bangkok heaven

To put it simply, Bangkok can seem like a labyrinth to new arrivals in the city. The sprawling expressways and overpasses, huge new Skytrain and crowded streets full of vendors give the place a distinct Blade Runner-esque feel. Causing even further confusion is the lack of a true "center" to the city, with various districts scattered throughout town. On the positive side, the Skytrain has made it much easier to get around, and taxis, tuk-tuks, buses and motorcycle taxis are plentiful. Get your bearings by reading the following guide and it will not take long for you to be seduced by the glorious chaos and charm of the "City of Angels."

Phra Nakorn

The most heavily visited area, at least during the day, is Ko Rattanakosin (Rattanakosin Island), Bangkok's old city on the eastern bank of the Chao Phraya River. Here you will find fantastic examples of historical architecture such as the glittering Grand Palace , Wat Phra Keo , Wat Pho , Wat Mahathat , the Golden Mount and Wat Suthat . The city's founding pillar, Lak Mueang , is also located in this district, as are the National Museum , National Theater and National Gallery . If you are keen on seeing something completely out of the ordinary, pop across the river to the Museum of the Department of Forensic Medicine. Sanam Luang is about the only green spot on the "island," which is not really an island but would have seemed like one in the old days before the many canals linking the area to the river had not yet been filled in.

Thonburi

Bangkok was once referred to as "The Venice of the East," but today the klongs, or canals, are concentrated in Thonburi, an area lying to the west of the Chao Phraya River. You can take a klong tour, typical stops include Wat Arun and the museum of the Royal Barges . Buses heading south from Bangkok leave from Sai Tai bus terminal, located here.

Banglampoo & Thewet

Backpackers head for the Banglampoo and Thewet districts. Near the Democracy Monument on Khao San Road you can find some good souvenir shopping. This strip is lined with guest houses and cheap restaurants, none of which stand out for their ambiance or cuisine. A mere stone's throw away along Phra Arthit Road, some great restaurants and bars come to life at night. Following the eastern bank of the Chao Phraya, you will come to an area with a laid-back, cosmopolitan feel that is frequented by students from the nearby universities of Thammasat and Silpakorn. 

Dusit

The Dusit district offers plenty of tourist attractions. Vimanmek Palace , Wat Benchamabophit , Suan Pakkard Palace and Dusit Zoo are all found here. There is not much in the way of hotels or restaurants, but a small artsy area popular with local students has sprung up on Rachawithee Soi 34.

Phayathai/Chatuchak

Northern Bangkok's touristic highlight is Chatuchak Weekend Market , best reached by catching the Skytrain. Mor Chit bus terminal is located near the same stop, which is handy to know if you want to catch an inter-provincial bus heading north or northeast. This is also a major transport hub, with the Skytrain and plenty of buses passing through. Mah Boon Krong is the largest shopping center in the district, and serves as a local transit hub and good orientation point. 

Pathumwan

Young Thais and keen shoppers head for the area around Siam Square , a shopping paradise - unless you are a tall Western woman looking for off-the-rack clothes or shoes. The huge array of dining options along this stretch include Auberge Daband and the Erawan Tea Room .

There is plenty of selection in malls such as Siam Center and Siam Discovery Center , Centerpoint (the most popular teenage hangout), and the World Trade Center . A walk away from the latter stands Panthip Plaza, also known as heaven for computer geeks, and possibly the best place to get deals on computers in Southeast Asia. The non-shopper can retreat to the sanctuary of Jim Thompson's House and Museum . There is a cluster of hotels in this area, and popular restaurants such as the Hard Rock Cafe are also found here. Heading east along Ploenchit Road and Sukhumvit Road, you can orchestrate a shopping extravaganza at either the street stalls that spring up at the beginning of Sukhumvit and stretch to Soi Asoke or at department stores such as Central Chidlom .

Sathorn/Silom/Bangrak

The Sathorn/Silom area forms the core of Bangkok's Central Business District, although the Stock Exchange of Thailand is located some distance away on Ratchadaphisek Road. The area encompasses a number of embassies and hotels, such as the Banyan Tree, Sukhothai and Dusit Thani . Silom Road offers more shopping opportunities, including the Patpong Night Market . Sri Maha Uma Devi Temple is also located in this district. Restaurants abound, particularly around Convent Road. Head for nearby Lumpini Park for a break in a rare patch of green.

