Bangkok

Most international flights land at Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), Bangkok's large, modern main hub about 30km east of the city center — this is where you'll arrive on most long-haul flights from Europe, and where Thai Airways and most full-service carriers operate. The Airport Rail Link runs from Suvarnabhumi into the city center in under 30 minutes (15–45 THB), connecting to the MRT at Makkasan and the BTS at Phaya Thai, and is far more reliable than a taxi at rush hour. Budget and regional carriers (AirAsia, Nok Air, and most domestic routes) instead use Don Mueang Airport (DMK), the older of the two airports, north of the city — worth knowing if you're booking a connecting flight within Thailand or a low-cost regional hop, since the two airports aren't within easy reach of each other and a transfer between them takes 45–60 minutes by taxi or shuttle bus. From Sweden, Thai Airways flies direct from both Stockholm Arlanda and Copenhagen to Bangkok (roughly 11–12 hours), and Norse Atlantic Airways also operates a direct budget route from Stockholm — otherwise expect a one-stop connection via Doha, Helsinki, or another Gulf or European hub. If you're arriving overland rather than by air, Bangkok connects by overnight sleeper train to Chiang Mai in the north (a scenic, genuinely enjoyable ride of around 12 hours), and by a combination of bus and train toward the Cambodian border if you're continuing on to Siem Reap or Phnom Penh — there's no direct train into Cambodia, so a direct cross-border bus, booked a couple of days ahead, is the simpler option for that leg.

The BTS Skytrain (elevated, split into the Sukhumvit and Silom lines) and the MRT subway are your best friends — clean, cheap (typically 17–62 THB a ride), air-conditioned, and they skip Bangkok's legendary gridlock entirely. The catch is the network has gaps: Old Town (Rattanakosin), home to the Grand Palace and Wat Pho, isn't on either line, so you'll lean on taxis, boats, or tuk-tuks to get there. From Suvarnabhumi Airport, the Airport Rail Link runs into the city center in under 30 minutes for 15–45 THB, connecting to the MRT at Makkasan and the BTS at Phaya Thai — far more predictable than a taxi at rush hour. Metered taxis are inexpensive if you insist on the meter (say "meter, please" before getting in — a flat-rate quote or a claim that "the meter's broken" is your cue to find another cab); tuk-tuks are a fun novelty once but almost always cost more than a metered taxi for the same short hop. The Chao Phraya Express Boat is genuinely useful, not just scenic — often the fastest route to riverside hotels, Wat Arun, or the Old Town, and it costs next to nothing; the smaller, less touristy Khlong Saen Saep canal boats are a good shortcut too, cutting across town from near the Golden Mount to Pratunam and beyond, though they move fast and splash. Walking sounds appealing on a map but is often slower and hotter in practice than it looks — pavements are uneven, crossings are long, and midday heat adds up fast, so treat walking as something to do within a neighborhood rather than between them. For short hops the BTS/MRT can't reach, a Grab motorbike gets you there in a fraction of the time a taxi would take, weaving through traffic that would otherwise have you sitting still — not for the faint-hearted, but genuinely the fastest way to move short distances in gridlock.

Grab is the default here for rides and food delivery (Southeast Asia's answer to Uber, and it works reliably across the city) — download it before you land, and add a card so you're not fumbling with cash. Bolt has expanded fast in Bangkok and is often a little cheaper for the same route, so locals commonly check both apps and take whichever quotes lower. For cutting through rush-hour traffic, Grab and Maxim both offer motorbike-taxi options that are dramatically faster — and more white-knuckle — than a car. MuvMi runs a fleet of shared electric tuk-tuks around the Old Town and riverside, handy exactly where the BTS doesn't reach. For the trains themselves, get a Rabbit Card at any BTS station and top it up as you go rather than queuing for single-journey tokens every ride. LINE, not WhatsApp, is what Thais actually use to message — restaurants, tour operators, and even some hotels will ask for a LINE ID rather than a phone number, so it's worth installing even for a short trip. Google Translate's camera mode is genuinely useful for menus written only in Thai script, which is common outside the main tourist strips. And an eSIM (Airalo or a local AIS/dtac SIM bought at the airport) is worth sorting on day one — data is cheap, and having Grab, Maps, and Translate working the moment you land makes the first day much less stressful.

