THINGS TO DO IN BANGKOK:
Bangkok is the capital and most important city in Thailand, with a population of over eight million people. Thanks to its growing economic development and massive popularity as an international tourist destination, it has become one of Southeast Asia’s most influential and modern cities.
Located on the banks of the country’s main river, Chao Phraya, the city relied on a wide system of canals – khlong in Thai – for transport between the 16th and 19th centuries, leading to its nickname as the Venice of the East.
On the subject of names, Bangkok’s full Thai name has the Guinness World Record for longest place name! But at 168 letters of archaic language, most locals call it the much simpler Krung Thep, which translates roughly as “City of Angels”.
Why visit Bangkok?
Bangkok is the most visited city in the world. It is the jumping off point for many trips to Thailand and the rest of Southeast Asia, with an important international airport, but there’s so many more reasons to visit.
“Same same, but different” – the phrase used to sum up almost anything in Thailand describes the incredible contrasts of Bangkok perfectly. Lively traditional markets and exquisite golden temples – where you’ll be immersed into the daily life of locals as it has been existed for centuries – are found side by side with soaring glass skyscrapers, fashionable rooftop bars and immense modern malls.
As the capital and biggest city of this vibrant Asian country, Bangkok is a chaotic whirlwind of people and traffic. It’s loud, polluted and frantic – but that doesn’t stop people coming here and falling in love with the colourful craziness!