If you head west along Sathorn or Silom Road, you will come to Charoen Krung ("New") Road and back to the Chao Phraya River. A tram used to run along this road, but these days hardly anything does - the traffic is too thick! This is another popular hotel area, with such luxurious hotels as The Oriental , The Peninsula , the Shangri-La , the Royal Orchid Sheraton and the Marriott Spa Resort all overlooking the river. Take a sunset cruise or dine in one of the many restaurants along the majestic river, such as Yok Yor Marina and Restaurant . The River City Shopping Complex sells a huge array of antiques and is worth a browse. 

Chinatown & Pahurat

North along the river lies hectic Chinatown and Pahurat, an Indian district. Here you will find Wat Traimit , but the area is best known for its shopping. Yaowarat Road has loads of gold shops, while Sampeng Lane has everything from hair accessories to shoes, all at bargain prices. Farther north you will come to Pak Klong Talat with its colorful fresh flowers.

Outside the City

There are also a number of attractions to be found in the outlying areas of Bangkok and adjacent provinces, including King Rama IX Royal Park , Nonthaburi, the Ancient City , Damnoen Saduak Floating Market and Ayutthaya , a trip to which usually incorporates a visit to Bang Pa-In Summer Palace 

things to do

1. Spend quality time with Buddha

Immerse yourself in the beauty of Buddhist temples (wats), spotting swanlike chofa finials, ornate gables, roofs of green and orange tiles, crown-like windows, conical chedi (stupas) clad in gold, stucco or ceramic mosaic, or leaf-shaped sema boundary stones around the bot (chapel).

Most communities have at least one wat, but a few are stand out must-sees.

Wat Kalayanamit houses Thailand's largest indoor sitting Buddha (15 metres/49 feet high) – it also boasts its highest chofa (roof finial) and biggest bell. Wat Suthat, Bangkok’s tallest vihaan, houses another awe-inducing Buddha, the 8m (26ft) Phra Sri Sakyamuni Buddha. At Wat Benchamabophit all stylistic periods of Buddha images can be seen in the cloister.

Wats host periodic festivals (see festivals & events in Bangkok) and may perform secular roles as schools, hospitals or orphanages to fairgrounds, lodgings or cinemas, as well as tourist sights.

See all religious sites & buildings in Bangkok

2. Cruise the ‘Venice of the East’

Visitors often regard boating as their most rewarding city experience, even though the ‘Venice of the East’ label barely applies any longer, since most Bangkok canals have been lost to road-building. Yet khlongs still thread through the Thonburi west bank and branch into the plantations of Nonthaburi, stretching on throughout Thailand’s Central Plains, connecting rivers, rice farms, towns, temples and floating markets (see Floating markets below).

Exploring the waterways requires some strategy. The rule to bear in mind is that the longer you spend, the greater the value and rewards. A half-day enables you to see the mostly urban canals of Thonburi, now heavily scarred by concrete flood barriers, because this delta instinctively wants to overflow. A full day takes you upriver and into a rustic canalscape barely modernised – though riparian lifestyles are changing fast.

Read more about Bangkok’s areas

3. Eat local

Escape the de-spiced tourist menus. Eat local. Bangkok’s position, between India and China, encouraged its cooks to borrow from both – and beyond. And yet, the Central Plains cuisine remains singular in its style and complexity, and is served by most upscale Thai restaurants. This is Thailand’s most elevated culinary form – making use of fresh local herbs, seafood and meats in piquant salads, spicy soups and that famed green curry.

Regional menus have their niches, especially the salads, grilled meats and sticky rice of Isaan, Thailand’s northeast, at places like Isaan Rot Det. Southern Thai dishes exhibit their pungent spiciness at Ruen Mallika. Lanna (northern) food, influenced by Burma and Yunnan, is found at food markets, notably Or Tor Kor.

The owner of suave Thai restaurant Ruen Urai suggests exploring Bangkok’s culinary scene by context, from streetfood up to fine dining. Resembling a 1950s Tokyo diner, Bo.lan serves small but good value meals. At Chote Chitr dishes are as close as you’ll get to honest home cooking in a restaurant setting, while the homely, buzzing Taling Pling combines bright decor with tasty rural cooking.

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4. Get togged up in tailor-made threads

Haberdasheries crowd tourist areas, especially Sukhumvit Sois 3-11, Thanon Khao San, Thanon Charoen Krung (between Silom and River City) and malls. Typically run by Thai-Indians, they can tailor bespoke suits and dresses for bargain prices. For optimum quality and service, dismiss the ‘24-hour with free kimono’ packages. Most respond professionally to customers who are thorough about cut, cloth and detailing. Give them a pattern or choose from their catalogues and magazine cuttings. Insist on at least two fittings over several days.

