Visiting Bangkok is a must when travelling to South East Asia. A few years ago, the Thai capital became the most visited destination in the world, ahead of London and Paris. Many people start their trip to Thailand Many people start their trip to Thailand by visiting Bangkok, while others stop off in the middle or at the end of their holiday.
This Asian megalopolis is very rich culturally and humanly and in addition there is a lot to do in Bangkok. After having stayed in the Thai capital several times, we decided to present you 10 ideas of visits in Bangkok . Some of them are unmissable, others are unusual like a night food tour.
Our 10 favourite visits in Bangkok
We present here our 10 favourite things to do in Bangkok, but you can also find other activities on the Tiqq website.other activities on the Tiqets website.
Book here bus, boat, train and car anywhere in Asia on the 12 Go website.
1. Visit Bangkok and the Royal Palace (Wat Phra Kaew)
The Royal Palace, certainly the most beautiful temple of Bangkok.
The Royal Palace is home to hundreds of buildings, courtyards, frescoes and statues. A true accumulation of Art of any beauty. The place is magnificent and constantly renovated. Amongst other things, there is an emerald Buddha enthroned at the top of an altar in a temple specially designed for it. Built in 1782, the Palace has an amazing and complex architecture, which shows the creativity and faith of the Thai people.
Please note the dress code! Visitors are required to dress appropriately. Shoulders and legs must be covered. Exploring the Royal Palace is one of the top activities for every traveller visiting Bangkok. Of course, it's not an off-the-beaten-path excursion, you won't be on your own. But the place is so worth it! So choose to visit in the morning when it opens or at the end of the day.
For more information, read this complete article on visit of the Royal Palace also called the Grand Palace of Bangkok.
2. Visit Bangkok and the Wat Pho temple
Visiting Wat Pho is an opportunity to see a huge golden reclining Buddha but not only that.
Wat Pho is one of the largest and oldest Buddhist temples in Bangkok. It is located east of the Chao Phraya River, immediately south of the Royal Palace. The emblem of the temple is the famous reclining Buddha. This statue represents Buddha on his deathbed. It is 45 metres long and 15 metres high. The temple is relatively narrow compared to the gigantic size of the statue.
The place is really impressive. You walk along the statue following a long corridor. Finally, for massage fans, Wat Pho is also the birthplace of traditional Thai massage. Since 1962, it has been home to a renowned massage school. Enjoy your visit and relax!
To learn more about this visit, check out this full article on Wat Pho temple in Bangkok.
3. Visit Wat Arun temple
Wat Arun or the temple of the dawn. We advise you to visit the temple at the end of the day.
This temple, over 300 years old, is located in the Bangkok Yai district, on the right (west) bank of the Chao Phraya River. Two statues of giant demons, guardians of the entrance, welcome you. The inner courtyard is not very big. After walking around the courtyard, climb the steep staircase (see photo above) to Wat Arun temple, which is built into the slope of the temple.
Once you reach the 82 meters height, the view on Bangkok is splendid. Thousands of Chinese ceramics decorate the temple.
And if you wait a bit like us until sunset, you will have the opportunity to see Wat Arun in its most beautiful colours. Golden hour is always the best time to take great pictures.
For more information, check out this blog post on visiting Wat Arun temple.
Between Wat Pho and Wat Arun flows the famous Chao Phraya River. At sunset, the view is splendid with the skyline of Bangkok.
Night cruise on the Chao Praya
4. Visit Bangkok and the Silom district
Silom and its Lumpini Park, our favourite area to sleep in Bangkok.
Lumpini Park is the largest park in Thailand, it has an area of about 60 hectares. It is one of our favourite places in Bangkok. The place is shady and quiet. You can see people practicing Taiji in the morning and aerobics in the evening.
For Bangkok residents, Lumpini Park is more than just a park. It also houses a library, a school, a homeless centre and a youth centre offering sports activities such as tennis, swimming and basketball. It's a great place to take a walk at the end of the day.
Silom is also the embassy district. There are no security problems here because of the number of cameras per square meter. So we like to sleep there a lot. We have our little habits and theSiri Sathorn hotel is for us an excellent compromise between budget, location and access to public transport, comfort and view. With a bit of luck, you could also enjoy the terrace. A swimming pool is located on the ground floor and is accessible to all flats.
You can really treat yourself in Bangkok! Find your dream hotel in Bangkok.
We present you our accommodation at the end of the video ^^
The Silom area is well known for its many high standard hotels, great restaurants and trendy bars.
If you really want to indulge yourself during your stay in Bangkok, go to the Vertigo restaurant at the Banyan Tree Hotel in Sathorn Street. The terrace is located on the 59th floor of the hotel. You will be able to enjoy a 360° panoramic view of the megalopolis. The best time to go there is at the end of the day to watch the sunset. You can have dinner there but the prices are very high. You can limit yourself to sipping an excellent cocktail while admiring the view.
Afterwards, be sure to visit the famous Patpong night market.
5. Visit Wat Saket Temple
At Wat Saket Temple, gold and a breathtaking view.
This is a temple we discovered during our Asia trip in 2013. This temple is not the most famous but it is worth a visit. The temple is built on an artificial hill of more than 60 meters. It is thus the only point of view, except buildings, on the city. You reach the top and its Golden Chedi by climbing the 344 steps that wind around the hill.
