Best of Bangkok for 2 day trip?
 

I am going to be in Bangkok for a 2 day visit (staying at the Sheraton Orchid) and would love suggestions on what to see and do (sights? great thai food? shopping?) and how (conducted tours? cabs? buses?). Any hints would be very appreciated!!<BR>

Do a search and you will find all the info you need.

I wrote you a nice, long reply and the website stalled...<BR><BR>I'll try again. Here's a sampler of Bangkok:<BR>Visit the Royal Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Go via Express riverboat from the dock next to the Royal Orchid (about 10 baht). Wat Po is a short walk from there if you aren't too hot and exhausted after that.<BR><BR>Visit the Jim Thompson House, take a meter taxi from the hotel. The branch of the Jim Thompson store in the hotel can give you a card with the address on it in Thai. (also, always carry one of the hotel cards so you can easily communicate your desitination with the cab driver)<BR><BR>Shopping: The River City Shopping Center next door to the hotel is well known for Arts and Antiques. If you want to buy jewelry DO NOT go with a tuk tuk driver or a tout. Buy only from reputable jewelers. (If you need a recommendation, I have a jeweler I've been buying from for 20 years)<BR><BR>Food: fabulous! There is an excellent Thai restaurant in the hotel. Harmonique is a great restaurant within walking distance of your hotel. Lemongrass is near Sukumvit.<BR><BR>Enjoy!<BR><BR>

I have been to Bangkok twice and would say that by far the best place to go for sightseeing is the Grand Palace. No need to take a tour, but be sure that you are wearing appropriate attire. The concierge could help you with that. <BR><BR>For shopping, go to MBK Hall. It is a huge shopping mall that has the cheapest prices on everything and in many cases the price is negotiable.<BR><BR>You should have no problem finding great Thai food - it's everywhere.<BR><BR>As far as getting around is concerned, taxis are cheap and so are tuk-tuks (like motorized rickshaws), but you might want to have the concierge write down your destination and hotel in Thai in case you get a driver that is not good in English, especially true for tuk-tuk drivers.

not much time in a city that is so congested...USE THE SKY TRAIN TO NEAR DESTINATIONS AND THEN TAKE METER TAXIS..<BR>IF YOU ONLY SEE ONE THING THAT WOULD BE THE GRAND PALACE...from there take a ride on the river, maybe to river city shopping center....maybe 10 minutes...good place to shop and right next to your hotel...you might see wat arun while just across from it at the grand palace...plan aminimum of 2-3 hours at palace....<BR><BR>skip the other wats as they are of a similar theme to what you will see at the grand palace...but if you must go to the marble wat for something different...<BR>take a klong tour in a long tail boat...can get it near the hotel...ask the conceige...i think they are now set up at the taskim pier below the skytrain station...just a small table or ask at the kiosk at river city--out on the pier by the river...<BR>go to the kgb for sensory overload...while there visit the large malls in the neighborhood...<BR><BR>have fun and prepare yourself for a return visit...

Hi Kathie,<BR><BR>Which jeweler would you recommend ?<BR><BR>Thanks

we like thai stone jewerly in the lobby of the nana hotel---soi 2, sukumvit road..don't be off put by the lobby looks or the shop...the service and merchandise is great...we have been customers for many years...ask for amporn (a woman)...custom and ready made stuff...

Your hotel is in the perfect location--we just spent 4 days there. The best transportation, we found, was the &quot;Tourist Boat&quot; for 75B a day which you catch at most of the landings. You get a map and time table with your ticket. One place it takes you directly is the Barge Museum--the regular ferry requires some walking. <BR><BR>My favorite places were Wat Po, Jim Thompson's house, and Vimanmek Mansion with its beautiful house, gardens, and Thai dancers on the lawn at 10:30 and 2:00. What a deal!

message for jane: what is the tourist boat...i have been to bkk 5 times and always stay on the river and have no idea what you mean by the &quot;tourist boat&quot;???? i will use it next time if i knew what it is...it runs from where to where and stops where?? thanks

The &quot;Chao Phraya Tourist Boat&quot; travels up and down the river from Oriental Hotel (Stop #1) to Banglumpoo Pier (Stop #13). It's part of the Bangkok Mass Transit system. Their web site is www.bts.co.th. <BR>It carries about 50 people and seats are usually available. The cost of 75B for all day long hop-on and hop-off.<BR>It's very tourist-friendly! You'll like it better than the regular ferries.

thanks jane i'll try it on my next trip...try the monora song up to ayuttia(phonetically spelled--the ancient capital)...its very expensive but a wonderful overnite experience...its owned by the royal garden chain..d/b/a bangkok marriott resort and spa...