Greetings All - <BR> <BR>I just had to post this. I get so tired of hearing everyone say to skip Bangkok or only go for 1 or 2 days. It's ridiculous. You can't even begin to see the things this city offers in one or two days. Esepecially if you include all the day trips possible. <BR> <BR>If you are reading this and haven't been yet, give Bangkok a chance and you will be much rewarded. <BR> <BR>Lynn <BR> <BR <BR>

While I don't recall reading all that many posts saying to skip Bangkok, I definitely agree with Lynn. This city is a must-see.

Hi Lynn, Glad to hear you say that. We are going to China soon and we added a 4 day extension to BKK. What do you recommend we see? We figured as long as we were paying that air fair we might as well do it all. Any tips will be greatly appreciated.

My advice would definitely be: SKIP BANGKOK!!!!!!!!!!! Thailand is heaven on earth, but Bangkok is hell. I've visited twice in a bid to "give it a chance" but have hated every second of my stays there. The only thing I found worth visiting was the Grand Palace, but I don't think even that's worth putting up with the humidity, the smell, the traffic, etc. Rather head for the coast or the islands.

Yes, Bangkok was very hot and humid when we were there, and I hate that kind of weather. However, I still think it's the most fabulous city anywhere. We spent 3 days, and it wasn't nearly enough. Smell? I don't remember much of one, unless you mean incense. The traffic wasn't half as bad as I had expected. The sights are incredible, the food great, and everything is CHEAP. If you go, be sure to spend time on the river. Take the express boats up and down the river for next to nothing, but be ready to jump fast when getting on or off. <BR>

Right on JP! <BR> <BR>I didn't notice any overall smell either. Once in a while when walking by a particular food vendor, perhaps. I also agree about the traffic; it wasn't half as bad as what I had envisioned in my minds eye before our first trip. <BR> <BR>And I really don't care much about the smog. I would prefer less only so we could do more walking from place to place but, we can't so that's what air-conditioned taxis are for! <BR> <BR>Peter - Based on your comment about the islands I assume you much prefer the tropical beach areas. And that's good for you. Myself, I get bored hanging around the beach (even with the activities one can do down there) and I just much prefer the hustle, bustle, and hecticness of a big city. We visited Chiang Mai last year and really liked the slower pace of that city as a nice break from Bangkok but we still love Bangkok. One day, we plan on going south to the islands to visit some of the caves but we haven't yet been able to pull ourselves away from all the food and shopping in the city! <BR> <BR>Lizz - I'm going to take the liberty of sending you my trip reports from our two trips to Thailand. It'll give you way more info than you ever dreamed possible about Bangkok and it's way more detailed and real than any guide book could even hope for. <BR> <BR>6.5 Months and counting... <BR> <BR>Nov. 14th and we're leaving! <BR> <BR>Viva La Bangkok! <BR> <BR>Lynn <BR> <BR

I wouldn't advise anyone to skip Bangkok completely, I think it's an essential part of any trip to Thailand, but in my opinion, spending only a few days there is enough. I didn't have so much of a problem with the smog, traffic and humidity that everyone talks about (you find that in a lot of major metropolitan areas, although not on such a large scale), I just found that the attitude of the people in the city were far more detached and unwelcoming than those in other parts of the country. Thai people are well known for their graciousness and friendliness, which I found in far greater abundance OUTSIDE of Bangkok. Not to say that I didn't meet some wonderful individuals in Bangkok, but it was difficult to maintain an open and affable demeanor when you feel as if you're primarily viewed as a big fat open wallet ripe for plucking, and nothing more. To be fair, a few extra dollars will mean much more to those in Thailand than it does to us here in the U.S., but just the same, it makes you very wary and cynical of everyone you meet. Bangkok has some wonderful sights to see, foods to taste and things to experience, don't skip it, but I can tell you, I personally breathed a heavy sigh of relief when I left for Chaing Mai (which was wonderful) and on my next trip over, I was happy to pare my BKK time down to the minimum.

Lizz, better listen to Lynn ... if you skip BKK, you'll be making a huge error. Allow me to offer a suggestion about where you stay: at a hotel on the river, not near, but on the river. Oreintal, Sheraton (where I stayed), Peninsula, others. Traffic and fumes in BKK are terrible ... slows you down, makes you feel bad. But being on the river means you hop on the boats (like in Venice), and travel on the water (cheaply, fast, fun, great views, refreshing)to get places and then to return home. It makes for a great day. You are also in position to hire private longtailed boats to visit the small canals and see how people live on the water. When you want to go uptown, you walk out of your hotel and get on one of those motorized three-wheel things and go for it. The food in BKK is great, and all all price levels. This is a fun city ... and should not be missed.

