Should have added... Kathie, I hope you are recovering! Take care.

Sound advice, but nothing new about it. Tens of thousands visit Bangkok at all times of the year.

Many use Bangkok to top and tail a trip to other destinations in SE Asia. As often as not it's more important to make sure that the weather conditions are right for those destinations rather than Bangkok.

While the weather [heat/humidity] might be a factor, it is just one of several to take into consideration, and shouldn't be a deal-breaker.

I think that choosing the right location for your stay in Bangkok is the main consideration, and also doing sufficient homework to prepare yourself, especially for a first timer.

I'm the one who started this and the one who won't be returning.

It is interesting to hear that the appeal for so many of you Bangkok lovers and returnees is restaurants, friends, shopping, and shopping malls. When choosing a travel destination, in most cases, I don't think that this is what attracts people as tourists. Sorry, but IMO for the average person who is looking at visiting Bangkok as a place for (convenient) sightseeing, the city just doesn't cut it. Taxis??? Traffic is absolutely horrendous!

As I said at the start, for us, Bangkok falls into the category of a city we have now been to once, and it will be only once.

I know others will be following this thread in the future as they do searches about Bangkok. Please tell me where, within easy walking distance of the river, a nice cluster of neighborhood restaurants that would appeal to the average tourist can be found. In other words, in which location is it possible to walk around a six or eight block area and find lots of different choices for lunch or dinner? We did not have much luck with this, and we tried several different areas.

We stayed Riverside at the Chatrium - one of my main "vacation rules" is NOT to eat in hotel restaurants. Soon after checking into the hotel, we attempted to scout out local eateries and pretty much found nothing. The restaurants we saw were way outside our comfort and language zone! NO idea what was being served and no way to ask. So we took most meals at the Chatrium and actually were quite pleased - esp. for hotel meals, the price was reasonable and nice choices from local to more Western options. The buffet breakfast in the morning was fantastic - everything from croissants, eggs, pancakes and then curries, and other Thai options. It was a great way to begin to try the more local dishes.

Near the hotel was Asiatic and I wish we would have gone to in the evening but we never got there. I read somewhere that one of the things about Thai eating habits, is that they tend to snack thru out the day - thus the sit down meal / restaurant dining is not really how a Thai often eats - others may disagree with this explanation but it does seem to make sense in view of all the food carts.

We did do a walking food tour which included trying some items from carts and also several authentic seeming restaurants (altho to my US sensibilities, the kitchens were a bit concerning). We ate several times after that from the carts - "pork sicles", roasted chicken, papaya salad, pad thai and suffered no ill effects. And of course the food courts in any of the malls were just choice overload! So all in all we ate well and enjoyed the food but strolling a neighborhood to a local eatery was not usually much of an option.

I'm one of the non-fans of Bangkok. However, since it is a major transport hub, I can't say I'll never return. The last time I was in Asia (too long ago!) I went through Bangkok four times. At least I got to stay at four different places, and reaffirmed my preference for the river. (See: https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com...ay-of-bangkok/ )

It's a real pity (aside from the obvious reasons) that Kathie can't chime in, because I think her input would cover sights rather than shopping and eating. With all due respect, simpsonc510's Bangkok visits are irrelevant to a potential first-timer's decision (apart from the references to heat and humidity!).

@julie - if I were looking for a concentration of restaurants I'd probably head for Sukhumvit, but that's not near the river. My go-back-to small restaurant is Taling Pling. There are several branches but I usually go to the one round the corner from the Myanmar embassy. That's a Skytrain stop and a half from the river, and there are several other eateries in that area. But, as was mentioned on your planning thread, there's plenty of choice in the food courts.

may I add as others have, Bangkok is not really a "walking" city. way too hot and many sidewalks are in poor repair.

there are tons of places to eat along the river, but you have to do your homework. I often prefer hotel food in bkk I must say, but there are many one off restaurants. Asiatique is easy to get to and has tons of restaurants and is located right on the river with its own free boat from taskin station of the skytrain after 5PM.

