Bangkok

An excellent museum which houses some real treasures. It's ideal for understanding the history of Thailand, discovering its traditions, architecture and different decorative styles. An essential prelude to your trip, where you will learn all there is to know before entering the kingdom's temples and palaces.

This is a truly royal city with its temples, museums, palaces and gardens, located on 219 hectares. Khmer, Thai and colonial styles form an eclectic mix in a burst of ornamentation and colour. Although the king no longer resides here, this complex and its glittering gilding is definitely the jewel in the crown, the pride and joy of the whole country.

Sanam Luang is a large green space, traditionally reserved for royal celebrations and events. When large events are not being staged, Thai people like to come here to get some air at the end of the afternoon. From February to April, it is also the stage for amazing kite fighting battles, where particpants compete litterally to get their opponents to the ground. 

This artificial mount symbolises Mount Meru, the axis mundi of Hindu cosmology. It took two reigns to raise it to a height of 78 meters on foundations made of teak trunks. There are 318 steps to its summit, where you can reach a golden chedi and get an incredible view over the capital city.

"Muay Thai" is a combat sport where you can do just about anything, except biting. It has been elevated to the status of an authentic national sport, matches are shows in their own right which are accompanied by an orchestra and wild crowds. Go and see at Ratchadamnoen or Lumphini Stadium, unless you actually want to take part in an introductory training course.

Canals criss-cross the west of Bangkok. A water maze composed of hundreds of wooden stilt houses, temples and charming villas. Traditional quarters where you can see the inhabitants fishing, swimming or trading cheerfully in the midst of luxuriant vegetation.

Massage is an unmissable ritual throughout the country. It is primarily theraputic, but has gradually been democratised as a technique for relaxation. You will also find spa facilities in most of the large hotels, in the street as well as a recognised school near Wat Po.

Insects are generally fried, and can be found in the majority of Thailand's markets. Will you dare to taste grasshopper, spiders or silk worms? They are nutritionally rich and could be the meat of the future.

This dish is made with wok-fried noodles, meat or seafood, eggs, soy, cashew nuts, fish sauce and lime sauce. It's one of Thailand's best-known and most common dishes.

This sweet and sour pork, chicken or fish soup, is made with stock, coconut milk, lime, ginger and chili peppers. This rather spicy soup is a classic in Thai gastronomy.

As the country is a great producer of fruit, you can find the latter everywhere in Thailand, ready to eat, fresh and cut or blended. We are all familiar with pinapple, coconut,  papaya, lychees and passion fruit, but you can also taste dragon fruit, rambutan, durian, jackfruit, mangosteen and many other tropical varieties.

It's very common to find fruit and vegetable sculptures in Thailand. This ancestral custom was inherited from ladies of the court; it is today found in most of the chic restaurants. In larger hotels with immense buffets, it is not uncommon to find huge pyramids of tropical fruit, some of which may even be crowned with an ice sculpture.