Dear OzB,
I am transiting Bangkok next month, with 15 hrs layout - Any suggestions or Ideas
Thanks in Advance
Transiting Bangkok with 15 Hrs Layover 6am - 9pm -- Any Suggestions?
Shad on 08/06/2017 - 19:49
Comments
lol… I agree
Get drunk at an airport bar.
6 am in the morning and for long… :) thanks anyway
I won't judge you. It's always 17:00 somewhere in the world.
:)
I guess most of the nightlife is out and no ping pong shows for you but I don't know what you're into so heres some suggesstions:
Floating markets - but on weekends only
Royal Palace and around - overwhelming with tourist but you can't avoid them regardless but the place is cool to see temples
Shopping in Siam and around - there's like 10 shopping malls or something but if you spend enough you can claim the TRS at the airport later
Try Muay Thai training for a few hours - hurts and you sweat like crazy but fun
Eat street food - although probably not before a flight if you have a weak stomach and not use to it.
Massage with extra curricular activities ;)Hey thanks mate! will certainly look at this. Meanwhile transiting on Sunday.
Really depends what your interests are - so many possibilities with that amount of time, but you miss out on being there at night. The place really doesn't wake up until 10am
Pattaya looks good but its far and out of options.
sight seeing and food are my interests - Floating market is one good option i am thinking off. Not sure if Bangkok is cheaper for electronics- may find a good deal(nothing in mind though)Pattaya you could do but will take just over 2 hours out of your time for travel both ways - really not that far. Hell, you could fly up and back to Chiang Mai with time to spare in that time. In any event, Pattaya is really just one big beer bar that really only starts coming alive around 2pm - you wouldn't be going there for the clean beach. Arriving there at 7.30 in the morning won't be fun.
Your real problem is your starting time at 6am - there is a good 3 hours of dead time there no matter what you do.
Stay in BKK and Chatuchak Market would easily kill 6 hours round trip if its your first time and you like exploring markets. Use the airport link from airport and then BTS to there. If you finish early, could always wander through the various Malls between Central and Asoke area.
You'll unlikely find electronics cheaper and for some things they will be quite dearer. If you are looking for cheap chinese made stuff, yep it will be cheaper.
Thanks Mate, yes pattaya out!
will explore/consider Chatuchak market and malls around.no problems - as I said, work out what interests you and google that with the word bangkok and tons of blogs telling you what to do.
Leave your luggage at the airport (cost ~$5-10 from memory).
Catch the train from the airport in to the city to avoid the traffic.
Hit up MBK if you're into shopping which will kill a few hours. There's a cinema upstairs if it's a rainy day and you decide you don't want to venture out, otherwise, go haggle with a Tuk Tuk driver to drive you around and show you the sites - add the caveat that you don't want any stops at tailors/gemshops/his brother/cousin/friend's business and you'll pay him a bit more for it OR book a tour and get them to pick you up from a hotel (Find a hotel near a train station that's easy to get to that you can wait at)And take some Thai baht with you - it's very much a cash economy. Bigger shops have card, but you'll have more fun with cash.
Yes will carry baht. And thanks for the Tuk Tuk options
I got some headphones. Could sell during transit for good amount!
Bangkok Medical museum, Google it . One of the best places I've been in Bangkok
Agree! Although last time I went they had bumped up the price about 10 fold.. Must be popular now.
will consider, thanks for the advice.
Get some sleep at airport hotel
I slept on the floor at the airport, don't waste money on hotels😜
go to Bangkok city for royal palace, sleeping Buddha and other City hikes.
last time I had a similar transit period and I stayed went to neighbouring state kanchanpuri to see the WW2 hand dug railways, buddhe cave, elephant place… even had a bath with elephant in RiverI had a 7am-7pm layover recently in BKK.
Took the train into the city (so much better, that train didn't exist my first time there)
Walked around, ate some street food, got a massage, ate some more, 'chilled' in malls (hot outside), and did I mention eating?
