Bangkok’s tap water goes through necessary sanitary treatment, however, considering that not all water pipes are in a good state and are often contaminated, it is not recommended to drink it without additional treatment. You should boil tap water or purify it with filters, iodine or chlorine, before consumption. An even safer solution, though, is to drink bottled water, which is cheap and plentiful. We don’t recommend buying bottled water in street outlets (it might be just tap water in a bottle). It is better to go to a supermarket or a shop.

At the same time, you may safely brush your teeth or wash fruits and vegetables in tap water.

A medical insurance policy is required to get an entry visa to Thailand. However, even if you don’t need a visa, it is strongly recommended to obtain medical insurance for the whole period of stay in Bangkok.

All health care services for foreign citizens are paid, and their cost is quite high. Therefore, it is advisable to obtain an international health insurance policy with minimum insurance coverage amount of 30 000, or better 50 000 US Dollars, before going to the country.

If you regularly take certain medications, you should take them with in the first place. At that – in order to avoid possible problems at the customs – take special prescription from a doctor confirming necessity of continued use of these medicines.

Otherwise, the most needed medicines – light analgesics, antipyretics, antiseptics, dressings, as well as much needed in Bangkok’s hot climate sunscreen and insect repellents – can be always purchased on-site without prescription. A lot of pharmacies work around the city – at hotels, supermarkets, and shopping malls.

You don’t need to have specific immunizations in order to enter Thailand. Sanitary and epidemiological situation in Bangkok is mostly favorable, and the vast majority of infectious diseases, typical for the Southeast Asia, are either absent altogether or under control of epidemiological services. Nevertheless, it is useful to get a vaccination against hepatitis A and B, tetanus, diphtheria, poliomyelitis and typhoid fever before going there.

There are virtually no insects that carry severe diseases, such as malaria or dengue fever, in Bangkok. The only insects that can cause discomfort are mosquitoes. In order to avoid problems it is advisable to treat open skin with special repellents against insects, when visiting city parks. In addition, it is better to put on clothes that fully cover arms and legs, as well as closed shoes, in such places.

Try not to contact any animals, reptiles and insects in countryside. In particular, avoid scolopendras and scorpions, whose bites are not as dangerous as painful.