Bangkok - Short Itinerary
 

Hi,

I will be hacing a brief stopover in Bangkok in January. Land at 15:40 on Day 1 and depart at 17:00 on Day 3, staying at the Hotel Asia. My plan is to try and see the Grand Palace/Sleeping Buddha/River on Day 2 and do some shopping on Day 3. This is my girlfriends first taste of Thailand so thought that would give a good overview. Any other suggestions?

Thanks.

Hi

My wife and I have been to Thailand and Bangkok on vacation a couple of times and I have posted trip reports and pictures on my personal homepage <font color=blue>www.gardkarlsen.com</font>. Maybe you can find some useful information there :-) I'm sure you will have a great time...but you should have had more time because it is a great city. Have a great trip.

Regards
Gard
Stavanger, Norway

OK, I have revised my plans now. Can you let me know if this is achievable. On arrival on Day we will be chacking in to the Asia Hotel, that evening would be dinner in the hotel or local (any suggestions) and then a taxi to Patpong to see market etc.

Day 2 - Out early, get the Sytrain to chatuchak for a morning of shopping. Have lunch then skytrain down to the river (Sathorn) then catch the ferry upto the Grand Palace. Spend 3-4 hours visiting the palace and wat po (we only want to see the 'main' sights. That evening would be dinner at cabbages &amp; condoms.

Day 3 - stay close to the hotel and then transfer to airport in the afternoon.

I am from Miami and will be undergoing the long trip and 12 hours of time change. arrival time in Bangkok is 1 AM.Any suggestions for dealing with jet lag going West. Thank yo.
Rick

plan to spend the first day near the pool....drink lots of water, no alchol

no alcohol-that doesnt seem like fun.We will be at the JW Marriott the first 5 nights.

I guess u are aware that Jatujak is a weekend market. U can visit on Fri (post aroound 11), Sat or Sun only. Sun is the most crowded. The Grand palace closes very early - 3 I think. Factor that into your thinking.

Hey citiboy50,

Get your own post - this ones mine!

Dear David,
I have just returned from Thailand trip and can offer you the following - day one - night at patpong - unless you plan on staying at one of the sex shows patpong has to offer, you can finish the market at patpong in well under one hour. we found the stalls at patpong to be uninspiring an not condusive to shopping. you should go with exact pictures of what you want (ie which rolex watch, louis vuitton purse/wallet). plan on also going to the flower market maybe. you can fill your night with at least one other worthwhile sight. (in my humble opinion patpong is not a worthwhile place).
if your day 2 falls on the weekend then head up to the weekend market - the skytrain is the best way to get there. at the weekend market, you can get all the no name clothes you want, all the handicrafts and souveniers you want. we found negotiating at the weekend market difficult. the market can take a full full morning to go through. getting the grand palace and wat po done on the same day maybe impossible due to the hours of the sights - also you will need about one hour from the time you leave the market until you get to the skytrain to the river where you will have to take a ferry boat to the grand palace.
I would suggest using day 3 to do the grand palace and wat po. you can use the afternoon of day 2 to do a river tour in the long tail boat (1 hour to 1 1/2 hours is plenty). or you can use the afternoon of day 2 to do MBK to finish off your shopping.
If you do make it to wat po don't forget to get a massage.
Have a good trip

Thanks firsttime,

We will probably keep the palaces and the market on seperate days now following your tips.