BANGKOK is growing in popularity as a stopover destination, not only for holidaymakers heading for one of Thailand’s beach resorts but also for those travelling to Australia.
Both British Airways and Qantas fly to Australia via Bangkok, and each carrier offers fares that allow passengers to break their journey in the Thai capital.
Also, the increasing amount of holiday traffic between the UK and Bali has brought additional business to Bangkok, as flights by both Thai International and Garuda Indonesia stop in the city en route to the Indonesian island.
Bangkok is an ideal stopover destination as it offers the desired combination of fascinating sightseeing, fantastic restaurants, excellent shopping and varied nightlife.
Initially, the many cultural attractions can at first seem daunting to anyone staying for just a couple of days in Bangkok.
The best advice is not to attempt to see a wide range – just pick out one or two and spend some time exploring each.
A first port of call for most visitors is the Grand Palace, and half a day there is usually a large enough dose of culture to satisfy all but the most ardent sightseers.
If not, Bangkok has many temples, of which the most famous are the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and the Wat Arun.
Tours which take in several of the most notable examples can be arranged.
For visitors with time to spare, there are several worthwhile out-of-town excursions to places of interest such as the crocodile farm, the Ancient City and the Bank Pa-In Summer Palace.
In addition, Bangkok has some of the greatest shopping in the Far East, offering everything from gems, silks and handicrafts in upmarket shopping precincts to imitation designer wear found in the city’s famous night markets.
The wide range of dining opportunities is one of Bangkok’s other key attractions. Visitors can choose from a simple Thai meal in one of the city’s many open-air food centres to a slap-up dinner in a five-star hotel such as the Shangri-La.
As well as traditional Thai food there are plenty of international restaurants which serve dishes from all over the world.
One of the reasons Bangkok is not more popular as a stopover destination is the traffic congestion which has, until now, severely restricted the amount visitors can see and do in the city in a short period of time.
But yesterday saw the opening of the city’s monorail which is expected to take thousands of cars off the road, making it easier for tourists to travel around.
Silverbird director Paul Graham said that once more people become aware of the monorail, Bangkok’s popularity as a stopover will rise rapidly.
“Already the traffic in the city is not nearly as bad as it was a few years ago because there are many new flyovers,”said Graham.
“A few years ago, it used to take a couple of hours to get from the airport to the city centre, but now it only takes 20-30 minutes.”