Top things to do in Bangkok

Bangkok is such an amazing city. I first visited in 2005 and absolutely fell in love with it. It’s got such a great vibe about it. I’ve now been four times and there’s always something new to discover. Here’s my recommendations of the top things to do in Bangkok as well as some general tips.

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Getting around Bangkok

For a city that’s pretty hectic, thankfully getting around Bangkok is fairly easy. They have the BTS skytrain and a metro system (MRT), which are simple to navigate and also really affordable. Taxis are also pretty inexpensive, however be prepared to be sitting in traffic! Honestly, I’ve never seen a city with so much traffic… it’s mad!

If you want to use taxis, there are metered taxis everywhere or you can call a taxi using the Grab App – this is a much better option for knowing the cost upfront and you can follow the route in-App. Often the metered taxis don’t actually turn the meter on – they’ll tell you what the cost is upfront. And if they don’t and you can see they’ve not put the meter on, ask them what the price is. If you’re looking for a fun way to get around, take a tuk-tuk – be warned though that they’re pretty loud! If you’re visiting temples, Chinatown, ICONSIAM, the flower market etc along the Chao Phraya river, there are lots of water taxis which are inexpensive and are pretty regular.

Tips for visiting Bangkok

Cash is King. I always use my Monzo bank card when travelling, because there are no transaction fees and they offer a really good exchange rate. I use it to pay for big things like the hotel bill and pricey meals but in Thailand, you definitely need cash. For one, some things like a bottle of water are like 10 Baht so they won’t accept card payment. Some restaurants also add 3% to your bill if you pay by card and temples, like Wat Arun and Wat Pho, only accept cash for the entrance fee. Even the ferries that take you across the river only accept cash. You can of course draw cash when you’re in Thailand but the one time we did that, it cost us £6 in fees! So my top tip is to take a fair amount of cash with you and ask for some small denominations (like 20s, 50s and 100s).

Tipping etiquette. Tipping in Bangkok is not expected but is appreciated. This is where it’s useful to have small denominations on hand, like 50 Baht to tip hotel staff when they bring your luggage to your room, for example. When eating out, many restaurants will add on a 10% service charge so there’s no need to add another tip unless you want to.

Cover up in temples. When visiting temples, you must dress appropriately. Obviously it’s really hot in Bangkok so totally normal to wear shorts and a vest top but in the temples, you’ll need to cover yourself. Either pack along a shawl/scarf to cover your shoulders or legs or bring along a pair of cotton trousers or borrow one from the temple. Most big temples, like Wat Pho and Wat Arun, will lend you a shawl for free, but some (like Wat Traimit) will charge you 20 Baht and ask for a 100 Baht deposit (which you get back when you return the shawl).

Stay in different areas. Every time we’ve visited Bangkok we have combined it with another destination, like Phuket, Krabi and Koh Samui. We like to stay a few nights in Bangkok on either side of the other destination and we opt to stay centrally for one, and on the river for the other – that way you get to experience different parts of the city. Hotels that we’ve stayed in that I recommend are: The St Regis Bangkok and The Park Hyatt Bangkok (central) and the Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort and The Peninsula (riverside).

Top things to do in Bangkok

I love how every time I visit Bangkok there’s always something new to see and do. It’s a lot like London in that respect – you’ll never see it all and you’ll never be bored! After numerous visits, here’s my recommendations for the top things to do in Bangkok.

Take a longtail boat and visit The Artist’s House

Most of Bangkok’s famous floating markets are located quite far from the city. We really wanted to visit the Damnoen Saduak floating market, with the boat vendors, but it’s basically a whole day trip as it’s about 90 mins each way. This wouldn’t have been a problem if we’d not already done quite a few excursions in Koh Samui. We basically didn’t want to do another excursion!

But did you know that there’s a (sort of) floating market right in the city? Khlong Bang Luang Market is a fabulous canalside area where you’ll find The Artist’s House (Baan Silapin) – a place to see art, create art, feed the carp and enjoy a meal.

The best time to go is on the weekend as there are more market and food stalls and a traditional puppet show. Unfortunately we weren’t there over a weekend but we decided to visit anyway and I’m so glad we did as it was one of the highlights of our trip!

We got on a longtail boat from Sathorn Pier and it was pricey as it was meant to be a 90 minute round-trip tour but we asked to get off at The Artist’s House. They still charged us full price at 1,500 Baht for the two of us! It was a really fun experience though so no regrets. Also, be prepared to get a little wet on these boats!

It took about 50 minutes to get to The Artist’s House and we went past some amazing Wats along the route, such as Wat Paknam, as well as traditional wooden houses. We even had a floating boat approach us, selling souvenirs like fans, hats and umbrellas.

