Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bangkok Information Center
( 0 2225 7612-4;
www.bangkoktourist.com
; 17/1 Th Phra Athit; 9am-7pm Mon-
Fri, to 5pm Sat & Sun; Tha Phra Athit, Banglamphu) City-specific tourism office provides maps, brochures and dir-
ections. Kiosks and booths are found around town; look for the green-on-white symbol of a mahout on an elephant.
Tourism Authority of Thailand
(TAT;
1672;
www.tourismthailand.org
)
Head office (
0 2250 5500; 1600 Th
Phetchaburi Tat Mai;
8.30am-4.30pm;
Phetchaburi exit 2) ; Banglamphu (
0 2283 1500; cnr Th Ratchadam-
noen Nok & Th Chakrapatdipong;
8.30am-4.30pm;
Tha Phan Fah) ; Suvarnabhumi International Airport (
0
2134 0040t; 2nd fl, btwn Gates 2 & 5, Suvarnabhumi International Airport;
24hr)
Travellers with Disabilities
»
Bangkok presents one large, ongoing obstacle course for the mobility-impaired, with its high kerbs, uneven pave-
ments and nonstop traffic. Many of the city's streets must be crossed via pedestrian bridges flanked with steep stairways,
while buses and boats don't stop long enough to accommodate even the mildly disabled. Except for some BTS and MRT
stations, ramps or other access points for wheelchairs are rare.
»
A few of the top-end hotels make consistent design efforts to provide disabled access. Other deluxe hotels with
high employee-to-guest ratios are usually good about providing staff help where building design fails. For the rest,
you're pretty much left to your own resources.
»
The following companies and websites might be useful:
Asia Pacific Development Centre on Disability
(
www.apcdfoundation.org
)
Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality
(SATH;
www.sath.org
)
Wheelchair Holidays @ Thailand
(
www.wheelchairtours.com
)
Visas
»
Thailand's
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(
www.mfa.go.th
)
oversees immigration and visa issues. In the past five
years there have been new rules nearly every year regarding visas and extensions; the best online monitor is
Thaivisa
(
www.thaivisa.com
)
.
»
Citizens of 41 countries (including most European countries, Australia, New Zealand and the USA) can enter
Thailand at no charge. These citizens are issued a 30-day visa if they arrive by air or 15 days by land.
Visa Extensions
»
If you need more time in the country, apply for a 60-day tourist visa prior to arrival at a Thai embassy or consulate
abroad. For business or study purposes, you can obtain 90-day nonimmigrant visas but you'll need extra documentation.
