9 Great Travel Tips for Visiting Bangkok

Bangkok city of drunken pleasures city of blow your skirt of delicious food city of temples city of life if you're traveling to Thailand or even Southeast Asia in general there's a good chance you'll begin your trip in Bangkok I have to be honest the first time I visited this wild city I was not a fan too loud too frenetic a dizzying mass of drunken tourists noisy traffic and scam artists but I did it wrong and upon further visits I realized that underneath the seedy stereotypes this is a wonderful city full of ancient beauty truly incredible food and some of the friendliest people you'll need this city rocks so sit back let me show you how to Bangkok the right way that's not it better in my head tip number one how to get around this city is huge I mean massive but it's surprisingly easy to navigate when you know how to start getting to the city from the airport is super easy and remarkably cheap just follow the signs to the Train select the stop closest to where you're staying putting the money collect your plastic coin you were good to go once you're in the city you have a few ways to get around the cheapest is the BTS train system for usually under 42 baht it's very cheap and useful but can sometimes get a little crowd helpful hints the ticket machines only take coins so unless you want to wait in lines like this one to get changed by a rechargeable rabid card it saves a lot of time the second way to get around is taxis also extremely cheap but very important when getting in a taxi if the driver tries to offer you a set rate do not let them always I repeat always go by the meter I guarantee you it will be cheaper they only drawback the taxi is you have to contend with the bangkok traffic the third way to get around the city is a motorcycle taxi very good for avoiding the aforementioned traffic just you know you're getting on the back of a little bike with a stranger in a city full of crazy traffic have I done it yep what I understand if you didn't feel comfortable of course when the final and arguably most fun way to get around Bangkok is a tuk-tuk because they don't run on a meter they'll be more expensive but you can barter the ring and even if they are a little more expensive they're just plain fun however they can try and scam you which incidentally leads me to tip number two scams when I first arrived in Bangkok one of the main reasons I didn't love the city is because I felt like everyone was trying to scam me but once I knew the tricks I learned they're easy to avoid and I had a much better experience the first scam is the tuk-tuk driver scam if a tuk-tuk driver offers to take you on a tour of temples for what seems like an unreasonably cheap price do not go they may eventually get you to your destination first they're going to drive you to a jewelry store or a hack tailor shop where you'll be hard sold on buying overpriced you don't need because the drivers get a kickback Commission on anything you buy at these places you want an actually amazing suit go to Rajas in the corner of SOI 8 and sukham it's not the cheapest place in town but for about five hundred bucks you can get a fantastic a spoke suit that we easily cost you two to three thousand dollars in the States plus you get to pretend like you're the baby of David Caruso and Derek Zoolander another oddly very popular scam if somebody stops you on the street and tells you that the attraction or temple that you're going to see is closed but they'll take you somewhere even better it is not closed trust the hours that you find online tip number three as far as places to stay in the city there are a lot of great options from dirt cheap to very expensive my favorite place to stay is a great little hotel my buddy Quinn recommended me on SOI for and so compared the blanket vein in for a great room with a big bed nice bathroom and the most wonderful staff you could imagine it'll run you about thirty five bucks a night coelom is another great centrally located neighborhood with a lots going on and lots of good hotel options if you're looking for the cheapest backpacker type accommodation head to the famous khao san road a crowded street where the only locals are really street vendors selling cheap suits and sweet little old ladies selling bracelets that say things like a wish master stay here if you must but please please do not let this be your only experience of bangkok tip number four if you're in bangkok over the weekend you have to visit the chatter check weekend market a massive market spanning an area the size of seven football fields this market will blow your mind this is a I get there take the BTS train at most station all of the throng of people to try to track park and enter the sprawling market here you will find art a vast array of tasty street food some things you might need some things you probably don't need it's so crap why we here again because we promised the kids we take him to the market they all moan about doddle god I hate my knife tip number five take a trip on the river in many ways the child Pryor River is the beating heart of the city and many of the locals still live and commute along the river and its many canals just make sure to watch out for these snakehead fish valiant and lizards also make sure to take one of the longtail boats the other options are cheaper but they will take for ever tip number six I've traveled the world and Bangkok is one of my two or three favorite places to feed your street food is king it's fresh it's plentiful and don't listen to the pamphlets you travel doctor's review to tell you not to eat the street food not to eat any food serve anything fun I've eaten street food in the city from years and I've never once gotten sick in fact the only time I remember getting truly sick from food was the night that I ate two bags of sugarfree