This Bangkok Budget Travel Guide will show you how I spent 4 days in Bangkok and Ayutthaya for only P6000 ($120)
The capital city of Thailand is known for its cheap but delicious street food, beautiful temples and crazy nightlife.
Bangkok, the backpacking capital of Asia is one of my favorite travel destination because everything is so cheap! Let this travel guide help you plan your vacation.
Essential Information
Language: Thai is the official language but most people understand English.
Religion: Buddhism is the official religion in Thailand. Be sure to have your knees and shoulders covered whenever you are going inside a temple.
Currency: Thai Baht (thb)
1USD = 32thb
1thb = PHP1.6
Modes of Payment: Cash and Credit Card
How to get to Bangkok
The Capital city of Thailand, Bangkok is served by two airports: DMK(Don Mueang Airport) the old Airport and BKK(Suvarnabhumi Airport) the new airport. Both airport is accessible by public transport. DMK is 20 kms away from the city while BKK is 25 kms away.
Flights going DMK is cheaper. I got my Airasia return tickets for only P1700 ($34). Filipinos traveling abroad are required to pay travel tax. The full travel tax is P1620 for economy passengers and P2700 for first class passengers.
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Where to stay in Bangkok
Silom and Khao San Road are two of the best areas to stay in Bangkok. If you are on a budget, stay in Khao San Road. You can find dorms for as low as 100 thb($3) per night. From the Airport, take the A4 bus 50 thb($1.5) going to Khao San Road. Travel time is 45 mins to 1 hour depending on the traffic.
Silom area is Bangkok’s business district. It is near shopping malls and night markets. From BKK airport, you can ride the Airport Rail Link. From DMK airport, ride A1 bus. You can also hire a taxi or book a grab car from DMK and BKK to your hotel for 500thb ($15)
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Getting around Bangkok
Getting around Bangkok is easy. Bangkok has 5 modes of transportation.
Train– BTS Skytrain and MRT 16 thb to 44 thb per ride ($0.69 – $1.3)
Boat– Chao Phraya Express Boat 15 thb per ride ($0.46)
Bus 8thb to 20thb per ride ($0.25 – $0.62)
Grab/Taxi 35 thb for the first 2 kms ($1 for the first 2 kms)
Tuktuk/Motorcycle Taxi ( fare depends on how you haggle)
Pro Tip: Save a copy of the Chao Phraya Express and BTS/MRT maps
Pro Tip: To avoid getting lost, get a tourist sim card to keep you connected to the internet. You can get an international sim card from Klook with 5 days unlimited data for only P287 ($5.74)
What to eat in Bangkok
Food is cheap in Bangkok but very delicious. Khao San road is full of street food vendors. You can have a good Chicken Curry Rice meal for only 20thb($0.6) Padthai for 30thb($1) and Sticky rice with mango for 40thb($1.2)
Alcohol is a bit expensive in Bangkok. A bottle of Leo beer would cost you 60-80 thb per bottle. ($1.85 – $2.5)
Pro Tip: Bring a water bottle. Fill them up before leaving your hostel
Places to Visit and Things to do in Bangkok
- Wat Arun 50 thb entrance fee ($1.5)
- Wat Pho 100 thb entrance fee ($3)
- Party in Khao San Road
- Shop in Asiatique River Front and enjoy the view of the Chao Phraya river.
- Patpong Night Market (Pingpong Show)
- Ayutthaya Day Trip (Ruins, Elephants and Floating Market)
- Chatuchak Market (Bangkok’s Biggest Weekend Market)
- Watch Muay Thai (Free!)
Ch.7 Boxing Stadium is 15 min walk away from Chatuchak Market
Sample Itinerary and Budget
Day 1 Arrival
12:00pm- Arrival
1:00pm- Ride A4 bus going to Khao San Road 50thb
2:00pm- Check-in Mint Hostel
3:00pm- Asiatique (Ride bus 15 in Kong Salak) 20thb
6:00pm- Dinner 40thb
7:00pm- Go to Khao San Road (Ride bus 15 in Wat Praya Kai) 20thb
8:00pm- Khao San Road Party- 2 Bottles of Beer 120thb
10:00pm- Snack Padthai 30thb
10:30pm- Walk to Hostel
Day 2 Explore Temples
9:00am- Free Breakfast
9:45am- 12 min walk to Phra Arthit Pier
10:30am- Ride ferry. Get off at Tha Thien Pier 15thb
10:45am- Wat Arun 50thb entrance fee
12:00pm- Lunch 40thb
12:50pm- Boat to Wat Pho 4thb
1:00pm- Wat Pho 100thb entrance fee
2:55pm- Boat to Tha Thien Pier 4thb
3:00pm- Ride ferry. Get off Phra Artit Pier 15thb
3:30pm- Walk to hostel. Freshen up
5:00pm- Go to Patpong(Ride Bus 47 in Kong Salak) 20thb
6:00pm- Dinner 40thb
7:00pm- Patpong Night Market Shopping
9:00pm- Pingpong Show. 200thb entrance fee with 2 bottles of beer.(WARNING! Google pingpong show before going!) You can skip the pingpong show and party in Khao San Road instead.
