Thailand’s capital Bangkok is a big city full of life! A city for tourists who want adventure, big city life as well as culture and historical experiences.
The Thai name for Bangkok is Krung Thep maha nakhon, which in Swedish means “city of angels”. The city became the capital of Thailand in 1782.
Bangkok is a really big city. The innermost city covers an area of 1,565.2 square kilometers, while the entire metropolitan area is a full 7,761.5 square kilometers! More than 14 million people live in the entire metropolitan area. The cityscape is nuanced: here are skyscrapers, business districts, shantytowns, palaces and temples. There are also several different parks and green areas, including Lumpini Park and Benjasiri Park.
The city is geographically located in central Thailand, north of the so-called Siam Bay.
Bangkok has lots of different kinds of restaurants, clubs, bars and nightclubs. The modern mixes with the traditional. If you are looking for a really good restaurant, Restaurant Gaggan is a must! The restaurant is a real luxury restaurant and is even one of the best establishments in all of Asia! The food draws inspiration from India and is created by the young chef Gaggan Anand.
It is also the case that more than 20 of the city’s tall skyscrapers actually have restaurants or bars on their roofs. To end a day in this bustling city with a good dinner or a nice drink – and at the same time look out over the whole city? Not entirely wrong!
The selection of hotels is also very large: here you will find everything from budget to luxury. Budget accommodation for the traveler traveling on a smaller budget can often be found along Khao San Road. Some of the finest hotels are, for example, Mandarin Oriental, Banyan Tree and Shangri-La.
An advantage of traveling to Bangkok is that the airports are close to the city. Depending on traffic, it takes around an hour to get to the central parts.
The city has several touristy neighborhoods. Many travelers choose to experience the Chinese Quarter, and the Patpong entertainment district. In Patpong there is, among other things, a very large market. Along the Asiatique The Riverfront there is a night market which is also well attended.
For those who are interested in culture, there are lots of different museums here. Such as the Royal Thai Air Force Museum, the Royal Boat Museum, the National Museum and the Natural History Museum.
There are also several famous temples, some of which are: Wat Pho, Bangkok’s oldest and also the largest temple, as well as Wat Saket which is a temple with Buddha relics. Wat Saket is located on Bangkok’s highest geographical point, an artificial hill called the Golden Mountain. The world’s largest Buddha can be found in the Wat Traimit temple. It is a Buddha statue that is completely in gold and weighs 5,500 kg. The statue is officially named Phra Phuttha Maha Suwan Patimakon, which translates to The Golden Buddha.
And after long days of exploring around this large and fascinating city – why not take a wonderful spa treatment in the form of Thai massage? In the city there are lots of different massage facilities. And if you have tried Thai massage at home and think it is fantastic, it is of course a must to try it in the Thai capital Bangkok!