gummy bears in one sitting do not do that I shed for an entire day an entire day natural transition from that some of my favorite places to eat Bangkok are super bit here you can find everything from heavenly noodle soups to delectable curry and even fried bugs also the area where Victory Monument is busy with commuters and full of great food options Yago Rock Road in Chinatown is arguably the best street food in the city a wonderful mix of Chinese and Thai Ceylon particularly charm Krung Road also a great neighborhood but to be honest you can find it orgasmic food everywhere you go my personal recommendation a place is busy especially with locals it's usually a good sign if I had to choose one must hit restaurant in the city for arguably the best pad time bangkok head to the very popular tips emma here they have perfected the noodle dish for which thailand is most famous i played a perfect noodles wrapped in a paper-thin omelette i wanted to rub some of my hair to save for later finally for dessert make sure to try the sticky coconut rice with mango show me a desert in the States better than this and I will chop off my own leg and let you feel to me tip number seven if you have a few days make sure to save one of them for a day trip to any of Bangkok's enchanting floating markets there are many options but my personal favorite is the empower floating market about an hour and a half outside the city Bangkok second busiest market it's a nice mix of tourists and locals there are a few ways to get there including all inclusive tours that cost upwards of 50 bucks but the cheapest way is to catch a minibus from Victory Monument the minivans aren't fancy that they're air-conditioned and it will literally only cost you about five dollars round trip once at the market you can explore on your own buy amazing seafood fresh produce delicious snacks and enjoy a truly unique and wonderful lunch experience take a seat on the stone steps leading down to the water and watch them cook your food in the boats below they'll pass your food up and you can dig in on some of the best food I've had in Thailand my favorite dish is a simple mix out of a fried egg called Yan Kai now tip number 8 hit up some of Bangkok's best nightlife start your evening on the 60th floor of the libera hotel at state tower here you will get some stunning views of the city yes the drinks are a bit pricey by Bangkok standards sometimes it's nice to just feel fancy and take in a redonkulous view and the Ceylon neighborhood had to Maggie choose this is one of the coolest bars I've been to anywhere in Asia you walk down a flight of stairs into what appears to be a Chinese restaurant but head through the curtain and you find yourself in an amazing speakeasy type bar with great drinks private rooms with frigging Hobbit doors excellent live entertainment and some awesomely weird performance art important info as a guy you need long pants and shirt that covers your shoulders for posers continuing the nightlife theme head up a night market arguably the most famous of the PAP pong market and si llama busy market full of fake Rolexes cheap jewelry beautiful crafts and more dildos and all the man buns in Brooklyn another place for some debauchery evening activity is not a Plaza replete with ladyboys King shows up and hugs Guillou this is also the area to see one of Bangkok's infamous ping pong shows if your internet sort of thing have I been yeah tip number nine Bangkok is a sprawling hectic and busy city but it also has some of the most awe-inspiring temples in Asia make sure to hit the Grand Palace it's been the official residence of the kings of Siam since 1782 surrounded by four walls it is 2.3 million square feet and every inch of it astounding and of course make sure to take this requisite picture at Wat try MIT you can see a ten foot tall magnificent golden buddha and across the river is the gorgeous water room covered in scaffolding right now but still undeniably beautiful don't miss wat po in giant 30-foot high 150 foot long reclining budda it's one of the most impressive sights I've ever seen words and pictures cannot do it justice lastly make the hike to the top of golden mount for a beautiful temple and some great views Bangkok really is a gorgeous City make sure to slow down and take it all in they call Thailand the land of a million smiles and I can assure you can't I people are some of the warmest friendliest and most helpful people you will meet anywhere in the world spend time with them sit down and eat with them get to know them you may be excited to see all of the sights Thailand has to offer but I promise you the lasting memories you take home will be if the people you met along the way finally take my suggestions you like doing the ones that don't seem for you to skip them and just explore on your own no matter where you go I promise you at the very least you will not be bored this city can you ever you want it to be if you want to have a relaxing trip with great food temples and strolls through parks do it if you'd rather have a drunken debauchery the best re end up eating them rather than have a wizard go for it just maybe pack some extra penicillin Hades ending

Channel: Matt's Travel Tips

Views: 978,194

Rating: 4.8871641 out of 5

Keywords: Bangkok, Thailand, Travel, Tips, Travel Tips, Adventure, Wanderlust, Helpful, Entertainment, Funny, Comedy, Food, Foodie, Food Porn, Asia, South East Asia, Sky Bar, Joke Prince, Curry, Street Food, Anywhere But Fargo, Matt's Travel Tips, Thai Food, Epic, Passport, Awesome, Travel Show, Sukhumvit, Silom, Raja's Fashions, Amphawa, Amphawa Floating Market, Floating Market, Chatuchak Weekend Market, Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, Temples, Wat Traimit, Golden Mount, Thip Samai, Phad Thai

Id: 8OViwmoFPu0

Length: 12min 7sec (727 seconds)

Published: Tue Mar 29 2016