The Artist’s House is such an incredible place. You can wander around and watch the artists drawing or painting, see an art class taking place, visit the gallery upstairs and enjoy a drink or bite to eat from the cafe. You can also feed the giant carp in the river!

We walked around for a while, taking in the atmosphere, and then had lunch at Baan Plern Jitt, which is famous for its Pad Thai and its canal setting. Sadly we didn’t manage to get a seat right on the canal but that was ok as it was basically an Instagram hot spot!

We enjoyed vegetable spring rolls to share, two Pad Thai with chicken and two bottles of water for under 300 Baht! The food was fantastic.

I highly recommend visiting this area – it’s a bit of a hidden gem in Bangkok! I mean, I only discovered it on my fourth visit to the city. You can also get a quicker, and cheaper longtail boat from either Wat Kamphaeng Pier or Wat Khuhasawan Pier. Or if you want to skip the boat ride completely, there’s an MRT station about a 10 minute walk away- Bang Phai Station (Blue Line), which is what we took when we left.

Visit the Chatuchak weekend market

Open on Saturdays and Sundays, Chatuchak Market is the world’s largest market. Apparently 200,000 people visit it every weekend! It has 15,000 stalls and is divided into 26 sections selling everything from clothing to furniture, food, art and even pets (yes, seriously). Top tip – if puppies in cages make you sad, definitely avoid the pet section!

You could honestly spend a whole day exploring the market as there’s so much to see. There are also tons of street food stalls as well as a few restaurants. We didn’t eat lunch but we did have some delicious coconut ice-cream with toppings.

Getting to Chatuchak market is very easy. Just take the BTS to Mo Chit Station on the Sukhumvit Line and get out at exit 1. It’s then less than a 10 minute walk to the market. If you’re staying on the MRT line then get off at Chatuchak Park and it’s a 2 minute walk.

Explore historic Chinatown

Did you know that Bangkok is home to one of the biggest and oldest Chinatown’s in the world? It was established in 1782 and was home to the mainly Teochew immigrant Chinese population. It was on the outside of the city but grew to become a commercial hub throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

It’s a fascinating area and wandering down the alleyways, off Yaowarat Road, is a must. There’s also a Chinese food market worth exploring on Soi Yaowarat 6, where you’ll discover foods you’ve probably never seen before.

The easiest way to get to Chinatown is to take the MRT to Wat Mangkorn and then it’s about a 5 minute walk to Yaowarat Road. Or if you’re staying along the river, you can get a water taxi to Ratchawong Pier.

Check out the street art and trendy shops in Song Wat Road

Song Wat Road is the coolest Bangkok district you’ve probably never heard of. It’s one of the city’s trendiest and coolest areas and a must visit – especially as it’s in walking distance from Chinatown.

If you’re a street art fan, then Song Wat Road is the place to visit! There’s street art adorning walls all over the place. These tumbling elephants were a favourite and you can even spot them from the river if you’re travelling by boat.

Song Wat Road is packed full of cool cafes, trendy shops and quirky vintage stores. It makes a nice change from the hustle and bustle of the city. It definitely feels more relaxed in this area and the cafes offer a bit of an oasis from the bustling streets of nearby Chinatown.

Visit the Golden Buddha at Wat Traimit

If you’re in Chinatown then you must visit Phra Phuttha Maha Suwanna Patimakon (known as the Golden Buddha) at Wat Traimat. It’s about an 8 minute walk from Wat Mangkorn MRT station.

This seated, cross-legged Buddha is over 700 years old and is the world’s largest solid gold statue, weighing 5.5 tonnes. Fun fact – the gold was only discovered in 1955 as the statue had been covered in plaster for 200 years to prevent theft. To visit costs 100 Baht per person and you need to pay in cash. You’ll also need to pay 20 Baht and pay a 100 Baht deposit if you need to borrow a shawl to cover up.

Walk around the flower market and visit Little India

Did you know that Bangkok has a 24 hour flower market? Apparently the best time to visit Pak Khlong Talet is in the early hours of the morning but that was never going to happen! Just a short walk from Rajnee Pier or Sanam Chai (on the Blue MRT line) you’ll find Bangkok’s largest flower market selling the most beautiful, colourful flowers as well as fruit and vegetables. It’s also just down the road from Wat Pho so very easy to fit in a visit.

It’s a wholesale market and most likely your hotel gets their flowers from here. Our hotel, for example, left a Thai orchid each night on our bedside tables. People can also buy arrangements and bunches of flowers to take home or garlands as temple offerings.

