Bangkok Checklist

✈️ Before you land

• Book 10 to 14 nights onlyDo not commit to a neighbourhood you have not walked
• Book the first stay in Ekkamai or AriBoth are walkable and near BTS
• Have deposit money liquidLandlords want 2 months deposit + 1 month upfront
• Download GrabBTS and MRT stop around midnight
• Check rainy seasonJune to October. One hard hour a day, usually late afternoon

☕ Coffee

• NANA Coffee Roasters, AriGreenhouse space with a slow bar. Build a morning around it
• Coffee No. 9, AriSmall and takeaway-focused. Get the nitro cold brew
• Roots, at The Commons, ThonglorThe best-known roaster in the city
• Kaizen Coffee, EkkamaiThe reliable one. Good for working
• OTTO, ThonglorSmall and precise. About the cup, not the room
• CHATA Specialty Coffee, ChinatownPair it with an afternoon on Yaowarat
• Do one full Ari coffee crawl on footMost walkable coffee neighbourhood in Bangkok

🍜 Food

• Nai Mong Hoi Tod, ChinatownHoy tod. Order it krob, extra crispy. Best single first move
• Nai Ek Roll Noodle, YaowaratPeppery roll noodle soup. Shophouse since 1989
• Guay Jub Ouan Pochana, YaowaratRolled rice noodle soup, late hours
• Jay Fai, 327 Mahachai RoadCrab omelette. 13:00 to 21:00, closed Sun and Mon. Go on a weekday, expect a queue
• Charoen SaengKhao kha moo, braised pork knuckle over rice. Sixty years of one dish
• Polo Fried ChickenFried chicken under a pile of crisp fried garlic
• Jeh O ChulaTom yum mama noodles. Go late
• Walk Yaowarat from 17:00 with no planThe single best food evening in the city

🍸 Nightlife

• Rabbit Hole, ThonglorThe reference point for the speakeasy scene
• Find the Locker Room, ThonglorHidden entrance, exactly as advertised
• Liberation, inside Pieman 49Tucked away, proper bar programme
• One neighbourhood night marketCheaper and often better than the bars
• One riverside eveningWhere locals go instead of the tourist strips
• Arrive at bars around 21:00, clubs after midnightPeak is 01:00 to 02:00. Earlier means an empty room

🔑 Finding a place

• View at least 3 apartments before signingDo not sign on day one
• Compare On Nut against ThonglorRoughly 10,000 baht a month for about 15 minutes of BTS
• Confirm what is excludedElectricity, water and internet usually are. Add 2,000 to 4,000 baht
• Ask for a 12-month rateMonthly rates are much worse
• Check the walk to BTS in daylight AND at night

🗓️ First week, in order

• Day 1 — Walk your neighbourhood. Get a SIM. Nothing else
• Day 2 — Ari coffee crawl. Work an afternoon from a cafe
• Day 3 — Chinatown from 17:00
• Day 4 — Thonglor. The Commons, then a bar at 21:00
• Day 5 — View three apartments
• Day 6 — Jay Fai, weekday, early afternoon
• Day 7 — Pick the neighbourhood. Sign the lease

💸 Rent, baht per month

One-bed unless stated. Utilities usually excluded, add ฿2,000 to ฿4,000. Expect two months deposit plus one month upfront.