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5. Succumb to the spirit of Thai dance-drama

Classical dance-drama embodies sacred rites and Thai thespians believe they must succumb to their characters’ spirit. Before every show, cast and crew convene for a wai khru rite to honour their masters. Many times daily, devotees thank the spirits at Lak Muang and the Erawan Shrine by commissioning resident dancers to do an excerpt of Lakhon Chatri, a typically slow, mannered dance derived from the Malay-influence Manohra repertoire. No wonder Thai dance is so beguiling; it channels the gods.

Catch one of the following:

Khon The most intricate and venerated genre, masked dance. Episodes are seen at weekly shows in Sala Chalermkrung, with excerpts at Sala Thai restaurant.

Phichet Kluncheun Internationally lauded it modernises Khon at festivals and Chang Theatre (Pracha Uthit Soi 59, 08 1985 0281, www.pklifework.com). There’s a Khon Museum at Suan Pakkard Palace.

Lakhon (drama) has two main threads:

Lakhon Nok Rousing, melodramatic, and formerly all-male. 

Lakhon Nai More refined, and once an all-female court repertoire.

Peeramon Chomthavat’s authentic troupe Aporn Ngam appears at Bangkok Theatre Festival (see festivals & events in Bankok) and Origin.

Likay A brash folk opera, which blends literature, fables and comedy. It’s now limited to temple fairs, fusions with morlam music and topical interpretations 
by Makhampom at BTF (see festivals & events in Bangkok) and its Makhampom Studio (Saphan Kwai intersection, 0 2616 8473, www.makhampom.net).

See all theatre and dance venues in Bangkok

6. Gallery hop

New ideas and individualism are weaning Thai art from religious subjects and revered masters’ templates. 

Curators at progressive galleries showcase a new generation of artists with reputations for conceptual art driven by folk, ethnic and pop culture. Photography gets exposure at Kathmandu, Phranakorn Bar, and the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (0 2652 0580-1, www.fccthai.com).

The long-heralded Bangkok Art & Culture Centre (BACC), while not without problems, now acts as a much-needed focus for exhibitions and festivals. More impressive still, the Thailand Creative & Design Centre (TCDC) holds world-class exhibitions and events. The free map Art Connection (monthly) covers all art happenings.

See all art venues in Bangkok

7. Club like a local

At local clubs revellers jiggle around tall tables, snacking and topping up their whisky-cokes while DJs talk over pop-dance requests. Downtown playlists are edgier, if often samey. Stalwarts like Club Culture or Narcissus diversify with themed nights, annual dance parties (www.culture-one-bkk.com) and import DJs (Tiësto, Qbert, Goldie, Oakenfold), boosting Bangkok’s credibility as an international party hub.

Top local and international DJs also spin at 808, Bed Supperclub and Q Bar.

Among homespun DJs, listen out for Spydamonkee, Dragon, Joeki, Arsit, Octo, indie veteran Seed, and DJ spin champions Oatawa and Kolor One.

See all clubs in Bangkok

8. Relax!

Thailand has become a world holistic centre with an Institute of Thai Traditional Medicine (0 2965 9683) supplementing the know-how of Wat Pho, a vast, mellow temple, where visitors can learn Thai massage in English.

 Meditation is taught at centres like Wat Mahathat. Contact the World Fellowship of Buddhists (616 Soi Methiniwet, Sukhumvit Soi 24, 0 2661 1284-7, www.wfb-hq.org), where monks also give meditation talks in English (2-6pm, first Sunday of the month).

An unrivalled breadth of swish hotel spas (see hotels in Bangkok overview) and budget massage houses dispense indigenous and imported therapies

Try Arima Onsen for reflexology and Thai massage, Bodhi for hi-tech diagnostics and workouts, Divana Spa for couples and families, Nicolie Asian Massage, and Sareerarom Tropical Spa for massage and Dharma yoga.



See all sport, health & fitness venues in Bangkok

9. Be fabulous at Bangkok’s kitschest cabaret

Many cabarets are no more than a commercial spectacle offering lip-synching ladyboys (kathoey), however, a few are stand out: Calypso is Bangkok’s original ladyboy cabaret with Vegas-ish routines; at Mambo's ladyboys primp and grin through feathered extravaganzas designed to tick the nationality boxes of each coach party present; and at Miss AC/DC spoof drag queens ‘represent’ some 70 countries in ‘national costumes’ (see festivals & events in Bangkok).

