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

Download
Worksheet66.8 KB

Language level

Average: 4.3 (131 votes)
Do you need to improve your English reading skills?
Join thousands of learners from around the world who are improving their English reading skills with our online courses.

Submitted by Ehsan on Sun, 29/11/2020 - 08:07

Permalink
Yes, sure I'd like to see the city. It has many reasons such as different culture, combining traditional and modern life, great sights, different and diverse foods, and a sweet experience. We have a proverb which says "The Travelling Cooks Persons!". I want to visit all cities in the world and I will do that.

Submitted by David_Tham on Fri, 27/11/2020 - 00:38

Permalink
Yes, I would like to live in Bangkok. Because the preple there very compassionate.

Submitted by inco123 on Fri, 20/11/2020 - 09:39

Permalink
I really would enjoy visiting Bangkok. This place is so different from the place where I live. I'm curious about culture, religion and especially about food.

Submitted by Dmytro on Wed, 18/11/2020 - 13:09

Permalink
I have never had the opportunity to travel a lot. I would willingly visit Bangkok with all its places worth visiting despite it is not the number one place I would like to visit. I'm not into the eastern culture but being present there could change my mind. Surely, by getting around Bangkok I could experience the real atmosphere of the city. No one guide, brochure, or video is able to give you that feeling but that can give you the boost to start planning travel.

Submitted by Razy on Wed, 11/11/2020 - 10:06

Permalink
Indeed I'm a travel buff and definitely, Bangkok is a nice place for a journey. Furthermore, I'm looking forward to visiting the Buddhist temple, as I'm really interested in East Asian religions. I also heard about delicious street food in Thailand, so certainly I want to try it one time in my life.

Submitted by nguyễn thị h… on Sat, 07/11/2020 - 14:05

Permalink
thailand is so attractive . i extremely like Thai food ,so after read this i want to visit there

Submitted by khanhlynguyen on Mon, 02/11/2020 - 16:55

Permalink
i would like to visit Thailand because i'm interested in Thai cuisine, scenery and people over there. I have followed many celebrity in Thailand for a long time, so i want to meet them.
Profile picture for user javibuendi

Submitted by javibuendi on Wed, 28/10/2020 - 10:07

Permalink
Yes, I would like to visit Bangkok. I have wanted to go for a long time. It might be an exciting experience because I think they have a very different culture than mine (I am from Spain). I like travelling and I want to earn money in order to be able to visit this city or another main city in Asia, such as Kyoto. Cheers from Madrid.

Submitted by Lilly098 on Thu, 22/10/2020 - 02:56

Permalink
I would love to visit Thailand. Because my friend works in Bangkok. She always tell me that people in Thai are very lovely and food is amazing. I want to get to know more about their culture. Hopefully, I will visit for my honeymoon in a couple years!

Submitted by habibao.medo on Mon, 19/10/2020 - 08:41

Permalink
I really like travelling but i don't think i would choose Bangkok cause i don't like temples and historic places also i really don't like street food i eat it only if i know it's taste . i would prefer going to Korea instead i like the coffees there, the Korean make up ,masks and a lot more