Walking Tours in Bangkok? Are you mad?

Why we love walking tours in Bangkok

Written by Team Expique
Published: December 6, 2014

There is no denying we may be slightly mad but we still think walking tours in Bangkok are a great idea. So much so that last month we launched two new walking tours in Bangkok.

Walking tours are great! Last time I returned to the London I did 3 great walking tours with London Walks and in the space of a few hours learned so much that I never knew about small areas of the city I grew up in. London is a city that is perfect for walking tours, but walking tours are popular all over the world so why not in Bangkok?

Some people may claim it is too hot to walk but I will happily point a few things:

1) I point out how many bicycle companies there are in Bangkok (over 10) and by my estimates over 100,000 people go on a bicycle tour every year in Bangkok (one such company is rumored to have 200-300 riders on the average day!). So is it harder to walk or cycle in the heat?

2) I have also been on some amazing walking tours in Singapore with “The Original Singapore Walks” and for sure it is hot in Singapore but this does not stop 100’s of people joining their tours each week. Bangkok is not that much hotter.

Admittedly different nationalities have different attitudes to going out in the heat and as illustrated by the famous Noel Coward song about going out in the midday sun:

Mad Dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun

The toughest Burmese bandit can never understand it.

In Rangoon the heat of noon is just what the natives shun.

They put their scotch or rye down, and lie down.

In the jungle town where the sun beats down, to the rage of man or beast,

The English garb of the English sahib merely gets a bit more creased.

In Bangkok, at twelve o’clock, they foam at the mouth and run,

But mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.

There might be an Englishman behind the tours but the good news is we design our tours with the temperature in mind and avoid walking during the hottest parts of the day. We try to maintain a pace that is fitting to the temperature and allows people to break if needed. We are comfortable that most will survive.

So hopefully you are now convinced it is not tooooo hot, and I can get on to why walking tours are an awesome way to see Bangkok.

A visit to Bangkok should not just be about the Grand Palace and all the famous temples, but it should be about the people and experiencing local life. There is no better way to do this than take a walk down some random backstreet or through a local market. There is no better way to understand the people than to exchange a smile (a smile is the same in every language!). This is what a walking tour is about.

Even if it is only for a few hours, a walking tour makes you take it slowly and importantly take it all in! If you see something that fascinates you, you have time to take it in unlike on a bicycle tour or in a car where you whizz by. Most guidebooks suggest do-it-yourself walks you can do (especially of Chinatown) and there is also a great book called “22 Walks in Bangkok” for those who prefer to explore by yourself. Of course you can do a walking tour by yourself, and for some people we appreciate the fun is in getting lost and finding your way again. However, on a walking tour with a company like Expique, you will be shown the secrets that you are in danger of missing by yourself, or even if you find them will you know the stories?

Meeting the locals on a walking Tour in Bangkok

Travelling is very much about the people and in developing a tour we involve the local people and what we learn from them we share with you on a tour. The other thing we love about walking tours is the chance to meet other walkers. It’s super easy to chat to other people on a tour while walking along. And don’t worry – they are not all mad!

There is so much more to Bangkok than initially meets the eye and at Expique we will continue to develop a diverse range of walking tours in Bangkok that helps you get under the skin of the city. Please come and join us so we can show you why it is the best way to explore the city!

Expique currently has 3 walking tours in Bangkok which all focus on different areas along the river. For more information on our walking tours in Bangkok please click here. or visit or site specifically dedicated to Walks of Bangkok

Categories: Expique News