5 Things To Do In Bangkok

[cornishcarlos]

Hi,

I have some friends coming out to visit and they will be spending 2 days in Bangkok before flying to Phuket.

My knowledge of the capital is lacking as I seem to spend all my time in MFA or U.K embassy, perils off getting married I suppose

All you BKK residents, what are the best 5 things to do/see while they are in the city ???

Now I know you can come up with a few off the beaten track ideas + plus a couple main stream wouldn't go amiss...

Many thanks on behalf of 2 misfits,

Carlos

[Ch23]

No idea how old u/ur friends are or wat u like to do but these are things i like to do in bkk:

shopping in mbk.

near koh san rd (ish) there is Wat Arun and opposite that on the otherside of the river (down a dodgey looking lane, but its quite safe) is a hotel. i think its called Arun residence or inn. anyways you can see it on google earth and it is a great place to have dinner and watch the sun go down with an amazing view.

paragon has the most amazing imax theatre, so if you like films go there/if theres a film you want to see before a night out or something. central world (SFX cinema) is the same but you can pay extra to lie on a massive sofa which is pritty cool. wednedays are half price nights if ur about then.

Go to RCA, route 66 for a good club or climax sukhumvit soi 11 under the ambassador hotel, both amazing nights out.

red sky is a fairly expensive/fancy dinner/bar type place on top of the central world hotel (forgotten the name, the hotel with the arched neon light on the roof) can see some good views of the city at night.

huai kwang night market is a great laugh at night, good food, cheap clothes; never used to be too many farang there but over the past few years i see a fair few in the evenings.

siam square is also a good shopping experience during the day, its next to mbk.

^^ JJ market aswell. just be sure to have a thai friend to guide you round.

i dont know where you want to stay and i have no idea if there are any good hotels in the area (theres fortune grand hotel but again if its 'good' or not no idea) fortune ratchada is the place to be i reckon. the subway is right outside (rama 9), airport rail link is seconds away, the IT malls amazing if you like gadgets/dodgy films&dvds. espenlade is a quick walk away. Sure its a nightmare on the road during the day in a car but u have other modes of transport and if you take a taxi at night everyone will know where it is and its pritty close by.

anyways thats just my opinion and i just dont like to be around sukhumvit for too long. I think i gave u more than 5 ideas all the other places i can think of are a bit harder to find. Enjoy!

[craigt3365]

#1 would be Golden Palace (Wat Phra Kaew). Then, nearby Wat Traimit (Golden Buddha), Wat Arun, Wat Pho, Khao San Road, a long tail ride on the river (negotiate hard), Golden Mount and Wat Saket. This can take a full day.

Vimanmek Teak Mansion

Royal barges museum

Jim Thompson House (a must)

Moon Bar at Vertigo

dinner at Cabbages and Condoms (touristy, but fun)

http://www.facebars.com/en/bangkok/restaurant/

Siam Paragon is for sure a cool place (literally) to have lunch in the huge food court on the bottom floor. Plus a great place to people watch.

IMHO, avoid Patpong. A huge tourist trap.

[CharlieH]

5 THINGS......To make sure you do

DONT TAKE A TUK TUK ANYWHERE

DONT USE A CAB UNLESS THE METER IS ON

DONT GO ANYWHERE YOU HAVNT SPECIFICALLY STATED YOU WANT TO GO

DONT GO TO PATPONG (Tourist Trap)

DONT BELIEVE ANYTHING YOU ARE TOLD ON THE STREET, (Stick to your plan)

Have Fun and stay safe !:jap:

[richard_smith237]

Some of the more common ideas that visitors like to see....

Grand Palace followed with a boat trip along the river, up to Wat Arun and Wat Po, plus a few of the Klongs (on the opposite side of the river from the Grand Palace).

Jim Thomposons house is worth a visit.

Great views of Bangkok can be had from the Top of the State Tower or the Banyan Tree (but drinks are pricey).

Shopping Centre: Siam Paragon and MBK

Markets: Chatuchak market on the weekend.

