Lonely Planet Pocket Bangkok
By Austin Bush
4/5
()
About this ebook
Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher
Lonely Planet's Pocket Bangkok is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Explore Ko Ratanakosin's fairytale temples in the cool of the morning, shop for anything and everything at Chatuchak Weekend Market, and soothe aching muscles with a traditional Thai massage - all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Bangkok and begin your journey now!
Inside Lonely Planet's Pocket Bangkok:
- Colour maps and images throughout
- Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests
- Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots
- Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices
- Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sightseeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss
- Free, convenient pull-out map (included in print version), plus over 19 colour neighbourhood maps
- User-friendly layout with helpful icons, and organised by neighbourhood to help you pick the best spots to spend your time
- Covers Ko Ratanakosin & Thonburi, Banglamphu, Chinatown & Phahurat, Ratchathewi, Riverside, Silom & Lumphini, Sukhumvit, Chatuchak Market
The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet's Pocket Bangkok is our colourful, easy to use, handy guide that literally fits in your pocket, providing on-the-go assistance for those seeking the best sights and experiences on a short visit.
Looking for more extensive coverage? Check out Lonely Planet's Bangkok guide for a comprehensive look at all the city has to offer.
About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the world's number one travel guidebook brand, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You'll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, video, 14 languages, nine international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more.
'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times
'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves, it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia)
Read more from Austin Bush
Lonely Planet Southeast Asia on a shoestring Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lonely Planet Thailand's Islands & Beaches Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lonely Planet Bangkok Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lonely Planet Laos Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lonely Planet Best of Malaysia & Singapore Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Lonely Planet Pocket Bangkok
Related ebooks
Lonely Planet Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos & Northern Thailand Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rough Guide to Bangkok (Travel Guide eBook) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLonely Planet Pocket Phuket Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBangkok Walking Tours Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBangkok: 20 Must See Attractions Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInsight Guides Thailand (Travel Guide eBook) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lonely Planet Hong Kong Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInsight Guides Explore Vietnam (Travel Guide eBook) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLonely Planet Pocket Taipei Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lonely Planet Vietnam Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lonely Planet Pocket Kuala Lumpur & Melaka Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInsight Guides Pocket Vietnam (Travel Guide eBook) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Berlitz Pocket Guide Vietnam (Travel Guide eBook) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rough Guide to Singapore (Travel Guide with Free eBook) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lonely Planet Pocket Siem Reap & the Temples of Angkor Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLonely Planet Singapore Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lonely Planet Pocket Hong Kong Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPocket Rough Guide Hong Kong & Macau (Travel Guide eBook) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lonely Planet Tokyo Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLonely Planet Kyoto Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fodor's Essential Thailand: with Cambodia & Laos Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLonely Planet Pocket Shanghai Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Rough Guide to Thailand's Beaches & Islands (Travel Guide with Free eBook) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLonely Planet Pocket Kyoto & Osaka Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBerlitz Pocket Guide Bangkok (Travel Guide eBook) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Insight Guides Explore Singapore (Travel Guide eBook) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lonely Planet Pocket Seoul Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Rough Guide to Thailand (Travel Guide with Free eBook) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLonely Planet Pocket Singapore Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBerlitz Pocket Guide Singapore (Travel Guide eBook) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Asia Travel For You
