Bangkok Stopover: Baiyoke Sky and the Udon Thani Shortcut
My third time in Bangkok, if not the fourth — and 7.5 years after the first one. This time the city was a base, not the destination: two short stays around a one-night detour to Laos in the middle of our 4-week trip across Asia. In between, I found the Grand Palace closed and went up a tower whose roof slowly spins about 300 meters above the streets.
Thailand hardly needs an introduction (I've also written about two weeks in Phuket), so just two numbers. Bangkok has about 9 million people on 1,569 km², while Kyiv has about 3 million on 839 km². Fun fact: Bangkok's full ceremonial name is 168 letters long, and Guinness lists it as the longest place name in the world. Thais just say Krung Thep.
The Grand Palace after closing time
We landed from Da Nang at 12:25 on August 6. In the evening we went to the old town: the Grand Palace, Wat Pho next to it, and the river. The palace was already closed — it stops selling tickets at 15:30 — so we walked along its walls, explored the neighborhood and ended up by the water.
Behind those walls sits the Emerald Buddha, Thailand's most sacred statue — which, as I learned the next day, has a Laos story of its own.
Buying an Apple Watch in Bangkok
I'd already replaced my drowned phone in Da Nang a few days earlier, and in Bangkok I picked up an Apple Watch as well. Thailand refunds VAT to tourists who spend enough at one shop in a single day, so I asked for the refund form right there and kept it sealed until departure. At the airport I filled it in and collected the refund before the flight out — untaxed, the watch came out a little below the US price.
Bangkok to Vientiane via Udon Thani
Why not just fly to Vientiane? Price. A round trip from Bangkok to Udon Thani plus the overland part came out about $150 per person cheaper than flying into Laos. Udon Thani is roughly an hour's drive from the Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge, and Vientiane is right behind it.
So on August 7 we took an 8:30 Thai Vietjet flight from Suvarnabhumi and landed in Udon Thani at 9:45. The taxi, the e-visa, the border and the bus back are all in my Udon Thani to Vientiane post.
The Baiyoke Sky rotating deck
We flew back on the evening of August 8, and this half of the stopover was about people. Two friends happened to be around: one was traveling through Thailand at the same time, and the other has lived here for quite a while. Together we went up Baiyoke Tower II — my second time up this tower.
The building is 309 m tall with 88 floors, and it was the tallest in Thailand from 1997 until King Power MahaNakhon took the title in 2016. There's an observatory on the 77th floor, a bar on the 83rd (hence "floor 83" in my Instagram post), and on the 84th an open-air deck that slowly rotates 360°. You stand still, and Bangkok moves around you.
The ticket up was about 400–500 baht and included one drink, with nothing to eat at the top. On my first visit years ago there was no official ticket at all — you just had to buy a drink.
The friend who lives here summed up Thailand quickly: services are good, cheap and work 24/7, and delivery just works. The downside is traffic in parts of downtown. We didn't need convincing; we'd already sat in it.
Bangkok, 7 years later
Bangkok feels more developed than it did in 2019. On Instagram I called it a city 4× the size of Kyiv, with streets clean overall but messy wiring, chaotic parking and traffic jams from 7 am till late night.
The "4×" is a feeling, not math. By population within city limits it's closer to 3× — but the Bangkok Metropolitan Region adds roughly another 8 million people, so I'll keep my number :)
I'm not sure how much of that change is Bangkok and how much is me. In 2019 I had far fewer countries behind me; by 2026 I had seen a lot more of Asia to compare it with.
On August 9 at 7:25 we left from Don Mueang, Bangkok's second airport, on an AirAsia flight to Taipei.
Practical Notes
- Bangkok has two international airports, Suvarnabhumi (BKK) and Don Mueang (DMK). We arrived at BKK and left for Taipei from DMK — check your ticket twice.
- Fill in the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card within 72 hours before arrival — by air or by land, including the bus back from Laos.
- Ukrainian passport: in August 2026 we entered visa-free under the 60-day exemption that applied then. On September 15, 2026, Thailand switched to a 30-day exemption for 60 countries. We had no visa trouble at either entry, by air in August and by land from Laos, but check the official list before you go. Under the new rules, visa-free entry by land is generally limited to twice per calendar year — relevant if you plan several Laos loops.
- The Grand Palace is open 8:30–16:30, but tickets (500 baht) are sold only until 15:30. Show up in the evening like we did, and you only get the outside.
- Baiyoke Sky: observatory on floor 77, bar on 83, rotating deck on 84; the ticket up runs about 400–500 baht and includes one drink.
- Traffic runs from 7 am until late at night. Leave for the airport earlier than your map app suggests.
- Tourist VAT refund: spend enough at one shop in one day, ask for the refund form there, keep it sealed, and claim it at the airport on departure.
Next time I'll try to reach the palace before 15:30 :)