If you are flying through
Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK) and find yourself with a layover of over six hours, it might be worth your while to pop into the city center for a taste of
Thailand. Taxis make for an inexpensive and efficient means of reaching the city center in relatively little time. This should then leave you with just enough hours to fit in a bowl of noodles, a Thai massage, a tour through a temple or a peek at a palace before returning to the airport for your onwards
journey.
Relax with a traditional Thai massage
While Bangkok is full of inexpensive spas and massage salons, some rather more dubious than others, Health Land is a chain that is perhaps first off the lips of Thais and expats when asked for a recommendation of a reputable, genuinely relaxing and professionally delivered massage.
The closest Health Land branch to Suvarnabhumi airport is on Srinakarin Road, around a 25-minute taxi ride away. There is also a branch in the Chaengwattana area of northern Bangkok, around a 30-minute taxi journey from Don Muang airport. Both branches are open daily from 9am until 11pm, call or e-mail ahead for an appointment in order to avoid disappointment.
Take downtown experience
If you have got long enough between flights, it is quick, easy and inexpensive to get downtown from Suvarnabhumi airport using the Airport Rail Link. Taking the train to Phaya Thai takes just 19 minutes, and from there you can connect to the BTS Skytrain in order to reach downtown areas like Siam (for Siam Paragon shopping centre), Chidlom (for Central World shopping centre), Asok (for Terminal 21 shopping centre), Phrom Phong (for Benjasiri Park and the EmQuartier and Emporium shopping centres), and the trendy coffee shops, restaurants and boutiques of Thonglor.
Walk around Khao San Road
This former rice-market has been transformed in recent years into a massive backpacker hot-spot which vies for the title of ‘backpacker capital of the universe'. During the day, shopping opportunities are endless with vendors setting up stalls that sell anything from local handicrafts and paintings to pirated CDs and DVDs. In the evening, the street transforms into a string of bars and pubs, filled with travellers discussing their adventures and misadventures. As you browse and wander, be sure to fit in a classic Thai massage and a bowl of noodles into your day’s activities – these are two of the most-essential activities on the street. Tattoo parlors, insect-frying street vendors, and bars that specialize in bucket-sized cocktails also sit among the street’s most notorious sites.
Shop at one of Bangkok’s legendary malls
Bangkok is famed for its huge shopping malls and you can visit one even if you do not have time to head all the way downtown. Numerous shopping centres are located within close proximity to Suvarnabhumi airport, allowing you to escape the airport for a couple of hours, enjoy a Thai meal, and stock up on souvenirs or treats for yourself.
Paseo mall is located just a six-minute taxi ride from Suvarnabhumi airport, and features plenty of massage salons, restaurants, and inexpensive retail outlets.
Read more:
The unusual destinations you might not know in Thailand
Source Internet