I just jump in a taxi from my riverside hotel and go to restaurants all over town and the fare rarely reaches $5.

SO, YOU CAN DISLIKE BKK AND THAT IS FINE, EVEN PREFERABLE FOR SOME, but many love it and return over and over.

it was good of you to present your observations..

We are "walkers" and enjoy using our feet to get around. However for many cities, including BKK, that doesn't work. We just returned from 7 weeks in Colombia and Ecuador and none of the major cities were great for walking for a variety of reasons, but that didn't stop us from enjoying them and finding good local restaurants. The same is true in BKK and at least BKK has a great metro system that is easy to use and gets you around quickly and in a/c. And the boats on the river are great to use.

If I recall the planning thread you started on BKK, julies, Kathie provided many great suggestions of places to see that were not food or shopping related. I recall mentally noting that we had not seen some of the places she mentioned.

We did go to Asiatic on our last trip to BKK and didn't particularly care for it, but there were a ton of restaurants. rhkmhk provided us a list of restaurants on our first trip and we went to several of his suggestions, several were near the Oriental and easy walking once you took the metro or ferry to that area. We also did a food tour on each trip and enjoyed going back to some of the places we enjoyed on the food tour. Chinatown had lots of places to eat.

I do not plan a specific trip to BKK, but as noted above, it is a transportation hub and we want to go back to SEAsia and likely will be flying through BKK. I think for 1 or 2 visits there is plenty interesting sites to see. Culturally I found it fascinating.

After I submitted the above, I went to twitter and saw the following -- funny!
http://www.travelandleisure.com/slid...-best-cities/5

"SO, YOU CAN DISLIKE BKK AND THAT IS FINE, EVEN PREFERABLE FOR SOME, but many love it and return over and over."

This has been a very civil discussion so far. Why are you shouting? I thought we had all agreed that some people loved BKK and some did not, and that was fine. People considering a visit to BKK should have access to both points of view.

Funny, I didn't receive rhkkmk's caps as shouting, just highlighting a point of view. Maybe I'm just not savvy enough to know the difference but, in this case, I guess ignorance is bliss.

When we want great walking cities we head to Europe. For Asia, due to the heat and congestion that many Asian cities have we look for ones that have excellent tourism infrastructure to get us from A to B.

I find it quite easy to walk around lower Sukhumvit, from, say, the J W hotel to Terminal 21. I do it every trip in order to reach some of my favorite local restaurants and pubs on and around Sukhumvit soi 7/8 thru 15.

Yes, sidewalks are in disrepair. I had a very bad ankle sprain on my very 1st trip to Bangkok, within the 1st hour of touring with a Thai friend! She suggested Thai foot massage at Wat Pho, and it hurt like he** but it did work! I could have danced out after one hour of torture! (at home I would have been advised to keep it elevated, walk on crutches, and wrap it in an ace bandage)

I'm enjoying this discussion even though I do not really consider myself a tourist, and I have nothing much to add for newbies (sorry thursdaysd).

For a newbie, however, I would add that the movie theaters in Bangkok, if you go to the "gold class" ones, are a real treat. Even if the movie isn't very good, you can take a nice snooze with the pillow and blankets and recliners they offer! We just saw the new Star Wars movie at the Central Embassy Mall in December and enjoyed it!

I am able to type a bit more , so I will add some thoughts.

The thing I love most about Bangkok is the spiritual connection. I've been visiting since the mid-1980s, and always choose a new wat or two to visit. The fact that lovely hotels are so reasonably priced is a plus, as we prefer to get a suite.

We love to stay along the river, and found we isn't enjoy t nearly as much staying downtown - next trip we will be back at the river.

"the movie theaters in Bangkok, if you go to the "gold class" ones, are a real treat"

I think is an example of the disconnect. Why would I go all the way to Asia and then go to the movies? I can do that at home (not that I do). (Exception - I might go to a Bollywood movie in Mumbai.)

@Kathie - glad there's some improvement! Hang in there.

