Berlitz Pocket Guide Thailand (Travel Guide eBook) , livre ebook

How To Use This E-Book

Getting Around the e-Book
This Pocket Guide e-book is designed to give you inspiration and planning advice for your visit to Thailand, and is also the perfect on-the-ground companion for your trip.
The guide begins with our selection of Top 10 Attractions, plus a Perfect Itinerary feature to help you plan unmissable experiences. The Introduction and History chapters paint a vivid cultural portrait of Thailand, and the Where to Go chapter gives a complete guide to all the sights worth visiting. You will find ideas for activities in the What to Do section, while the Eating Out chapter describes the local cuisine and gives listings of the best restaurants. The Travel Tips offer practical information to help you plan your trip. Finally, there are carefully selected hotel listings.
In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.
Maps
All key attractions and sights in Thailand are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map], tap once to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.
Images
You’ll find lots of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of Thailand. Simply double-tap an image to see it in full-screen.
About Berlitz Pocket Guides
The Berlitz story began in 1877 when Maximilian Berlitz devised his revolutionary method of language learning. More than 130 years later, Berlitz is a household name, famed not only for language schools but also as a provider of best-selling language and travel guides.
Our wide-ranging travel products – printed travel guides and phrase books, as well as apps and ebooks – offer all the information you need for a perfect trip, and are regularly updated by our team of expert local authors. Their practical emphasis means they are perfect for use on the ground. Wherever you’re going – whether it’s on a short break, the trip of a lifetime, a cruise or a business trip – we offer the ideal guide for your needs.
Our Berlitz Pocket Guides are the perfect choice if you need reliable, concise information in a handy format. We provide amazing value for money – these guides may be small, but they are packed with information. No wonder they have sold more than 45 million copies worldwide.
© 2018 Apa Digital (CH) AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd





Table of Contents
Thailand’s Top 10 Attractions
Top Attraction #1
Top Attraction #2
Top Attraction #3
Top Attraction #4
Top Attraction #5
Top Attraction #6
Top Attraction #7
Top Attraction #8
Top Attraction #9
Top Attraction #10
A Perfect Day In Bangkok
Introduction
Thailand and its attractions
When to go
A warm welcome
A Brief History
King Ramkamhaeng
Ayutthaya
From Thonburi to Bangkok
Progressive monarchs
The World Wars
Modern-day Thailand
Historical landmarks
Where To Go
Bangkok
City districts
Wat Phra Kaew and Grand Palace Complex
Six great wats
Museums and palaces
Bangkok from the water
Other sights
Excursions from Bangkok
Buddhist park and Nakhon Pathom
Floating Market
Kanchanaburi
Sangkhlaburi
Ayutthaya
Ancient City
Crocodile Farm and Zoo
Khao Yai National Park
Thailand’s ‘Khmer Culture Trail’
Phimai
Phanom Rung
Prasat Hin Muang Tam
Other gems
Prasat Kamphaeng Yai
Central Thailand
Pattaya
The eastern seaboard
Hua Hin
Lopburi
Sukhothai
Si Satchanalai
Phitsanulok
Northern Thailand
Chiang Mai
Inside the city
Outside the city
Among the hill tribes
Lamphun
Lampang
Chiang Rai
Mae Sai and Chiang Saen
Mae Hong Son
Southern Thailand
Phuket
Beaches and islands
Excursions from Phuket
Ko Samui
Beyond Samui
Nakhon Si Thammarat
Satun
What To Do
Shopping
Markets and bazaars
Best buys
Entertainment
Thai Dance, dance-drama and music
Nightlife
The go-go scene
Sports
Children’s activities
Calendar of events
Eating Out
When and how to eat
What to eat
What to drink
Reading the Menu
To help you order
Restaurants
Bangkok
Chiang Mai
Phuket
Ko Samui
Chiang Rai
Mae Hong Son
Hua Hin
A–Z Travel Tips
A
Accommodation
Airports
B
Bicycle and moped hire
Budgeting for your trip
C
Camping
Car hire (see also Driving)
Children
Climate
Clothing
Crime and safety (See also Emergencies)
Customs regulations
D
Disabled travellers
Driving
E
Electricity
Embassies and consulates
Emergencies
Etiquette
G
Getting there
H
Health and medical care
L
Language
LGBTQ travellers
M
Maps
Media
Money
O
Opening hours
P
Police
Post offices
Public holidays
R
Religious services
T
Telephones
Time zone
Tipping
Toilets
Tourist information
Transport
V
Visas and entry requirements
W
Websites
Weights and measures
Recommended Hotels
Bangkok
Chiang Mai
Chiang Rai
Chiang Saen/The Golden Triangle
Mae Hong Son
Phuket
Ko Samui
Hua Hin
Ko Phi Phi
Dictionary
English–Thai Dictionary
Thai–English Dictionary


Thailand’s Top 10 Attractions




Top Attraction #1
iStock

Kwai River Bridge
Pay homage to the thousands of prisoners who died during the bridge’s construction in World War II. For more information, click here .



Top Attraction #2
Shutterstock

Mae Hong Son
This north-eastern town lies in a serene forested valley. For more information, click here .



Top Attraction #3
iStock

Bangkok’s Wat Phra Kaew and Grand Palace complex
Highlights include the chapel of the Emerald Buddha and a golden chedi (stupa). For more information, click here .



Top Attraction #4
Shutterstock

Chiang Mai
For Thai silks visit the bustling Night Bazaar. For more information, click here .



Top Attraction #5
iStock

Phang Nga Bay
Paddle around a landscape filled with oddly shaped islands and hidden caves. For more information, click here .



Top Attraction #6
Shutterstock

Phanom Rung
This spectacular sanctuary is one of the highlights of the Khmer Culture Trail. For more information, click here .



Top Attraction #7
Peter Stuckings/Apa Publications

Ayutthaya
A national treasure, this ruined city gives an insight into the ancient history of Thailand. For more information, click here .



Top Attraction #8
iStock

Hill tribes
Trek by Jeep or on foot to see these followers of ancient rituals. For more information, click here .



Top Attraction #9
iStock

Ko Samui
The place to swim, snorkel, windsurf, dine on the sand or just people-watch. For more information, click here .



Top Attraction #10
Alamy

Chao Phraya
Take a boat on Bangkok’s majestic river. For more information, click here .


A Perfect Day In Bangkok



9.00am

Breakfast
Drop in for a leisurely breakfast at The Verandah, on the Mandarin Oriental’s riverside terrace. The luxurious surroundings provide a fine start to the day, and the Oriental boat pier is next door, with boats waiting to whisk you on to the next leg of the day’s journey.


10.00am

Lying down
Take a Chao Phraya river boat to Tha Tien pier where, just beyond a market and Chinese shop houses, the grounds of Wat Pho host the Reclining Buddha. Afterwards, get pampered at the temple’s traditional massage school.


12 noon

Gold and dragons
Grab a taxi to Chinatown, which has some of the most historic shopping alleys in Bangkok. Along with gold, dragon dresses and Chinese lanterns, these lanes are full of cheap food stalls that make it an ideal stop for lunch. At Wat Traimit see the world’s biggest solid gold Buddha.


2.00pm

Shopping
A taxi to Pathumwan brings you to the heart of the city’s mall district. As well as offering local and international fashions, Siam Paragon hosts Sea Life Ocean World, home to penguins, sharks, stingrays and other creatures of the deep.


4.00pm

Culture
A 10-minute walk away, the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre has regular performances and exhibitions by