Bangkok, leaving soon, what to bring?
 

So, I am off to Bangkok for 10 days just next week. I know it's going to be nearly 100 degrees during the day and 85 to 90 in the evening. I am wondering what type of attire to bring for day time sightseeing, nice dinners at night? We will also be going to bars/clubs at night. Is Bangkok a formal city? We are doing a few night time activities like watching thai kick boxing, and the floating market. Are short and tee shirts appropriate? If I walk into an upscale hotel in shorts and a tee, am I going to get weird looks? I just can't imagine dressing formally in such hot weather. We are also going to be there during the water festival, and I have heard that you clothing gets trashed. Any thoughts on attire in general?

Les, in general shorts are not considered city attire. It isn't that Bangkok is formal, it's that it's more conservative in attire. Exposing more skin actually makes you hotter in the sun, So you are best off in light long pants. Tee shirts or other light shirts are fine. Tank tops are also not considerd city attire.

For nice dinners at night long pants and a short sleeved shirt are fine. Sandals are fine most places, a few very picky places (like the bars at the top of the State Tower) do not allow sandals.

in bangkok i wear chinos and a sport shirt both in the day and at nite....i do sometimes wear a long sleeved starched shirt to nice restaurants...

i wear regular leather shoes at nite and sandals during the day....flip flops for the pools....

no ties, no jackets are necessary except at one or two of the very top restaurants...

i wear shorts at resorts and/or the beach but only there...

you will see people in shorts and T shirts but many of us feel that they are really not appropriate....you want to be dressed for all occasions while touring...i find that long pants protect you against dirt, water splashing from the river, etc and also from the sun....i do not find that cotton long slacks are any hoter than are a pair of shorts....

i often wear cotton socks with my sandals too...same reasoning....

your clothes need to be all natural fibers, like cotton, linen, etc...no poly!!

Hi lesm,
Shorts and t-shirt are probably fine inside the hotel grounds.
I wouldn't wear them to clubs though, and didn't notice anyone wearing shorts at the big Muay Thai stadiums.
As has been suggested, it would be better to wear natural fibre long pants. They don't have to be 'formal' clothes.
Have a great time in Bangkok :)

asiadana.org

Thanks for the advice everyone! You have really shed some light on a subject I had little info on. I just ordered a few pairs of lightweight travel pants from LLBean. Hopefully those will do the trick. Rhk, you mentioned no poly! Does poly not breathe well?

I debated over what to bring. It's hot. Very very hot. Extremely hot. I cannot emphasize how hot it was!

That said, I'd brought one pair of shorts and four pairs of light slacks on my trip. Honestly, I discovered in Vietnam that the short really were no better than the slacks. It was hot regardless. And no adults really wore shorts, some tourists did and sleeveless tops too, but most tourists (especially past their early 20s) wore long pants and short-sleeved shirts, which is what I wore.

But oh my god was it hot. It was in the 90s well into the evening while I was there last week.

Some suggestions:

1. Closed- toed shoes with closed backs for places like the Grand Palace, e.g. no Tevas. I think Bangkok is pretty dirty anyway and so I like closed flats in any event. Shoes that are easy to take on and off are better, as you have to leave shoes outside most temples. Sneakers and socks are a lot of work and pretty hot IMO.
2. A hat
3. An umbrella, not only for rain but this is extremely useful against the sun when walking in places like the Grand Palace which has open large open areas. It is so shady under one!
4. Wash n Dries or similar wet towelettes
5. Always carry a water bottle with you.
6. In general, you cannot enter a temple if you are wearing shorts. They are particularly rigid about this at the Grand Palace in Bangkok (as there are several temples on the grounds). Men wearing long shorts may get away with being allowed to enter some temples (not the Grand Palace), but women in shorts may have a problem. I would actually just avoid them in Bangkok when sightseeing so you aren’t turned away. (Although some temples with “rent” you a sarong for a small fee.)

I actually find skirts to be cooler than long pants. Capris are very good also. Agree on the shorts, at a certain age, no one really looks good in them anyway. I would not worry about what you are wearing inside the hotels, you will see everything even in the very best hotels, i.e. people wandering through the lobby in their bathrobes and slippers on the way to the pool.

Polyester is to be avoided at all costs, it really does not breathe. Cotton with a little spandex for stretch is OK, but that would be like 5-10% at most.

Unless you are eating outdoors, most restaurants are somewhat heavily air-conditioned, so I would bring a light sweater actually.