- Accommodation
- Transport
- Nutrition
- sights
- Purchases
The well-deserved reputation of the most fashionable Asian tourist destination attracts everyone to Thailand - from lovers of pristine beaches on the islands to fans of snorkeling, from young people seeking discos in Pattaya to connoisseurs of Thai cuisine.
So, the country has already been selected, tickets have been bought and the hotel has been booked. The stage of preparation for the vacation comes when the question arises, how much cash to take with you to Thailand? And in what currency.
The national currency of Thailand, the baht, is issued in paper notes and metal coins depicting the reigning monarch. It is better to take dollars with you, the rate is 1 dollar: 30 baht. You can change dollars at the airport, hotel, private offices and even on the beach. Favorable exchange rates - at banks and special exchange offices. In principle, dollars can be calculated everywhere, they are in use, even the prices of goods are indicated in baht and dollars. Perhaps not immediately, but sooner or later, you will notice that prices in dollars are always rounded up. And in some places the course turns out to be simply extortionate. Better to change them to local currency right away.
You can pay with bank cards for purchases in supermarkets, shopping centers and large restaurants. It is better to use a dollar card so as not to lose money on double conversion.
Accommodation
The rental market in Thailand is huge, from cheap guesthouses and hostels to hotels of any level. If you are traveling on your own and are not limited in time, the best option is to rent an apartment. For a couple of weeks a hotel is preferable.
Factors affecting the rental price: season, distance from the beach or center, length of stay, and, first of all, the resort itself - renting a house in Pattaya is cheaper than on the islands or in Bangkok. During the season, you can focus on the following prices:
- For a hostel, one tourist will have to pay from 1500 to 2000 baht for ten days. Moreover, the price will be the same in Pattaya and Phuket, and in the capital.
- Renting an apartment for the same period will cost 4 thousand in Pattaya, and from 5 to 6 thousand on the islands or in Bangkok.
- A double room in a 2 * hotel will cost from 5 thousand in Pattaya to 6 thousand baht in Phuket. And in Bangkok it will be cheaper by a thousand and a half.
- A double room in the "three" in Phuket will already cost 6-7 thousand baht.
- In a four-star hotel for a double room in the capital or in Pattaya, you will have to pay 8, 5 - 9 thousand, and already in Phuket its price starts from 9, 5 thousand.
- In a five-star hotel for a ten-day stay in a similar room in Bangkok, you will need to pay at least 22 thousand baht, in Pattaya the price starts from 30 thousand, and on the islands - from 40 thousand baht.
Renting a standard studio apartment with a kitchen and everything you need in a condominium near the beach in Phuket will cost about 24 thousand baht for ten days. Plus payment for water, electricity (by the meter) and wi-fi.
In Pattaya, renting an apartment with a kitchen and a washing machine, in a condominium near the coastline, with a gym, will cost about 12 thousand. In Bangkok - at the same level.
Transport
It is convenient to use the metro in Bangkok. The Moscow metro is divided into three types: a line to the airport, an underground metro and a monorail. Tickets are sold in special terminals, prices depend on the distance of travel. The cost is the same in the underground and overground metro: the minimum is 15, the maximum is 42 baht.
Buses are the most convenient and affordable transport. The price of a ticket in a city bus is from 3, 5 to 20 baht, depending on the distance of travel and the comfort of the bus. The same applies to intercity buses. Both modern air-conditioned buses and old ones, in a very miserable condition, run on local routes. For the price, it will be immediately clear what awaits you on the way: air conditioning and dry closet or stuffiness and stops on demand at every step.
Approximate prices for good buses:
- On the Bangkok - Pattaya route, a ticket will cost from 100 baht.
- You can get from Pattaya to Phuket by bus for 780-800 baht.
- From Phuket to Bangkok, the ticket price will be 570-600 baht.
Taxis are primarily used for airport transfers. You can get from there to any hotel in Bangkok for 900 - 1200 baht. And to Pattaya, the transfer will already cost 1400 baht. Phuket also has an international airport, the price of a transfer to Karon Beach starts from 900 baht.
City taxi prices are set in two ways: by the meter or fixed (as agreed). If it seems to you that the counter will be cheaper, do not flatter yourself. Taxi drivers all over the world increase the price, taking advantage of the ignorance of tourists and choosing the longest routes. So, according to the counter, the cost is as follows: from 100 baht per landing and 10 baht per kilometer.
The most popular type of taxi on the coast is considered to be tuk-tuk or songteo - small pickup vans with a hinged roof and two benches for passengers. The trip is very budgetary: from 20 to 50 baht in Phuket and from 10 to 35 baht in Pattaya. Pay about the same amount for a trip in a so-called moto-taxi or moto-sai. The big disadvantage of these open vehicles is the air pollution on the roads. Advice: try to pay the driver without change, you just won't wait for it.
Rent, with insurance, of a good air-conditioned car, in the low season starts from 500 baht, in the high season - from a thousand per day. For a period of more than five days, a discount is made. The main thing is that the car is insured. It is not worth saving on this, because road accidents are frequent in the country, in the absence of insurance you will have to pay out of your pocket.
It is easier to rent a bike (scooter), it is cheaper and more mobile in movement. Rent per day costs about 200 baht. Plus insurance. It is compulsory even when renting a bike. In Thailand, fraud with any rented vehicle is on stream.
