job; the Destination Thailand Visa now caters for remote workers, who have made Ari, Thonglor and the co-working spaces their own.
Money & manners
- Thai baht; cash still matters at markets and stalls, though PromptPay QR codes are everywhere and cards work in shops and restaurants. Tipping is not expected — round up, leave the coins, or 20–50 baht for good service; hotels and better restaurants add 10% service and 7% VAT.
- The wai greeting is returned with a smile if not a wai; the head is sacred and the feet are not, so do not point them at people or Buddha images. Shoulders and knees covered in temples, shoes off inside. Never disrespect the monarchy, even in jest; the law is severe.
- The seasons are hot (March to May), rainy (June to October) and cool and dry (November to February), which is the time to come. Songkran in mid-April closes the city for a three-day water fight.
- Keep calm — raised voices lose face and get nothing done — and be suspicious of unsolicited helpfulness near the big temples, of any tuk-tuk offering a tour for 20 baht, and of anyone selling gems.