Gritty, witty and inventive drag shows are performed at gay clubs.

See all adult entertainment and cabaret in Bangkok

10. Dance to a Thai beat

Taxis play morlam, the infectious, upbeat folk music from Isaan, Thailand’s northeast, but try it live at Isaan Tawandaeng. Meanwhile, Raintree hosts ‘songs for life’, a mix of Thai riffs and country rock. Jazz merges into blues here, as at Saxophone, Brown Sugar, Bamboo Bar or sometimes Rain Dogs. Brick Bar and Bu-ngah serve up energetic ska. Even heavy metal has a home in Bangkok, at the Rock Pub. Many clubs have house bands or gigs by Thai pop or indie acts.

See all music venues in Bangkok

11. Tuck into a kerbside gourmet feast

The sidewalk is Bangkok’s de facto dining room. Much vendor cuisine has Chinese ancestry – from Hainan chicken rice (khao man kai) to duck noodles. So Chinatown, with its sensory blur of vendors at Thanon Yaowarat and Soi Texas makes a great place to graze. But first get some context at Nang Leong Market, a pretty clean market serving classics from sweet kanom to savoury pork shank rice (khao ka moo), along with Ngua Doong Nang Leong’s steaming beef offal soup and other oddities. Try Talad Or Tor Kor for upscale regional specialities, or Sukhumvit Soi 38 in Thonglor. Other one-dish destinations include Kai Thord Soi Polo (Isaan-style fried chicken); Khrua Aroi Aroi (curry over fresh rice noodles); Mid Night Kai Ton (Hainan chicken rice); Pet Tun Jao Tha (duck and goose); Roti Mataba (stuffed flatbread and curries); and Thip Samai (pad Thai).

Street eating is a voyage of discovery. If something looks good just try it – there are countless more streetfood shrines hiding in plain sight.

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12. Slip into the shadow

Thai dance and puppetry are indivisible. Khon derives its flat-stanced aesthetic from Nang (shadow puppetry); later, Hun (marionettes) emulated the glittery stylisation of Khon. At festivals you may see Nang Yai, outsize shadow puppets with no moving parts manoeuvred by dancers, or smaller, hinged Nang Talung animated by a satirical narrator. Small, painted Hun Krabok glove puppets have hands moved by sticks. At the Thai Puppet Theater and Aksra Theatre, uncannily lifelike Hun Lakhon Lek involve toddler-sized puppets, each manipulated by three dancers.

See all theatre in Bangkok

13. Buy into neo-Thai aesthetics

Once famed for its exotic crafts, silk and copy goods, Bangkok has reconfigured traditional crafts into a neo-Thai design aesthetic with indigenous materials, tropical colours and pared-down Thai forms. You can see this elegant style applied across clothing, decor, accessories and home spa products. ‘Original’ is gradually displacing ‘copy’ as Bangkok’s retail mantra.

Head to River City and Chatuchak Weekend Market for antique Asian objet d’art; to Chatuchak, Khao San Road and Sukhumvit’s Nana areas for souvenir crafts; Paragon Passage at Siam Paragon and Exotique Thai at Emporium for higher quality Siamese collectibles.

Items bearing the OTOP logo are state-marketed village goods. Traditional crafts include: forged steel cutlery by knifemaker NV Aranyik; woodcarving; brassware; puppets (at Thai Puppet Theater); and Thai silk, a heavy, coarse, lustrous fibre made famous by Jim Thompson and now made to order by Almeta.

You can still buy crafts from their source. Artisans working in and around Bangkok include weavers at Ban Khrua Thai Silk (837 Baan Krua Soi 9, 08 1243 9089, 7am-6pm daily), metalbeaters at the Monk’s Bowl Village, goldsmiths at Tang Toh Kang and bronze foundry workers in the lane beside Wat Suwannaram.

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14. Take a beach break

When Bangkokians go on long beach weekends, the more conservative head for Hua Hin, while the sparkier, younger set zooms southeast to Ko Samet, a dagger-shaped islet in Rayong province. Without getting on a plane, this is the easiest place to test the brochures’ ‘forested isle in an emerald sea’ claims. The sand is fine and the water is clear.

Read more about excursions from Bangkok

15. Have a good old rummage

Talad (markets) and rot khen (roving carts) garnish Bangkok in the purest expression of the sensual Thai culture, with their kaleidoscope of scents (jasmine garlands, musty puddles, durian), sounds (yelping hawkers, booming techno), sights (sleeping children, slithering eels, temple fairs), touch (antique silk, fake fur) and tastes (many unique to Thailand).