Dishoom: The first ever cookbook from the much-loved Indian restaurant Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Learn Khmer: Start Speaking Today. Absolute Beginner to Conversational Speaker Made Simple and Easy! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMediocre Monk: A Stumbling Search for Answers in a Forest Monastery Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Last Yakuza: life and death in the Japanese underworld Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBasic Tagalog: (Audio Recordings Included) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings1000 Japanese Flash Cards: For Smart Phones and E-Readers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Kerala Kitchen, Expanded Edition: Recipes and Recollections from the Syrian Christians of South India Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Cool Japan Guide: Fun in the Land of Manga, Lucky Cats and Ramen Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Great Railway Bazaar: By Train Through Asia Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Live Japanese Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Lonely Planet Japan Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Easy Thai: Learn to Speak Thai Quickly (Includes Downloadable Audio) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Elementary Hindi: Learn to Communicate in Everyday Situations (Audio Recordings Included Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Lonely Planet Tokyo Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhat Really Happened In Wuhan: A Virus Like No Other, Countless Infections, Millions of Deaths Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Brief History of Japan: Samurai, Shogun and Zen: The Extraordinary Story of the Land of the Rising Sun Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5India - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Tagalog Stories for Language Learners: Folktales and Stories in Filipino and English (Free Online Audio) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBasic Korean: Learn to Speak Korean in 19 Easy Lessons (Companion Online Audio and Dictionary) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mandarin Chinese for Beginners: Mastering Conversational Chinese (Fully Romanized and Free Online Audio) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Berlitz Pocket Guide Japan (Travel Guide eBook) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fodor's Essential Japan Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsElementary Tagalog: Tara, Mag-Tagalog Tayo! Come On, Let's Speak Tagalog! (Online Audio Download Included) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLonely Planet Thailand Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Lonely Planet Pocket Bangkok
1 rating0 reviews
Book preview
Lonely Planet Pocket Bangkok - Austin Bush
Contents
Plan Your Trip
Welcome to Bangkok
Top Sights
Eating
Shopping
Drinking & Nightlife
Temples
Cooking Classes
Massage & Spa
For Kids
Tours
LGBT
Four Perfect Days
Need to Know
Bangkok Neighbourhoods
Explore Bangkok
Ko Ratanakosin & Thonburi
Banglamphu
Chinatown
Siam Square, Pratunam, Phloen Chit & Ratchathewi
Riverside, Silom & Lumphini
Thanon Sukhumvit
Chatuchak Weekend Market
Worth a Trip
Ko Kret
Ayuthaya
Survival Guide
Survival Guide
Before You Go
Arriving in Bangkok
Getting Around
Essential Information
Language
Behind the Scenes
Our Writer
Welcome to Bangkok
For decades, Bangkok was seen as little more than a necessary stop-over before hitting the islands. But the Bangkok of today is a destination. What other city has such a no-holds-barred approach to eating? Bangkok’s older districts retain the grit, charm and character of the past.
Temple housing the Emerald Buddha, Wat Phra Kaew | Miki Studio/shutterstock ©
1
Bangkok
Top Sights
Jim Thompson House
Bangkok’s most famous residence.
COWARDLION/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Bangkok Top Sights
Chatuchak Weekend Market
The city’s most impressive market.
ARTAPARTMENT/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Bangkok Top Sights
Wat Phra Kaew & Grand Palace
A sacred enclave.
PRASIT CHANSAREEKORN/GETTY IMAGES ©
Bangkok Top Sights
Wat Arun
The capital’s most famous riverside temple.
NOOMNA NAKHONPHANOM/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Bangkok Top Sights
Wat Traimit
Visit the golden Buddha.
E X P O S E/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Bangkok Top Sights
Ayuthaya
Day trip to ancient Thailand.
COWARDLION/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Bangkok Top Sights
Dusit Palace Park
Bangkok’s fairy-tale palace.
MR.B-KING/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Bangkok Top Sights
Ko Kret
Bangkok’s island getaway.
NATTAPON JUIJAIYEN/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Bangkok Top Sights
Wat Pho
Bangkok’s biggest reclining Buddha.
MOAI99/GETTY IMAGES ©
Eating
Nowhere else is the Thai reverence for food more evident than in Bangkok. To the outsider, the life of a Bangkokian appears to be a string of meals and snacks punctuated by the odd stab at work, not the other way around. If you can adjust your mental clock to this schedule, your visit will be a delicious one indeed.
DESIGN PICS/RAY LASKOWITZ/GETTY IMAGES ©
Street Food
Open-air markets and food stalls are among the most popular dining spots for Thais. In the mornings, stalls selling coffee and Chinese-style doughnuts spring up along busy commuter corridors. At lunchtime, diners might grab a plastic chair at yet another stall for a simple stir-fry. In Bangkok’s suburbs, night markets often set up in the middle of town with a cluster of food vendors, metal tables and chairs.
Fine Dining
Most people associate Bangkok exclusively with street food, but the city’s eating scene is increasingly diverse. The fine-dining establishments range in cuisine from French to Thai, including several forays into fusion. Best of all, this is Bangkok, so there’s little of the stuffiness associated with fine dining in the West.
Ethnic Cuisines
Contemporary Bangkok’s menu extends far beyond Thai; reconsider rice for a meal or two and jump head first into a dining scene where options range from Korean to Egyptian, touching on just about everything in between.
Best Street Food
Jay Fai Some of the most legendary – and expensive – noodles in town.
