Bangkok (Lonely Planet) - Andrew Burke [41]
November 2008 Thousands of yellow-shirted anti-Thaksin protesters calling themselves the Peoples’ Alliance for Democracy (PAD) take over both of Bangkok’s airports.
December 2008 Abhisit Vejjajiva, leader of the Democrat Party, forms a tenuous parliamentary coalition and becomes Thailand’s sixth Prime Minister since the 2006 coup.
April 2010 Pro-Thaksin supporters clash with troops in central Bangkok, leading to 25 deaths and several hundred injuries.
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NEIGHBOURHOODS
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ITINERARY BUILDER
HOW TO USE THIS TABLE
KO RATANAKOSIN & THONBURI
KO RATANAKOSIN
KO RATANAKOSIN STROLL
THONBURI
BANGLAMPHU
PHRA NAKHON MEANDER
THEWET & DUSIT
CHINATOWN
CHINATOWN WANDER
SIAM SQUARE, PRATUNAM, PLOENCHIT & RATCHATHEWI
SIAM SQUARE, PRATUNAM & PLOENCHIT
RATCHATHEWI
DIY BAAN KRUA
RIVERSIDE, SILOM & LUMPHINI
RIVERSIDE
SILOM
LUMPHINI
RIVERSIDE RAMBLE
THANON SUKHUMVIT
MARKET, PARK & SPA
GREATER BANGKOK
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top picks
Wat Pho
Wat Suthat
Jim Thompson’s House
Chinatown Wander
Vimanmek Teak Mansion
Phra Nakhon Meander
Museum of Siam
Baan Krua
Wat Phra Kaew & Grand Palace
Wat Traimit
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What’s your recommendation? www.lonelyplanet.com/bangkok
Bangkok sprawls across the rice-paddy-flat Chao Phraya plain, hugging both the snaking river itself and a spaghetti-like mess of newer concrete arteries. At first it can be hard to get your head around, with towers spread as far as the eye can see and no discernible centre. But dive into the rivers of flowing metal and sprouting concrete and you’ll find a megalopolis that’s much more diverse that it first appears, and easier to navigate than you might think.
Along the banks of Mae Nam Chao Phraya (Chao Phraya River) the ancient and skyscraper-free districts of Ko Ratanakosin (Ratanakosin Island, Click here) and Thonburi retain their historic charm. On the east bank – the Bangkok side – stand the monuments to king, country and religion that were once the first shoots of the new capital to grow out of the flood plains. Today these golden spires and fantastic Buddhist temples make it the most visited neighbourhood in the city.
From Ko Ratanakosin the grand boulevard of Th Ratchadamnoen leads north to Banglamphu, where mansions once housed royal courtiers, and small villages of yellow-and-green shophouses supplied the palace with its many ornate necessities. These days it supplies thousands of travellers with value accommodation, all centred on the inter-galactic melting pot that is Th Khao San. Further north the regal enclave of Dusit, fashioned after the capitals of Europe with wide boulevards and palaces set in manicured parks, sits like a crown on the apex of Banglamphu. It is flanked by the contrasting middle-class riverside neighbourhood of Thewet, which has an altogether less pretentious feel.
South of Ko Ratanakosin is the cramped and chaotic district of Chinatown, where deals have been done since the city was founded and continue apace today. Chinatown is Bangkok’s most vibrant neighbourhood, and a great place to get lost. Further south the historic riverside Click here centre of international trade leads east into the business high-rise neighbourhoods of Silom and Sathon, and the relief and relative sanity of Lumphini Park.
To the north and east of here Bangkok pours forth like an endless concrete spill. Skyscrapers, shopping centres and expressway flyovers dominate the skyline in place of temples. The area around Siam Square is one giant shopping district and has, thanks largely to the Skytrain interchange here, become the unofficial ‘centre’ of Bangkok. Immediately to the east is Th Sukhumvit, a busy commercial and residential neighbourhood that is a favourite of expatriates, cosmopolitan Thais and modern midrange hotels.
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Bangkok’s big-ticket sights are concentrated in the older part of town around Ko Ratanakosin, Thonburi, Dusit and Banglamphu. However, the city’s shopping, eating, galleries, bars and spas are widespread.