Interesting that you find a spiritual connection in BKK. I went to Thailand the first time specifically because I wanted to visit a Buddhist country, but I was disappointed. It reminded me very much of medieval Europe, with hugely expensive and elaborate temples surrounded by the poor, whose offerings made the buildings possible, when their need was much greater. Plus Buddhism as practiced seemed to be very much a matter of folk religion/magical thinking - if you make the appropriate offerings you will have a son, or a new job, or a better after life.

On our last trip to BKK we saw the latest (at that time) James Bond movie in the Terminal 21 mall cinema for about $3.00. When we go on vacation we want to be pampered. Lux hotels, great food, many shopping venues as well as cultural ones.
We get it that this is not everyone's cup of tea, but I submit BKK has just about everything you could be looking for if you do your homework.

Funny about the movie theaters--who knew? And the massages esp the foot massages are pure heaven. I practically got 1 a day.

Each person's travel style is different (thank goodness, or we wouldn't "need" a site like fodors to help with planning).

I like to go to movies in Bangkok because of the theaters! I don't recall the last time I saw a movie anywhere in the USA. It has literally been decades. I usually avoid movies altogether, even on airplanes on long flights. The experience in Bangkok just isn't the same! The pre-movie wine, finger foods, popcorn, luxe waiting room with fancy seating, etc...... and for such a small price!

I also don't play pool in the USA, but I can be found with friends of mine in a few pool halls along Sukhumvit when in Bangkok. I can't shoot worth anything, but it's fun to play! Probably not the usual stuff for a tourist. You might also find me at the bowling alley and trivia quiz night! Bangkok has such a great choice of things to do. One of the best things is the easy availability to find live entertainment that is really phenomenal. Usually no cover charge. All types of music.

I find such a calmness in the Thai people (non-confrontational) because of their faith. I have partaken in merit making and tree planting (in remembrance of those who have passed) along with Thai friends and I find it to be a moving experience. I sat in on the blessing ceremony for the 2-year anniversary of my favorite serviced apartment building a few years ago. I've been a part of a mixed Thai/Danish wedding a number of years ago. It was pure pleasure! So different from any I've been to in the USA.

When I'm in Bangkok I'm busy doing a lot of unusual things!

This thread has become fascinating and definitely proves that we are all different and have very different tastes and interests.

For us, our purpose in visiting new cities in different parts of the world and in different cultures is to learn some history, taste the foods, visit significant sites (cultural, historical, spiritual), participate in local activities we can't partake of at home, take in interesting local markets, understand the geography of the place, visit unique parks and gardens, observe the daily lives of those who live in the city etc. We typically use public transportation to travel major distances within the city and then walk because we feel that in order to really get the feel for a place one needs to slow down and take it in up close rather than out the windows of a car or bus.

MrsBillT--

We don't have a ton of experience with Asian cities only having visited Bangkok, Hanoi, Saigon, Phnom Penh, Vientiene, Siem Reap, Luang Prabang, Mumbai, Kathmandu and Delhi. Of those I'd classify Bangkok and Delhi as definitely not amenable to walking or particularly enjoyable places to walk. Interestingly enough these two are also at the bottom of our list of Asian cities we enjoy. Are you saying that if we visit places like Singapore or Hong Kong or others we should expect places where we can't walk? I should add that despite the heat we did do a lot of walking in Bangkok (and we sweated a lot).


Kathie--

Glad you are somewhat improving. During our visit we did take several of your suggestions because those are the types of things that interest us when we visit a new place.

We live in Houston where we have long hot humid summers and we do not walk here . Asia is hot and humid and for us we do not fond walking about in such heat and humidity enjoyable. Sweating and having to shower and change clothes several times a day just is not something we want to do. Now in Europe, during the right months of the year there are so many charming towns and cities where you can walk and not sweat bullets!
In addition my wife (note it is Billt that is writing) does not relish walking about in severe heat,sun etc. I can deal with it better than she so sometimes she stays in the hotel and has her 2 hour massage ( we have our person come to our hotel) while I do the markets and other outdoor activities . It works out just fine for both of us.