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!

Task 1

Task 2

Discussion

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Average: 4.1 (196 votes)

Submitted by Hong Tham on Wed, 07/08/2024 - 16:12

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I have been to Thailand once, the food in Thailand is very diverse, I really enjoy Mango Sticky rice there, but In  my opinion, I still feel Vietnamese food is more delicious

The traffic in Thailand is very terrible, especially in Bangkok, the roads are narrow but transportation are very crowded

There are many Vietnamese people go travel to Thailand, so when you go to the store or restaurant, the seller can communicate with you by Vietnamese language 

Submitted by elio22 on Thu, 11/07/2024 - 15:52

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As far as I am concerned,I don't wanna visit Thailand.I have many reasons for saying like this.

Submitted by 09090909 on Thu, 13/06/2024 - 12:44

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This reading is amazing and i want to go to Bangkok

Submitted by ubaid332 on Mon, 10/06/2024 - 05:53

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Would you like to visit Bangkok? Why or why not?

I would like to visit Bangkok because this will be my first experience to study the culture, food, historical places, travel in boats, and many more. Every new tour explores our minds by meeting with different people and environments. Every place has its own advantages and disadvantages, like in the reading text I studied about the shops, historical places, and other nice things but on the other hand it is a noisy city. My hobby is when go to new place I learn many new things that update my mind.

Submitted by DucVi on Wed, 29/05/2024 - 11:35

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I visited Bangkok in 2016 and I don’t want to go back again. Bangkok is a beautiful city but it’s too noisy. The people are friendly. I love Thai food. I usually eat Thaifood in my country.

Submitted by Alexander on Thu, 23/05/2024 - 09:43

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I would like to visit Bangkok for many reason. One of them is that Thailang is an Asian country with different coulture, food and weather. Also I would love to travel on the boat between the Islands! 

Submitted by Annnn on Fri, 19/04/2024 - 23:43

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Would you like to visit Bangkok? Why or why not?

Yes, of course, I'd like to visit Bangkok. Because it's a place with an interesting culture, different from mine, so I think that I could learn a lot of things there. Furthermore, eating different food, meeting different people could be a nice experience. Overall, I think that travelling to different places is a rewarding experience!!

Submitted by anas_15_3 on Fri, 15/03/2024 - 12:08

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Traveling is a beautiful thing, especially for an active and crazy city like Bangkok, I watched The Hangover Part 2 and I found that the city is much fun.

Submitted by Greta Caselli on Sun, 04/02/2024 - 21:02

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Of Course! I would like to visit Bangkok because I would know the city culture and the traditions. Furthermore, I'm very curious about the local food.

Submitted by DzhusAngela on Tue, 30/01/2024 - 08:54

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I would like to visit Bangkok,because this city has plenty excellent place,for example temples.I want to try noodles and fall in love in this city.