Khao Sarn Road: Touristy but a must see.

Night life: RCA (Slim & Route 66) + Bed Supper Club and Q'Bar

If it Swims we have it: Novelty sea food restaurant on Sukhumvit 24 (expensive but fun)

Thai Restaurant: Ton Krueng on Thonglor Soi 13 (relatively cheap and good Thai food).

[malcolminthemiddle]

A bike tour of Bangkok with Co van Kessel

http://www.covankessel.com/en/introEN.php

[creck]

5 THINGS......To make sure you do

DONT TAKE A TUK TUK ANYWHERE

DONT USE A CAB UNLESS THE METER IS ON

DONT GO ANYWHERE YOU HAVNT SPECIFICALLY STATED YOU WANT TO GO

DONT GO TO PATPONG (Tourist Trap)

DONT BELIEVE ANYTHING YOU ARE TOLD ON THE STREET, (Stick to your plan)

Have Fun and stay safe !:jap:

Very good advice - very good

[Mrjlh]

Try the Bayoke Tower at night. Tallest building in Bangkok. 86th floor has rotating walkway, 360 degree views of the city. Don't go if it's raining.

Unless you are really into shopping miss MBK or Paragon. They're just like home, busy and crowded.

[craigt3365]

Try the Bayoke Tower at night. Tallest building in Bangkok. 86th floor has rotating walkway, 360 degree views of the city. Don't go if it's raining.

Unless you are really into shopping miss MBK or Paragon. They're just like home, busy and crowded.

Hmmm...they're not like any malls back in my home country!

[Mrjlh]

Try the Bayoke Tower at night. Tallest building in Bangkok. 86th floor has rotating walkway, 360 degree views of the city. Don't go if it's raining.

Unless you are really into shopping miss MBK or Paragon. They're just like home, busy and crowded.

Hmmm...they're not like any malls back in my home country!

Point is...Do you like crowds? If you really are looking to buy something its fine but if you not to me it's a waste of time.

Of course if you interested is seeing how many shops selling the same thing, can be crammed into a space so small its hard to walk past without knocking something down, I guess it as place to see. Or if you want to see how many shops sell the same damned phone for the same damned price, that too I guess. And heaven help you if there's a fire! :jap:

[craigt3365]

Try the Bayoke Tower at night. Tallest building in Bangkok. 86th floor has rotating walkway, 360 degree views of the city. Don't go if it's raining.

Unless you are really into shopping miss MBK or Paragon. They're just like home, busy and crowded.

Hmmm...they're not like any malls back in my home country!

Point is...Do you like crowds? If you really are looking to buy something its fine but if you not to me it's a waste of time.

Of course if you interested is seeing how many shops selling the same thing, can be crammed into a space so small its hard to walk past without knocking something down, I guess it as place to see. Or if you want to see how many shops sell the same damned phone for the same damned price, that too I guess. And heaven help you if there's a fire! :jap:

Depends on the crowds...they are very interesting here. :jap:

I don't think your description of a mall applies to Paragon. It has a great diversity of shops and the food court is amazing.

It's great looking at exotic cars and high end AV stuff....well...maybe that should be dreaming about. At least it's aircon'ed!

[richard_smith237]

Try the Bayoke Tower at night. Tallest building in Bangkok. 86th floor has rotating walkway, 360 degree views of the city. Don't go if it's raining.

Unless you are really into shopping miss MBK or Paragon. They're just like home, busy and crowded.

Hmmm...they're not like any malls back in my home country!

Point is...Do you like crowds? If you really are looking to buy something its fine but if you not to me it's a waste of time.

Of course if you interested is seeing how many shops selling the same thing, can be crammed into a space so small its hard to walk past without knocking something down, I guess it as place to see. Or if you want to see how many shops sell the same damned phone for the same damned price, that too I guess. And heaven help you if there's a fire! :jap:

Ignoring the fact that it's already been recommended a few times on this threat and it's one of the major tourist spots to pick up cheap goodies to take home, don't go to MBK because it's not Mrjlh's cup of tea....

