Thanks to several new smartphone apps, traveling and travel planning in Bangkok can be accomplished with your finger tips. Let us introduce you to the most efficient apps for dining, getting around, language translation, and finding local friends in Bangkok. With these apps, you’ll find self-guided adventures in the city much more fun. They’ll give you insights into the city and might even help you avoid troubles. (like missing a flight).
Before you read on, check out these blogs about places to dine and go out in Bangkok
Best Restaurants in Bangkok’s Sukhumvit Area
7 Alternative Rooftop Bars to Meet Cool Bangkokians
1. Grab
FREE
Supported systems for this app for traveling in Bangkok: IOS, Android
Grab is the Uber of Southeast Asia including Thailand. This is the best app to get private transportation within Thai cities. When you flag taxis or motorbike taxis in Bangkok, they may refuse to take you (due to heavy traffic), or overcharge you. With Grab, there is no hassle. As you’re informed of the fare before taking the ride, you know how much you’re expected to pay. There is no surprise at the end of the ride. Using Grab is sometimes cheaper than taking a metered taxi. There’re always deals and promotions that significantly reduce the fares.
Once you enter the Pick up location and the Destination, you choose which mode of transportation you want. You can choose JustGrab (taxi or car), GrabCar (car), GrabTaxi (taxi), or GrabBike (Win) a motorbike taxi that will weave you through Bangkok’s legendary traffic. You can schedule a ride if you choose GrabCar Plus or anything under the Advance Booking category. You may phone your driver and he can phone you if you have a local SIM card. Otherwise, use Chat on the app to communicate with your driver.
2. Google Translate
FREE
Supported systems for this app for traveling in Bangkok: IOS, Android
Google Translate app is surprisingly smart. It gives pretty decent Thai to English and English to Thai translation results. If the words, phrases, or sentences get complicated, you may have to use your judgement, but the translation is not going to be far from your guess.
The Camera button allows you to take photos of signs to be translated. But this only works with very simple-looking fonts. Fancy fonts and heavy graphic sends the robot to total confusions. Handwriting allows you to write what you want to translate on your phone screen. Hit the Voice button to translate your speeches. You can download languages to your phone before the trip so you can use the app without internet connections. So, install the app before leaving home!
3. Couchsurfing
FREE
Supported systems for this app for traveling in Bangkok: IOS, Android
Couchsurfing (CS) connects members to a global community of travelers. Once you become a Couchsurfer (CSer), you can request to stay with a local member in cities you’re traveling to, hang out with them, or meet up with travelers visiting the same destinations. And you yourself can host travelers and show them your hometown. Hospitality on Couchsurfing is free. A host doesn’t ask a guest to pay for their lodging, and a guest should not offer.
The CS community in Bangkok is big and is very active. CS Bangkok weekly hang out happens every Wednesday evening at Co-co Walk, a dining area at Ratchathewi BTS Skytrain station. Here, you’ll meet Thai, expat, and traveler CSers. Check What’s Happening Nearby? to see events and activities organized by local CSers, free of charge or with cheap costs.
4. Maps.me
FREE
Supported systems for this app for traveling in Bangkok: IOS, Android
Maps.me is an amazing app for offline maps to navigate cities and places. It uses GPS so internet connection is not required. All you have to do is to download the maps of the places you’re planning to go, region or country maps. You can look up routes and travel distances like you go on Google Maps. You can search names of places and businesses, and browse a business in the Categories.
Maps.me use OpenStreetMap. It’s like Wikipedia for maps. Users can edit the maps or add new towns/roads/business, etc themselves. That means you may run into inaccurate information. Like the business you’re looking for is long gone but its location is still on the map.
5. Wongnai
FREE
Supported systems for this app for traveling in Bangkok: IOS, Android
Wongnai is basically Thailand’s Yelp with an emphasis on food and restaurants. There are sections for beauty, spa, hotels, and attractions venues as well. You can set Wongnai’s interface to English, but most of information like names of the restaurants, user reviews, and addresses are in Thai.
Wongnai is the best app to look for local restaurants. You can find restaurants by browsing types of dishes and locations. On each restaurant’s page there are photos, ranks, reviews, and recommended dishes by users. Addresses are in Thai. The on-app maps can be off exact locations by a few meters. So it’s better to find an English spelling of the restaurant name and look it up on Google Maps, or put your English-speaking hotel concierge to use.
6. Eatigo
FREE
Supported systems for this app for traveling in Bangkok: IOS, Android
This excellent restaurant app offers restaurant discounts of up to 50% off during specific, non-peak hours once you reserve your table via the app. Participating bars, restaurants, and eateries are diverse, ranging from neighborhoods, to cuisines, to styles. If you tap ‘here & now,’ you’ll see the discounts offered at that hour by restaurants close to where you are.
