I’m really excited to interview Ric Gazarian of GlobalGaz about Bangkok, Thailand. Ric’s tips for the best things to do in Bangkok are awesome because he came to Bangkok to volunteer after reading the book the Gospel of Father Joe and fell in love with the city. It’s a mix of East meets West and old vs. modern, yet is still very affordable.
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The view from King Power Maka Nakhon
Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok is a large city in Thailand that is known for its ornate shrines. The city has a network of canals that is fed by the Chao Phraya River. Some of these canals flow past the Rattanakosin royal district where the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew Temple (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) are located. The Wat Pho Temple is nearby and is famous for its reclining Buddha and the Wat Arun Temple is across the canal. Viator offers many fascinating tours of the Bangkok temples that you can book.
Ric says that the weather is hot all year, so the best time to visit is during winter (from November to February) when it is only 90 degrees. Most of the area’s famous festivals are outside of the city, such as the Sak Yant Festival (March) and Muay Thai ITMA Games & Festival (March).
During your visit, you should stop by Mahanakhon for the city’s highest sky desk and 2nd tallest building. You can buy tickets online to avoid the wait for the “Glass Tray Experience” and 360-degree Observation Deck that are on the 78th Floor. Also, ride one of the commuter boats on the Chao Praya River for only $0.20 a person.
We share a lot of resources and local suggestions in today’s podcast, but you should also check out the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the local visitor’s bureau. They are a wealth of information and can help you plan an itinerary based on your time, budget, and interests.
If you’d like to learn how to travel for free using airline miles and hotel points, check out my free 7-day email course.
Gateway to Chinatown
Getting around Bangkok
The local airport is Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) which is about a 30-minute drive to the city.
Ric says that you should not rent a car when visiting Bangkok. Transit Bangkok offers excellent public transportation and you can pay for your rides easily with the Rabbit Card. Grab is Bangkok’s version of Uber and Lyft. You can ride on the motorbike taxis but stay away from the tuktuks because they can be scammers.
If you must rent a car, visit Avis, Budget, or Hertz for the best offers.
Mango sticky rice is a popular dish.
Places we talked about on the podcast
Here is a map of all of the places we talked about on the podcast episode with Ric Gazarian about Bangkok, Thailand. You can zoom into the map and click on each dot to explore the city.
- Red dots = best places to eat in Bangkok, Thailand
- Green dots = best things to do in Bangkok, Thailand
- Yellow dots = best places to stay in Bangkok, Thailand
Who is Ric Gazarian?
Ric Gazarian of GlobalGaz.com is an avid traveler, travel blogger, professional photographer, drone pilot, author, podcaster, documentary producer, and industry speaker. He is on a quest to visit every county in the world and has visited all 7 continents and has traveled to over 140 countries.
Ric at Mahanakhon Tower in Bangkok
Here are a few articles that he’s written:
You can connect with Ric on his website and on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Big thanks to today’s affiliate partner – AwardWallet
This episode is brought to you, in part, by AwardWallet. Using airline miles and hotel points makes travel affordable, but keeping track of all of those loyalty programs can be a challenge. That’s why I use AwardWallet to track my miles and points balances, reservations, and special goodies like free hotel night certifications and airline companion passes.
Having everything in one easy-to-use dashboard helps ensure I don’t let any rewards expire and makes logging into my accounts super easy. Go to WeTravelThere.com/awardwallet to start your free account.
The Grand Palace
Stay tuned for our next episode
Listen to the next episode when Janelle Norman shares the best things to do in Madrid, Spain. In this episode, Janelle and I talk about eating tapas, Flamenco dancing, and viewing modern art at the Reina Sofia. We hope you’ll join us when We Travel There.
What’s your favorite part of Bangkok? Send us a Tweet, let us know in the comment section below, or continue the discussion in our Facebook group!
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Related episodes
To learn more about cities in Southeast Asia, listen to our other episodes:
