A holiday in Bangkok is a holiday in one of Asia’s most vibrant cities. A perennial favourite with Aussie travellers to South East Asia, Bangkok is a must-visit to mix retail therapy with history and culture. In true east-meets-west style, Bangkok is a vibrant city where gleaming skyscrapers and massive malls rub car parks with ancient temples and palaces.

The sprawling city has grown an unenviable reputation for its traffic jams; so in the past few years there’s been an effort to introduce quick and cheap public transport. Buses are cheap, but the best value lies in the innovative Skytrain and subway system whisking passengers around at lightning speed compared to the clogged roads. A ferry and taxi system plying the congested Chao Phraya River, literally cutting Bangkok in two, is another great way to get around, as are the ever-present tuk-tuks.

The Phra Nakhon district is home to Bangkok’s most famous tourist attractions likethe Grand Palace where every stupa is decorated with porcelain and mythological figures and, apart from its golden architecture, it houses Thailand’s most revered Buddhist icon, the Emerald Buddha. Within walking distance is Wat pho, housing a gold-leaf reclining Buddha whose feet are inlaid with mother of pearl. The National Museum is a superb introduction to Thai culture and history, with thousands of exhibits ranging from Neolithic times to the present, ranks as one of the most comprehensive museums in Southeast Asia.

Bangkok is one of the best places in the world to eat out and its restaurants are renowned for variety and value. Thai cuisine is famous for its freshness and blending of exotic herbs and spices and by Aussie standards dining-out is a bargain. For a cooling drink, the range of bars, pubs and outdoor beer gardens around most tourist-oriented areas is legendary.

Bangkok also has a reputation as a bargain shoppers’ paradise. Local bargains include gemstones, silk, clothing, antiques and handicrafts, but another local speciality is counterfeit luxury items though there’s a growing trend towards cool home-grown fashion rather than the label knockoffs.

The Thais use fish sauce instead of salt.

If you don't want your food too hot, tell the waiter you want it "Mai Pet"

Until the early 20th century Bangkok was made up of many canals, earning itself the name the ‘Venice of the East’.