MBK and Paragon are not like Malls back home - How many malls back home are full of 100's upon 100's of Thai people milling around, seeing and being seen... People watching a Paragon can be fun, shopping and haggling at MBK can be interesting....

[lariss]

Khaosan Road

Taling Chan

Wat Pho

[Crushdepth]

Dinner at Vertigo or Eat Me, Grand Palace, catch a water taxi along the river somewhere. Wandering around Jatujak. To hell with the shopping malls.

[surangw]

or, like a lot of visitors, find one thing you like and do it 5 times ( per day?)

[roamer]

I met a guy a while back who had been to LOS 6 or 7 times, like you he spent little time there and headed out to Pattaya other than when he was dealing with the UK embassy and stayed in the Sukhumvit ghetto and never ventured beyond it. It just totally blew me away that he had never been to the Chao Phraya river, he had never jumped on the riverbus (NOT the tourist one) and just gone up and down, marvelling at one of the world's great experiences that costs almost zilch. (The reason not to use the tourist bus is that on the regular bus you see Thai life going on all around you.) Get off and wander through Chinatown, get off and wander round Wat Pho , the Grand Palace, Wat Arun. Get back on and enjoy an evening meal at one of the Yok Yor restaurants(the Khlong San one is my favourite) at Thai prices with a view to die for. In fact I don't believe there is anywhere else in the world you can look upon such a view and eat for such reasonable prices.

Must admit I'm also a fan of the malls,never buy much but the eyecandy is something to behold.

Disagree somewhat with the "never take a tuk-tuk " bit. If you get away from the touts of Sukhumvit & Khao San and get one in Chinatown for example, the chances are minimal if any English, but 200Bt and a circular movement of your hand can get you a nice tour minus the tailors shops,

Can see the shaking of heads now but it can be done. What's to lose anyway ? Tuk Tuk = Bangkok. Do it, just don't get ripped.

[craigt3365]

I met a guy a while back who had been to LOS 6 or 7 times, like you he spent little time there and headed out to Pattaya other than when he was dealing with the UK embassy and stayed in the Sukhumvit ghetto and never ventured beyond it. It just totally blew me away that he had never been to the Chao Phraya river, he had never jumped on the riverbus (NOT the tourist one) and just gone up and down, marvelling at one of the world's great experiences that costs almost zilch. (The reason not to use the tourist bus is that on the regular bus you see Thai life going on all around you.) Get off and wander through Chinatown, get off and wander round Wat Pho , the Grand Palace, Wat Arun. Get back on and enjoy an evening meal at one of the Yok Yor restaurants(the Khlong San one is my favourite) at Thai prices with a view to die for. In fact I don't believe there is anywhere else in the world you can look upon such a view and eat for such reasonable prices.

Must admit I'm also a fan of the malls,never buy much but the eyecandy is something to behold.

Disagree somewhat with the "never take a tuk-tuk " bit. If you get away from the touts of Sukhumvit & Khao San and get one in Chinatown for example, the chances are minimal if any English, but 200Bt and a circular movement of your hand can get you a nice tour minus the tailors shops,

Can see the shaking of heads now but it can be done. What's to lose anyway ? Tuk Tuk = Bangkok. Do it, just don't get ripped.

My first trip here I took a water taxi to Golden Mount. Was walking over to Wat Saket/Democracy Monument when a tuk tuk driver told me it was the Queen's birthday and many of the wats were closed. Being my first foreign trip, I was a bit gullible. But he offered to take me to 4 different sites and wait for me if I only visited a tailor and a gem shop. He was up front that if I did that he would get some money and free gas. So I did it! Didn't buy anything and had a great free tour via tuk tuk of that part of the city.

If you come to Bangkok, you have to ride in a tuk tuk...as dangerous as they many be...

