On-arrival visa, BTS Skytrain, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, Grand Palace, Khao San vs Sukhumvit, street food in Yaowarat, and what to expect from 95°F heat in the most visited city in the world.
On-arrival visa, BTS Skytrain, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, Grand Palace, Khao San vs Sukhumvit, street food in Yaowarat, and what to expect from 95°F heat in the most visited city in the world.
Visa: US, UK, Canadian, Australian and most European passport holders enter visa-free for 30 days on arrival at Suvarnabhumi (BKK) or Don Mueang (DMK). In 2026 Thailand introduced the ETA Thailand (Electronic Travel Authorization), required online within 72h of departure at thailande-evisa.go.th — free, takes 3 minutes. Passport valid for 6 months. Routine vaccines should be current; nothing specifically mandatory.
Honest currency: 35 THB ≈ 1 USD in May 2026. ATMs charge a flat 220 THB fee per withdrawal (≈ $6.30) regardless of amount — always withdraw the maximum allowed (20,000 THB) to dilute the fee. SuperRich and Vasu are the exchange houses with the best rates; avoid the airport and Khao San. Wise, Revolut and Charles Schwab debit cards convert at interbank, no foreign-transaction fees.
Getting around: BTS Skytrain (green and light-blue lines, 30-60 THB per ride, fierce AC, one of the best metros in the world), MRT underground (same price range), Rabbit Card prepaid 100 THB deposit + credit. Tuk-tuks: ALWAYS haggle — first offer is 3-5x fair price. Grab works perfectly and is cheap (average ride 80-150 THB / $2.30-4.30), but at rush hour Bangkok grinds to a biblical halt.
Must-do temples with dress code: Wat Pho (46m Reclining Buddha, 200 THB), Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn, 50 THB + 5 THB ferry across the Chao Phraya), Grand Palace + Wat Phra Kaew (Emerald Buddha, 500 THB combined). Shoulders and knees covered mandatory; no tank tops or short shorts. Sarongs sold at the gate for 100 THB, pricier than average.
Neighborhoods to sleep in: Sukhumvit (modern, BTS-served, malls, the safest first-timer choice), Silom (financial district by day, heavy nightlife by night), Khao San Road (backpacker, cheap, loud until 3am, worth one night max), Riverside (quiet luxury — Mandarin Oriental, Peninsula — far from everything but with Chao Phraya views).
On-arrival visa, BTS Skytrain, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, Grand Palace, Khao San vs Sukhumvit, street food in Yaowarat, and what to expect from 95°F heat in the most visited city in the world.
