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Bangkok

A jungle island oasis in the heart of Bangkok.

I’d been to Bangkok a dozen times before I discovered this highlight

Bangkok can be an oppressive city. Sometimes, you need an escape. But don’t go looking for it in its air-conditioned shopping centres: come to this island.

  • Paul Marshall
View of Wat Arun Temple from a Chao Phraya River ferry.

The best way to see Bangkok is one few tourists bother with

No traffic, no haggling, and not a single tailor stop along the way.

  • Paul Marshall
The Standard Hotel in Pattaya Na Jomtien.

The ‘luxury fortress’ hotel transforming Thailand’s notorious party city

This city has a notorious reputation. The Standard, famous for its eccentric luxury hotels in New York and London, wants to change that.

  • Eryk Bagshaw
Isaan-style char-grilled pork served with sticky rice.

Bangkok’s best food is not where you’d expect

World-famous for street food, suddenly the city’s fine-dining scene, both local and international in style, is taking the globe by storm.

  • Ben Groundwater
The Aman Nai Lert Bangkok is built around a century-old Sompong tree.

Mistakes are forgotten and wishes realised at this luxe Thai hotel

Forget ‘Instagrammable’: travel for the rich is a holistic endeavour where a holiday becomes the springboard to your best self.

  • Julia Naughton
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City skyline views from the rooftop pool.

This upscale brand’s first Thai hotel is a haven of good taste

Madi Paidi offers an enjoyable respite from the intensity of Bangkok, tailor-made for city trippers, design fans and adventurous diners.

  • John Borthwick
Temple of the Emerald Buddha… arrive early to beat the crowd.

The must-do highlights of Bangkok in three days

Bangkok defies metaphor. An enigma wrapped in a traffic jam? Just step out and surrender to its din and aromas over this three-day itinerary.

  • John Borthwick
Dawn over the river in Bangkok.

Twenty things that will surprise first-time visitors to Bangkok

From the world’s biggest and most diverse market to the world’s biggest water fight, expect the unexpected in this shape-shifting city.

  • John Borthwick
Gaggan in Bangkok, where everyone is equal as long as they can pay $750 for a meal.

I went to one of the world’s ‘coolest’ restaurants. I don’t get it

There’s a type of attraction popping up around the world that really rubs me the wrong way: pretentious places that pretend they’re not pretentious.

  • Ben Groundwater
The economical Special Express 40.

Thai train’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it highlight

This scenic rail journey is rocky at times, but it costs just $30 for a near nine-hour trip.

  • John Borthwick