Bangkok, a home away from home

Bangkok or “City of Angels“, is like my home away from home. You simply cannot love this amazing, vibrant and urban big city full of life and culture, with colorful streets, green and big parks, incredible cool shopping and of course, amazing big temples.

• Accommodation: Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River (by far the best hotel I have ever had)
• Transportation via the city/ferry: There are two options: you can choose between the public ferry with an orange flag (15 Baht = US$ 0,50) or the more expensive tourist ferry with a blue flag (150 Baht = US$ 4,6). I recommend that you take the public ferry (orange flag) for a better experience.
• My tip to you: Whatever you do, be wary of anyone who approaches you and speaks perfect English and tell you that some palace is closed today or that the way you are going is wrong. Very often they are people who want to get you to tailor shop where they will get a commission. Sometimes even official-looking people may try to convince you to go to one of these shops.
• Travel Insurance: nothing is cheap in Bangkok when comes to private hospitals.
• Water Bottle – The tap water in Bangkok is not safe to drink so try to have always bottled water with you. And, try to avoid ice in the drinks 🙂
• Sunscreen – Sunscreen, sunscreen and again a lot of sunscreens is a must.
• History: Here you can check some history of Bangkok.

Bangkok is an amazing city and I will try below to tell you our itinerary for 3 days 🙂

1. Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha)

• Opening hours: 08:30 – 15:30, Mon-Sun
• Ticket price: 500 Baht = US$ 16
• What to wear: Be aware that you must be properly dressed before entering into the temple. Wear shirts with sleeves, long pants or skirts and shoes
• You can also hire a guide just for you (2 hours, 200 Baht = US$ 6)

The place was the former home of the monarch, the Grand Palace is located on the ground of the architectural wonder Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The king does not live here anymore, and only uses this palace for very important ceremonial occasions.

The Temple of Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew) is the most important Buddhist temple in Thailand. Buddhists all over the world come here to pay their respects.

2. Wat Arun – Temple Of The Dawn

• Opening hours: Every day 08:00 – 18:00
• Ticket price: 100 Baht= US$ 3 per person
• Estimated time: 1-2 hour

This is by far my favorite temple in Bangkok. In the middle of this temple, you can find the most prominent, 82 m high beautifully decorated Khmer-style tower where you can walk up the steep stairs and admire the view of Bangkok and its rivers. It’s amazingly beautiful!

3. Chinatown

Also called Yaowarat after the main road Th Yaowarat Road that runs through this area, this part is one of the oldest parts of Bangkok. The first resettlement of Chinese was in this area and dates back to 1782.

This is the place where you can experience the authentic Bangkok, so the best thing you can do is to explore and get a lost. And also, don’t forget to try some street food – here you will find surprises at every corner.

4. Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

• Opening hours Damnoen Saduak Floating Market: 07:00 – 12:00
• Address: Damnoen Saduak, Ratchaburi

You can’t leave the main city without a visit to one of the popular floating markets of Bangkok. The most popular and famous and dates more than 100-year old Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. It’s true that there are a lot of tourists in the area but the atmosphere just worth a visit. You can but souvenirs and exotic fruits, snacks and hats from the floating boats.

There are several canals that you can go threw by boat. The markets usually open at 07:00 in the morning and close around noon, and the way takes about 1,5 hours to drive there one way, so get up early.

5. Drinks At A Rooftop Bar

• Opening hours Moon Bar at Banyan tree Hotel: 17:00 – 01:00, Mon-Sun
• Address Moon Bar: 21/100 South Sathon Road
• How to get to Moon Bar: You can go with sky train to Chong Nonsi, or metro to Lumphini station, and walk from there

At any Bangkok visit, you should definitely try some fancy drinks at a rooftop bar. There are several rooftop bars in Bangkok that deserve your attention. One really nice rooftop bar is at the Muse Hotel, Skybar at Sirocco on the 63rd floor of the Dome at State Tower (really famous by the movie Hangover 2), and the Marriott Hotel Sukhumvit. My recommendation is Moon Bar on the 61st floor at Banyan tree Hotel.

I’m excited to introduce the Phuket adventure that you can check here. Usually, there are several low-cost airlines that with cca 100 EUR you can go to Phuket or another exotic paradise in Thailand. 🙂