Pa Aew Stall specialising in Bangkok-style fare.
Thanon Phadungdao Seafood Stalls These stalls are so ‘street’ you risk getting bumped by a car.
Khun Yah Cuisine The flavours of Bangkok and central Thailand in one convenient location.
Best Fine Dining
nahm Widely considered to be Southeast Asia’s best restaurant.
Eat Me Eclectic, eccentric modern cuisine, paired with great service.
Appia Sublime yet homey Italian.
Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin A modern, innovative venue where Thai flavours, ingredients and presentation are taken to the next level.
Le Normandie Dress up for an upmarket and old-world ‘Continental’ dining experience.
Best Ethnic Cuisines
Jidori Cuisine Ken Perfect Japanese-style chicken skewers.
Tonkin-Annam Some of the best Vietnamese food in Bangkok.
Fou de Joie French in a retro setting.
Shoshana This backpacker staple has been proffering the flavours of Jerusalem for more than 30 years now.
Din Tai Fung Famed Taiwanese chain that is the place to go for xiao long bao, Chinese ‘soup’ dumplings.
Chennai Kitchen Bangkok’s best southern Indian cuisine.
Nasir Al-Masri Authentic Middle Eastern in the heart of Bangkok’s Middle Eastern hood.
Foodie Websites
Keep with the ever-changing food scene in Bangkok by following the Restaurants section of BK (bk.asia-city.com/restaurants) or Bangkok 101 (www.bangkok101.com).
Shopping
Prime your credit card and shine your baht: shopping is serious business in Bangkok. Hardly a street corner in the city is free from a vendor, hawker or impromptu stall. It doesn’t stop there: Bangkok is also home to one of the world’s largest outdoor markets, not to mention Southeast Asia’s second-largest mall.
NENG TIEO/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Malls & Markets
Although the tourist brochures tend to tout the upmarket malls, Bangkok still lags slightly behind Singapore and Hong Kong in this area. The open-air markets are where the best deals and most original items are found.
Bargaining
At Bangkok’s markets and at some of its malls, you’ll have to bargain for most, if not all, items. In general, if you see a price tag, it means that the price is fixed and bargaining isn’t an option.
Gems & Jewellery
Countless tourists are sucked into gem scams in which they are taken to a shop by a helpful stranger and tricked into buying bulk gems that can supposedly be resold in their home country for 100% profit. The expert con artists seem trustworthy and convince tourists that they need a citizen’s help to circumvent tricky customs regulations. Unsurprisingly, the gem world doesn’t work like that, and what most tourists end up with are worthless pieces of glass.
Best Markets
Chatuchak Weekend Market One of the world’s largest markets and a must-do Bangkok experience.
Thanon Khao San Market Elephant-print pants, Singha shirts, fresh-squeezed orange juice; all the backpacker essentials are available here.
Pak Khlong Talat Bangkok’s famous flower market; come late at night and don’t forget your camera.
Talat Mai This frenetic fresh market is a slice of China in Bangkok.
Best for Traditional Souvenirs
Heritage Craft Unique goods from just about every corner of the country.
Lofty Bamboo Hill-tribe inspired clothes and handicrafts.
Tamnan Mingmuang Classy items woven from rattan and water hyacinth.
Best for Quirky Souvenirs
The Selected A carefully curated assemblage of modern, mostly Thai-made housewares, knick-knacks, clothing and accessories.
Mowaan Lozenges, inhalers, oils and balms rooted in Thai herbal medicine.
it’s going green Retro Thai-style homewares, soaps and other items that double as one-of-a-kind souvenirs.
Objects of Desire Store Design-focused contemporary ceramics, paper products, furniture and other homewares.
Chiang Heng Third-generation family-run kitchen-supply shop.
Best Malls
Siam Discovery Recently renovated, this is hands down the most design-conscious mall in town.
MBK Center A seemingly never-ending Thai market in a mall.
Siam Center The third floor here is one of the best locations to check out established local labels.
Insider Online Shopping Tips
Nancy Chandler’s Map of Bangkok (www.nancychandler. net) is a colourful online guide that highlights the quirkier types of shopping venues, which you won’t find included on free tourist maps.
Drinking & Nightlife
Shame on you if you think Bangkok’s only nightlife options include the word ‘go-go’. As in any big international city, the drinking and partying scene in Bangkok ranges from trashy to classy and touches on just about everything in between.
