Where to Stay in Bangkok

What is Bangkok known for?

Bangkok is known for its temples, palaces, and canals, the great capital of Thailand on the Chao Phraya River. The old city dazzles. The Grand Palace and the adjoining Wat Phra Kaew crown the royal quarter, while Wat Arun rises from the far bank and the markets and canals carry the life of Krung Thep down to the water.

What are the main landmarks in Bangkok?

Bangkok holds one of the great concentrations of royal and religious monuments anywhere in the country. The temples lead. The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew stand at its ceremonial centre, the old seat of the Thai crown, while across the Chao Phraya River the porcelain spire of Wat Arun rises above the water.

Museums cover what the temples do not. The Bangkok National Museum and the Museum of Siam hold the major collections, and the Democracy Monument, the Victory Monument, and the tall red frame of Sao Chingcha mark the avenues around the old temples.

What is the history of Bangkok?

Bangkok began in 1782, when a new royal capital was laid out on the east bank of the Chao Phraya River. The kings chose the spot with care. On the island of Rattanakosin they raised the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew as the ceremonial core of the kingdom, and the city that spread around them took the ceremonial name Krung Thep Maha Nakhon.

A capital was born. From that royal island the city grew outward across the delta. Canals came first.

The waterways of the Chao Phraya River carried trade and traffic for generations, earning the old town its name as a city of water, before roads and rail overtook them and Krung Thep spread far beyond the walls of Rattanakosin. The river still orders it all. Wat Arun on the far bank marks how far the old capital once reached.

Where is Bangkok?

Bangkok sits on the low delta of the Chao Phraya River in central Thailand, spread across both banks near the head of the country's central plain. The ground is flat and wet. Canals still lace the older quarters, draining land that lies barely above the river, while the city sprawls outward from Rattanakosin over the delta toward the edges of the Bangkok Metropolitan Region.

What is the climate of Bangkok?

Bangkok runs hot and humid through the whole year, its heat rarely easing even after dark. Relief is rare. The southwest monsoon soaks the delta from mid-year, turning the streets and canals of Krung Thep to running water, before a drier and slightly cooler spell settles briefly over the Chao Phraya River.

The wet season rules the calendar.

How do you get to Bangkok?

Bangkok is the main point of entry for the whole of Thailand, reached by nearly every long-haul route into the country. Two airports handle the crowds. From the capital, rail lines and expressways fan out across central Thailand, while ferries and long-tail boats still work the Chao Phraya River as they have for generations, linking the old riverside quarters of Krung Thep.

Most journeys through Thailand begin here.