At the top you can enjoy a panoramic view of the Thai metropolis. At the top, you can see the towers of the business district, the single pylon of the Rama VI bridge and other temples of Bangkok.
6. Where to shop in Bangkok?
We give you 3 addresses which are 3 must-sees for every visitor to Bangkok.
6.1. Chatuchak Sunday Market
Chatuchak, the most popular open-air market in Bangkok.
This shopping paradise is the biggest weekend market in the world.
Don't expect to do the whole thing in 30 minutes . This is one of the must-see experiences in Bangkok on Sundays. You can wander through 15,000 stalls (just that!) spread over 27 hectares. You can also eat there because there are many restaurants offering different local dishes. And the food is very good.
It is impossible to travel in Thailand without learning some recipes. We advise you to to take a Thai cooking class during your stay. That's what we did in Chiang Mai and since then, we became addict cookers ^^
About 400,000 people visit the Chatuchak market every weekend , 30% of which are foreign tourists. That's huge! The popular market owes its name to the former Prime Minister of Thailand who wanted a flea market in every city of the Land of Smiles.
6.2. MBK Center - Siam Shopping
You can find everything at the MBK Center in Bangkok!
This shopping centre is simply unmissable. 90,000 m² of shopping space and 2,500 shops! That's it! It's just huge here again. Open since 1985, locals and also tourists will make good deals. Everything is negotiable even if a lot of prices are indicated.
The MBK center has a wide range of specialty shops, jewellery,electronics, music, instruments, gadgets. It also houses a multiplex cinema, bowling alley, karaoke, the Siam Ocean World Aquarium which is the largest aquarium in South East Asia, an exhibition hall and a concert hall. Very easily accessible by public transport.
To find out more about this visit, read our full article on the MBK Center.
6.3. The Mall Terminal 21
Terminal 21 in Bangkok, a unique shopping mall concept!
The concept of the mall is innovative. It feels like an airport.
On each floor, designed as a stopover, you are immersed in the atmosphere of a city: Rome, Paris, Tokyo, London, Istanbul, San Francisco and Hollywood. The careful decoration and the more than 600 fashion boutiques in particular are the assets of this atypical place. We spent hours there because Terminal 21 is not just another shopping centre. You have to visit it.
In order to immerse us in the different cities, the decorators have put in the means. For example, this bridge from San Francisco spans part of the mall.
To find out more about this visit, read our complete article on Terminal 21.
7. Visit Bangkok and the Indian quarter of Pahurat
Pahurat or the Little India of Bangkok.
Bangkok has its own Indian quarter, not far from Chinatown. This district is famous for its Indian food, clothes, fabrics, spices and other typical Indian products. To really immerse yourself in this area, we suggest you visit the market. It is located near the Pahurat Road.
During the walk, you enter a real labyrinth of narrow streets full of stalls. During our last visit to Bangkok in July 2013, we were able to discover this other side of Bangkok, both surprising and endearing. Even if the pollution of the district's canals and the dirtiness don't seem to bother anyone...
8. Food tour by night or how to visit Bangkok by night
A gastronomic and unusual night tour of local restaurants and temples!
In this new vlog, we take you on a tour of Bangkok by night and by tuk-tuk between night markets, street stalls and famous or secret traditional restaurants. A food tour that allows you to taste Thai culinary specialties but also to visit Wat Pho and Wat Arun temples by night. A very nice evening full of surprises, flavours and emotions that we recommend you if you come to visit Bangkok!
An unusual activity tested in January 2019
Book your "Food Tour" of Bangkok here on Civitatis
9. Visit Bangkok's Chinatown
Bangkok's Chinatown is one of the must-visit areas in Bangkok. It can be visited by day for its temples and by night for its markets. Between the confidential lanes and the great commercial arteries, the district swarms with life, markets, street stalls of all kinds. We also visited the Golden Buddha temple and its 5 tons of gold which are located just next to the door of the Chinese quarter.
A surprise at the end of the vlog was a dinner with a breathtaking view from Bangkok's tallest tower, the Baiyoke Tower. An activity booked on the Civitatis website.
Book your dinner at the top of Bangkok's Baiyoke Tower
10. Explore Bangkok's Ghost tower (Unique Sathorn tower)
In Bangkok, it's not hard to get a good view of the city. Most tourists visiting the capital go for a drink on one of the many roof tops. As we never want to be like everyone else (lol), we found a tower that is more difficult to access. On the other hand, the view is incomparable.
This morning, we take a little height by climbing the 50 floors of the ghost tower. This unfinished tower, the Unique Sathorn, is now abandoned and the site has become exciting to explore but also dizzying for URBEX fans. Access to the abandoned tower is not guaranteed and you will have to drop a ticket (between 200 and 500 baths/person). We were lucky. We tell you all about it here in this vlog. Are you a fan of urban exploration too?
Tips for getting around Bangkok
City guide Bangkok with all our tips
Book here bus, boat, train and car anywhere in Asia on the 12 Go website.
Finally, here's another look at the city of Bangkok in video with the 10 favourite photo spots of our buddy Mr Peuss, a specialist in South East Asia. Don't hesitate to subscribe to his YouTube channel for even more good shots in Thailand and not only!
By the way, during his stay, he tested a hotel in Bangkok that we recommend, The Rose Residence. A short video summary.