For good or for bad Bangkok is a must see. It provides such an insight into what Asia is all about. Hotels have great service and it is very easy to book tours etc. IF you get a little overwhelmed then just get a car/taxi from your hotel and head south to the beaches, about 2 hours gets to to Hua Hin with fresh sea breezes, plenty of temples, culture, eco-tourism, farmlands etc. I stay in BKK so take it <BR>as any major city, busy, but 'exciting too.

Hello all <BR> <BR>My wife & I plus two boys (ages 10 & 15) are planning to go to Bangkok in late June for about 10 days. What area of hotel/area of town to you recommend we stay in? We want to do some shopping & see some sights while we are there. <BR> <BR>Also, what sightes/activities do you recommend? <BR> <BR>Thanks, Juan <BR>

I agree with all the above comments about not missing BKK. We stayed there two years ago for a couple of nights as a stop over. I am asthmatic and was worried about the smog that I had heard about so didn't venture very far although went to the floating market (good fun) and the Grand Palace. This time we decided to spend five nights there at the beginning of our holiday and one night at the end. Many people said that was overdoing it but believe me we could have stayed longer. I think you need to be there for more than a couple of days to get a real feel of the place and its peoples. We found everyone to be really friendly. At one time we got lost and ended up wandering around a very poor ghetto area. Bearing in mind that we probably looked like rich tourists to them we were in an incredibly vulnerable position (how many capital cities in the western world can you wander the ghetto backstreets of without feeling nervous)but all they did was smile and point us in the right direction. <BR>The point about the smell I can understand. When we visited last time it was August, wet season, and I am very sensitive to smell and the place did smell unpleasant. I left thinking that was how BKK smelled all the time and in fact whenever I have spoken to anyone who has been there since have asked them if they noticed the horrible smell. However, when we went this time, in April, the smell was not there at all so it was obviously a damp smell. Last time we stayed at the Holiday Inn Crown Plaza, which was extremely good value for money IMO but this time we splashed out and stayed at the Oriental for the five days. That was fantastic - loved it. On the last day before returning to England we stayed at the Royal Orchid Sheraton and were very disappointed with it. It was full of westerners and I definately wouldn't stay there again. I think the HICP was much better at a fraction of the price. The only negative point is that it is not on the river and I do agree with an earlier posting that it is great to be on the river. <BR>We eagerly look forward to our next trip to BKK. Part of the allure is the way modern life seems to rub shoulders with an older way of life. The city is a real mixture and to me that makes it an exciting and vibrant city.

i have been to bangkok in the region of maybe 40 times or more in 20 different trips to thailand spending between one night and one month each time i have visited, my answer to this question would be that if i had to be stuck in any city in the world then i would choose bangkok, it has everything.

I was digging through the Asia board today and found this post, and thought I'd jump into the debate just for fun. <BR> <BR>In my opinion, Bangkok is interesting, and should definitely be a part of any trip to Thailand, but I think a day or two is fine, particularly considering the fact that most people will have to drop another destination from their itinerary to make room for more days in BKK. (I do agree that 4 days would be fine if you're doing several day trips). <BR> <BR>Assuming that the average vacation to Thailand is for just over a week or so (my American bias showing), I would STRONGLY recommend spending 2-3 days in Angkor in Cambodia over additional days in BKK. <BR> <BR>From reading this board, it seems as though most Westerners coming to Asia have a limited amount of time here, and for a lot of people, they are only likely to take one "Asia" trip for several years. <BR> <BR>I do like BKK (and am really a city person - I live in Shanghai), but don't think that it has SO much going for it over Hong Kong or other major Asian cities/ destinations that I would ever recommend someone devote more than 2 days there unless their trip is longer than 2-3 weeks.

Hello Again - <BR> <BR>Andrea, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.....2 days in BKK enough? Poppycock! <BR> <BR>As JP said, they spent 3 days and it wasn't nearly enough. I think 4 days is minimum to start getting a feel for the place and longer if you want to do day trips. The trick is variety and interspersing day trips in between wandering around the city. You should never try to stay in BKK for days in a row (although we do!) without a break, most people can't deal with it. But, that doesn't mean you should give it 48 hours and get out, you miss too much. <BR> <BR>Let's not forget that's what all those great hotels are for. Lounging at the pool, relaxing in the lobby over tea, etc. Bangkok is one of the most exciting cities on this planet with something for almost everyone. <BR> <BR>Lynn <BR> <BR