Dress modestly for temples — shoulders and knees covered, no ripped jeans or flip-flops — and know that the Grand Palace enforces the strictest dress code in the city; sarongs and cover-ups rent for a small deposit at the gate if you get caught out. The classic scam worth knowing: anyone loitering near the Grand Palace who tells you it's "closed for a holiday" and offers a tuk-tuk to somewhere better is running a well-worn commission scheme that ends at a gem shop — just keep walking. Tipping isn't obligatory but is appreciated in small amounts — rounding up or leaving 20–50 THB at restaurants and a similar amount for taxi drivers or masseuses is plenty; there's no need for American-style 18–20%, and doing so tends to just cause confused looks. Feet are considered the body's lowest, least respectful part (never point them at people or Buddha images), and the head is the most sacred (never touch anyone's head, even a child's) — easy rules to forget in the heat, but ones that genuinely matter here. Thais take respect for the monarchy seriously, and it's genuinely illegal to criticize or joke about the royal family — the safest approach as a visitor is simply not to bring the topic up. Tap water isn't drinkable, but bottled and filtered water is sold everywhere for next to nothing, and most hotels provide a couple of free bottles a day. Bring your own tissue or toilet paper for public restrooms and street-food-area toilets — it's not always stocked, and some smaller places charge a few baht for the privilege of using them. Bargaining is expected (and half the fun) at markets like Chatuchak or Pratunam, but not in malls, 7-Elevens, or restaurants with printed menus — a friendly smile gets you further than a hard negotiating stance. Cash is still useful for street stalls and small shops, though PromptPay QR-code payments have become nearly universal even at tiny vendors, so it's worth checking with your bank about fee-free card use abroad before you go.

Sukhumvit is the safe, sprawling default — BTS access the length of the line, endless restaurants and rooftop bars, and enough range from backpacker-ish Nana to polished Thong Lo that it suits almost any budget. Sathorn and Silom form Bangkok's business district: quieter and more polished than Sukhumvit, with Lumphini Park nearby for a rare patch of green and easy BTS/MRT interchange access. Old Town (Rattanakosin) is the historic core — stay here to walk to the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, and Wat Arun rather than commute in, though it trades big-city polish for temple-town charm and leans more on boats and taxis than the train. Riverside hotels along the Chao Phraya, around the stretch near lebua at State Tower and the Royal Orchid Sheraton, are the pick for a first visit or a short romantic stay — sunset views, resort-quality pools, and an easy boat ride into the Old Town. If you'd rather skip the tourist crowd entirely, Ari is a quieter, leafier, distinctly local alternative — tree-lined sois full of specialty coffee shops and indie restaurants, still on the BTS, and a genuine look at how younger Bangkokians actually live. Ekkamai, just past Thong Lo on the same line, is a good middle ground for a longer stay: the same cafes-and-craft-beer energy as its flashier neighbor, but calmer streets and noticeably better value on hotels and serviced apartments.

Chinatown (Yaowarat) is Bangkok's after-dark food theatre — neon signage, smoking woks, and Raan Jay Fai, the crab omelet stall so famous it holds a Michelin star despite being, essentially, one woman cooking over charcoal on a street corner (expect a long wait unless you've booked ahead). A few blocks over, Jeh O Chula is the other legendary late-night tom yum spot, packed with locals well past midnight, and Pe Aor Tom Yum Kung Noodle draws its own dedicated queue for the noodle version of the same soup. For the platonic ideal of pad thai, everyone eventually ends up at Thipsamai (get it wrapped in egg), while Pratunam's Go-Ang Kaomunkai does Hainanese chicken rice about as well as it's done anywhere in the city. Victory Monument is the place to hunt down boat noodles — small, intensely flavored bowls meant to be ordered several at a time — alongside noodle stalls like Ann Guay Tiew Kua Gai. For rice-and-curry, point-and-choose style, Khao Gaeng Jek Pui is a standout example of a genre found on nearly every block. If you want easier, air-conditioned versions of Thai classics, the food courts inside malls like Terminal 21 are genuinely good and cheap. Thong Lo is where to go for mango sticky rice — Mae Varee has been doing it for years and is worth the short queue. For coffee and slower mornings, Ari has quietly become the city's best neighborhood for it: Rolling Roasters, Landhaus Bakery, Natura Café, and Shelly House anchor a specialty coffee and bakery scene that's spread to Sukhumvit too. Rooftop bars like Octave are worth a sunset cocktail even if you're not staying at the hotel.

