Bangkok is the capital city of Thailand and the 22nd most populas city in the world. It is also known as Krung Thep Mahanakhon meaning "City of Angels". However it full name is "Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit". If you were bowled over by the name, know that the name has actually come from Sanskrit and is in the Guinness Book for world's longest place name!

Thailand is considered to be one of the world's top tourist hotspots. and Bangkok is Thailand's major tourist gateway, which means that the majority of foreign tourists arrive in Bangkok. Bangkok is a judicious blend of tradition and modernity, cosmopolitan and fun. Here you will find sky scrappers sharing space with temples and museums, river crisscrossing the city, Toyotas, Hondas & Mercs all lined up without any honking and of course, the ubiquitous motorbikes.

Sukhumvit and Silom comprise the heart of touristy places in Bangkok and are always bustling with activity. When there are so many tourists, how can world class hotels be far behind - Sheraton, Landmark, JWMariott, Hyatt, Shangri-la, Hilton: You name it, Bangkok has it!

Bangkok has been historically infamous for its road traffic which apparently has not improved much even with the development of breath-taking infrastructure. However, the traffic is maddening only during rush hours but tells the tales of activity and liveliness during the rest of the day. Then there are other modes of public transport like the Sky Train and Underground Trains. They cover a big part of Bangkok, if not the entire city. Now the Sky Train is on expansion spree and slated to become more useful than ever.

Bangkok has a lot of premium end shopping malls which will make your shopping experience worthwhile. The must see ones include Central World, Siam Paragon, Emporium etc. One mall MBK (Mah Boon Krong) deserves special mention which is like shopping paradise for tourists and you are bound to bump into desi tourists who love bargaining as much as they love shopping. If you find Malls boring and long for some street shopping, head off to Chatuchak Market and Suan Lum Night Bazaar. Apart from these, there are lot of shops on the streets in Silom and Sukhumvit areas.

With a wide variety of cuisines which Bangkok has to offer, it is a gourmet's delight. Apart from Authentic Thai cuisine, the Land of Smiles offers Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Indian and many more at an affordable price and in an unforgettable ambiance. Even the pure Indian vegetarian or Jain vegetarian food is available for the people prefer those.

Any discussion about Bangkok is never complete without mentioning its ever burgeoning night-life. For the staunch night-life party animals, the most common places include Nana Plaza, Soi Cowboy and Patpong - mostly skewed towards servicing the single male tourists. For the couples looking for a long and fun night-out there are various places in Sukhumvit, KhaoSarn and even Siam Square. Some of the places worthy of mention inlude Concept CM2, Hard Rock Cafe, Spasso, The Bed, Q Bar etc. The city never sleeps and party goes on till late night. Note that Bangkok is generally considered safe from the standpoint of violent crime which is fairly low when compared to other large Asian and international cities.

Last but not the least, the biggest asset of Bangkok is its people- warm, fun loving and helpful. It will be difficult to find parallels to the people of Bangkok. To believe it, you gotta come over to Bangkok and see it for yourself.

Sight Seeing venues in Bangkok

Getting Around in Bangkok

Shopping in Bangkok

Bangkok Guide Books