There are lots of porters running around with with huge barrows of flowers so it’s quite lively! We enjoyed watching women make beautiful temple flower garlands of jasmine and marigolds, which are used as offerings to Buddha. They smell amazing too!

Once you’ve finished admiring the flowers, why not visit Little India, also known as Phahurat? It’s just a 10 minute walk from the flower market. It’s a vibrant area with curry houses, the golden-domed Siri Guru Singh Sabha Sikh temple and where you’ll find heaps of fabric at the Phahurat fabric market. So if you’re getting some clothing made while you’re in Bangkok, definitely head here to choose your fabric.

Have drinks in a rooftop bar – at least once

Bangkok probably has a million* rooftop bars so you’ll have no trouble finding one. However, getting a seat at sunset might be tricky. We had drinks after the sun went down and it was still stunning. Bangkok has an amazing skyline! *not an actual figure!

For cocktails served in a very quirky way with a 1920s theme, head to the Speakeasy Rooftop Bar on the 25th floor of Hotel Muse in Pathum Wan. The cocktails were great and so was the view!

Shop til you drop in the malls

As my husband says, “nowhere does malls like Bangkok!” If you love to shop – or even if you don’t – you have to check out some of Bangkok’s malls. A favourite of ours and also one of the biggest and most famous is the MBK Center near Siam Square (the nearest BTS station is National Stadium). It has 2,000 stalls spread over 8 floors with each floor specialising in something – like cameras, phones or fake designer bags. My favourite shop in the MBK Center though has to be the Japanese discount chain store, Don Don Donki – it is so fun walking around it!

There are also plenty of high end malls, such as Siam Paragon, but the one that really has the ‘wow factor’ is ICONSIAM. It was opened in 2018 so was new to us on this visit. The downstairs food court will blow you away. It’s divided into all the regions so you can try food from all over Thailand. We unfortunately didn’t get to go to a floating market on this visit but we found one in ICONSIAM!

Visit Jim Thompson’s house and museum

Visiting Jim Thompson’s house was always high on my list of things to do in Bangkok but somehow we never got round to it on our other visits. This time I was determined to go! I really don’t know why we didn’t go before because it’s really central (the nearest BST station is National Stadium) and the tour lasts around 50 minutes.

We didn’t book tickets in advance and had to wait about 20 minutes until our tour started but you can walk around the gardens, visit the shop or have a drink from the cafe while you wait. In fact, I think you can only buy tickets at their ticket office and not online at all. The tickets cost 250 Baht per adult and includes a guided tour. The tour is offered in Thai, English, French, Chinese, or Japanese.

So who is Jim Thompson and why would you want to visit his house? Jim Thompson was born in America in 1906 and was a practicing architect. During World War II he volunteered to serve in the army and was sent to Europe and then later, Asia. But the war actually ended before he saw action. Later he was sent to Bangkok as a military officer and fell in love with Thailand. After leaving the military, he decided to live permanently in Bangkok.

He became fascinated with the hand weaving of silk, which was becoming a lost art and he devoted himself to reviving it as a craft. He contributed hugely to the industry’s growth as well as putting Thai silk firmly on the world map.

As a former architect, he gained further acclaim by combining six teak buildings – some of which were over 200 years old and came from the old capital of Ayudhya. They had to be dismantled and then reassembled. Today, visitors can enjoy a guided tour around his beautiful home, admire his collections and learn about his legacy.

What adds even more to the experience is the fact that Jim went missing in 1967 in the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia when he was on holiday. No one knows what happened to him as his body was never found. In 1976 the James H.W. Thompson Foundation was established, which is committed to the preservation of Thailand’s artistic and cultural heritage.

Enjoy dinner on an antique rice barge

The first time we visited Bangkok, way back in 2007, we booked a dinner cruise on an antique rice barge. It was, weirdly enough, run by a Dutch couple! It was such a fabulous experience that we tried to book it again on our next visit. Sadly the one run by the Dutch couple was no more but we found a very similar one called Manohra Cruises which is run by the Anantara Riverside hotel – which we happened to be staying at so very convenient!

We’ve now been on the Manohra dinner cruise twice and it’s a fabulous experience. Seeing the river at night with temples like Wat Arun lit up is just magical.

The food is really good and on the fine dining side, which also meant the portions were a bit small. I’d recommend having a big lunch – or a late lunch! For example, the Wagyu beef course was literally about three bites of beef.

