Bangkok
Visited: 19 January - 1 February 2025
Preparation time
- Travel documents
Passport which is still valid up to 6 months minimum after arrival date.
No visum required for stays less than 60 days
New: Arrival card to be filled in within the 3 days before your arrival trough online platform
(* please check with your own local government or embassy for most recent updates)
- Airport transfer
Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) is Bangkoks main airport, most international flights land here and several domestic flights too.
Transport to the city center can easily take 45 min to 1h depending on traffic.
Tip: please install the app 'Grab' when you land with the airports wifi. This is the local app where everyone books transportation on for taxi's / motorbikes.
Public transportation is also an option of course, but given the prices for grab rides and the luggage you have, I would suggest to make use of Grab. For a very reasonable price of +- 20 EUR you should get a grab for sure.
Don Mueang International Airport (DMK) is the airport where most domestic flights leave, as well as international flights, mostly low-cost though.
- Booking accommodation
Whenever possible, book as early as possible. Prices can double or triple in a few weeks time, depending on demand and availability. I've booked numerous hotels and hostels which ended up doubling in price between my booking date and my actual dates of stay, if I would have made a booking later.
Always book the option with free-cancellation if you book ahead. You can always cancel / modify later if needed or if a better deal presents itself.
I stayed here:
The Legacy Sukhumvit
No.29 Sukhumvit Rd., Klongtoey Nua, Wattana, Wattana, 10110 Bangkok, Thailand
Roomtype booked: Deluxe king room
This hotel was conveniently located between 2 BTS stations, not far from Siam and BKK.
There's a 7/11 shop and a currency exchange shop in the same building which is super convenient
Various tips for Thailand / Bangkok:
- Money
1) Cash
Thai local residents pay with cash or a QR code linked to their bank card, which means that in many smaller shops and with street vendors for food/drinks, you might not be able to pay by card. Therefore, I always recommend to have at least around 25 EUR value in THB with you, so that you always have something with you to buy a drink/food if you need to due to the heat etc.
Cash can be collected in several ways:
Bank machines which you find in the streets
Bangkok and larger cities have little exchange kiosks everywhere, where you can change either your local currency bills to THB, or can pay by card and get THB. For each transaction in the machine at the entry of my hotel, I paid about 200 THB fee for conversion.
Try to keep this in mind, so don't make too many exchanges to cash and do a larger amount per time.
Note: When I traveled it was not possible for foreigners to get a QR code as you needed a local Thai bank for it. I've read on several platforms changes are made and soon, foreigners will have access to these QR codes too.
2) Creditcard
Make sure you have a valid and working creditcard with you. Please check with your bank or in your bank app that transactions in South-Asia are allowed, as this might have been blocked for fraud prevention. You will need your card to get cash money from bank distribution machines or from one of the many exchange kiosks you will find. I also used my card for payments trough Grab, ticket machines for Metro/BTS etc. as well as some larger purchases in order to not have to spend too much cash.
- Apps
Grab:
Most frequently used app for rides and food delivery. A must have to book your taxi from the airport or to book a taxi/motorbike to some areas that are not as well available by public transport...
Bolt: Ride-hailing service
Line: Communication app used by Thai, similar to Whatsapp. You might need to have this app to book appointments with businesses or to contact local Thai people.
- Booking tickets
Getyourguide and Klook are the 2 most common used sites / apps to book tickets for attractions upfront
- Luggage prepping
Bring at least 1 empty luggage with you, preferably your checked luggage. If you cannot do empty, try to have as much space left as possible.
Thailand offers so many great items to buy at cheap or very reasonable pricing, your empty luggage will probably end up filling itself very easily.
Clothes, shoes, bags, totebags, beauty products, souvenirs.... If I bought everything that I liked 1 luggage wouldn't have been enough.
Examples of what I bought : sandals, dresses, nice sun hat, pyjamas, large beach bags, inhalers, Tiger Balm patches for my back....
- Thai culture