Packing and Seasons Guide in Bangkok
A visual guide from the Bangkok travel guide — see all posters in Visual Guides.
Bangkok has three seasons and only one of them is comfortable. From November to February the humidity drops, mornings can dip into the low twenties, and the whole city moves outdoors. March to May is the punishing stretch, with April afternoons sitting in the high thirties before Songkran turns the streets into a water fight. The rains run roughly late May to October, usually as one violent hour in the afternoon rather than all-day drizzle. Pack for heat, sudden downpours and aggressively cold air conditioning, which sounds contradictory until the first Skytrain ride.
The seasons
Cool season, November to February, is the reliable window: daytime highs still around 32°C but low humidity and clear evenings, which is also why hotel rates peak. Hot season runs March to May, when afternoons in the high thirties make midday sightseeing genuinely unwise; Songkran falls on 13 to 15 April and much of the city stops to throw water. The monsoon, roughly late May to October, peaks in September and October, when side sois off Sukhumvit can flood ankle-deep for an hour after a heavy storm. Air quality typically dips between December and March, with a PM2.5 haze some visitors notice.
What to pack
Light cotton and linen, and more of it than seems necessary, because you will change mid-day. A compact umbrella beats a rain jacket in this humidity, and sandals that survive a flooded pavement are worth more than good trainers. Carry a thin layer for cinemas, malls and long taxi rides, where the air conditioning is set close to freezing. Rooftop bars usually turn away shorts, vests and flip-flops after dark, so bring one presentable outfit and closed shoes. For the Grand Palace and larger temples, cover shoulders and knees. Sockets are 220V and take flat two-pin plugs, and laundry is cheap, so travel light.