10:00pm- Go back to Hostel (Ride Bus 47 ) 20thb
11:00pm- Snack Padthai 30thb
Day 3 Ayutthaya day trip
8:00am- Free Breakfast
9:00am- Bus going Hua Lamphong Station (Ride Bus 53 in Sanamluang) 20thb
9:25am- Hua Lamphong to Ayutthaya train 15thb
11:24am- Arrival
12:00pm- Lunch 40 thb
1:00pm- Explore Ayutthaya. You can feed elephants and visit floating Market. Bike rental is 50thb. Ayutthaya ruins entrance fee is 50thb.
4:30pm- Ayutthaya to Hua Lamphong train 20thb
6:30pm- Hua Lamphong to Khao San Road (Motorcycle Taxi) 40thb
7:00pm- Dinner 30thb
8:00pm- Khao San Road Party 2 Bottles of Beer 120thb
10:00pm- Snack Fried Rice 20thb
Day 4 Muay Thai and Shopping
9:00am- Free Breakfast
12:00pm- Checkout
12:10pm- Ride bus to Mo chit Station (Bus 3) 9thb
12:50pm- 10 min walk to Channel 7 Boxing Stadium
1:00pm- Lunch 30thb
2:00pm- Watch Muay Thai in Channel 7 Boxing Stadium for free.
3:30pm- Walk to Chatuchak Market beside Mo chit Station(Shopping)
5:30pm- Ride A4 Bus Going to DMK Airport in Mo chit station 30thb
6:30pm- Arrive in DMK Airport
Budget Breakdown
P1700 – Airfare
P1620 – PH Travel Tax
P550 – Hostel
P2,100 (1,334thb) – Expenses
P5,980 or $120 – Total
This is just a sample itinerary for a solo traveler staying in Khao San Road. Use google maps to locate the bus stops. If you are not confident commuting you can always hire a taxi/grab or motorcycle taxi.
I hope this Bangkok Travel Guide helps you plan your next adventure.
Enjoy your trip and take a lot of pictures!
Click the button below for a detailed Ayutthaya day trip guide.
Thanks for this information
Nice post very informative thanks for sharing….
I have also shared a blog post on tourism it would be great if you share your opinion and suggestions on that…
https://barlinmilton.blogspot.com/2020/05/sikkim-land-of-blooming-flowers.html
Pingback: Ayutthaya Day Trip Guide | 8$ DIY Trip | Where is Paolo?
Great post, this takes me back to my times in Bangkok
Bookmarking this!! I’m heading to Thailand next summer for yoga teacher training, I will be sure to use this for my travels
My husband has been dying to go to Bangkok. I’ll have to save this for future reference
We are planning go to Bangkok after Covid19 will be over. Thanks for sharing the tips!
I went to Bangkok 2 years ago and this post takes me back! Great tips for traveling!
This makes me miss Bangkok! I love this place especially the foods. How I wish I can go back…
I’ve been there in Bangkok before and its a beautiful and a life changing experience for me and for my daughters. We really enjoyed out lovely time there.
I have never been to Bangkok but I heard it is a beautiful place with lots of rich cultures! I would love to go!
My flight to Bangkok was cancelled (April 11) due to quarantine. I’ve been itching to go since last year, I wanted to experience the floating market and DEVOUR local cuisine (Tom Yum Goong , Gaeng Daeng, Pad Thaid). Thanks for the tips, Paolo!
Bangkok is on my bucket list because it’s very cheap tour price and I love their authentic places awesome photos!
I’ve been to Bangkok countless times and I still have lots of things to learn about it. Thanks for all the information.
I love Bangkok it is amazing. It is great that you to explode everything under an impressive budget. My last Bangkok visit was left missing a few places but I am sure I am going there again.
Very Informative post. I have planned to visit Bangkok so many times. But couldn’t. Bookmarking this one.
Love travel posts as it gives ideas once I visit the place especially sharing budget
Bangkok is really a nice place, I’ve been dreaming of going there since before, hope it will come true soon! My friend went there and she got me a leather passport cover with these beautiful beads. I love it! It seems like you’ve enjoyed your visit too!
This is a very detailed article about Bangkok. I haven’t been to Bangkok yet but this made me want to visit.
Bangkok is one of my favourite destinations. I remember always looking for mango sticky rice whenever I visited.
I’ve been to Bangkok twice and I love my experience. Bangkok is one of the cheapest to visit and the foods are great without spending much.
This is great, Bangkok is on my travel list, post like this always make me want to add days to my trip.
Bangkok seems like the perfect place to take an international vacation on a budget. When I eventually get around to planning an Around the World trip, Bangkok is definitely going on the list.
I love Bangkok and enjoyed reading through your travel guide. I appreciate you breaking down the cost of your trip from the accommodations, travels, food, and excursions. I still haven’t been to a few places in Bangkok such as the floating market, Khao San Road, or the night market. I can’t wait to go back once travel resumes.
My parents are heading here next year! It was meant to be this year but COVID-19 has postponed their plans. They love traveling so I’ll definitely share this blog with them.
I have not yet managed to get to this part of the world. It looks very tempting and beautiful! Thanks for sharing!