How to Dress in Bangkok as a Tourist – Suitable Attire for the City’s Attractions
The bustling city of Bangkok will undoubtedly offer many novel and engrossing experiences for foreign visitors. However, to make the most of your trip to the Thai capital, you must attire yourself in a manner that would suit the local climate and social norms. In this way, you could stay comfortable whilst also respecting the local culture and etiquette. Provided below are some useful suggestions for dressing appropriately as a tourist in Bangkok.
Image via Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel
Understand the best fabrics
As the temperatures can get rather high in Bangkok, you should choose clothes made of suitable fabrics for your trip to the Thai capital. A great choice would be linen clothes, as there could hardly be a more comfortable kind of fabric. Other good choices would be light cotton and rayon clothes; although not quite as comfy as linens, rayon clothing would provide relief from the warmth. You may also opt for clothing made from wicking fabrics that will draw moisture in the form of sweat off the body. You could additionally select fabrics that protect the skin. On the other hand, nylon or polyester clothing would be suitable for the rainy season as they will dry rapidly.
Select your footwear
You will find that flip-flops would be a good choice for exploring Bangkok as you may be obliged to remove your footwear at some tourist attractions. Meanwhile, slip-on shoes would also be an attractive option as they would be suitable for several purposes like visiting temples (amongst the places you must remove your footwear) or for a relaxed stroll in the city. On the other hand, if you are into adventure activities and plan to explore the nearby areas, comfortable hiking shoes or sports shoes would be appropriate. Additionally, if you plan to party in Bangkok or are looking to enjoy fine dining, you will need a pair of classier footwear, like heels for ladies and formal or boat shoes for men.
Dress modestly for religious attractions
For visiting the myriad of temples to be found in the city, you must dress appropriately, or you may be denied entry; apart from temples, this includes sites like the Grand Palace too. Revealing clothes like crop tops, off-shoulder tops, shorts and miniskirts would be forbidden. Instead, ladies may wear a top that covers the shoulders, sarong skirts and long skirts, maxi dresses or loose pants. Meanwhile, men could attire themselves in trousers, buttoned T-shirts and capris. Since you will be obliged to remove footwear at the temples, slip-on sandals or flip-flops would be good choices. One of the luxury hotels in Bangkok to consider from which you could visit the city’s temples would be Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel; from such properties, you could easily change into other attire when heading to nearby attractions like malls that don’t have strict dress codes.
Choose the right swimwear for the pool
When enjoying pool time at your Bangkok hotel, you will have the opportunity to dress as you please, although nudity and topless sunbathing would not be acceptable. Women could wear bikinis, although ones that are not too revealing would be appropriate. You could also attire yourself in shorts and a crop top. Meanwhile, men could wear swimming trunks, shorts, tank tops and singlets.
Take clothes for casual outings and a night out
When it comes to a casual outing in the city, you could generally dress, as you please, although you should avoid excessively revealing clothing. For women, crop tops, tank tops, T-shirts, skirts, shorts, jeans and sundresses would be appropriate. Men could wear liner shirts, T-shirts, jeans, track pants, cargo pants, Bermuda shorts and the like.
On the other hand, for a night out in Bangkok, you could attire yourself in more glamorous clothes. For many rooftop bars, you will be obliged to attire yourself in smart casual attire. Also, keep in mind that some private parties would expect guests to be wearing formal clothing. However, you will also find plenty of backpacker-style nightlife establishments in Bangkok that you could visit in casual clothing.
