Nancy Chandler's Map of Bangkok, 26th Edition Map – August 27, 2012

For my first trip to Bangkok, I researched like mad and kept coming across travel references to this map. Although they are easy to find in Bangkok (including the Peninsula Hotel's gift shop, for cheaper no less!) I wanted my copy before my trip so I could look over it.During our trip, we relied on this for everything... from restaurants, spas to shopping! It was very easy to use and once you understand the key (read the book!) the transportation options are very handy (ie, whether to use river boat vs metro vs taxi vs walking). It was also easy enough to fold over to stick into your pocket.The business address, hours and costs in the review makes it so handy.Whether it's your first trip or 10th, I think this map would be an asset to Bangkok travelers!

What a fun map! I'm planning a trip to Bangkok and thought this map would be helpful. I was able to look at this map and find the hotel where I'll be staying and all the places to shop and eat and sight see that are within walking distance. The directory that comes with the map is broken down into categories: accommodation, sightseeing, shopping-general, shopping-things Thai, shopping-personal, dining, entertainment, living, sports, and transportation. It's almost like having my own personal guide that is guiding me through Bangkok and filling me in on all the local secrets. Why can't all maps be like this one?

Title basically sums it . Thus wad the only map my wife and I brought to Bangkok (we also had the ones for Chiang Mai) and it got the job done. Not everything was 100% accurate but it was well done for the amount of stuff on it.Recommended.

My family and I went to Bangkok in Dec 2012. A few of us had the Groovy Map. I also had Nancy's map. 99% of the time, we found Nancy's map to be way more useful. It had much more information on it and a lot of really interesting and useful tips. Yes, it is cluttered (but, it's still easy to read). Yes, it looks like something my 6 year old son might have created. Yes, it is an *excellent* map/resource to have when touring Bangkok.

I should preface this review by saying I am a cartographer (mapmaker) by profession and perhaps I am fussier about my maps than most. I should also add that I haven't gotten to Bangkok yet so I can't comment on the accuracy of the map. I ordered this map without seeing it first.The pluses - it is a nice concise map. Different areas of the city are shown in different sections. It also comes with a booklet that organizes information by topic and gives you references to find things on the map.The minuses - Not all the streets are shown. A lot of information is on the map, too much I think. For example instead of labeling a museum Sampantawong Museum it says, "the small Sampantawong Museum (temporary - ask teaches to open if closed" IMHO that is too much information to put on a label for a building. Many things are similarly labeled with too much information. It makes it very difficult to find anything on the map. I am also less than pleased by the lack of grid lines on the map. Areas are divided by the fold lines on the maps but maps tend to get folded irregularily in use. Most of the lettering is in a handwritten style font which is pretty and artistic but not easy to read. At one point I was looking for a particular store on the map which I knew was in Chinatown. It took me almost 5 minutes to find it because of all the clutter. I can't imagine what it will be like on the streets of Bangkok. By the way not all the streets have streetnames. She is also not entirely consistent in her choice of color codes and symbology.Some of the notes on the map are odd, to say the least. One note says, "Please do NOT order shark's fin or birds's nest soup" Huh? Ones environmental views shouldn't be on a map.I would also put a street index on the map, a scale so you have some idea of distances, an insert that shows where suvarnabhumi international airport is in relationship to Bangkok, as well as other major locations off of the city map. I would also print it on sturdier paper. It is printed on shiny paper, like magazines are printed on and too thin. It tore very quickly.I should also add that also included is a booklet that lists hotels, some streets, and other information. That helps in finding things because it will tell you something is at A8 for example although you still have the problem with the overly cluttered maps.I am not sure what else is out there in the way of maps of Bangkok. It may be that this is the best available. I certainly hope not. I am not impressed by this map and would not recommend it at all. I don't want a work of art or a pleasing but less useful graphic. I want a map that is clear, concise, easy to read, well indexed and accurate. I hope I will find something better when I get to Bangkok.Edited to add: I just returned from Bangkok, after a 10 day stay. We used this map and the booklet but found it difficult to use. The lack of grid lines, e.g. item x is in a7 and the use of fold lines instead is difficult. The areas are too big and it takes a while to find anything. The booklet is useful, but not as well organized as I'd like and needs a better index. I continue to dislike the handwritten labels, the wordiness on the map and capricious design. I also found the Chatuchak market information inaccurate in some cases.

This map was full of information & very easy to use. Nancy Chandler's very detailed map showed exactly where our ship was docked and with a free shuttle bus to downtown we were off to explore.. So instantly it was a great purchase. One other person from our ship wanted to know if they could get one in Bangkok. I did not know the answer to this. I told her to try a bookstore. Hope I was right.

Just returned from 10 days in Bangkok. This map is the greatest! Very handy at the weekend market and China town was SOOOOOOOOOOOO easy! We walked through Chinatown 5 times on 5 different days, saw everything! Very easy to follow, and has lots of helpful things on it! The Sukumvit map was also very handy, as that is where our hotel was. Forget a guide book! This is what you need!

I really wanted to like this map. I LOVE maps...but I need to be honest here, this is NOT a map. It's like a massive doodle sketch that someone would make on the cover of their notebook on the flight home from Bangkok. There are some little (very little) nuggets of information scattered across the thing, but nothing really of value to help you navigate the large, energy-filled city that is Bangkok. It really is like someone just doodled the things they remembered, didn't include anything they couldn't recall very well, and never intended it to be an actual GUIDE to anyone traveling there for the first time.I purchased this (and one for Chiang Mai) for a recent trip to Thailand, and after opening it several times trying to get my bearings or make any sense of it, I ditched it for 2 alternatives that work perfectly together: Thailand travel blogs and the DK Eyewitness Top 10 Travel guide to Thailand. Hands down, a much better investment. Happy travels!