The city has a history dating back over 250 years. In 1767, when the Thai capital of Ayutthaya fell to the Burmese, the Thai royal family established a new capital in Thonburi, on the west bank of the Chao Phraya. Bangkok has grown over the years and swallowed up Thonburi.
The name Bangkok is variously translated as "plum garden," "place of the plums" and "village of wild plums." In 1782 King Rama I moved the royal residence to the east bank of the Chao Pharya and named the new capital Krung Thep (City of Angels). And that is what Thais call the city. Farangs (foreigners) have evidently never figured the name change out. The old name of "Bangkok" has hung around. Besides Thonburi, Bangkok's urban sprawl has eaten parts of the neighbouring provinces of Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan and Pathum Thani.
Today Bangkok can be divided into five main geographic areas: the Riverside area to the city's east; Siam, Silom, and Sukhumvit in the center of the city; Ratchadapisek and Ramkamhaeng in Bangkok's northeast; and Bangna Trad in south of Bangkok. Bangkok's Airport is the fifth area -- in the Viphavadee Road section on the city's far northern edge. Each of these areas can be divided again into a variety of smaller hoods, boroughs, or burbs.
Lonely Planet has a basic map of Bangkok's central districts. A few good clickable maps of Greater Bangkok exist:
- Bangkok Bob has scanned a map and made it clickable by squares on the map.
- Sawadee.com has done much the same thing with a different map that has a somewhat higher resolution.
Silom, along with Sathorn Road, constitutes Bangkok's Central Business District. In addition to the main offices for various national and international corporations, a number of embassies are located in this area. Lumpini Park with its lovely gardens is located in this part of the city. A map of the park area shows the government offices and embassies nearby. There is also a good map of the Silom/Sathorn district available from Into-Asia.com. Bangkok Maps has a more detailed map of Silom divided into clickable segments. At night Silom turns into one long chain of street markets and bazaars. A number of restaurants dot the area and the Patpong red light district is on the edge of Silom.
Also in central Bangkok is the Siam Square district of the city. This is Bangkok's most Western-feeling shopping district. A map of Siam Square is useful if you plan to spend time (and money) in the district. Pratunam, next door to Silom, is also great for shopping. A number of air-conditioned shopping malls exist in Pratunam and the Siam Square area. Pratunam is a little more oriented toward tourists from within Thailand.
One final downtown area of the city needs mentioning. Sukhumvit is the night time heart of Bangkok. The mention of Sukhumvit used to bring up images of traffic jams and urban decay. But the area has been revitalized in recent years.
The Riverside section of Bangkok provides some of the city's most interesting experiences. No trip to Bangkok is complete without a ride in a river taxi. Riverside is home to some of the city's best hotels. The Oriental in this district is annually voted "Best Hotel in the World" by one trade assocaition. The Sanam Luang area of Riverside is the political capital of Thailand and includes a number of landmarks such as the Grand Palace. This is the best place to see part of the city that have not yet been "modernized." Try this map of Riverside also. This area of the city is sometime referred to as Rattanakosin.