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Bangkok |
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Bangkok has the longest city name in the world – "City of Angels, Great City of Immortals, Magnificent City of the Nine Gems, Seat of the King, City of Royal Palaces, Home of the Gods Incarnate, Built by Visvakarma at Indra's Behest" – kids will have fun remembering this when you visit. Traveling around Bangkok with kids, it's a city of contrasts: in the same block with glass skyscrapers and luxury shopping are street vendors whacking up pineapples and roasting shrimp on charcoal grills. |
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Bangkok is the capital of Thailand, but it's a relatively new city (compared to other ancient capitals). In the late 18th century the city was founded by King Taksin and grew up along both sides of the Chao Phraya River. Fabulous golden temples and royal residences, including the Grand Palace, were constructed throughout the Old City. The city expanded eastwards, and the downtown has ultra modern shopping malls, hotels and parks. |
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Grand Palace & Emerald Buddha Temple | ||
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Wat Pho | ||
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Chao Phraya River | ||
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Banglamphu | ||
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Old City | ||
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Chinatown | ||
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Downtown |
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Read "Tips Bangkok for kids" before you go and while you're there – boats and tuk tuks, visiting temples, food and more. | ||
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Getting around – The best way to get around the old city area, which includes the Grand palace, Wat Pho, is to take the river ferry, Chayo Phraya Express boat. In the downtown area, the Skytrain (BTS) and subway (MTR) is modern, speedy and efficient. Traffic on Bangkok city streets is highly congested and full of exhaust fumes. It's fun to take a tuk tuk for short hops (negociate price in advance), but for longer rides, take a taxi. |
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Fun food – |
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| Any time of day in Bangkok, kids will want to try different fresh fruit drinks – orange, lime, lemon grass (something different), banana, mango, watermelon, strawberry milkshakes, coconut ice cream and popsicles. | |||
| Also it's fun for kids to watch street vendors grilling bananas, frying things in big woks, assembling hot bowls of noodles, slicing fresh fruits into all sorts of cut shapes. | |||
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Shopping – |
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| There's no end of Thai souvenir shopping – painted umbrellas, fold up bamboo hats, wooden elephants and tigers, silk coin purses, scarves, and clothing, lots of different jewelry, kites, miniature tuk tuks. | |||
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There's plenty of fun things to do with kids in Bangkok, but you'll need a fun place to stay. Here's our own Travel for Kids hand-picked list of family hotels and apartments, all styles and price ranges, in neighborhoods comfortable for families, and near to places you'll want to explore. |
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Bangkok family hotels & apartments | ||
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