Where to stay in Bangkok

The Grand Palace and Wat Pho are on foot, and Wat Arun, across the river, is a short ferry hop. Khao San Road, to the north, is the backpacker street, and its bars play loud late into the night.

To sleep, pick the Banglamphu streets slightly off it, such as Phra Athit by the river or Soi Rambuttri. To cross town, take the river boat rather than a taxi stuck in traffic.

Where the Skytrain meets the MRT Blue Line, Asok is the best-connected spot in Bangkok. There is almost nothing to see, but everything for eating, shopping and going out, from the Terminal 21 mall to the rooftop bars.

Avoid rooms facing Soi Cowboy or Nana, two streets of hostess bars that stay loud until morning.

Between the Siam Paragon, Siam Center and MBK malls, you stay here for the location: Sukhumvit, Silom and the Airport Rail Link station at Phaya Thai are a few stops away.

Jim Thompson's House, the teak home of an American silk merchant, is ten minutes' walk away.

The business district, between Lumphini Park and the river. On weekdays the pavements fill with lunch stalls; in the evening, the Patpong night market takes over.

Lumphini Park is best early in the morning, before the heat, among the joggers and the monitor lizards that live around the lakes. Expect around €35 a night mid-range.

Along the Chao Phraya, on both banks, Bangkok's grand hotels follow one another, each with its own pier and shuttle boat. The orange-flag express boat runs up to the Grand Palace without a single traffic jam.

Mid-range options are rare: you come here for a room with a river view, at around €107 a night at the top end.

Yaowarat Road lights up at nightfall: Chinese signs, stalls of noodles, seafood and desserts until midnight. By day, the Sampeng lanes sell everything wholesale, and Wat Traimit houses a solid gold Buddha weighing over five tonnes.

Since the metro reached Wat Mangkon, the district is no longer cut off.

Sukhumvit's Sois 55 and 63, Thong Lo and Ekkamai, are the streets of speciality coffee, cocktail bars and Japanese restaurants, frequented by well-off locals and expats. There is nothing to see: people live here.

The Eastern Bus Terminal at Ekkamai serves Pattaya and the eastern islands, which makes it a good stop before heading to the sea.

North of the centre, around Ari station, a residential district of trees, independent cafés and street canteens where staff from the nearby government offices eat lunch.

The Chatuchak weekend market is two stops north. Hotels are scarce, and flats go quickly.