[roamer]

I met a guy a while back who had been to LOS 6 or 7 times, like you he spent little time there and headed out to Pattaya other than when he was dealing with the UK embassy and stayed in the Sukhumvit ghetto and never ventured beyond it. It just totally blew me away that he had never been to the Chao Phraya river, he had never jumped on the riverbus (NOT the tourist one) and just gone up and down, marvelling at one of the world's great experiences that costs almost zilch. (The reason not to use the tourist bus is that on the regular bus you see Thai life going on all around you.) Get off and wander through Chinatown, get off and wander round Wat Pho , the Grand Palace, Wat Arun. Get back on and enjoy an evening meal at one of the Yok Yor restaurants(the Khlong San one is my favourite) at Thai prices with a view to die for. In fact I don't believe there is anywhere else in the world you can look upon such a view and eat for such reasonable prices.

Must admit I'm also a fan of the malls,never buy much but the eyecandy is something to behold.

Disagree somewhat with the "never take a tuk-tuk " bit. If you get away from the touts of Sukhumvit & Khao San and get one in Chinatown for example, the chances are minimal if any English, but 200Bt and a circular movement of your hand can get you a nice tour minus the tailors shops,

Can see the shaking of heads now but it can be done. What's to lose anyway ? Tuk Tuk = Bangkok. Do it, just don't get ripped.

My first trip here I took a water taxi to Golden Mount. Was walking over to Wat Saket/Democracy Monument when a tuk tuk driver told me it was the Queen's birthday and many of the wats were closed. Being my first foreign trip, I was a bit gullible. But he offered to take me to 4 different sites and wait for me if I only visited a tailor and a gem shop. He was up front that if I did that he would get some money and free gas. So I did it! Didn't buy anything and had a great free tour via tuk tuk of that part of the city.

If you come to Bangkok, you have to ride in a tuk tuk...as dangerous as they many be...

Agreed. Tuk tuks are to Bangkok as gondolas are to Venice with the difference being that tuk tuks are eminently affordable.

[WhizBang]

Unless you are really into shopping miss MBK or Paragon.  They're just like home, busy and crowded.

Oh please, they are nothing like back home.

MBK is pretty much a must see in my book, especially if a first time visitor.

For something different, there is a converted rice barge river cruise run out of the Marriot hotel down on the river.  They have a half day cruise up and down the river and they have an evening dinner cruise.  If you want to do a dinner cruise, this is the one to do as the boats are not crowded like the very touristy cattle boats.

http://www.manohracruises.com/

[craigt3365]

Unless you are really into shopping miss MBK or Paragon.  They're just like home, busy and crowded.

Oh please, they are nothing like back home.

MBK is pretty much a must see in my book, especially if a first time visitor.

For something different, there is a converted rice barge river cruise run out of the Marriot hotel down on the river.  They have a half day cruise up and down the river and they have an evening dinner cruise.  If you want to do a dinner cruise, this is the one to do as the boats are not crowded like the very touristy cattle boats.

http://www.manohracruises.com/

One thing about MBK...if you want to avoid Chatchucak market...which is entirely understandable as it is extremely crowded, hot and really hard to navigate...MBK has a fair selection of tourist trinkets. In an aircon'ed environment with great restaurants nearby and plenty of people watching. A bit higher in price, but much easier to deal with.

[jamora]

Apart from all the must see attractions (temples, cultural stuff), a bicycle tour in the old town is great fun. Or visit Siam Ocean World at Paragon.If you wanna relax in the afternoon, tea at the Oriental. Have dinner at Blue Elephant or Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin.

For going out, I would recommend Thong Lor/Ekkamai.

[SlideRiceFC]

I'm personally not a fan of MBK. I went once and it was enough....it felt like I was walking by the same shops over and over again. BUT that being said MBK is within walking distance of Siam Square, Siam Discovery, Siam Paragon and Central World. If shopping is even remotely on the agenda you'd be in the right neighborhood. You can take the skytrain and get off and walk into MBK....if it's not your cup of tea just walk to the next mega mall. As another poster pointed out the cinemas are great and the cold a/c is a welcome break from the heat outside. There's also the Bangkok Art & Culture Center not too far from MBK as wel if your friends like art.

