Thailand's currency is the baht. There are 100 satang to one baht. Coins are used in denominations of 25 satang, 50 satang, 1 baht, 2 baht, 5 baht and 10 baht. Bank note denominations comprise 20 baht, 50 baht, 100 baht, 500 baht and 1,000 baht. Banks and currency-exchange booths can be found in all major tourist areas. Both will issue cash advances on your Visa or MasterCard. (Be sure to take the carbon paper if any is used for the transaction.) ATMs are located outside convenience stores, banks and shopping areas. Most ATMs are connected to international banking systems. ATMs at some of the major banks have 24-hour service. Hotels will change money around the clock, but the rates won't be as good.

Taxi drivers and street vendors rarely have change for 500 baht or 1,000 baht notes, so it's advisable to have a good supply of change. Major credit cards can be used in most shops and high-quality restaurants, but many smaller businesses will insist on cash payments.

Visitors to Thailand can claim VAT (value-added tax) refunds at Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai and Phuket international airports. The conditions stipulate that the purchase must be for a minimum of 5,000 baht with no less than 2,000 baht per receipt per day. Tourists should show their passport at the point of purchase and ask for a VAT refund form (Por Por 10). When leaving the country and passing through passport control, visitors will have the form processed by Revenue Department officials and receive a VAT refund. Be sure to allow extra time to your check-in schedule for the process.

There is no tax on hotel accommodations, but a 10% service charge is generally added to the bill.

All major hotels and restaurants exact a service charge that is almost always included in the bill. In a restaurant, a tip of 30 baht is adequate for a meal of around 500 baht. You are not expected to tip in cheap restaurants, cafes or noodle shops. Taxi drivers don't expect tips, but passengers often round up the metered fare to the next 5 or 10 baht. And as anyone who has ever driven in Bangkok's hideous traffic will agree, it's hard to begrudge the drivers a few extra baht.

The climate is tropical and humid for the majority of the year. The best time to visit Bangkok is November-February, when the northeast monsoon is blowing cool, dry air that serves as a respite from the heat. Temperatures at that time of year range 65-90 F/18-32 C. Nights in December can be particularly cool.

The worst time to visit is April/May, when the heat has even the Thais complaining. (Air pollution is also at its worst then.) In the hot season, temperatures average about 92 F/34 C, although it's not uncommon to exceed 100 F/37 C. The wet season (late May-October) is characterized by heavy rain daily, often accompanied by moderate flooding.

Travelers should keep in mind that Thais often judge a person's social standing by his or her clothing and overall appearance. But the real determining factor on what to wear for most people visiting Bangkok is the heat. We recommend taking clothes made from lightweight natural fibers. Very few restaurants require a jacket or tie. When visiting a temple, dress in a respectful and culturally sensitive manner—no shorts or sleeveless tops. If you are in Bangkok for business, a jacket and tie are required.

It's hard to walk more than a couple of blocks in Bangkok without stumbling across an Internet cafe. Rates are pretty inexpensive, starting at about 1 baht per minute, although some hotels may charge more. For free Wi-Fi connection, check out the lobbies of more expensive hotels, as well as the Starbucks in Siam Discovery Centre and Gloria Jean in Siam Square.

All of Thailand's leading hotels offer fax and e-mail services. Numerous private businesses also offer such facilities, most in conjunction with translation services.

The Thai postal service is excellent. Packages can be mailed from all the big post offices around town, and the EMS and registered mail services are less expensive and just as reliable as an international courier service.

Bangkok has two English-language newspapers, The Bangkok Post and The Nation, which are both general-interest dailies. Many hotels and outlets provide the International Herald Tribune and the Asian Wall Street Journal. It's becoming easier to find English-language magazines.

The most useful and professional source of what's going on around the city is the monthly magazine Big Chilli and Bangkok 101, and the weekly free publications BK Magazine and Guru. The entertainment sections of The Bangkok Post and The Nation are also good sources.

All landline telephone numbers in Thailand are nine-digit numbers, and all Thai mobile phone numbers are 10 digits. All provinces have a dialing code. The code for Bangkok is 02.

International phone calls can be made quite easily from mid- to upper-level hotels or international call booths in tourist areas. Direct dialing is possible to more than 80 countries on five continents. When making international calls from Thailand, first dial 001 + country code + area code + telephone number. Two exceptions are Malaysia and Laos. Malaysia is reached by dialing 09 + and Laos is reached by dialing 009-856 +. These two numbers are charged at a semidomestic rate.

