Bangkok on our own or with a tour guide?
 

We'll be in Bangkok Dec. 24-27. I was thinking we would do the sights on our own, but people here keep recommending Tong. What does a tour guide offer that we can't do on our own?

www.sawadee.com many good options Tong is one

viator.com many other good options...

Insider info is offered and lots of fun...

But a good guidebook and self-guiding has worked well also

for me in the past... first timers tend to get overwhelmed

sometimes with some of the areas...

Rent the movie HangOver 2 it is funny

and will give you a sense of the seedy side of the city.

if you can handle that vibe go for it on your own.

Have fun!

Bangkok can easily be done on your own. Purchase a Nancy Chandler map through amazon before going to get a better idea where things are. Get a hotel close to the skytrain and/or river. However, if you want the experience of spending the day with a wonderful tour guide, then hire tong and spend the day with her on a day trip that cannot as easily be done on your own.
We hired tong for a day out to the floating market and to her secret place and will say that tong it was one if our most memorable days in 3 1/2 weeks in Thailand.

Generally speaking you can see more with a guide or driver than you can see using public transportation. When I was in Bagkok I hired a driver (Ratt) because I wanted to go to the floating market, the Prasart Museum (they are in opposite directions) take a klong tour and see some other miscellaneous sites, all in one 12 hour day. If you want to go at a more leisurely pace, you can easily use the skytrain, taxis and boats, and be your own guide with a guidebook. I did this to see the Grand Palace, Vinimik Palace and Suan (cant't remember the next word, but it was a collection of houses and artifacts from around Thailand). Transportation in Bangkok is very user friendly.

you can do it all on your own, but it is much more efficient with a driver/guide

DIY with a Nancy Chandler map, a good guidebook and a bit of research beforehand

At this point in time, getting a booking with Tong may be a problem. But, give it a try. Phoning her is much more reliable than emailing.

We too hired Tong for 2 days of our week in Thailand. We did what dgung mentioned and also went to the Tiger Temple and Bridge on River Khwae. She made our trip special. Chris