I'm also not a tuk-tuk fan. For the life of me I can't understand why anyone in Bangkok uses them. You get the pleasure of most likely paying as much or more than you would for a cab without the luxury of air-con and an enclosed cab shielding you from all of the exhaust and smells of Bangkok streets. But if you MUST take one negotiate your fare before the ride starts and if they try to tell you the tourist trap you are going to is closed due to a holiday they are almost assuredly full of it.

I also don't consider Khao San Rd a must see. If seeing a bunch of partying farangs and Thais feeding off of them is your thing then have at it but there's cheaper beer and food to be had elsewhere. I will admit that some of the surrounding area has some good food spots though. There's some Middle Eastern and Korean places that are pretty good and reasonably priced.

Speaking of food, there's the 199 baht buffet at Best Beef near On Nut BTS and the Holiday Inn next to Chidlom BTS has a pretty good Thai buffet for about 230 baht. So if eating until you pop is on the agenda those are two good places to do it rather than hunkering down at some overpriced place in a mall like Shabushi or MK.

Taking a riverbus is cheap, and the ride along the river is nice. I think even from Saphan Taksin all the way to Nonthaburi is only like 12 or 15 baht. hop off at Nonthaburi and catch a bus to Pantip Plaza. Floor after floor of all sorts of things from cheap knock offs to vintage goods. It's pretty interesting to walk around there a bit. If it's the weekend you can catch bus 134 from there for 12 baht and take it to JJ market. Another poster mentioned having a Thai friend with you if you go there. I don't think it's necessary. It is MASSIVE so if you were looking for something particular it might help but there are maps there available in English and even just walking around will do fine. Aside from thousands of stalls of new and second hand goods there's plenty of street food to sample. Shop eat, shop eat.

Another vote for the Thompson house!

Grand Palace....haven't been yet. I'm sorta rigid on my refusal to go to places that usual the double pricing structure. I think it's up to what 400 or 450 now? Up to you if you think it's worth it. Some visitors may feel that it's a waste to come to Bangkok and not see it so if there's possibility of regret maybe you'd better go. lol

Sorry I'm not adding too much new to what's already been said. I hope your friends enjoy their visit.

[roamer]

I suppose if your really determined to do something different there is always this place. Not my cup of tea I must admit.....

Thailand's terrible macabre museum

One trip to this gruesome Bangkok museum will change what you think about Thailand for ever, says Will Storr

It made no sense. So far, Thailand had been almost everything we’d dreamt it would be. Back in Britain, we’d talked excitedly about the Grand Palace, the big Buddha at Wat Pho, the holy temples. Yet, as we walked under the muzzy Bangkok sun, a feeling of ennui descended. What were we doing wrong? We had it all. Palaces! Buddhas! Temples! It was all so ...

“Boring,” my girlfriend muttered as we entered temple number three.

And she was right. Reading the guidebook in the chilly gloom of our flat at home had imbued these sights with an almost supernaturally exciting quality. When you’re nursing a tea and the sniffles in the damp depths of an English winter, a picture of the sun trickling like molten gold off an exotic temple roof has that sort of power. But it hadn’t taken long for reality to make its wearisome presence felt. We needed a break from temples.

So we decided to find an internet cafe and rummage online for something to jolt the life back into us. An hour later, we were staring at a testicle even bigger than the Wat Pho Buddha’s. And this one was real.

The Museum of Forensic Medicine, where this elephantiasis-swollen body part is to be found, is hidden in a back block of the Siriraj Hospital. Built principally for the education of medical students, it’s actually six museums that were united in August 2004 into a low-budget palace of the macabre. But it’s the exhibits to be found in the parasitology, pathology and forensic departments that will revisit you in your dreams. Here you’ll find chain saws, guns and kitchen knives used in murders, along with the bloodstained clothing of the victims; diseased livers and legs; lungs with stab wounds; and heads that have been dissected and suspended in formaldehyde so you can see where the bullet went through.