Nutrition
Everyone's favorite Thai cuisine is represented by a great variety of cafes and restaurants. The products are always fresh, prepared in the presence of the client. Seafood set with crab, squid, shrimp and mussels (serving for two) costs 750 baht. A plate of shrimp with herbs and sauce - 250 baht. On average, a check for one person in a restaurant starts from 500 baht without alcohol. Breakfasts in a cafe or restaurant - from 100 baht. Of course, you can dine in a popular restaurant with alcohol and desserts, but all this will cost no more than 2,000 baht for two.
The unpresentable appearance of Thai makashnits does not affect the quality of the food prepared in them. The service, of course, is not a restaurant service, but you can eat without the risk of poisoning. Thai street cafe price set:
- Grilled fish in salt - from 100 baht.
- Chicken in broth with rice - from 40 baht.
- Shrimp with fried noodles - around 55-60 baht.
- A portion of shrimp without garnish - from 100 baht.
- Fried minced meat with rice and basil - from 45 baht.
- Chicken with rice and scrambled eggs - 45 baht.
- Soup seasoned with soy noodle balls - from 40 baht.
- Small shish kebabs from offal or chicken - from 20 baht.
- A portion of clean water costs 10 baht.
For those who are going to cook their own food, the prices are quite reasonable:
- A kilogram of minced chicken costs 70 baht.
- A kilo of chicken breast - 75 baht.
- Pork tenderloin is sold from 130 baht per kilogram.
- Cheese - from 250 baht for the same weight.
- Packing of chicken eggs (30 pieces) - 80 baht.
- A liter of milk - 30 baht.
- Fish - from 50 baht per kilogram.
Fruit on the market sells from 100 baht for apples to 200 baht per kilo of the most exotic local fruits, bargaining is appropriate.
Vegetables, in particular tomatoes, cost 25 baht per kilogram.
sights
There are no uninteresting places in Thailand. Vivid nature, an abundance of exotic attractions make visiting the country an eternal holiday. The guides offer a variety of active activities, from a trip to a tiger farm to a visit to James Bond Island. And everyone wants to choose the very thing. At the same time, do not go beyond the planned budget. To navigate the sea of tempting offers, you should get acquainted with the main excursions.
A trip to the country's largest zoo Khao Kheow near Pattaya is interesting not only for children. Thousands of representatives of the fauna, including unusual and rare ones, live freely on the territory of the park. You can stroke them, feed them, you can take pictures with them. A Russian-speaking guide will tell funny stories about them. Half a day in this place fly by unnoticed, the cost is about 500 baht.
The spice garden near Pattaya is worth visiting not only for botanists. After the beds with medicinal and spicy plants, tourists will see a real show of cooking a delicious Thai lunch. After eating this lunch and tasting the tea, shopping begins. In the store you can buy not only medicinal herbs, spices, honey and its products, but also natural cosmetics, aromatherapy oils, etc. All this pleasure costs from 600 baht.
A visit to an ethnic village, a monastery with a ritual of cleansing karma, a Chinese palace, tasting kebabs on a crocodile lake - all this is included in a rich introductory tour of Pattaya and the surrounding area, its cost is more than a thousand baht.
Khao Lak National Park is known for being a UNESCO World Reserve. The journey includes rafting on the river on bamboo rafts, a visit to a turtle farm, pineapple and rubber plantations, a visit to the monkey cave, elephant trekking and photo sessions with a waterfall in the background. The price is over 1,700 baht.
Getting to know three fabulously beautiful islands near Phuket will cost about 1300 baht. For this amount, clear water with a minimum current, snorkeling, photos of magnificent views, swimming and lunch awaits you.
And, of course, the famous Thai massage cannot be ignored. Desirable by the course. It will not work out as a course, you should at least try it. Thai massage costs 200 baht on average, if with oil - 300 baht per hour. A foot massage can be found for 150 baht per hour. Tip: During the massage, do not let your feet walk on your back. Taking into account the sedentary work of most tourists, such a load can result in injury.
Purchases
Shopping rules are the same as in other Asian countries. In large shopping centers, the goods are of higher quality, but also more expensive. In small shops and in the market everything is lower - both the price and the quality. It is customary to bargain in the markets.
What to look for:
- The largest brands of microelectronics are located in Thailand. Electronic products, the same smartphones from Apple, cost 10-15 percent less than in Russia. It is better to buy them in company stores: they give a guarantee and make a VAT refund (you can get it upon departure).
- The local silk is very famous and the prices are affordable. The main thing is to be able to distinguish natural silk from a fake. Shawls cost from 200 baht, shirts from 12 thousand baht. Clothes can be ordered from numerous local ateliers.
- No less popular are products made of genuine crocodile, snake and even stingray leather. You should also beware of fakes. A cobra leather bag will cost from 7,000 baht, and a python jacket will cost from 52,000 baht. Belts sell from a thousand baht, wallets and purses from 800 to 1500 baht.
- Denim clothing is sold everywhere, prices start from 350 baht. For women's blouses and men's shirts, they ask from 90 to 200 baht. Very good quality children's textiles cost from 50 baht for T-shirts and shorts to 250 for dresses and jeans.
Let's try to deduce the average amount for two, based on the following parameters: renting a standard double room, three visits to a cafe per day, two trips around the city by taxi or songteo per day, three excursions per week, as well as overhead and unforeseen expenses. It turns out to be about $ 1,200 or 36,000 baht. Shopping costs are as individual as alcohol costs.
