Bangkok is a massive experience - here are some of my advice

Bangkok

Bangkok is a steaming metropolis with perhaps 12 million inhabitants. Nobody is quite sure about the number.

If you are on your first holiday to Thailand you may want to schedule your visit here towards the end of your trip, when you have had some time to get the feel for the country.

Transport

Bangkok traffic jams are notorious. The BTS skytrain and the newer subway are true blessings. As far as possible you should try to use these.
You can get day passes at low prices, convenient and money saving. Routemaps are provided free of charge.

Another way to avoid some of the street traffic is to use the river express boats when you can. Fares are very low, have coins available in your pocket.

The three wheel tuk-tuk kan be faster than ordinary taxi's, but as a foreigner in Bangkok you need bargaining skills not to be ripped off. Regardless you should expect to pay more than for a taxi.
Avoid suspiciously cheap offers from tuk-tuk drivers, like sightseeing trips at 20 - 40 Baht. They will take you to certain shops where they get comissions, and it can be quite a hazzle to get away from them.
I rarely use tuk-tuk's in Bangkok myself.

Taxi's, or taxi meter's, are convenient and easy to find. Make sure the driver agrees to actually use the "meter". If not, just say goodbye and wave down the next one. There is so many taxi's that you will rarely have problems getting one. The exeption can be when it is raining. The traffic tends to get even worse than usual, and it may take a long time to get anywhere. Depending on your destination the drivers may totaly refure the trip without some monetary incentive.
Some spots are controlled by local "businessmen", such as parts of Silom and Surawong roads. Here, the drivers must pay a fee to be alowed to take on passengers and will not accept to use the meter.
At Khao Sarn Road it seems the taxi's are reluctant to use the meter, although getting high fares here from backpackers on thight budgets must be difficoult.
From Don Muang airport you paty a set extra fee of 50 Baht in addition to the fare on the meter. There is a express tollway into town, and if you opt for this you pay the toll. About 70 Baht or so, and it can save you hours.
The meter starts at 35 Baht, and an average trip will set you back 50 - 70 Baht. If you see the number 35 in red glowing on a box on the dashboard, the meter is on. After a short while it will start clicking upwards, and the rates per kilometer is displayed in most taxi's.
The Bangkok taxi driver has a hard job for little reward. Most of them rents the cars on daily or weekly basis, and then there is the cost of fuel. Your average taxidriver earns only about 200 - 300 Baht a day - and Thai people do not tip, it is not part of things in Thailand exept where tourists has introduced the concept. Although there are a few madmen out there most drivers are nice and helpful, if not completely safe behind the wheel.

Motorbike taxis are parked in the soi's (sidestreets). They are your fastest option, but there are many accidents. These are normally used to get from inside soi's out to the larger roads, where people tends to change to city buses, skytrain or a taxi.

The city buses goes everywhere all over but it can be difficoult to find out which ones goes where. The BTS train has some free bus routes for paying passengers on a few routes.

Sightseeing

There is much to see in Bangkok. My advice is to take it easy and not try to reach over too much in a short time.

You may encounter taxi and tuk-tuk drivers that claims certain museums or other attractions are closed for some special holiday or whatever. This is a standard set-up, these people have their own plans for your time and, especially, money.

The Grand Palace and The National Museum are situated near each other and can therefore easily be seen in one day. You could combine this with a sightseeing trip on the Chao Praya river from one of the nearby piers.

Jim Thompson's house is within walking distance from the National Stadium BTS station and well worth a visit. The guided tour takes one hour, and there is a restaurant well suited for a light lunch on the premises.

Chinatown is also worth seeing.

A good city guide, like the Lonely Planet "Bangkok" suggests several routes you can walk, and off course lists major and minor attractions.

Accomodation

If you are in Bangkok on business you will do well to find a hotel near the BTS train or the subway. Actually, it is best for anyone to be close to these mass transit systems. Unfortunately you cannot reach Banglamphoo with these, but a river express boat is an alternative here. You can get one from the pier at Saphan Taksin BTS station.

Walk-in prices are higher than pre booked rates. If you book online you can often get very nice offers, shop around online and see if you can find the hotel's own website too - to compare their online offers with other agent's.

