Field notes
Bangkok travel guides
Dispatches on itineraries, day trips and the essentials — written for the road, area by area.
Itineraries
48 hours in Bangkok
Two days is enough to nail the temples, one great market and a proper rooftop — if you sleep in the right neighborhood. This itinerary keeps transfers under 20 minutes and dinners under $15.
Itineraries
One week in Bangkok
Seven days is the sweet spot: temples, two day trips, real neighborhoods, and enough downtime to eat properly. Here's how we’d split a week if we were doing it again tomorrow, hotel by hotel.
Itineraries
Bangkok in 3 days on a budget
Three days in Bangkok on under $60 a day is genuinely doable — hostels at $12, meals under $3, and every temple within reach on public transport. Here's the honest plan.
Itineraries
Bangkok in 3 days, upgraded
Three days done right: a $250+ hotel, private car for the temple day, Michelin dinners, and a spa afternoon. Roughly $400-$600 a day per person, and every hour of it feels earned.
Day trips
Day trip to Ayutthaya from Bangkok
The former capital sits 80 km north on the Chao Phraya, with five major temple ruins reachable by bicycle in a single day. Trains from Bangkok run every hour and cost $2 each way.
Day trips
Day trip to Kanchanaburi from Bangkok
The River Kwai bridge, the Death Railway, and Erawan waterfalls all sit 130 km west of Bangkok. It's a long day but doable — or the best overnight if you have 36 hours to spare.
Day trips
Day trip to Damnoen Saduak floating market from Bangkok
Damnoen Saduak is the postcard floating market — noisy, crowded, photogenic, and 100 km southwest of Bangkok. Paired with the Maeklong railway market it makes a proper half-day out.
Day trips
Day trip to Pattaya from Bangkok
Pattaya sits 150 km southeast of Bangkok and is easy as a day trip if you skip the beach and hit the good stuff: the Sanctuary of Truth, Nong Nooch gardens, and a cliff-top viewpoint.
Day trips
Day trip to Hua Hin from Bangkok
The Thai royal beach town sits 200 km south of Bangkok. Cleaner beach than Pattaya, royal palaces, one of the best night markets in Thailand, and doable as a long day trip.
Essentials
Where to stay in Bangkok
Bangkok has at least 6 neighborhoods worth serious consideration, and picking wrong costs you an hour a day in traffic. Here is how to match your trip to the right district.
Essentials
When to visit Bangkok
Bangkok has 3 seasons — cool, hot, and wet — and the difference between them is roughly 8 degrees and 200 mm of rain a month. Timing matters more than most people think.
Essentials
Getting around Bangkok
Bangkok traffic is the punchline of Southeast Asian travel, but the city also has 2 subway lines, 2 elevated train lines, an airport express, and a river boat network. Use the rails, avoid the roads, and 30-minute crossings become 15.
Essentials
Money, tipping, and prices in Bangkok
Bangkok runs on a strange mix of $1 street bowls of noodles and $15 rooftop cocktails, and the same restaurant sometimes charges both. Here is how to read the price map without getting stung.
Essentials
Safety and street smarts in Bangkok
Bangkok is one of the safer megacities on earth for tourists — violent crime against foreigners is rare — but the specific hazards here (traffic, scams, food, and the occasional dodgy tuk-tuk) catch out visitors every week.
Food & drink
Signature dishes of Thailand in Bangkok
Every Thai dish has a hundred versions and Bangkok has 30 of the best of each. Here are the 12 you should actually eat, with named restaurants to eat them at and honest prices.
Food & drink
Best markets in Bangkok
Bangkok has more than 20 markets worth a visit, from the 15,000-stall Chatuchak weekend beast to a floating market you can actually reach without a tour bus. Here are the 8 to prioritize.
Food & drink
Cheap eats in Bangkok under $10
In Bangkok $10 is a serious dinner budget. Here are 15 named places where you can eat brilliantly for $2 to $8, and how to eat like a local without giving up quality.
Experiences
Free things to do in Bangkok
More than 20 no-cost ways to fill a Bangkok day — from riverside temples to park runs, canal ferries, and skyline viewpoints that don’t cost a dollar.
Experiences
Bangkok nightlife: where to go and where to skip
An honest map of Bangkok after dark across 6 neighbourhoods — the rooftops worth the $18 cocktail, the streets that are tourist traps, and the areas real residents actually go out in.
Experiences
Best sunset spots in Bangkok
9 places to watch the sun drop over the Chao Phraya, the temple spires, and the skyline — from free riverside piers to $20 rooftops, with the timing details most guides skip.
Doing good is the business: every booking through BangkokShift funds one verified tonne of carbon removal — same room, same price, no markup.
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