Markets often integrate into their community, like Talad Banglamphu or Sampeng Lane Market in Chinatown.

Traders vary in shifts at particular spots: Chatuchak Weekend Market sells just about everything; Pahurat Market (Talad Pahurat) is awash with fabrics and textiles; visit this remnant of Bangkok’s original fresh market, Pak Khlong Talad to fully grasp the Thai love of flowers; Suan Lum Night Bazaar, Sampeng Lane and Thanon Khao San for souvenirs and decor items; and Trok Itsaranuphap for foodie treat.

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Read more about Bangkok’s floating markets and other excusrions from Bangkok.

16. Get high

Rooftops restaurants and bars have gained cachet in this cramped, humid soi-scape – they offer escapism, a view and a breeze.

The narrow Vertigo and its casual Moon Bar inspire queasiness as you step onto the 61st-floor deck. Its strict dress code is surpassed by the highfalutin’ LeBua – not even knapsacks allowed. Sirocco places greater emphasis on the food, with an upscale Italian menu served against a backdrop of extraordinary views. The Sky Bar, a crowded cusp with glass rails overhanging a 65-storey drop, provides Bangkok’s coolest snapshot.

New vistas open up as skyscrapers in-build this concept. Central World has two. Red Sky offers fine dining and a wine bar from a 55th-floor perch. Slightly cheaper, Zense, on the 17th floor of Zen department store, is a something-for-everyone eaterie.

To avoid the hundred-dollar-a-head bills many people go to these bars just for sundowner drinks. Those with lower budgets still have less elevated rooftop alternatives, like the Gazebo Moroccan bar-restaurants in the areas of Banglamphu and Sukhumvit, and Phranakorn Bar, where in-the-know hipsters have a private panorama of the Golden Mount.

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17. Appreciate phiphat music

Hearing the discombobulating rhythms of a Phiphat Wong (Thai classical orchestra) is fascinating, but hard to find except at tourist dances. Scheduled recitals occur at BTF, Naris Day, and the National Theatre (5-7pm Sat, music; Sun, dance, Dec-Apr, B20; see festivals & events in Bangkok). You can hear (and join) weekend practice at Luang Pradit Phairoh Foundation. The leading phiphat ensemble Fong Nam regularly plays at Tawandang German Brewhouse.

See all music venues in Bangkok

18. Become a sporting hero

Muay Thai kick boxing has become a global sport managed by the World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Muay Thai Council (0 2369 2213-5, www.wmcmuaythai.com). Many foreigners train with Thais at Fairtex, some winning titles at Lumphini Stadium or Ratchadamnoen Stadium.

All fighters must wear the sacred headband and armlet during the ritual dance to honour teachers before every fight, which a live band accompanies. Loinclothed, bound-fisted old styles have also revived, as at Baan Chang Thai.

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19. Get the Thai look

Siam Square has for decades been a laboratory for Thai fashion. The sartorially inventive teens promenading here take their cue from Japan but delight in Thai whimsy. Young designers start in tiny shoplets threading between the sois, or at Chatuchak Weekend Market. Some open boutiques in Siam Center opposite, with Theatre and Baking Soda among the most fondly enduring. Although global chains have muscled in, indie labels still cater to the trendiest of tastes.

Those that ‘go inter’ (gain international success) graduate to Gaysorn or Siam Paragon. Few have proven to be as savvy at design, marketing and logistics as the pioneering Fly Now, which has twice opened London Fashion Week. Its designer Chamnan Phakdeesuk traditionally ends Bangkok International Fashion Week. Held each March at Siam Paragon, BIFW inherited the mantle of Bangkok Fashion City, but long pre-dating this, Elle Fashion Week helps emergent designers and is now held twice a year at Central World.

See festivals & events in Bangkok

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20. Find love... luck, healing and prosperity

Angelina Jolie famously sports a Thai tattoo, and it’s not just any image. The cabalistic diagram etched onto skin by monks derives from auspicious yantra designs that also come on cloth or taxi ceilings. Its powers – luck, protection, prosperity, healing, love – are activated by a mantra (spell). Angelina’s tattoo is an amulet.

Thai amulets appear everywhere and in myriad forms, tied around necks or waists, on dashboards, wrapped in boxers’ armbands, taken to Iraq by soldiers.