Bangkok
Golden temples on the river, neon on Yaowarat, and food on every pavement.
Bangkok sprawls along the Chao Phraya river, with the Grand Palace and the old temples on the bend at Rattanakosin, Chinatown's neon along Yaowarat Road, and the towers, malls and Skytrain of Sukhumvit and Silom beyond. It is loud, hot, generous and easy to love once you find its rhythm.
Why go
For the temples and the palace, which are as gilded as the photographs promise; for the river, which is still the city's main street; and for the food, from a bowl of noodles on a plastic stool to the tasting menus that have made the city a destination in its own right.
It is also the hub for the rest of Thailand and South-East Asia, with the islands, the north and the neighbours all a short flight away.
Highlights
What people go for, in no particular order.
01The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew
The royal compound with its gilded chedis, the temple of the Emerald Buddha and the murals of the Ramakien around the cloister. Dress with shoulders and knees covered; go at opening for the light and the space.
02Wat Pho and Wat Arun
The reclining Buddha and the massage school beside the palace, and across the river the porcelain-encrusted spire of Wat Arun, lit gold at sunset.
03The river and the canals
The express boats up and down the Chao Phraya are transport and sightseeing in one; a longtail into the Thonburi canals shows the wooden houses and temples of the old city.
04Chinatown and Yaowarat
The main road under a canopy of neon signs, with seafood stalls, gold shops and dessert counters spilling onto the pavement after dark.
05The markets
Chatuchak's weekend maze of stalls, the flower market at Pak Khlong Talat through the night, and the floating and railway markets outside the city for a morning.
06Rooftops, spas and the Jim Thompson house
The sky bars over Silom and the river at dusk, a Thai massage in a temple school or a hotel spa, and the teak house of the silk merchant with its garden by the canal.
07Ayutthaya
The ruined former capital, about an hour and a half north by train, with brick prangs, headless Buddhas and the famous head held in tree roots, bicycled around in a day.
Areas
Where to base yourself, and what each area is like.
Riverside
Hotels along the Chao Phraya with boats at the door and the old city a short ride upstream. Calm, with the views.
Sukhumvit
The long road of the Skytrain, with malls, restaurants, bars and hotels at every station. Convenient and international.
Silom and Sathorn
The business district with Lumphini Park, the night market at Patpong and good metro and Skytrain links.
Rattanakosin and Banglamphu
The old city around the palace and Khao San Road: temples on foot, guesthouses and a backpacker energy.
When to go: Bangkok
- Dry seasonNovember – February
- The coolest and driest months, with clear skies and the city at its most walkable. The high season.
- SummerMarch – May
- Hot, then hotter, with Songkran in April turning the streets into a water fight for the new year.
- Wet seasonJune – October
- The monsoon: humid days with heavy afternoon downpours that clear quickly. Green and quieter.
Getting there
Airports
Two airports in our search serve Bangkok. Distances are measured in a straight line.
- BKKSuvarnabhumi
- DMKDon Mueang International
Distance from
- SINSingapore1,430 km
- BOMMumbai3,000 km
- DXBDubai4,880 km
- SYDSydney7,540 km
- JNBJohannesburg8,980 km
- CDGParis9,420 km
- LHRLondon9,550 km
- JFKNew York13,940 km
Getting around: Bangkok
The Skytrain and the metro are quick and air-conditioned and avoid the traffic; the airport rail link joins them. River boats and canal boats cover the old city and the riverside.
Taxis are metered and everywhere; ride-hailing and motorbike taxis beat the jams for short hops. Tuk-tuks are for the experience rather than the efficiency.
Practical facts
The country, its currency and languages, the time zone and the time there now.
- Country
- Thailand
- Currency
- THB · Thai Baht
- Languages
- Thai
- Time zone
- Indochina Time
- Local time now
- Calling code
- +66
The atlas
Bangkok in figures
The figures under this guide: the climate on modelled 2001–2020 averages, how far it is from the UAE, and the places around it.
Climate
The weather in Bangkok, month by month
- Jan33°
- Feb35°
- Mar36°
- Apr36°
- May34°
- Jun32°
- Jul31°
- Aug31°
- Sept30°
- Oct30°
- Nov30°
- Dec31°
- Mild to warm and dry
- Mild to warm, humid or showery
- Hot
- Cool
- Wet
- Cold
Good for going, on these averages: November and December.
Mean highs run from 30°C in September to 36°C in March, with about 1,361 mm of rain in a year.
These are modelled averages for 2001–2020; the seasons described above are our own reading of a typical year.
Month-by-month climate for BangkokModelled averages for an area about 50 km across, not a weather station's record: NASA POWER climatology, 2001–2020.
Airports
How far it is from the UAE
From DXBBangkok
4,880 km
6 hrs 30 mins · Estimate
From AUHBangkok
4,940 km
6 hrs 35 mins · Estimate
The great-circle distance, and a rough flying time: the distance at an average 850 km/h plus 45 minutes for take-off and landing. Real flights follow airways, meet headwinds and wait for traffic, so schedules differ.
On the map
Places near Bangkok
In pictures: Bangkok
Plan this trip: Bangkok
Open the trip builder with Bangkok already filled in. Flights, stays and everything else are priced together in one quote, prepared by a person on our team.