Coin and card telephone kiosks are available in the street and in public buildings but are poorly maintained, and finding one that works is a matter of luck.

Mobile phones are cheap in Thailand, but using them to call overseas can be expensive. There are several major companies including AIS, True and DTAC, each with its own mobile-phone network, but all systems are interconnected. Coverage in the towns is excellent, but in the mountains you will not get a signal. SIM cards can be bought from phone shops—you must present an ID such as a valid passport. Customers can select to pay by monthly payments or you can simply buy scratch cards with a dial-in code to top up credits. Cards range 50 baht-500 baht in value.

Major post office locations also have special booths for making overseas calls. For direct assistance, call 1133.

Bangkok's streets are among the busiest and most crowded in the world, notorious for traffic jams that could easily turn a short taxi ride into a two-hour headache. The Bangkok Transportation System (BTS) Skytrain and Mass Rapid Transit System (MRT) subway have made a huge difference in getting around the city. The service is fast and efficient. Fares start at 15 baht per trip, and day passes offering unlimited travel are available. An extension to the BTS Sukhumvit line and a direct link to the new Suvarnabhumi International Airport are currently under construction and due to open in late 2008. Two new underground routes have also been given the green light.

The current BTS and MRT service encompasses most of the major tourist areas. We like to mix and match modes of transportation, using Skytrains, subways, express boats and taxis. Walking (depending on your tolerance for heat, humidity and traffic congestion) is another good way of getting around—at least for a couple of hours each day.

Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) is the international airport southeast of Bangkok. The airport, also known as (New) International Bangkok Airport, is set to be Southeast Asia's busiest air hub with a capacity for 45 million passengers a year. Phone 02-723-0000.

Don Mueang International Airport (DMK) is 15 mi/24 km north of the city center. With the opening of Suvarnabhumi Airport, Don Mueang closed operations; however, problems at the new airport led to overcrowding, and the government reopened Don Mueang for domestic flights.

Connecting Transportation

Best way:

Most of the big hotels offer courtesy transportation to and from the airport. A representative should be holding a placard with your name (or your group's name) on it. The vehicles are located just outside baggage claim. If your hotel doesn't offer this service, we recommend that first-time visitors use the Airport Authority of Thailand Limousine Service. It has a desk in the arrivals hall, and the fare into the city will cost 1,300 baht for the maximum of three people. An air-conditioned van from the airport into town is 1,400 baht, maximum nine people. Single fare in a van is 1,100 baht.

Other options:

There's a taxi rank outside the arrivals hall. In addition to the metered fare and any expressway charges, there is an additional supplement of 50 baht for taking a taxi from the airport. The average fare into town is 250 baht-360 baht, depending upon final destination. There is no extra charge for luggage.

Another option that is popular with single travelers for being hassle-free and relatively inexpensive, the airport bus goes from Suvarnabhumi on four separate routes into the main tourist areas of central Bangkok. At 150 baht per person though, it's a better value than a taxi only if you're traveling alone. For a group of two or more, a taxi is quicker, more comfortable, more direct, and either cheaper or roughly equivalent in price. The airport buses run approximately 5 am-midnight. Phone 02-535-7841.

Bangkok has three major bus terminals: Mol Chit serves northern destinations. It's located north of Chatuchak Park off Phaholyothin Road. Sai Tai, which serves southern and western destinations, is off Phra Pinklao Road on the western side of the river. Ekamai, at the intersection of Sukhumvit Road and Sukhumvit Soi 63, serves eastern destinations.

Our strong recommendation: Leave the driving to someone else. Renting a car (or van) with a driver costs roughly 1,200 baht-1,500 baht per day and is a good idea if you plan on heading out of the city.

For information on public transportation, contact the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority at 02-246-0973. http://www.bmta.co.th.

Buses

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Air-conditioned city buses (white and blue) cost 8 baht-18 baht, depending on the distance. Microbuses charge a uniform fare of 20 baht, and the fares for Euro buses (orange) are 12 baht-20 baht. The fare of BMT ordinary city buses (red) is 8 baht for the whole distance. Buses run 5 am-11 pm.