They offer three different dinner times and two different menus (Standard and Premium). We chose the last seating which set sail at 8:30 pm and we chose the Premium set menu with free flow wine and beer, which was priced at 5,500 Baht person (this includes service and tax). I’m so glad we chose the free flow wine as it’s only 1,000 Baht more per person than free flow soft drinks and included Prosecco. On the wine list, we noted that to purchase a bottle of Prosecco was over 4,000 Baht so definitely good value for money choosing the free flow!

If you fancy a dinner cruise but want something with a bit more of a part atmosphere, or you fancy a buffet, there are soooo many cruises to choose from on Get Your Guide.

Get your adrenaline pumping at a Muay Thai fight

Muay Thai is an ancient art, dating back 1,000 years when it was created to defend the Kingdom. Now it’s a professional sport but watching a Muay Thai fight is more than watching a sporting match – it’s a cultural experience. There are two prestigious stadiums to watch Muay Thai in Bangkok – Lumpinee Muay Thai Stadium and Rajadamnern Stadium. We chose to book tickets at Rajadamnern Stadium as it’s the world’s first Muay Thai stadium.

My husband used to do Muay Thai when he was younger so he was keen to be as close to the action as possible, which is why we booked ringside seats. They were quite pricey at around £50 per person but it’s a great spot to be right in the action – especially as you’re right by the trainers who get very expressive during the matches! The stadium isn’t that big so you’ll honestly have a great view no matter which seats you book.

As well as the fights, there’s also immersive experiences that teach you about the history of Muay Thai. The host was also great, plus they have audience cams so you might find yourself on the big screen (we didn’t, sadly!). You can buy food and drink too and they even have staff coming round to take your order from your seat, so no need to stand in a queue if you don’t want to. It was a great atmosphere and an experience I really enjoyed! We booked our tickets through Ticketmelon but you can also book them through Get Your Guide or even just try get a walk-in ticket at the stadium on the night.

The reclining Buddha at Wat Pho

I have vague recollections of visiting the Temple of the Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho way back in 2007 on our first trip to Bangkok but weirdly couldn’t find any photos. So I was pleasantly surprised when we visited again as I couldn’t remember just how huge this temple is. You could spend like half a day here, easily, wandering around the vast gardens and visiting each hall.

Did you know that Wat Pho is Bangkok’s oldest temple? In fact it’s older than Bangkok itself! It was built in the 17th century when it was still part of Ayutthaya (The former capital of Siam, now Thailand).

Not only are there beautiful buildings with intricate details, there are many Chinese Ballast or Chinese Rock Giants all over the temple complex. Many of them are at entrances and are known as ‘gate keepers’.

Although there are different versions of the Reclining Buddha, the one at Wat Pho is the largest at 15 meters high and 46 meters in length. It represents Buddha, lying on his side, before he passed into the afterlife. He has a very serene expression on his face.

Behind the Reclining Buddha are 108 bronze walls lined up against the wall. For 20 Baht you can purchase a bowl of coins and drop one coin into each bowl. It’s believed to bring good fortune, wealth and prosperity and the 108 bowls symbolise the 108 auspicious characteristics of the Buddha.

I really loved visiting Wat Pho. I found it more serene than Wat Arun and less busy. It probably was just as busy but because it’s much bigger it was less noticeable! It costs 300 Baht (cash only) to visit and the nearest pier is Tha Tien. It’s possible to visit both Wat Pho and Wat Arun in one day as they are basically opposite each other and there’s a ferry to take you across the river.

Jaw dropping detail at Wat Arun Rajwararam

Wat Arun Rajwararam is known as the Temple of Dawn as lies on the west bank of the Chao Phraya river. It’s a Royal Temple dedicated to the second reign of the Chakkri Dynasty, which is the current ruling royal house of the Kingdom of Thailand.

We had visited before on a previous visit to Bangkok and my husband really wanted to go again. I was less keen as I thought we should dedicate more time to doing things we’d not done before but as we’d ticked off a lot of new things on this trip, we visited on our last day after lunch. And I’m so glad we did as I had forgotten just how incredible this temple is!

Top tip – have lunch at Supanniga Eating Room, which is across the river from Wat Arun. The food is absolutely divine and the views (depending where your table is) were stunning. Then when you’re done, hop on the ferry (10 Baht per person – cash only) to cross the river to visit Wat Arun.

The architecture and the detail is just breathtaking! It almost doesn’t feel real! As temples go, it is quite small so easy to visit in an hour. It’s very popular though and as it’s small, it does feel quite crowded. It costs 200 Baht per person (cash only) to visit and you get a bottle of water included. Note that the steps going up are quite narrow so take care when visiting.

So those are my tips and recommendations of the best things to do in Bangkok. I hope you find this post helpful when planning your holiday!

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