Throughout the Thailand travel forums I’ve seen a lot of people asking what to do during their first night in Bangkok. Based on my experience there, I’ll try to give first timers some advice and suggested places to go.
First of all, if you plan on staying in Thailand for longer than thirty days, you need to purchase a tourist visa from a Thai embassy in your country. A tourist visa permits you to stay in Thailand for sixty days. Since I decided to stay for six months, I purchased three tourist visas for a total of 180 days. You don’t actually receive three physical visas. The embassy will attach a visa card to your passport and mark it with the number of sixty day entries you bought. Each tourist visa costs $40.00 CAD (In October, 2007).
You must leave and re-enter Thailand every time a visa expires. Doing so is what’s called a “visa run”. I had to do two of them – one to Cambodia and one to Burma. This photo of the visa in my passport was taken after my last entrance into Thailand from Burma so the visa has been marked as “USED”.
This visa has three entries for a total of 180 days
If you don’t come with a visa, you will be given a thirty day stamp at the airport.
1. When you arrive at the airport you will most likely be exhausted from a long and sleepless journey. Unless you’re the type that can sleep upright at the back of a plane in economy class, you’ll probably be a little dazed and confused. But try your best to stay focused and follow this advice.
Suvarnabhumi Airport
2. If you come with a tourist visa, make sure the immigration officer gives you the proper stamp. I arrived with three sixty day tourists visas. Even though the visa was clearly visible, the officer accidentally gave me a stamp for only thirty days. When I noticed, I had to go back and have him re-stamp my passport. Although you may be frustrated and irritable, always remain calm and speak politely to all of the officials and officers.
3. Bring your ATM card with you and withdrawal some cash at the airport. Before I left Canada, I purchased some Thai baht at my local bank. That was a mistake. The exchange rate in Thailand was much better than what I got in Canada. Also, make sure that you upgrade to a bank account with unlimited international transactions before you leave your home country.
3. Avoid the crowd that smothers you as you’re leaving the airport. They will offer you “cheap” taxis and accommodation. My friend and I knew that we wanted to take a taxi to Khao San Road. Someone offered us a ride for 500 baht and we foolishly accepted. We found out later that it would have been much cheaper if we had insisted on a metered taxi. (We knew this ahead of time but due to jet lag, we got caught up in the moment). When you exit the airport, you should see a sign for metered taxis, go there.
4. Prepare for Bangkok taxi drivers. Generally, taxi drivers in Bangkok like to accelerate, slam their brakes, and nearly side-swipe nearby vehicles. This just takes some time to get used to. Also note that there aren’t any seat belts in the back of taxi cabs. So sit in the passenger seat if you want a safety belt.
At-Home Guesthouse (Behind the Burger King)
5. If you haven’t booked any accommodation it’s no problem (At least, it wasn’t when I arrived in November). I recommend you go directly to Khao San Road from the airport. There you’ll find plenty of fellow backpackers and travelers who will recommend places to stay. While my friend and I strolled down the street we met a fellow backpacker who recommended a guesthouse behind the Burger King called “At Home Guest House”. It cost 350baht/night for a one bedroom with a bathroom and fan (Nov, 2007). It was very clean and I felt totally secure while staying there.
I suggest you hang around Khao San Road for a few days to meet other travelers and let the culture sink in. Once you’re ready to move on you can book plane tickets through one of the many travel agents in the area. You could also book your plane ticket online at AirAsia or Bangkok Airways.
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