One thing you will learn if you spend any time walking in Thailand is to never rely on the sidewalk being there for you, this is not like walking in many places. The biggest problem with Walking in Thailand is you must look everywhere. Looking straight ahead is not enough, looking down is not enough, and looking up is not enough. It is very similar to driving here, you must look everywhere – but we will get to driving in another post.
Thailand is a wonderful country. It is full of lovely people (outside of the tourist traps), but that can be said of many countries. Thailand lives for tourism, if anyone doubts this, please refer to how bad it was here during the Covid-19 lockdowns when nobody was traveling. There were no international tourists, nor domestic tourists. Thailand was a ghost country, especially places that relied heavily on tourism, like Pattaya, Phuket, Krabi, Chiang Mai etc.
Preparation for your visit
If you are planning a visit to Thailand, or are already here, there are some things you can do to prepare for walking around here.
- Wear comfortable shoes – sneakers, or sturdy sandals. I would not suggest hiking boots as they will be too hot.
- Sunglasses will help you to see things in the blazing sun.
- A hat will help to keep that blazing sun off your head and provide a modicum of shade for you.
- Comfortable clothes, Thailand is a hot country. The hottest months are late February to June/July. (that is when the sun is passing directly overhead for the Northern summer months). The coolest months are late November to January. The rainy season varies by area, but generally August to late October. Typhoon season is during the winter months (December and January).
If you are here for part of the rainy season an umbrella or rain jacket is advised. You may think tropical rain is no problem, but I can assure you that tropical rain that is pouring down gets cold very quickly.
Tourist Areas can be Good
Thailand values its tourists, they are after all a cash cow, bringing in needed foreign currencies, so they have tried to make the tourist areas clean and bright.
Thailand has made significant strides to improve walkways in recent years. I am not certain about all areas but the new beach promenade in Pattaya is a wonder to behold.
They have done a good job, first by adding the sand to the beaches themselves and then by upgrading the beach pathway.
It is clean, clear of obstructions (they buried the cables), and a nice place to stroll.
They are still working on it, so it is not complete yet, but they are doing a good job.
There has been a delay in completing the beach promenade. It has been pointed out to Pattaya City Hall that as you go further down the walkway towards Walking Street the sidewalk starts to look like a miniature golf course.
You can see why they have added a golf player to the photo. It does look like a miniature golf course.
Here is the photo and a link to the article.
The Other Side of the Street
The other side of Beach Road is not so easy to navigate. They are redoing most of the tiles, so it has improved, but there are still plenty of obstacles to worry about. road signs, Soi signs, electrical boxes, and many areas where the surface is slightly raised or slightly lowered. In general, there are no wires in this area to worry about, as most of the wires along Beach Road have been buried, but other obstacles remain.
This area has not been retiled as yet, but you can see that the obstacles in place will still be there once the retiling has been completed.
Unfortunately, just about everywhere else in Pattaya is a hazard for anyone unfamiliar with sidewalks here. There are dips, hills, holes, and small but significant obstructions everywhere on the actual sidewalks. A sidewalk cover that protrudes just 1 to 2 centimeters above the surrounding surface is enough to trip you up if you are not paying attention. A slight dip that slopes into the driveway may cause you to stumble.
Even when new tiles are laid often the hazards are left in place. A good job is done, but it is just not in the budget to fix everything.
Here you can see a cover that is 2 to 3 cm above the sidewalk – definitely enough to trip the unwary.
Also, there are often poles, from signs, electrical transformers, street signs, light poles, and other obstructions blocking the pathways.
Finally, there are wires, hanging down in many locations. The majority of these are not dangerous by themselves – by that I mean not electrical. But they will scare you if you happen to bump into them and they will clothesline you if you are not paying attention.
General walking
Away from Tourist areas, many roads have minimal sidewalks, or not at all. Also, the sidewalk/walking area may just end at some point, and you find yourself on a busy corner, needing to cross or get out onto the road for a stretch.
Where would you go in the picture to the right? The road is blocked with cement dividers, and the walking area has just stopped at the corner.
In theory, this area is still under development and is scheduled for more improvement, but at present, you have no choice but to venture into the street.
Vendors
Vendors can and will be anywhere. They belong and are quite territorial. It is not unusual for shops to commandeer 90% or more of the sidewalk in front of their business. You will be expected to go around or between them.
Food carts or just carts selling stuff are often set up at busy intersections. They often leave 3 to 4 feet in front of themselves, but that space is often occupied by customers. You need to go around them, most likely into the street.
Hazards are everywhere
Recently I was walking the street in front of my housing estate. There was a sidewalk, and I was walking just in front of a private school. I was careful; to watch where I was putting my feet and I walked into a cable that was hanging down and it did clothesline me, luckily, I was not walking fast, or I would have fallen. It did give me a scare of being electrocuted until I realized it was not a live wire.
In short, you cannot assume that a sidewalk here will be free of obstructions and that you will only need to look for other people who are walking with you or towards you.
Bangkok
Bangkok is a huge city and most of the well-traveled areas for tourists are ok. You still need to be aware of your surroundings, but in general, you will be ok. However, if you venture into the side sois then all bets are off.
There will be curbs, depressions, raised areas, wires, signs, etc. In short – be aware when walking side-sois.
