Hilde van de Waal Relocations Manager at Easy Relocation, your one-stop shop for all your relocation needs from planning, moving, to living and experiencing Singapore, shares some insight into what to do and where to stay on your next weekend away in Bangkok.
Holidays are precious to us, when we are working full time, and we only have a limited number of days we can take off. Long weekends are the perfect time to get away without using up your normal holiday time too!
There are so many places to travel to from Singapore that are less than a few hours away, that we are a bit spoiled. But if you want culture, shopping, nightlife and an amazingly different experience from Singapore, then we think Bangkok ticks all the boxes and is a great choice!
Where to stay:
There are 3 main areas of Bangkok that makes great places to stay for tourists.
The Siam Square/Sukhumvit area is great for shopping, markets, and easy access to the Skytrain. This is a large area that stretches over several miles. Most of Bangkok's best and biggest malls are in Siam Square.
The Riverside area has some of Bangkok’s best hotels. It is not so close to the shopping in Siam Square but if you chose somewhere near the Skytrain it is quite manageable. Many of Bangkok’s top cultural attractions are near the river so if you’re here for sightseeing it is a good base. River trips are of course most easily organized from here too.
The area of Khao San Road is notoriously the home of the backpacker, but is lots around the neighborhood, including some good mid-range hotels, just off the main drag on Soi Rambutree. It is one of the cheapest areas to stay in the city and is also close to many of the city’s cultural attractions. There is no Skytrain near here, however, so any trips further afield will need to be by taxi, tuk tuk, or bus which can be slow in Bangkok traffic!
What to see:
There are so many cultural and historic areas of Bangkok, you will not fit them into just one weekend. However, there are some must see places, which we have identified for you!
Wat Phra Kaew/The Grand Palace – The Grand Palace, which also incorporates the temple Wat Phra Kaew, has some of the most beautiful buildings in Thailand. If you are looking for the top must-see places in Bangkok on a weekend and only have time to see one — this one is it.
Lumphini Park – This is officially the biggest green space in the city. It is a huge park in downtown Bangkok, and is a wonderful place to visit to see true Thai culture. The park comes alive early in the morning when, at 6am, the joggers, weightlifters, Muay Thai fighters, and the Tai Chi masters arrive for their daily exercise.
If early morning exercise is not your thing, you can pick up breakfast at a nearby food stall, and find a park bench to watch the Thai people in their daily lives !
Take a Boat on the Chao Praya River – This must be the quintessential Bangkok experience! The river is has many ferry boats, you can hop on one for as little as 10 baht and go for miles! Spend a couple of hours from your day hopping on and off ferry boats, and explore the Bangkok neighborhoods they take you to. You will see the real life of the Bangkok people – for some local families, a life that hasn’t changed for more than 100 years!
Chatuchak Weekend Market – No visit to Bangkok is complete without shopping at South East Asia’s biggest outdoor market!
Estimates differ on how many stalls there are here, but it is easily between 12,000 to 15,000 - plus another 1,000 or so in the indoor J.J. Mall right next door! No matter what you are shopping for, there’s a market stall at Chatuchak that sells it and for a very cheap price!
The market here is only open on Friday evenings and Saturday and Sunday days until 6pm, so don’t miss out!
Easy Relocation is your one-stop shop for all your relocation needs from moving to, living in and experiencing Singapore. Visit our website or email us or call +65 6831 5896
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