SHANTI HESSE/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Cocktails
Blue kamikazes no longer cut it in Bangkok; today the city is home to a growing repertoire of bars that take pride in mixing the classics or inventing new drinks altogether.
Beer
The domestic brews still corner most of the market, but labels from around the world have found their way to Bangkok (although they don’t come cheap).
Rooftop Bars
Bangkok is one of the few big cities in the world where nobody seems to mind if you slap the odd bar or restaurant on top of a skyscraper. The options range from cheap to chic to and, likewise, range in view from hyperurban to suburban.
Live Music
Music is an essential element of a Thai night out, and just about every pub worth its salted peanuts has a house band.
Clubs
Clubs in Bangkok tend to heave on certain nights – Fridays and Saturdays, during a visit from a foreign DJ, or for a night dedicated to the music flavour of the month – then hibernate every other night.
Best for Cocktails
WTF The classics – done well.
Q&A Bar Sophisticated mixed drinks in a venue with a midcentury vibe.
Ku Bar Edgy cocktails in an even edgier locale.
Best Rooftop Bars
Moon Bar The combination of casual ambience and stunning views make this our personal favourite of Bangkok’s original rooftop bars.
River Vibe Budget guesthouse prices, million-dollar views.
Sky Bar The sweeping Hollywood entrance and seemingly floating bar set the tone at this rooftop venue.
Best Clubs
Beam At press time, Bangkok’s best nightclub.
Glow Club with underground cred.
Demo Where Bangkok’s young and beautiful go.
The Club Dance with a virtual UN of partiers at this Th Khao San–based disco.
Best Live Music
Titanium Nightly performances by Unicorn, an all-girl band that’s bound to get you bouncing.
Brick Bar Live-music den, famous among locals, for whom dancing on the tables is practically mandatory.
The Living Room As the name suggests, live jazz in a comfortable setting.
Best for Beer
Hair of the Dog A fridge full of bottles from around the world and 13 taps.
Pijiu Bar Craft brews and Chinatown-influenced charcuterie platters.
Mikkeller Some of the city’s most unique micro- and craft-brews.
Guides to Bangkok’s Nightlife
To find out what’s on when you’re in town, go to BK (bk.asia-city.com), Bangkok 101 (www.bangkok101.com), the Bangkok Post’s Friday supplement, Guru, or Siam2nite (www.siam2nite.com)
Temples
A Thai temple (wát) is a compound of different buildings serving specific religious functions. Even if you don’t consider yourself spiritual, Bangkok’s wát provide pleasures that range in scope from artistic inspiration to urban exploration.
IPHOTO-THAILAND/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Thai Architecture
Considered the highest art form in Thai society, traditional Thai temple architecture follows relatively strict rules of design that dictate proportion, placement, materials and ornamentation. In addition to the native Siamese styles of building, within Bangkok’s temples you’ll also find examples from historical Khmer, Mon, Lao and northern Thai traditions.
Buddha Images
Every wát in Bangkok has a Buddha image, which for the most part is sculpted according to strict iconographical rules found in Buddhist art texts dating to the 3rd century AD. There are four basic postures and positions: standing, sitting, walking and reclining.
Best Temples
Wat Pho If you haven’t seen the ginormous reclining Buddha here, you haven’t seen Bangkok.
Wat Phra Kaew The granddaddy of Bangkok temples and the home of a certain Emerald Buddha.
Wat Suthat Home to one of Thailand’s biggest Buddhas and equally impressive floor-to-ceiling temple murals.
Wat Traimit Residence of the world’s largest golden Buddha.
Wat Arun This predecessor to Bangkok is also one of the few Thai temples you’re allowed to partially climb on.
Golden Mount & Wat Saket Hilltop temple with great views over old Bangkok.
Wat Mangkon Kamalawat The epitome of the hectic, smoky, noisy Chinese-style temple.
Cooking Classes
Consuming everything Bangkok has to offer is one thing, but imagine the points you’ll rack up if you can make the same dishes for your friends back home. A visit to a Thai cooking school has become a must-do on many Bangkok itineraries; for some visitors it is a highlight of their trip.
AUSTIN BUSH/LONELY PLANET ©
Best Cooking Classes
Amita Thai Cooking Class %02 466 8966; fklorng boat from Maharaj Pier) One of Bangkok’s most charming cooking schools