Bangkok's food scene is less about restaurants and more about knowing which specific stall does one dish better than anywhere else. Pad thai is the obvious starting point, and Thipsamai — the decades-old stall in the Old Town famous for its egg-wrapped version — is worth the inevitable queue. For khao man gai (Hainanese-style poached chicken over rice, deceptively simple and endlessly comforting), Go-Ang Kaomunkai in Pratunam is the local benchmark. Boat noodles (kuay tiew reua) — small, intensely flavored bowls of noodles in a dark, herb-and-spice broth traditionally thickened with a touch of blood, meant to be ordered five or six at a time — are best hunted down around Victory Monument. Tom yum goong (hot and sour prawn soup) reaches cult status at Jay Fai, the Michelin-starred crab omelet stall in Chinatown run by one woman cooking over charcoal, and at Jeh O Chula and Pe Aor Tom Yum Kung Noodle, both beloved for their tom yum noodle versions rather than the soup alone. Rice-and-curry stalls (khao gaeng) — trays of curries and stir-fries ladled over rice, point-and-choose style — are everywhere, and Khao Gaeng Jek Pui is a well-loved example of the genre done right. Don't skip som tam (green papaya salad, pounded to order and as spicy as you ask for it to be), moo ping (grilled marinated pork skewers, a classic breakfast-on-the-go), and khao niao mamuang (mango sticky rice, best from March to June when the mangoes peak) — Mae Varee in Thong Lo is a longstanding favorite. Chinatown (Yaowarat) is its own food category after dark — noodle soups, oyster omelets, roast duck, and dessert stalls all going at once — and it's worth simply grazing rather than committing to one restaurant. For something sweeter and slower, Bangkok's specialty coffee and bakery scene (Rolling Roasters, Landhaus Bakery, Natura Café, Shelly House) has quietly gotten excellent, especially around Ari.

Siam is the mall crawl — Siam Paragon, Siam Center, Siam Discovery, and MBK Center all sit within walking distance, ranging from luxury flagship stores down to MBK's maze of budget stalls and phone accessories. ICONSIAM, on the river, is the newest and most spectacular of the lot, with an indoor floating market alongside the usual luxury brands. Chatuchak Weekend Market is the essential Bangkok shopping trip — thousands of stalls across clothing, antiques, plants, and homeware, best tackled early before the heat and crowds peak. Pratunam is the city's wholesale fashion district, good for cheap clothing bought in bulk, and nearby Sampheng Market in Chinatown does the same for accessories, fabric, and packaging goods at properly wholesale prices if you're willing to dig. Wang Lang Market, tucked behind Siriraj Hospital on the Thonburi side of the river, is a smaller, more local alternative to the Old Town's tourist stalls — cheap clothes, snacks, and a genuinely local crowd, plus an easy boat ride back across to Rattanakosin. The riverside night market at Asiatique is a relaxed, low-stress option for souvenirs, food stalls, and a Ferris-wheel view of the river after dark, while Train Night Market DanNeramit leans more retro and local, with vintage goods, street food, and a flea-market feel that draws fewer tourists than Chatuchak.

The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew are the unmissable, if crowded, must-see — go early to beat both the heat and the tour buses. Wat Arun (the Temple of Dawn) rewards either a close-up climb of its steep central spire or a sunset view from across the river, drink in hand; Wat Pho, home of the reclining Buddha, is quieter and pairs naturally with a traditional Thai massage taught at its on-site school. Less visited but worth the trip across the river, Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen pairs a towering golden Buddha statue with a strikingly modern glass-mosaic pagoda inside — one of the more photogenic and least crowded major temples in the city. Wandering Chinatown (Yaowarat) after dark — grazing street stalls, ducking into gold shops and small shrines — is one of the best free things to do in the city. Lumphini Park is worth an early visit for the monitor lizards alone, and a sunset ride on the Chao Phraya Express Boat gives you the skyline view the postcards are made of. For something more unusual, Chocolate Ville is a sprawling outdoor garden restaurant and live-music venue on the city's outskirts — vintage cars, string lights, and Thai bands playing until late, popular with local couples for a date night that's a world away from the temple circuit. Round it out with a rooftop bar at altitude (Octave or lebua's Sky Bar, if you don't mind the crowds), a Muay Thai match at Rajadamnern or Lumpinee Stadium for a genuinely local night out, and, schedule permitting, an early trip out to a floating market like Taling Chan before it turns into a photo-op scrum.