Traffic in Bangkok can be horrendous. Again, while in reality, you have the right-of-way, be prepared for the vehicles to just keep going. Do not assume they will stop for you even if you are on a sidewalk.
Parks
Bangkok does have some good parks to walk in. Recently they completed one of the largest where the old Tobacco Monopoly stood. Benjakitti Park is an oasis in the heart of the Sukhumvit area and should be on your list of places to amble if you are in the area. It is adjacent to the Queen Sirikit Convention Center and the Queen Sirikit Park. The Queen Sirikit Park is labeled as Benjakitti in the picture above and is the area surrounding the large lake on the right-hand side of the photo. You can also see the Bernchasiri Park in the top right corner of the photo next to Emporium Shopping center.
Inside Benjakiti there is a forest park, a watershed park, and miles and miles of bike and walking/running trails. Once inside it is hard to imagine you are still in the middle of Bangkok until you lift your eyes above the tree line and see the skyscrapers in the background.
Benjakitti also supports a dedicated dog park for your furry friends. Pop on down for a paw-perfect time.
There is a walkway that connects Benjakitti to Lumpini Park which is one of the biggest Parks in the downtown area. Lumpini has been around for a while and is accessible from the Lumpini and Silom underground stations.
The SkyTrain Walkways
In reality, these walkways are in good shape, you do not need to worry when you are walking in and around the Skytrain, or the MRT. The city of Bangkok has done an excellent job ensuring that these heavily trafficked areas are smooth and safe to walk on. There are places where the skywalks meet up with existing pedestrian bridges and those are a bit more problematic, but overall, the Skytrain areas are okay.
As soon as you leave the Skytrain areas and descend to Bangkok sidewalks all bets are off. You need to be aware of where you are walking, and what may be in the way, or hanging around.
Mountaineering in the Bangkok Sois
In Bangkok when you walk down the smaller sois, you will see that the sidewalks have been raised in an attempt to keep them dry during a monsoon flooding event. That is okay as far as it goes unless you need to traverse the soi, then you have to step off the curb and down 20 to 30 centimeters into the flood to make your way down the soi.
To the left is an area walking away from Sukhumvit along Soi 26, The picture on the left is looking back towards Sukhumvit and the right is walking away from Sukhumvit. Two curbs bracketing one small side soi.
It is difficult to see in these photos, but those curbs are massive. If you are not paying attention, or if the street is flooded, you could easily fall.
Even in dry weather, keeping to the sidewalks becomes problematic, because you have to keep stepping up and down all the time. Many people choose to walk in the street to avoid this constant up and down, however, the motorbike taxis will make their displeasure rapidly known if you are doing this as they will be zipping through any available gap in the road to beat the ponderous cars that have to wait in line.
Pedestrian Crossings
Officially the law here is the same as in the West Pedestrians have the right-of-way. Unofficially do not step onto the crosswalk without having checked the traffic, both ways, even on a one-way street. Now, there are lights at many pedestrian crossings in the tourist areas and a button you can push to activate them. It does help, though not all cars stop, and not all cars wait for the green light to move again. Beware of dashing out trying to catch a light at a pedestrian crossing, the traffic may already be moving.
I was clipped by a motorcycle taxi when crossing a one-way street in Pattaya. It was in front of the Central shopping plaza. I was facing traffic on a one-way street. I made it across four lanes of traffic, which were empty, and was approaching the last lane before the sidewalk again when I was clipped by a motorcycle taxi that was going the wrong way on the one-way street. There were four empty lanes of traffic he could have used, but he managed to hit me. No word of apology, he just zoomed off with his passenger. I picked myself up, dusted off, and muttered TIT. (This is Thailand). It is a common refrain for anyone who has lived here for a while.
Bicycles and Motorcycles
Yes, there are bicycles and motorcycles on the sidewalks as well. The fine for a motorcycle driving on the sidewalk is ~5000 THB (~140 USD as of November 19, 2023). But this is rarely enforced and to be fair motorcycles rarely use the sidewalks very much.
Bicycles on the other hand do use the sidewalks in the cities and at one point there were bicycle lanes painted on the sidewalks around Sukhumvit in Bangkok. Fun times indeed. It does seem that bicycles are ignored when they venture onto the sidewalks, as it is not exactly safe for them on the streets. Sad but true.
In Conclusion
Thailand is a wonderful place, but it is not without its pitfalls. When you are walking around you must be aware of your surroundings. Watch everything as much as possible when you are walking in Thailand. From the sidewalk to the street, and above.
Be prepared for walking here, comfortable shoes, and clothes and bring a sun hat and a raincoat if it is the rainy season.
Do enjoy yourself. There are many wonderful areas to be explored. Just do not expect the sidewalks to be clear and orderly. This is not your home and the people here are used to the way things are. You are not.
Do not worry about the vendors, they are just trying to make a living, sample the wares if you desire. The food prices are pretty much fixed, but if they are selling goods then you can bargain if you want to.
Do not despair. I have been here for 26 years, and you soon get the hang of walking here, you just need to be aware and vigilant. I have twisted my foot on occasion, but never to the point of serious injury. I am always wearing supportive sandals or sneakers when out walking, which helps.