Because these exhibits are housed in a converted office block, it feels less like a museum and more like a repository for the private collection of an insane millionaire. And, for what is ostensibly supposed to be a place of education, there’s a surprising lack of actual information. Mostly, it’s display cabinets marked by a simple label.

Of course, the joy of a great museum come not from the dry learning of facts, but from the electric thrill of being near something that has had a role in history – something that was present at some mad, ghastly scene, such as the instruments and surgical gowns used in the 1946 autopsy of Thailand’s murdered king, Ananda Mahidol. It’s as if the objects get soaked in some indelible magic. And there’s little here that hasn’t been to a place, in the personal history of one poor soul or another, that is so staggeringly grim, it’d make your jaw drop right off your face. Which, come to think of it, would make you fit right in.

Perhaps the most moving of the exhibits is the collection of dozens of babies – some conjoined, some stillborn, others with various tragic deformities. Local visitors have left touching little gifts for many of them. The Cyclops baby, for example, has some pink plastic soldiers, a half-eaten packet of Clorets and a single Pringle.

The rickety infrastructure adds to the museum’s sinister atmosphere. As you squeak around the polished floor and peer tentatively into the thin, homemade cabinets, you feel almost too close to the weirdness. Similarly, the potted plants dotted here and there – presumably to cheer the place up a bit – have a perverse effect. It’s as if this is almost normal. And it’s then you realise, with a profound shudder, that this is normal. Things like this happen every day.

The single exhibit that trumps all the others is so unbelievable, I feel like I’m lying just writing it down. But I’m not. They actually have the hanged corpse of the Chinese serial child-killer and cannibal Si-Oui. Preserved in paraffin, his naked, teak-brown, waxy body leans forward at a horrible angle in his telephone box-like cabinet. With his feet at the back and his head resting on the glass of the door, it’s as if he’s trying to get to you. Which, as his label suggests, he may well have done had he lived. Apparently, Si-Oui fed on people “because he loves to eat human’s organ, not because of starving”. Even more grotesquely, he’s leaking slightly.

If voyeurism is a universal secret vice, the Bangkok Museum of Forensic Medicine will one day become the popular attraction it deserves to be. It’s already unforgettable.

— Museum of Forensic Medicine, 2nd floor, Adulaydejvigrom Building, behind Siriraj Hospital, Phrannok Road; 00 66 2 419 7000; admission 60p

My link

[chiang mai]

Wow, that's a seriously interesting find, well done.

[pacman32]

omg so much advice about MBK and SIAM lol you can shop anywhere in the world is it really worth flying thousands of miles to shop their...no. and not that cheap anymore...

only one place i would seriosly recommend when in bkk and thats "muang boran" or the ancient city................its like a little thailand all in one place. reproductions of many of thailands famous buildings and places all i one place..........and when i say reproductions wow some are just stunning, gives you a real good view of evrything you may wish to visit in thailand but all in a few miles of park land. just hire a bicycle when you go in and enjoy a wonderful day touring round all thailand has to offer.........and im not really that much of a cultural guy but still found it a trully brilliant day out.

other than that ignore the tuk tuk terror stories, if in bkk you must ride in one essential lol. just agree price before you step on board

then gtf outta there asap because thats what i do....thailand has so much to offer better than bangkok.

hope they enjoy themselves

[wabear]

Stay near the BTS and subway. No time for getting stuck in traffic!

