The familiar and the exotic constantly collide in Bangkok: megamalls sit side-by-side 200-year-old village homes; gold-spired Buddhist temples share space with neon-lit strips of sleaze; slow-moving traffic is passed by long-tail river boats; and streets lined with food carts are overlooked by glitzy rooftop restaurants.
8 Big Bad Bangkok City Guides
Bangkok - Lonely Planet (PDF) >
1. Bangkok - Greater Bangkok (PDF Chapter) Lonely Planet ebook version
Once ringed by rice fields, modern Bangkok has since expanded in every possible direction with few concessions to agriculture or charm. Sights may be relatively few and far between, but Bangkok’s ’burbs are a good place to get a taste of provincial Thailand.
2. Chinatown - Bangkok (PDF Chapter) Lonely Planet
Bangkok’s Chinatown is crammed with shark-fin restaurants, gaudy yellow-gold and jade shops, and flashing neon signs in Chinese characters. This is Bangkok’s most hectic neighbourhood, where half the fun is getting completely lost.
3. Ko Ratanakosin & Thonburi - Bangkok (PDF Chapter) Lonely Planet
The artificial island of Ko Ratanakosin boasts incredible remnants of the city’s history, including Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace, and Wat Pho. Across the river, neighbouring Thonburi has less to offer in terms of sights, but is great for a spot of urban exploration.
4. Sukhumvit - Bangkok (PDF Chapter) Lonely Planet
Japanese enclaves, French restaurants, Middle Eastern nightlife zones, tacky ‘sexpat’ haunts: it’s all here along Th Sukhumvit, Bangkok’s unofficial international zone, with shopping centres, nightlife and a host of other amenities.
5. Riverside, Silom & Lumphini - Bangkok (PDF Chapter) Lonely Planet
The Chao Phraya River forms a watery backdrop to these linked neighbourhoods. History is still palpable in the riverside area’s crumbling architecture, Silom, Bangkok’s de facto financial district, is frenetic and modern, and Th Sathon is the embassy zone.
6. Bangkok - Siam Square, Pratunam, Ploenchit & Ratchathewi (PDF Chapter)
Multistorey malls, outdoor shopping precincts and never-ending markets leave no doubt that Siam Square, Pratunam and Ploenchit combine to form Bangkok’s commercial district. A few blocks away, scruffy Ratchathewi has a lot more in common with provincial Thai cities.
7. Thewet & Dusit - Bangkok (PDF Chapter) Lonely Planet
Dusit has wide boulevards, manicured parks, imposing palaces and statues dedicated to former kings, but neighbouring Thewet’s soggy riverside setting, busy wet market and relentless traffic are classic Bangkok.
8. Banglamphu - Bangkok (PDF Chapter) Lonely Planet
Leafy lanes, antique shophouses, buzzing wet markets and golden temples convene in Banglamphu – it’s a quaint postcard picture of the city (until you stumble upon Th Khao San, arguably the world’s most famous backpacker enclave).
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