Skytrain

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Anyone who has ever been stuck in a Bangkok traffic jam has to love the BTS Skytrain. Both locals and travelers use it regularly. The sleek, elevated train whisks you from one end of town to the other in 25 minutes. There are two lines, the blue and the green. Siam is the interchange station that links the two lines. Trains run every three minutes 6 am-midnight. Fares range 15 baht-40 baht, depending on the distance you travel. Tickets can be purchased on a trip-by-trip basis, but it's much easier to buy a stored-value ticket (minimum of 100 baht). A map of BTS routes, one-day passes and various other discount cards are available at the ticket offices at each station. About the only downside to the Skytrain is that although most of the stations have escalators to the platforms, not all of them have escalators from the street level. So it's not recommended for people who have trouble navigating stairs. Phone 02-617-7340 for the hotline.

Subway

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The route, known as the blue line, runs from Hua Lamphong to Bang Sue with 16 stations along the way. Trains leave the terminal every three to five minutes 6 am-midnight, and fares range 14 baht-34 baht. Phone 02-350-2000. http://www.bangkokmetro.co.th.

Taxis are readily available around the clock. Only use taxis that have a "Taxi-Meter" sign on the roof. As a general guideline, meters start at 35 baht (make sure it gets turned on), and few taxi rides within Bangkok will cost more than 150 baht (drivers don't expect a tip). Few drivers know much English, so it's a good idea to have the hotel write down your destination in both Thai and English. We've had success sticking with cabs that have radio-dispatch equipment. (These drivers can be called anywhere, so they are more likely to know their way around.) If the taxi has an "Intelligent Taxi" logo on the side, it is a radio-dispatch cab. To make sure, look for a tall antenna on the trunk. You can phone 1661 to order a cab. There is an extra pick-up charge of 20 baht added to the fair for using this service.

State Railway of Thailand

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The main terminal in Bangkok is Hua Lampong Station. The railway system runs express, fast and ordinary train service throughout the country at a reasonable fare. There is also an international express train that runs down the length of the Malay Peninsula from Bangkok to Singapore, a two-and-a-half-day journey. Rama IV Road (eastern edge of Chinatown), Bangkok. Phone 02-223-7010 or 02-220-4444 for information and booking (English spoken).

Motorcycle Taxis

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If you get stuck in a monstrous traffic jam, you might be tempted to consider a motorcycle taxi. However, drivers tend to defy both traffic laws and good sense. Make sure that the bike looks reasonably roadworthy (including rearview mirrors that actually face traffic, not each other) and that the driver gives you a helmet (it's required by law). Settle on a price beforehand and make sure the driver goes slowly.

Tuk-tuks

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These three-wheeled contraptions are half motorcycle and half golf cart. They offer exciting and unsafe-at-any-speed transportation. Many visitors consider them a real Bangkok experience. But in our opinion, a few minutes spent in the heat and pollution while inhaling the exhaust from thousands of vehicles just isn't worth it. They're as expensive as taxis unless you take a very short trip. If you must ride in one, be prepared to bargain hard on a price.

Water Taxis

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Express boats ply regular routes along the Chao Phraya River and the city's canals (klongs) 6 am-7 pm. They're inexpensive and relatively efficient because there's less congestion on the waterway. Fares start at 6 baht on the Chao Phraya Express River Taxi. Most piers (tha) have maps showing the stops. The boats typically have a red, white and blue Thai flag on their bow and stop at every pier. During rush hour, however, some of the faster boats sport different colored flags. The maps indicate which colors serve which pier.

Bangkok Metropolitan Tourist Bureau

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The bureau has plenty of brochures and a helpful staff. Daily 9 am-7 pm. 173 Dinso Road, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok. Phone 02-225-7612. http://www.bangkoktourist.com.

Tourism Authority of Thailand

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Often referred to by its initials, TAT is always a good starting point, whether your question deals with a festival date or a bus route. There are satellite locations, including the one at 4 Ratchadamnoen Nok, near the old boxing stadium (open Monday-Friday 8:30 am-4:30 pm). Daily 8 am-midnight. Head Office: 1600 New Phetchaburi Road, Ratchathewi, Bangkok. Phone 02-250-5500. http://www.tourismthailand.org.

Tourist Assistance Center

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Among other services, this special Tourism Authority of Thailand branch mediates conflicts between tourists and shopkeepers, scamming gem dealers and the like. Daily 8:30 am-4:30 pm. 4 Ratchadamnoen Nok, Bangkok. Phone 02-216-6659 or 02-219-4010, ext. 331.