Bangkok’s love affair is recognized worldwide and the 27.8 million tourists that visited this capital city of Thailand in 2023, are testimony to that. One can’t simply get enough of Bangkok and the reason is its amazing heritage, cultural landmarks, bustling street life, vibrant nightlife, local cuisines, and numerous markets. Spending holidays with friends and family in Bangkok is a dream that travel agencies help you fulfill by offering lucrative Bangkok holiday packages.
Bangkok Basics
Bangkok’s official name is Krung Thep Maha Nakhon. Maha signifies “great” or “big,” Nakhon means “town” or “city,” Thep means “angel” or “god/goddess,” and Krung means “city” and often refers to the capital city.
Situated around 25 miles or 40 km from the Thailand Gulf, on the delta of the Chao Phraya River, Bangkok is a city, chief port, and capital of Thailand. In a country of villages and small towns, Bangkok is the only multinational city and the hub of Thailand’s commerce and culture.
An Overview of Bangkok Offerings
Bangkok, a vibrant, boisterous, and brazen city, is a stunning fusion of old and new Thailand, showcasing the diverse cultures of the nation. Take a color-coded cab or a tuk-tuk and start exploring the massive shopping malls and markets, lofty towers and stunning temples stifled with gold leaf.
Head to the sandy beaches and relax with your family. Play water sports, enjoy picnics, or throw beach parties for your friends. Savor street food or eat authentic Thai dishes from Michelin-starred bistros and sky bars and stay in luxury 5-star hotels and resorts. There is a dearth of unique and amazing sites to explore including Buddhist shrines, regal palaces, floating markets, etc.
Fun Facts About Bangkok
Every city is unique in culture and history and so is Bangkok. These facts will help you understand the statement and make you fall in love with this city of angels, immortals, gods, and palaces:
- Original Name: The original name of Bangkok is much bigger than stated previously. Krung Thep Maha Nakhon is just a shorter version while the original name is:
This nearly translates to:
‘City of angels, great city of immortals, splendid city of the nine gems, throne of the king, city of royal palaces, home of gods incarnates, erected by Visvakarman at Indra’s command.’
- Temple Images on Coins: What makes exploration in Bangkok more delightful is to find the sites of all the temple images created on Thai baht coins. All the temples stamped on the back of Thai coins are located in Bangkok and tourists can explore them all in a day. These temples include
- 2 baht coin: Wat Saket [Temple on the Mount]
- 5 baht coin: Wat Benjamabophit [The Marble Temple]
- 10 baht coin: Wat Arun [Temple of Dawn]
- World’s Largest Gold Buddha: The Chinatown in Bangkok is considered the largest Chinese locality in any country, housing more than a million people. This place is also known for lodging the largest solid gold Buddha in the world. The 5.5-ton Buddha is placed inside Wat Traimit and was hidden inside plaster for hundreds of years and uncovered when it was dropped by mistake while moving.
- Odd Laws: Every country has a few obsolete laws which don’t catch up with changing times. Bangkok also has some laws which leave a person scratching his head. These include:
- Using a durian fruit as a weapon as it has thorns on it. The fine imposed will be determined as per the number of thorns that hit the victim.
- Stepping on the currency, as it contains the image of the King who can’t be insulted in any way.
- Leaving the house without wearing underwear
- Driving an automated vehicle while exposing the chest area.
- Color-coded Cabs: Bright pink, orange, red, blue, green, and yellow; Bangkok may be one of the few or the only country that have cabs of all these diverse colors. Each color signifies a different company however, the cabs don’t differ much in fares or features. The cabs with yellow and green colors symbolize drivers who also own the cars. Chat with locals and they’ll surely share their views about the best taxis.
What You Can’t Miss in Bangkok?
- Massage: Thai massage is famous globally as one can find several massage parlors in every nook and corner of the city. The parlors cater to all kinds of budgets and needs and range from refloxologies that last an hour to day-long pampering. Go to Body Tune, Urban Oasis, and Health Land for a luxury massage experience.
- Markets: Bangkok markets are daily flooded with a crowd of 200,000 – 300,000 people for good reason. The Chatuchak weekend market located at Kamphaeng Phet 2 Road is the largest and most diverse market in the world with over 15,000 stalls that divide into 27 sections. Don’t forget to hydrate yourself and use a map to navigate through markets and you can buy tidbits and objects of all kinds. To shop at night, visit JJ Greens and the night markets at Phra Ram 9 MRT station.
- Sky bars: This rooftop bistro won the World Travel Award for Asia’s leading restaurants & Bar in 2020 and visiting this place is an experience in itself. Offering a panoramic view of the entire city, sky bars are located on different skyscrapers of the city with unique ambiances. Most of these sky bars follow dress codes so dress to impress and enjoy sunsets and nightlife in the bars.
Foods to Try in Bangkok
Life is good with delicious food to eat and good people to laugh with. Thai food ranks among cuisines that give your taste buds a blend of flavors and make life good. These cuisines are mostly made from fresh herbs and spices that give tangy, spicy, salty, and sweet taste with pleasant aromas. To savor authentic Thai food, follow this list:
- Tom Yum Goong: This is a famous Thai shrimp soup made with diverse ingredients but the basic ones include lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, and chilies.
- Som tum : Made from thin and crusty strips of papaya and crushed with a mortar along with garlic, chilies, fish sauce, long beans, lime, and tomatoes, Som Tum is originated in the rural northeast of Thailand.
- Pad ka Prao: Pad ka prao is popular and widely available as Thai street food, made from meat fried with lots of holy basil, chilies, and garlic.
- Pla Pao : To make Pla Pao, a whole fish is filled with kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass, trolled in a salt layer, grilled over charcoal, and served with chili garlic sauce.
Bangkok is calling you so wait no more and opt for Bangkok holiday packages offered by Virikson Holidays. Journey around the ‘Venice of the East’ with your relatives and friends and create lifetime memories.