Shopping

Never let anyone guide you in any way into shops, this means higher prices as comissions wil be tagged on to what you pay. Also, many shops that have people luring customers in does this because they are othervise not good enough to get enough business.
Be extra wary where jewelry and precious stones are concerned. If some shopkeeper tells you that you will be able to buy from her or him and sell the goods at a higher price back home it is time to back out - imideately! If the deal is that good they would sell whatever it is themselves abroad, and not bother with tourists. They are not there on a mission to make you more wealthy. Really.
Check www.2bangkok.com for more info on gem scams.

There are a great many tailor shops wherever tourists are found. Many of these offers clothes made ready in 24 hours or less. This is a very short time for putting together a new suite or what it is, consider that you should have at the least one fitting to get things right as well. One thing that frequently happens with "express" tailors is that it turns out your order has been delayed - when you have told them your departure time. They will then offer to ship your order, normally free of charge. The scam is that you a recieve inferior product made of cheaper fabric, and it is very dificoult to make complaints as you are already back home a world away.

Khao Sarn Road tailors should generally be avoided.

There are off course many ok tailors. The overworked Raja's Fashion in Sukhumvit road soi 4 (Nana BTS station), is popular with many expats. Ask for Bobby Gulati, and go there early in the day if you can. In the imideate area there are a number of tailors who has sort of copied the name, such as Bobby's Fashion" and "Raja Tailor". None of these are associated, the shop have no branches around.

Brand-name copies and other clothing, together withsouvernirs and all kinds of goods are found in the street along Sukhumvit road, Silom and Surawong roads and in Khao Sarn Road. The last offers the best prices, Silom and Suriwong - especially in Patpong - are more expensive.
If a trip to Chiang Mai is on your itineary you can safely postpone shopping of suovernirs and clothes untill you get there. The famous Night Bazaar offer more friendly shopping at generally lower prices than Bangkok.

The Chatuchak market at Mor Chit is open only in the weekends. This massive market should be visited if you are in the mood for shopping. They sell almost everything there.

For genuine Thai silk of high quality go to Jim Thompson's at the corner of Surawong and Rama IV (nearest BTS station is Sala Daeng), or check out what is on offer at the giftshop if you visit the previously mentioned Jim Thompson's house

Entertainment and food

There are about 55.000 registered restaurants in Bangkok. I have no idea what so ever how many unregistered operations there may be, but with the traditional Thai distaste for taxes and so on I bet there are quite a few.
Some of the best restaurants are situated in hotels. The Sunday buffet at the Sukhotai Hotel (Satorn Road) is grand.
In Soi Lang Suan at Ploenchit you will find a number of restaurants of good quality. There are places all over, and far too many for me to begin to list. Check your guidebook for updated recomendations, or the Metro magasine.

Good pubs includes the Admakers in Soi Lang Suan, The Londoner at the corner of Sukhumvit and its soi number 33 and O'Reilly's on Silom Road.

At Victory Monument you have the Saxophone Pub, offering possibly the best live music in Thailand. It is close to the Victory Monument BTS station. Another place for live music is the Witch Tavern in Sukhumvit soi 55 (Tong Lor).
The original Hard Rock Cafe is in Siam Square, an area frequented by many students.
The Gulliver's in Sukhumvit soi 5 has good grub, many pooltables and a old car on a pidestal as part of the decorations.

Two of Bangkok's more hip nightclubs are both in Sukhumvit soi 11. Q-Bar and Bed Supperclub are places where you meet the well-to-do, popstars, TV celebrities and so on.

The Barbican in Soi Thanya off Silom is a successful combination of bar and restaurant, a popular place.

Sukhumvit soi 33 hosts a number of bars and clubs that are known for higher than average prices - and many hostesses. These places are popular among well-off western businessmen. The standard of service varies, but some places has very polite and unintrusive staff. But some of the bars are simply fronts for bordellos.
The Office is one place with reasonable prices here, popular with expats. Bangers and Mash etc. on the menu.

I get a few mails from people that are curious about the red-light districts - Patpong, Nana Plaza and Soi Cowboy. Click here if you want some words on those places.

Good luck!

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