I've done some of the touristy stuff before. Would've loved to goto the floating markets, but wasn't open.Goto_city()
While(time < 1900)
{
Eat_streetfood()
Get_massage()
Have_beer()
}
Goto_airport()I did this and booked 20 dollar room, on the main tourist road ( forgot name ), and slept. Kept dreaming of waterfalls….turns out there was a urinal attached to the wall outside my room….fml
waterfalls… lol..
So many ideas and past experiences. This helps
On a bad day/bad timing, inwards immigration can take you 1 - 2 hours. On a very good day, 15 minutes.
Usually outwards immigration is good. No more than 30 mins, and usually a lot less.
Stay away from TukTuks. They can be a nightmare, in that they take you where THEY want to go. They can be dangerous, a rip off (Dearer than the taxis which are mostly very honest) and breathing all of that pollution is not good.
Traffic on Sundays is worse than most days (other than Friday arvo/eve when it is the absolute worst). Once you get away from the airport there is no guarantee of how long it will take you to get back.
Also if away from the airport and they have one of their notorious 2 hour downpours, you have slim chance of getting back on time.
Changing money at the airport is not as bad as other airports in the world. You will lose about 1.5 - 2 baht over the best rate available in town (not easy to locate), and so don't sweat it.
Extremely clean, cheap, and synonymous with Thailand street food is Magic Food Court, level 1 landside. I eat there often. Steps:Buy a card at cashier(as much credit as you like, but 150 baht per person is enough) walk around & select your food, and they debit the card, cash in the balance. No inflated airport pricing.
https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Restaurant_Review-g293916-d38…
Stay away from the temples (Same problem as TukTuks with scammers everwhere - unless you know what you are doing)Depending on how you are feeling re tired etc. I would book a nearby hotel that provides airport shuttle service, return early & eat at the food court, go back through Immigration early, pay the higher price for an airport massage, and window shop etc at the airport & relax. Note for International flights to Aust. at the gate they do a physical search of all hand carry baggage.
Good call out Peck.
The search at the gate will take any liquids, so don't buy any bottles of water (or duty free- they don't care if it's sealed in the bag, it won't be allowed on).
Or if you're looking for something different try some medical/spa services tourism. Medical: 5 star hospitals offer packages where they take loads of diagnostic tests for you and tell you if there's something wrong. Spa: Massages, hair cut, body services (such as laser, waxing, wraps, scrubs), nail care etc.
If you go to MBA shopping low cost mall at 6 stories high. Doesn't open till about 10. Cheap coupon food court on 5th or 6th floor
Jim Thompsons house is across from road from MBK centre. Well worth visiting. Brilliant architecture of old teak houses. Interesting collection of antiques. Guided tour in English or Thai, your choice. Sometimes they have a couple of Thai young women dancing and a young man spinning thread from silk cocoons. It takes about 40 cocoon threads to make one silk thread. Also has expensive shop and cafe.
Backs onto Kong which has very cheap means of travelling out to suburbs.If you are reasonably agile, clamber on board the local ferry. Locals like to keep plastic screens up as Klong water is black and smelly. At end of little street where Jims house is, walk about 50 metres to Klong. Turn right, walk about 100 m. where you come to ferry stop. This will take you towards Grand Palace. Continue on, cross over bridge and catch ferry which goes under bridge. Catch ferry and change at Pratunam, where you change ferries,about 20 mins later you get to outer suburbs. Get out at last stop, a Wat and wander around area for street food and see how locals live.
Catch ferry back, get off at Ratchatevi, catch sky train to Payathai and connect with airport train.
Oops. MBK is name of shopping centre, short for something like Ma Bu Krung. Can catch airport train to Payathai sky train and travel 2 stops to Siam station interchange and travel one stop to Stadium station . Enter Via Tokyu store which is on sky train level. Exit shop at left and you will be in MBK which is full of many small shops.
Thanks joyvee/peck and everyone, certainly have a rough idea from your experiences shared and would definitely help me.
Thanks
I guess drugs are out of the question.