Before they get here, figure out the river taxi yourself so you can show them. It's the best and cheapest entertainment in Bangkok.

http://bangkok.sawadee.com/canals.htm

http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/11-02/one-day-in-bangkok-three-itineraries-for-under-10.html

http://bangkokforvisitors.com/essentials/getting-around/chaophraya-express-boat.php

If your friends are adventerous, this is something they could do on their own:

http://www.chaophrayaexpressboat.com/en/tourist/

Also dinner at the Shangri-La by the river. They usually have dancing.

http://www.shangri-la.com/en/property/bangkok/shangrila/dining/restaurant/salathip

Before the dinner, spend the day visiting Ayutthaya

http://www.grandpearlcruise.com/index.php#itnerary@1

This list from the Oriental Hotel contains some things I have never heard of.

http://www.mandarinoriental.com/bangkok/useful_info/things_to_do_and_see/

[NowImEasy]

Just curious as to why no one has mentioned a stroll through Soi Cowboy or Soi 6 and Nana? I detest the fact that in the minds of many people, Bangkok is all about sex. That part of life here is a small part of the wonderful Thai culture. But it something to be seen, kind of like the Star Wars bar. I took my son and my daughter on their visits here for a beer there so they can see the temptations that I was resisting daily. jing jing

[David48]

Thanks for all who contributed here because even though I’ve been here more times and months then I have fingers, there is always something new to experience.

For me, one experience that I had was a visit to the Thai Cultural Show … Siam Niramit.

It’s the total package when it comes to an enjoyable night out for all ages. The grounds have representations of the Thai lifestyle from the different geographical areas, including houses which you can walk through, music playing and some free food sampling.

Also they have the Elephants gathering in the forecourt so if your friends have to have their Elephant experience, this is a good introduction, and it’s free.

As for the Show itself … WOW. Having endured endless hours of a local Thai Cultural Shows at places like the ‘Rose Garden’ (I look back and smile now at my early tourism choices), this show nears London’s West End / Broadway standard. (Yes, I have lived in both England and the States).

So go at least and hour before the show is scheduled to start and enjoy the pre-amble through the extensive grounds surrounding the Theatre.

http://www.siamniramit.com/

Based on my experiences I have to forewarn you about pacman32 recommendation of “Ancient City” http://www.ancientcity.com/?q=/en/index . My experience there was that the place really stunk from the putrefied water in their canals. Maybe it was just the time that I was there?

Another suggestion for a night out which has a Thai flavour but is culturally Western in nature is the Saxophone Pub located almost underneath the Victory Monument BTS. http://saxophonepub.com/2010/ Was there earlier this year, no bar girls in sight (apart from one or two who walked in their Farang bf), not many Thais, but a real international flavour. Band starts at 9pm ish.

Eat with the locals and enjoy a bowl of noodles outside for 30 Baht then onto the cool sounds of the Saxophone Pub. Drink prices weren’t crazy, really enjoyed my time there.

Last suggestion for a night out with a view that’s not Bayoke Sky tower or Bayon Tree or Vertigo is the ‘Long Table’ Restaurant Bar. Great views over the City. Located at 48 Column Building, Sukhumvit Soi 16. Even though it says ‘Sukhumvit’ it really is off Asoke. Drink prices are up there, but not as crazy as the aforementioned places. http://www.longtablebangkok.com/

[outofoz]

Take the BTS down to Saphan Taksin

get one of the Chao phraya River ferries, It's a fun way to see a bit of bkk

From here you can go to the Grand palace, Wat pho temple, ,Emerald buddha temple, Chinatown/sampeng lane, Khao san road, all within short distances of various ferry stops. You can end the day at khao san road and get a taxi back to your hotel..wherever your friends are from they will feel like they have a little bit of home down there

It's a fun way to see a bit of bkk

(Jim thompson house can be avoided. Houses are nice, but it seems all the genuine artifacts are either broken or 'just like the one Jim had in his house, but not the one')

The sleaze areas of Sukhumvit/Cowboy/patpong and the like are worth a visit just for some photo opportunities. Whether it's your scene or not, it is certainly different than my home country!

[Spee]

For me, one experience that I had was a visit to the Thai Cultural Show … Siam Niramit.

It's the total package when it comes to an enjoyable night out for all ages. The grounds have representations of the Thai lifestyle from the different geographical areas, including houses which you can walk through, music playing and some free food sampling.

What was the dress code at Siam Niramit? Casual or dress-up?