Hie

My family will be in Bangkok in mid November. We'll be visiting Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha taking the local tpt. Contemplating whether to hire a local guide. ....

Besides the Grand Palace, where other places could we go to in a day ?

Where can we see Thai Cultural show like the Elephants, Muay Thai, dancing, etc etc ?

Besides Jim Thompson House any recommendation where to buy authentic silk clothings ?

COuld we do all these on our own without a licensed guide, and enjoying ourselves, appreciating the Thai cultures ? And getting a good bargain ourselves when buying the Thai silk ?

Any good recommendation for a good local licensed guide at Bht 1000 and below per day ?

All and any advice is much appreciated .

JLLT

next to the grand palace is wat pho (reclining budha as well as traditional thai massage centre and school).

five minutes walk along suan luang is the national museum, another 5 minutes further is the national gallery and another 5 minutes along the same line (northwards) is Khaosan Rd and close by Baglampoo market with cheapish silk.

if you have some time check out Wat Bowonnivet (next to the market), some 10 minutes walk east would be wat seket with the golden mount and wat ratchanadta with the metal prasat.

there might be cultural shows (traditional thai music concerts and dances) in the national theatre (next to the national museum) - call them directly for dates and booking.

elephants are outside bangkok in the rose garden (towards Phutamonthon and Nakhon Pathom).

thai boxing is in the ratchadamnoen boxing stadium (close to wat sektt) as well as Lumphini stadium.

check out river tours or at least go on a river bus or khlongs on the thonburi side of the chao phraya river (around taling chan area, where the floating market is).

if you can read guide books you don't need a travel guide

Grand Palace is a bit of a RO. I'd just do Wat Arun over the river and pop up the top of Banyan Tree Hotel to the Vertigo Bar for a real perspective of Bangkok.

what is "RO" ?

beware of TUK TUK drivers and tourist guides outside Grand Palace and Wat PO if you are on your own for the first time in Bangkok.

the Thaiboxing is at Lumpini tue,fri and sat and at Ratchadamnern every mon, wed, thur and sunday midweek fights start at 1830 and the sat and sunday have two shows, first starts at 1700 though not usually of as high a standard as the midweek fights

the weekend boat trips up the river ...Koh Kret ... Ayutthaya ... BangPaIn BangSai (shopping at BangSai is awesome for silk ....

The Grand Palace is awesome .... for a rarely seen treat .... across the street from the main gate of the GP and towards the river is the art gallery for a University <Silpakorn?> Just walk past the gat gaurds and go in and look around

Edited October 30, 200619 yr by jdinasia