Most travellers' first sight of the city is the International Terminal at Don Muang Airport , 25km to the north of the city. Once you're through immigration, you'll find 24-hr exchange booths, a TAT information desk (daily 8am-midnight), an accommodation booking desk and a left-luggage office (B40 per day). The domestic terminal at Don Muang is 500m from Terminal 2, connected by a walkway and a free shuttle bus (daily 5am-11pm; every 20min).

Department stores and tourist-oriented shops in the city open at 10 or 11am and close at about 9pm. The Central department store (two branches: one on Thanon Silom, the other on Thanon Ploenchit) is probably the city's best, but Robinson's (on Sukhumvit Soi 19, Thanon Rajdamri and at the Silom/Rama IV junction) is also good. The massive Chatuchak Weekend Market is a marvellous shopping experience.

Licensed taxis are operated from clearly signposted counters outside Terminal 1: you can choose either a pre-determined fare in an unmetered cab (B250 plus, depending on your destination), or a metered cab, which is usually less expensive, though in both cases you'll have to pay an extra B50 in expressway tolls, plus a B50 booking fee.

If you need to stay near the airport, try the upmarket Amari Airport Hotel (tel 02/566 1020; $80 and over), just across the road from the international terminal, or call the We-Train guesthouse (tel 02/929 2301-10; $15-20), which has dorms (B140 a bed) and comfortable rooms, and operates a pick-up service from the airport.