Thailand : Safety by CityBangkok, with the official name Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, is the capital of Thailand and its largest city, too.
It is a city known for warm and welcoming people that are used to the heavy flows of tourists that come to this country in growing numbers every year.
And it’s no wonder they do.
Bangkok is probably the most touristy city in entire Thailand, and tourists line up to visit its incredible features and golden statues and temples.
Bangkok is also equipped with everything a tourist might need or want in a city, and there is something for everyone and every budget.
Some of the best luxury hotels and some of the best and cheapest backpacker-friendly hostels.
The most important thing about Bangkok is that it has resisted the heavy flows of tourists, and kept its innate identity characteristic only for Bangkok itself, keeping its rich culture, religions, and history safe.
Though it boasts jaw-dropping high-rise buildings, it also offers to its tourists some magnificent temples and palaces.
Warnings & Dangers in Bangkok
OVERALL RISK: MEDIUM
Generally speaking, Bangkok can be considered a safe city: some parts are very safe, while others are highly dangerous. You better apply all possible precautious measures, just in case you stumble upon the latter.
TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: HIGH
There is a great risk when it comes to transportation conditions in Bangkok. These are completely new traffic rules for tourists, that they are not used to, which makes it difficult to be a part of the transportation system. Avoid public transport too, as this is where the pickpockets operate.
PICKPOCKETS RISK: LOW
As Bangkok is a growingly popular tourist city, it's actually to be expected that pickpockets operate everywhere, usually in crowded places filled with foreigners. Excessive vigilance is highly recommended.
NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: MEDIUM
As for natural disasters, Bangkok is known for tsunamis, severe storms, and occasional earthquakes.
MUGGING RISK: LOW
Kidnappings are not that often, though they have happened, They're, however, possible, especially in the remote areas of the city, and in the outskirts of Bangkok.
TERRORISM RISK: MEDIUM
As for terrorism risks in Bangkok, it has been assessed as a medium-threat location for terrorist activity.
SCAMS RISK: HIGH
Be prepared that most people providing any type of service for tourists in Bangkok are probably going to try to scam you or rip you off. Tuk-tuk drivers, fake police officers, street vendors are all possible scammers. Keep in mind that ATMs are places where criminals try and steal pin codes. Also, avoid drinking in local clubs and bars. There have been many reports of tourists being drugged and then stolen from.
WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: MEDIUM
Even though Bangkok could generally be considered a safe country for women, they are still highly advised to follow the basic rules of precaution. Try avoiding dark alleys, walking alone along with dark, poorly lit or deserted areas, or finding yourself late at night in areas filled with bars or clubs as you might receive some unwanted attention. Apart from that, use your common sense and apply all basic precaution measures.
So... How Safe Is Bangkok Really?
Bangkok is somewhat safe to visit, though it does have its dangers.
Petty theft like pickpocketing or bag snatching is more than common and you should expect it at every step.
Violent crime has been on the rise during the past couple of years and muggings and robberies are not rare at all.
Avoid any confrontations at bars and clubs as you might get severely beaten up.
There have, of course, been reports of getting ridiculously overcharged by taxi drivers, street vendors, practically anyone providing any service, so do be careful about getting scammed.
Keep in mind that you should never, under any circumstances, say or mumble anything negative, or make jokes about the Thai royal family, as you might get attacked, and severely so.
There are strict Lese Majeste laws, and these laws extend to even the national currency bearing the picture of the king.
Many locals might try to physically assault upon hearing something bad about the Thai royal family, and at the very least you can expect getting verbally attacked.
How Does Bangkok Compare?
| City | Safety Index |
|---|---|
| Bangkok | 49 |
| Phuket | 45 |
| Pattaya | 42 |
| Chiang Mai | 73 |
| Krabi | 70 |
| Siem Reap (Cambodia) | 63 |
| Phnom Penh (Cambodia) | 61 |
| Niagara Falls (Canada) | 87 |
| Calgary (Canada) | 82 |
| Buenos Aires (Argentina) | 60 |
| Vancouver (Canada) | 82 |
Useful Information
Visas
US citizens planning on traveling to Bangkok for less than 30 days do not need a visa. Just make sure your passport is valid for at least 6 months past the date of arrival into this country. If you are not sure about your visa status, visit www.doyouneedvisa.com which will let you know whether or not you need a visa based on your nationality and the country you want to visit.
Currency
Thai BAHT is the official currency of Bangkok. Bear in mind that Kasikom Bank and Siam Commercial Bank have the best exchange rates and, as mentioned earlier, treat the money well: never step on a coin, or throw, tear or burn paper bills, because it shows disrespect to the royal family.
Weather
The climate in Bangkok is tropical, with mostly high temperatures and an abundance of humidity throughout the year. The best time to visit Thailand is between November and February.
Airports
Suvarnabhumi Airport, unofficially known as Bangkok Airport, is one of two international airports serving Bangkok the capital of Thailand. The other is Don Mueang International Airport.
Travel Insurance
Just like anywhere else, we recommend getting travel insurance when traveling to Bangkok, since it covers not only the costs of medical problems but also theft and loss of valuables.
