A travel guide

A travel guide

Read a travel guide about Bangkok to practise and improve your reading skills.

Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and do the exercises.

Preparation

Reading text

Whether you're travelling to the islands or the mountains of Thailand, you're likely to spend at least one night in its capital city on the way. Bangkok might be noisy and polluted but it's also an exciting city with plenty of things to see and do. Why not make it a longer stay?

Where to stay

The Khao San Road was a famous traveller spot even before Leonardo di Caprio's character in the film The Beach stayed there. But it's noisy, not very pretty and not very Thai. For something more authentic, Phra Kanong offers an alternative place to stay, with its fantastic street markets where everyday Bangkok people eat, work and live. It's not as convenient for the main tourist sites, but it has a Skytrain station so you can be at the Grand Palace in 20 minutes.

How to get around

Bangkok's traffic can be a nightmare. Sure, you can easily take a taxi – if you want to spend hours stuck in traffic jams – but there are two much better ways to get around the city. To explore the temples and historical sites, catch an express boat river taxi or a longtail boat along the Chao Phraya river and the canals. For the modern part of the city, the Skytrain is a fast, cheap way to travel from the river to the shopping malls and nightlife of Sukhumvit, and the famous Chatuchak street market.

Where to eat

The simple answer is: everywhere! Thai street food is among the best in the world, and for around $5 you can eat a filling and delicious meal. Some food stands have little plastic seats where you can sit and eat and they cook the same dish over and over, like fried chicken on rice or Pad Thai noodles. Head for Chinatown – Yaowarat Street – and choose whatever looks most interesting from the many excellent Chinese and Thai restaurants and food stands.  

What to do

After you've seen the main sites like the Giant Buddha at the temple of Wat Pho and the spectacular Grand Palace, and shopped at Chatuchak market, check out the snake farm and watch the live snake show. You can even touch a snake yourself if you want to!

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Average: 4.1 (197 votes)

Submitted by Ali Hussein on Fri, 22/11/2019 - 21:11

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Yes I'd like to stay in banghok ,why? the answer is easy : First of all ,visiting a place which contains too many historical places with low cost is very tempting . Also visiting the city sites using a boat is sound a lot of fun , the most annoying thing may be much traffic but as the passage suggest , there are many solution to overcome this .
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Submitted by Smiley1 on Thu, 14/11/2019 - 03:57

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I've never been to Bangkok. All I know about the country is.... there are many Buddhism monks wearing orange clothes who are highly respected by the people; hot meals; bustling streets; people speak Thai which sounds like "ping pong pang" to me. ;)

Submitted by HelianG on Wed, 13/11/2019 - 21:18

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personally I do not like crowded places,and bangkok seem like a very crowded place I would rather go to silent places like mountains,I do not like to be surrounded of a lot of people.

Submitted by Angelica castillo on Wed, 30/10/2019 - 23:59

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I would like to see Bangkok sound like a fun city that has nothing to hide, although I don't know if I would like to take a Skytrain because I usually get dizzy.

Submitted by araheem on Wed, 30/10/2019 - 09:50

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Yes, definitely like to visit Bangkok. I would like to explore the main city and historical monuments which are famous in the world.

Submitted by MohamedAdk on Thu, 24/10/2019 - 20:42

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When i was child i hope that i go to Thailand , and now i have the same dream . I will work hard , earn money and visit all Famous cities in the word , trying new food and exploring new cultures , this my first thing i will do when i start working .

Submitted by Tasneem on Wed, 02/10/2019 - 19:31

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I wouldn't love to visit Bangkok as I don't like crowded areas. I prefer silent places and deserted areas like beaches and mountains.

Submitted by KimYEN on Fri, 27/09/2019 - 09:48

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I have never been to Bangkok, but when I saw advertisements on facebook , youtube about food street, festivals at Bangkok. I think Bangkok is a capital interesting and I want to go to Bangkok once.

Submitted by Oussema3ahmed on Tue, 24/09/2019 - 08:22

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Many tourists visited Bangkok and said it's amazing city . Also , my best friend Eric have been over there and he advised me to visit . that's why i would like to visit Thailand and spend some time and discover the amazing sightseeing of the country .
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Submitted by mehrazin on Sun, 22/09/2019 - 14:37

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Hi everyone I have never been to Thailand but it would be so interesting to have a visit there only for once. It seems to be exciting to go the fantastic street markets for shopping.the best ways to get rid of the bangkok traffic would be catching the express river taxi boat and skytrain station. it helps the tourists get away from the noisy and polluted atmosphere and have a nice fun to get around the city and explore the sights and tourism spots.i like to visit there to see its historical sites and visit the well known temples.