Bangkok a filthy city? With these tips your trip will be a success!
Whoever follows Your Little Black Book for a while knows this; I LOVE Asian cities. Bangkok has been a favourite of mine for years, together with Hong Kong. A city you’ll probably dislike if you don’t know where to go, but probably fall in love with like I did if you know that one place that’s a must-try. That’s why I’m sharing my favourite hotspots in this blog for my dream destination Bangkok. From cafés to rooftop bars and nice things to do.
Are you travelling to Thailand or Asia soon, make sure to plan a day or three in this buzzing city to cover yourself in the local culture. Haven’t planned a vacation yet? Good news, because you can win a trip do Bangkok and at the bottom of this travel guide I’ll tell you all about it! Descover the extraordinary district the city has to offer, go out for delicious Thai food and endlessly stroll around the lots of (evening)markets or go watch some street art. Have fun with the tips from this guide!
10 X hotspots in Bangkok to have on your radar:
Shugaa: Who’s into sweets will definitely want to stop by this ‘all day dessert bar’ Shugaa if you’re close to the district Ekkamai during the day. A very sweet interior with pastel colours and you can choose between lots of yummy pastries! This hotspot is also very Instagram-worthy. Just saying ;-).
Sukhumvit soi 61, Bangkok, Thailand – .facebook.com/ShugaaDessertBar
SALT: One of the nicest restaurants in the trendy district Ari is Salt if you ask me. Inside, in the airco, you have a modern industrial interior and outside underneath the trees you can sit on the terrace at wooden tables. The menu is diverse and you can have pizza from a brick kiln that’s situated outside on the terrace, or choose the more fine dining menu with Japanese and French dishes.
36/2 Phahonyothin Soi 7, Bangkok, Thailand – saltbangkok.com
Brekkie: For an extensive breakfest in Bangkok you have to visit Brekkie. With a small little terrace where you can have a nice brunch outside, but it’s also nice to stay inside this organic café. On the menu you’ll find an ‘all day brekkie’, imagine pancakes, dishes with eggs and avocado toast.
49/11 Khlong Tan Nuea, Bangkok, Thailand – brekkiebangkok.com
Rocket: I love cafés and restaurants with a beautiful interior that’ll inspire you for your house back home. Rocket may very well be the prettiest coffee bar I know. Of course you can go here for some good coffee, but the rest of the menu is very surprising for Thai concepts. Because for breakfast and lynch they serve dishes here that were inspired by the Nordic Cuisine, like we know from Sweden and Denmark. They have several locations in the city but ‘S49’ has to be my favourite.
Soi Sukhumvit 49/12, Bangkok, Thailand – rocketcoffeebar.com
Rocket S49
Err Urban Rustic Thai: In a side alley close to the Wat Pho is a Thai restaurant you don’t want to miss. With a surprising trendy interior that would even suit Amsterdam. Downstairs there’s a cozy bar with a restaurant, but you can also lounge updtairs and have dinner at empty tables. Fun!
394/35 Maha Rat Rd, Bangkok, Thailand – errbkk.com
Eagle Nest: In Bangkok you can find several nice rooftop bars. But one of my favourites has to be Eagle Nest, by the river with a view of the Temple of Dawn. You can go here for bar bites and I can recommend you to watch the sun set here while drinking a tasty cocktail like a Coca-Cola with coconut rum.
Khwaeng Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang, Bangkok, Thailand – salaarun.com
View from Eagle Nest
Above Eleven: Another rooftop you wouldn’t want to miss is Aboce Eleven. Lesser known than say, the Lebua State Tower but perhaps more fun. You can eat some tasty Asian-Peruvian dishes here and the view of Bangkok is amazing.
38/8 Soi Sukhumvit 11, Bangkok, Thailand – aboveeleven.com
Bitterman: After a bicycle tour with Co van Kessel (later on in this blog more about that) I had a great lunch at Bitterman during my last trip to Bangkok. Another one of those super cute hotspots that is decorated with lots of plants and organic materials. During the day it’s a relaxed café and in the evening they serve great food..
Silom, Bangkok, Thailand – facebook.com/bitterman.bkk
Cocotte: If you feel like something else than Pad Thai for a change, restaurant Cocotte is recommended. It really seems like you step into a farmers store, but it’s a restaurant with delicious international dishes. Make sure to order a plate of charcuterie that’s being prepared right on the spot for you.
Soi Sukhumvit 39, Bangkok, Thailand – cocotte-bangkok.com
Onion: In the district Ekkamai there are several nice hotspots in the small alleys. You just have to know that they’re there, because otherwise it’s not very likely you’ll end up here. A nice place for breakfust or lunch is Onion. A small café and concept store in one!
12 Khwaeng Khlong Tan Nuea, Bangkok, Thailand- onionbkk.com
One Ounce for Onion
5 X nice to do in Bangkok
Fietsen with Co van Kessel: Not as undiscovered anymore, but if you ask me this is one of the most fun things to do in Bangkok. You can choose from different tours, ranging from a couple of hours to an entire day where you also go on a boat for a bit. During my last trip I did the tour of 5 hours and that’s highly recommended. One moment you’re cycling through the super narrow alleys in Chinatown and a half an hour you’re cycling through the rice fields outside of the city.
Stroll around on the night markets: If you, like me, love night markets you came to the right place in Bangkok. Rarely have I seen an Asian city where they’re just as lively and big as in Bangkok. My favourite night markets you definitely have to visit if you love shopping are: Rod Fai Market and the well known Chatuchak Market (here you can certainly go shopping during the weekends as well, as they have lots of small stores surrounding the market).
Watching street art in Chinatown: Last year there has been an awesome street art project in Bangkok where the best street artists from around the world have made murals in the neighbourhoods surrounding Chinatown and the Menam river. I especially loved the mural of the Belgian Roa, with the elephants. You can also view these when you go on a boat tour across the river!
Sensing the culture: Of course you can’t leave Bangkok without visiting one of the many palaces and temples. If I should make a short lists of three highlights that are unmissable, if would be these three: the Royal Palace, the Wat Arun (also known as the Temple of Dawn) and the Wat Pho (with a giant lying Buddha). But… there is lots of more beautiful things to discover for whoever has more time to spend in this city.
Visit upcoming districts: I hear many friends tell me they couldn’t find nice restaurants in Bangkok. Admittedly, it’s a big city, so you really have to know where to go and the chance of finding a hotspot without some research is tiny. Not if you’re going to the districts Ekkamai or Ari though. Especially Ari is full of nice restaurants and street food places like the seafood truck Summerstreet.
TIP: WIN a trip to one of the 74 dream destinations
Would you like to go to Bangkok to try these tips out for yourself? Good news! Coca-Cola is giving away dream holidays for this summer every week, to a destination from Ibiza to Bangkok! Get yourself a can or a bottle of Coca-Cola with the special labels of dream destinations on it. Under the label, the cap or the lip of your Coca-Cola you’ll find an action code, you can fill this in on the page www.cocacola.nl/summer. Who knows, you might just win a trip to a nice city or one of the lovely sunny destinations!
Happy travels!
WITH LOVE,
ANNE
In collaboration with Coca-Cola