Bangkok Weather Averages (Temperatures)
Average High/Low Temperature
| Temperature / Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °C | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 35 | 34 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 32 |
| Low °C | 22 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 |
| High °F | 90 | 91 | 93 | 95 | 95 | 93 | 91 | 91 | 91 | 91 | 90 | 90 |
| Low °F | 72 | 75 | 79 | 81 | 79 | 79 | 79 | 77 | 77 | 77 | 75 | 75 |
Thailand - Safety by City
| City | Safety Index |
|---|---|
| Bangkok | 49 |
| Chiang Mai | 73 |
| Krabi | 70 |
| Pattaya | 42 |
| Phuket | 45 |
Pickpocket Risk Adjustment
PICKPOCKETS RISK : LOW
As Bangkok is a growingly popular tourist city, it’s actually to be expected that pickpockets operate everywhere, usually in crowed places filled with foreigners. Excessive vigilance is highly recommended.
The description doesn’t seem to go with the Tag or is it just me?
I noticed that the risk is a lot lower now than it once was. Having gone several times to Bangkok over the years, I feel like they do a better job at monitoring and trying to prevent it. You will have issues with this everywhere though, in all cities around the world.
Generally safe, unless you are a douchebag
Bangkok is generally safe. Shopping and all sort of leisure activities are aplenty. We have Asian visitors from neighboring countries like Singapore and Malaysia who visit Bangkok multiple times in a year. The Thais are generally very nice and forgiving people. Rule of the thumb, don’t be a douchebag. They are never afraid of gringos. Mess with them and you may land yourself either in a Thai prison or hospital. For all the decent travelers out there, please hang your bag in facing the front in order to prevent snatch theft. You’d do just fine in Thailand, enjoy!
SUBJ1
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Extremely safe city
Now I realise this site is full of BS. They say that public transport is dangerous and to look out for pickpockets? Wow! The bts skytrain or the mrt underground is extremely efficient and safe. Also the public buses are safe so please stop with your BS! Another thing I find Bangkok extremely safe even late at night compared to living in Australia.
One of the safest cities on earth!
I agree, I’ve been employed by KLM (now AirFrance) for about 40 years now, have seen the world as a pilot and civilian. This site is really weird. I have no idea who maintains this, but it looks like it has some strange political motivation behind it. The US/UK are scared of Asia and Russia. But honestly, both these contents are the safest on earth to travel in and to. I’ve been staying in several Thai provinces over the years, often in National Parks houses too, and frankly, on a global scale, I’d say the safest *large cities* on earth are Singapore, Bangkok and Moscow. Police has proper operational management there, they can be reasoned with, they’re humane unlike in many other or most Western cities or countries. As soon as the US or UK has governmental influence in a city, you can expect corruption, theft and turmoil among the locals. This is luckily not the case still for Thailand’s cities. They are ruled by buddhist locals, and they will search for your wallet if you lost it, they come bring it to you with full content if they find it on the streets in BKK, they travel to your hotel just as a courtesy for handing it to you. I’ve experienced such things often times with stewardesses and other air personnel staying in hotels in Thailand. And like you say, the Skytrain and MRT are among the most reliable safest cleanest public transport systems on the planet. Just like the one in Singapore and Moscow, by the way. They are clean and properly functioning, well guarded, well surveilled. I have never seen a thug or drugged or homeless person on any of those trains. So yeah, this site’s advice, take it with a huge grain of sault!
I’ve lived in Bangkok for 2 years and never been pickpocketed.
Safe but mean people
My friend went to Bangkok a while ago and sadly died by falling off a mountain but then the people close to him took all his stuff his irish passport and everything
My favourite city in the world
So I’ve been to Thailand 3 times.
Bangkok is my favorite city so far. I’ve been to many big cities but no other place feels more like home than Bangkok. From the skyline to the temples to the Indra Market, everything here is awesome. My favorite bit has to be the food tho; Pad Thai is my probably favorite dish in the world. I stayed at the Baiyoke Sky Hotel on one of my trips which is the tallest hotel in Southeast Asia and it was awesome.
I stayed on the 77 floor (that’s the topmost floor with rooms) and the view of the skyline was amazing. Now I know this isn’t a hotel review but I’d recommend staying here. There’s a really nice metro station-cum-mall called Terminal 21 which is definitely worth checking out. That place is huge and each floor is designed to look like a separate country. Also, check out McDonald’s here, it has a lot of dishes that aren’t available in the States and each dish has a slightly different taste to it. In my opinion, the McDonald’s here is way better than the one back home. There are also a lot of pickup trucks that take you to places and they’re great.
Now that I’ve covered all the positives and my favorite things to do, here are some of the bad stuff about the country:
So a lot of the taxi and tuk-tuk drivers we met were huge jerks. We saw a taxi parked on the side of the road and asked the driver to drive us back to our hotel (we went outside for lunch). He tried scamming us by telling us a ridiculously high price before the ride had even begun.
His meter wasn’t even turned on so we asked him to do that and he started shouting and became really angry so we just booked an Uber. A similar thing happened with a tuk-tuk driver. We asked him to take us somewhere and in the middle of the ride, he started asking for a lot of money. We told him that there was no way we would pay him that and he started shouting at us and kicked us off the tuk-tuk in the middle of the street. Luckily, a really nice tuk-tuk driver saw us and gave us a ride. These are just 2 out of a lot of incidents I’ve faced.
TL;DR: Bangkok’s awesome, you should totally visit it and there’s a lot of fun stuff to do. Just don’t rely on public transportation too much. Instead, use Ubers. Always use common sense and beware of your surroundings and you’re in for a really nice treat. No matter what, Bangkok will always be my favorite city in the world.
Fake smiles but real greed. Disgusting and mean people. Thailand sucks ….