Thailand (Air India flights)

villa2010

Looking forward to experiencing the culture.

I have heard mixed review about BK. How many days would people recommend spending there?!

Doshwaster

villa2010 wrote: »

Looking forward to experiencing the culture.

I have heard mixed review about BK. How many days would people recommend spending there?!

Three nights is probably about right. The first evening will be a writeoff as you'll be jet-lagged - just have a quiet dinner and collapse into bed. Two full days will give you enough time to have a good look around. Just do a Google search for "48 hours in Bangkok" for some ideas.

Once you get to grips with it, Bangkok is a fantastic place and you cannot fail to have a good time (of whatever sort of "culture" that floats your boat) but after 3 days you'll be ready to escape the noise, traffic, smells and pollution.

Just don't try to see everything in one trip. If you ever go back to SE Asia you'll almost certainly be passing through Bangkok again so there will be future trips to see more.

fifeken

PompeyPete wrote: »

I'm looking forward to taking the Airport Rail Link when we land in BKK this Thursday. No more kamikaze taxi drivers!

PompeyPete wrote: »

Our hotel is right by Ramkhomkaeng station, takes about 25 minutes on the City Line, and costs next to nowt.

Is the city line the slower one? If so, then no problem but in case it's the express line I hope you know they've recently cut the schedule and it's only running once per hour now.

totallybored

villa2010 wrote: »

Looking forward to experiencing the culture.

I have heard mixed review about BK. How many days would people recommend spending there?!

I had 3 full days last time I was there and could have spent longer. I was on my own too and all I did was shop and relax. It depends on what you want to do though. I was happy to lie around the hotel pool and only leave the hotel to shop. This is probably a nightmare to some people

PompeyPete

fifeken wrote: »

Is the city line the slower one? If so, then no problem but in case it's the express line I hope you know they've recently cut the schedule and it's only running once per hour now.

Yep, City Line.

PompeyPete

For us, the best of the must do's in BKK is a trip on the Public Ferry from Central all the way up to Nonthaburi. It's an awesome trip on an equally awesome river.
On the way back get off at Pier 13. Then walk to the Khao San area, and have a wander round the backpacker area. Loads of shops, bars, restaurants, and lots of vibe.
Return to Pier 13, and have something to eat at the outside restaurant of the hotel by the pier. It's called the Navalai River Resort. Enjoy a meal and a drink, watching the world go by on a very busy working river.

We'll be doing that this Friday morning, after we've been to Hualamphong train station to book our tickets for Prachuap Khiri Khan on Sunday morning.:j

vegasvisitor

When we looked at going to Bangkok in January we had thought of staying at the Riverside area and taking the bus out to the beaches once or twice. The hotel we were looking at (Chatrium) had a lovely pool and it looked quite relaxing, which was partly what we were after. Of course we would have also went out and explored.

How would people rate the Riverside area? If we do Thailand (either this June or another January) we will probably have longer to spend so would likely go to a beach as well, or perhaps even Vietnam.

PompeyPete

lesley74 wrote: »

If we do Thailand (either this June or another January) we will probably have longer to spend so would likely go to a beach as well, or perhaps even Vietnam.

January is dry, and very busy as it's High Season. Quite a lot of rain in June, so it'll keep you cool on the beach!

Bangkok = NO Beach.
Pattaya is the closest, about two hours by road, but I won't recommend it.
Hua Hin is three hours away by road, recommended and a popular resort, but there's much better in Thailand.

Your best bet is to start looking on the Trip Advisor Thailand main discussion forum. The main forum covers all of Thailand, but it's easy to work out which area each individual thread is aimed at.

Doshwaster

PompeyPete wrote: »

For us, the best of the must do's in BKK is a trip on the Public Ferry from Central all the way up to Nonthaburi. It's an awesome trip on an equally awesome river.
On the way back get off at Pier 13. Then walk to the Khao San area, and have a wander round the backpacker area. Loads of shops, bars, restaurants, and lots of vibe.
Return to Pier 13, and have something to eat at the outside restaurant of the hotel by the pier. It's called the Navalai River Resort. Enjoy a meal and a drink, watching the world go by on a very busy working river.

We'll be doing that this Friday morning, after we've been to Hualamphong train station to book our tickets for Prachuap Khiri Khan on Sunday morning.:j

+1. That's pretty much a perfect recommendation for a first day in Bangkok.

On the way back to Central Pier you can also stop off at the Royal Palace and/or Chinatown (though Bangkok's Chinatown isn't as interesting as other cities)

PompeyPete

Doshwaster wrote: »

+1. That's pretty much a perfect recommendation for a first day in Bangkok.

And for Day Two, if it's weekend...

http://www.bangkok.com/shopping-market/popular-markets.htm

...plus if you like a walk in a big park in the centre of all the mayhem try Lumphini Park...

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g293916-d456170-Reviews-Lumpini_Park-Bangkok.html
http://www.bangkok.com/sport-parks---activities/lumpini-park.htm

...and see if you can spot any free-roaming monitor lizards. If you can't see them they can see you!:)

Or, if you want to escape the intense heat for a few hours try Siam Ocean World...

http://www.bangkok.com/siam-ocean-world.htm