Practical Information for visiting Central Thailand

Coverage for mobile networks is excellent throughout the region from AIS, TrueMove and dtac, with 5G across Bangkok and 4G everywhere else including the rural plain.

Tourist SIMs are cheap and sold at the airports and every 7-Eleven; a passport is needed to register, and data allowances are generous.

Wi-Fi is free and fast in hotels, cafes, malls and on much of the transport network. Bangkok is one of the better-connected cities in Asia and has a large remote-working population.

Power is reliable. The one practical note is heat: phones overheat and drain quickly in the hot season, so carry a power bank and keep the device out of direct sun.

The region is safe and violent crime against visitors is rare. The problems are traffic, scams and heat.

• Road traffic is the leading danger. Thailand has one of the world’s highest road death rates, motorcycles weave constantly, and pedestrian crossings confer no real protection — look both ways and keep looking.
• The Grand Palace scam is the classic: a well-dressed stranger says the palace is closed for a ceremony and offers a tuk-tuk tour, which ends at a gem or tailor shop. The palace is never closed. Walk away.
• Jet-ski and motorbike rental damage claims, and unmetered taxis.
• Heat exhaustion in March to May is a genuine risk, especially walking between temples at midday.
• Drink spiking in nightlife districts, and scams involving card games or invitations.
• Drugs carry very severe penalties despite relaxed cannabis rules, which do not extend to other substances.

Bangkok has some of the best hospitals in Asia — Bumrungrad, Samitivej and Bangkok Hospital among them — with international departments, English-speaking staff and costs far below western equivalents. This is a major medical tourism destination. Insurance is still important for anything serious.

Vaccinations: routine cover plus hepatitis A and typhoid; Japanese encephalitis and rabies for longer or rural stays. Rabies is present in street dogs and in the macaques at Lopburi, which bite — treat any bite or scratch as urgent.

Dengue is common, with the mosquito biting by day; use repellent. There is essentially no malaria in the central plain.

Heat and dehydration are the most likely problems from March to May.

Air pollution in the cool season affects asthma; check the index.

Water: drink bottled or filtered. Ice in restaurants and from stalls is commercially produced and generally safe.

The monarchy. Thailand’s lese-majeste law is among the world’s strictest, carries long prison terms, applies to foreigners and to online posts, and is enforced. Do not discuss or joke about the royal family. Stand when the royal anthem plays in cinemas.

Temples and the Grand Palace: shoulders and knees covered for everyone, shoes off, no pointing your feet at Buddha images, and no photographs inside Wat Phra Kaew’s chapel. Sarongs are lent at the gate.

Head and feet: never touch someone’s head; never point with your feet or step over people, food or money.

The wai is returned, not initiated with staff or children.

Keep calm. Raising your voice loses you the argument and the respect of everyone watching.

Alcohol sales are restricted to set hours and banned on Buddhist holidays.

Vaping is illegal in Thailand, including possession, with confiscation and fines.

Emergency numbers: 191 for police, 1669 for ambulance and medical, 199 for fire. The Tourist Police on 1155 is the number to use — English-speaking, and the right first call for theft, scams, disputes or anything needing a report for insurance.

Medical. Bangkok’s private hospitals will see you quickly, speak English and bill against a card or insurance. For anything serious you are in one of the better places in Asia to be ill.

Road accidents are the most common serious incident, especially involving rented motorbikes; confirm your insurance covers you, which normally requires a licence valid for the machine.

Flooding during the wet season can close roads and disrupt transport for days; follow local advice rather than wading through water, which carries both traffic and leptospirosis risk.

Almost every country maintains an embassy in Bangkok, which makes replacing documents comparatively straightforward.