# Bangkok - 'World's Best City' ?



## Song_Si

*Thai capital named 'World's Best City'*

Friday, 8 July 2011










Thailand's capital Bangkok has been named the world's best city by influential US travel magazine *Travel + Leisure*.

Announced as part of its _World's Best 2011 Awards_ issue to be published July 22, the prestigious title was awarded based on the votes of thousands of _Travel + Leisure_ readers who voted for cities around the world.

It is the second year in a row that Bangkok has been named in the top spot, despite a period of civil unrest last year which did considerable damage to Thailand's international reputation as a tourism haven.

The only other Asian city to make an appearance in the top ten was Siem Reap, a major tourist attraction for many on the backpacking trail around South East Asia thanks to its proximity to the famous Angkor Wat temple.

*World's Best Cities*

1. Bangkok, Thailand
2. Florence, Italy
3. Rome, Italy
4. New York City, USA
5. Istanbul, Turkey
6. Cape Town, South Africa
7. Siem Reap, Cambodia
8. Sydney, Australia
9. Barcelona, Spain
10. Paris, France

*Asia Top 10*

1	Bangkok 
2	Siem Reap, Cambodia 
3	Kyoto, Japan 
4	Hong Kong 
5	Tokyo 
6	Shanghai 
7 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
8	Beijing 
9	Hanoi, Vietnam 
10	Singapore


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## Rustyo

That is great to know, i'm now glad i choose to study my TEFL course there now.
I was going to head to CM, but Bangkok has lots on the plus side for me, not only study,but girlfriend lives and works near.


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## Felixtoo2

They obviosly got that completely wrong then, I`d be very surprised if anyone who`s been to BKK actually agrees with this.


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## Dave0

Maybe thats why Bangkok is so expensive now compared to Pattaya


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## anselpixel

Lived in BKK for six months after spending my first six in Chiang Mai. I'm back where I started, and a happier man. The Big Mango is interesting in many ways, but too stressful and too expensive. And the food isn't nearly as good as it is almost anywhere else in Thailand.


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## Song_Si

*Time-lapse pics of Bangkok*

5min video of time-lapse photography filmed in Bangkok


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## surpoob

I've been to London, Paris, NY, San Franciso, Madrid, Rome, Barcelona, Venice, Florence, Istanbul, Lisbon, Rio and many other places. 

Although all these places have a lot going for them the best city for me would be Bangkok.


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## somchit-srimoon

I just wonder who stuffed the ballot box. Very different from last years list.


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## twinbuddha

*The Best Mango?*

Comparisons are tricky things! Unless two or more things are very close in their characteristics, they really can't and shouldn't be compared. For example, studying and testing three mangos on a number of agreed upon criteria is, I believe, possible. _Here's the best mango among the three mangos_ That's a legitimate conclusion. But the _Best City in the World?_ Not possible with any degree of fairness. Two many variables.

We have all heard people say, perhaps even we have said, _My mother was the best mother in the world!_ No man in his right mind would even think of arguing against that. We recognize that such a statement is pure hyperbole, even though the speaker might really believe that his mother was the best mother in the world.

I lived in Bangkok, in the Banglumpu section for two months last year. Now I live in Chiang Mai. What's the best city? Well, Bangkok is the best Bangkok and Chiang Mai is the best Chiang Mai. That's my two cents!


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## Song_Si

^ agree

the key with this poll perhaps is that it is for tourist destinations rather than as places to live, based on travelers experiences, staying in hotels, holiday time for a week or two. 

Quite different to living/working/commuting in a big city.


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## Song_Si

*Bangkok named Thailand’s most popular city among tourists*










*BANGKOK, Dec 28 – Thailand’s capital Bangkok was ranked at the top of this year’s top ten popular cities among Thai and foreign tourists in a survey conducted by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.*

Following the first tourist survey ever by the ministry, the capital won first place as most popular city among Thai and foreign visitors with the total number of tourists visiting the metropolitan at 20.7 million this year.

The main popular tourist attractions in Bangkok were the historic Grand Palace, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall, Wat Phra Chetuphon Vimolmangklararm Rajwaramahaviharn Temple (Wat Pho), and Old Bangkok’s Rattanakosin Island, Mr Suwat explained.

Meanwhile, the eastern seaboard province of Chon Buri, particularly Bang Saen, Pattaya, Ko Lan and Nong Nooch Garden, was ranked second, attracting about six million tourists, followed by the southern Andaman resort of Phuket and the historic city of Ayutthaya respectively.

Kanchanaburi of River Kwai fame ranked fifth while the northern province of Chiang Mai was sixth, followed by Rayong, Songkhla, Nakhon Ratchasima and Krabi respectively. 
Read more: MCOT online news


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