Essential information about Thailand

• Bargaining
• Business Hours
• Currency
• Power Supply
• Safety
• Tap Water
• Telephone
• Time
• Tipping
• Travel Health
• Visa requirements
• What to wear

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Bargaining

Fixed prices are the norm in department stores, but at most other places bargaining is to be expected. Generally, you can obtain a final figure of between 10-40% lower than the original asking price. Much depends on your skills and the shopkeeper's mood. But remember, Thais appreciate good manners and a sense of humour. With patience and a broad smile, you will not only get a better price, you will also enjoy shopping as an art.

Business Hours

Most commercial concerns in Bangkok operate on a five-day week, usually from 8 am to 5 pm.

Many stores open seven days a week from 10 am to 10 pm. Government offices are generally open between 8.30 am and 4.30 pm with a noon to 1 pm lunch break, Monday to Friday except on public holidays.

Currency

Chiang Mai, being in northern Thailand uses the Thai unit of currency which is the baht.

A baht is divided into 100 satang. Notes are in denominations of 1,000 (brown), 500 (purple), 100 (red), 50 (blue), 20 (green) and 10 (brown) baht. Coins consist of 25 satang, 50 satang, 1 baht, 5 baht and 10 baht.

Major currency bills and travellers cheques are cashed easily at hotels, tourist shops, all provincial banks, shopping centres and money changers. Travellers cheques are best changed in banks (you will need your passport). Rates of exchange at banks or authorised money changers are better than those at hotels and department stores.

Banks are open Mondays to Fridays from 9.30 am to 3.30 pm except on public holidays.

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Power supply

The electric current in Thailand is 220 Volts AC (50 cycles) throughout the country. 2-pin plug are used and come in two varieties, firstly the European plug with two circular metal pins or secondly the Japanese-style plug with two parallel flat blades. Travellers with electric shavers, tape recorders and other appliances are encouraged to purchase a 110-volt transformer.

Safety

Thailand is a very safe destination as long as the normal precautions are taken. The Tourist Police can be called from any phone in Thailand on 1155.

Additional emergency telephone numbers:

• Central Emergency (Police, Ambulance, Fire) : 191
• Highway Patrol : 1193
• Crime Suppression : 195 or 0 2513 3844
• Tourist Police (English, French and German spoken) : 1155
• Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Call Centre : 1672
• Immigration Bureau : 0 2287 3101-10

Tap water

Tap water is clean but drinking from it directly should be avoided. Bottled water is recommended. Bottled water is freely available in Thailand and is very inexpensive.

Telephone

The international country dialing code is 00 66 (or +66).

Time

Chiang mai is in the same time zone as the rest of Thailand, which is GMT plus 7 hours.

Tipping

It is not necessary to tip but customary in restaurants and hotels.

A 10% tip is appreciated and since everything is such good value and service generally very high, it is usually the norm. Taxi drivers do not require a tip, but the gesture is appreciated and 10-20 baht is acceptable for porters.

Travel health

No inoculations or vaccinations are required. However, if visitors are expecting to visit remote areas, typhoid and hepatitis B vaccinations are advisable, as well as precautions against malaria. Smile

Thailand has one of the best medical services of any country in Asia. Both private hospitals and government-run hospitals give quick and efficient services to tourists.

Further travel health advice for Thailand is available at the FitforTravel website

Visa requirements

There are various options available depending on your nationality and where you live. Generally a Tourist Visa is available for up to 60 days and is issued for free upon arrival in Thailand. A non-immigrant visa for is valid for up to 90 days but must be issued in a Thai embassy or consulate in your home country. Visa extensions can be made at the Immigration Office in Bangkok. The fee is currently around 500 baht.

We will post more information about visa requirements shortly, in the mean time please visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Kingdom of Thailand website

What to wear

Light, cool clothes are sensible and a jacket is needed for formal meetings and dining in top restaurants.

Chiang Mai can get rather cold in the months of November through to January so be prepared to wear a jumper or light jacket for late nights or early mornings.

Shorts (except knee length walking shorts), sleeveless shirts, tank tops and other beach-style attire are considered inappropriate dress when not actually at the beach or in a resort area.

 

Find out about the weather in Chiang Mai