Are you visiting Bangkok for the first time and don’t know what to do? In this news, we’ll show you our top 10 must-do things when visiting Bangkok. We only chose activities that we personally love and would do again. This also includes two-day trips that you cannot miss and a bonus tip at the end.
Let’s jump right into it!
First on the list is Chinatown.
It’s funny — when you watch anything about Bangkok, they will show you images of Chinatown, especially this very iconic street. And yes, it is a must-visit. During the day, you can stroll through the streets and tiny alleyways looking for deals on, let’s say, items of the fake kind. But you’ll also find other shopping items and, yes, food. During the night, this street becomes a hawker food paradise with many classic Chinese dishes to try. From eating dumplings on the side of the road to slurping up noodles or finding amazing roast duck, Chinatown is the place to be when visiting Bangkok.
Number two is the Chatuchak Weekend Market.
It’s one of the world’s largest weekend markets with over 15,000 stalls. It’s open every Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. And you can buy everything here — and when we say everything, we mean it. From all the Thai souvenirs that you want to bring home to all kinds of fashion, there are more things than you can look at. And also, there’s food everywhere! If you can’t find what you need here, you can’t find it anywhere. Just remember, this market is only open on weekends, so plan accordingly.
Our third recommendation is to cruise on the Chao Phraya River.
The Chao Phraya River is also known as the River of Kings and is the main artery of Thailand. It flows through Bangkok before reaching the Gulf of Thailand, and the river plays a vital role in the city. There are many options available to cruise down the Chao Phraya River. For example, you can go on the Chao Phraya Express boat — this is like taking a cruise and public transport at the same time, as you can hop on and hop off wherever you want. You can also take a private cruise or go on a smaller boat and see all the sides of Bangkok, even going into the canals to see many highlights from the water. Whatever you do, just go with the flow — except for these dinner cruise boats. Avoid these.
Then, for our next must-visit, is our absolute favorite temple and the most beautiful one — Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn.
It’s located on the western side of the Chao Phraya River, and it’s just stunning. The entrance fee is 200 baht per person, and as you can see, it’s well worth the price. Best time to go is in the morning, avoiding the crowds, or during sunset. As an added bonus, there are many boats that stop here, so it’s really easy to reach.
Next on the list is Wat Pho.
Have you ever seen a 46-meter-long gold-plated reclining Buddha? Well, visit the Wat Pho temple and you can admire this giant lying statue. It costs 300 baht per person to enter, but you will be impressed by its size for sure. Wat Pho is also known to be the birthplace of traditional Thai medicine and massages, which you can also get here — but of course, you’ll have to pay for it. Even though Bangkok has many temples, this one needs to be on your list for sure.
Next up, the Grand Palace.
Built in 1782, the Grand Palace is the ceremonial residence of the King of Thailand and cannot be missed when you’re visiting Bangkok for the first time. With its beautiful architecture, it’s a worthwhile visit, but it does set you back 500 baht per person. The entrance fee includes the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles and Wat Phra Kaew, Thailand’s famous Emerald Buddha.
Also, don’t forget to dress appropriately for the Grand Palace and all temples you visit — this is very important. Even though, yes, it’s very hot outside, make sure you cover your shoulders and knees. You can also combine visiting the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, and Wat Arun in one day as they’re very close to each other. You can easily walk from the Grand Palace to Wat Pho, and from there take the 5 baht ferry to Wat Arun.
From there on, you can continue to our favorite mall — that’s included in number eight — visiting Bangkok’s luxury malls.
Bangkok is the perfect place for your luxury shopping needs, with over 200 malls spread out over the city. But which one to choose? Our first recommendation and favorite one is IconSiam, a beautiful, ginormous mall right on the Chao Phraya River with all the shops and restaurants you want, plus a giant indoor waterfall and a food court in the basement that’s set up as a floating market. This also saves you a trip going to the actual floating market, which is honestly kind of a tourist trap.
Another mall recommendation is in the EmDistrict.
It consists of three malls located right next to each other. You have direct access from BTS Line Phrom Phong. You’ll find all the stores you need and want here — and the latest addition, the EmSphere, even comes with a city IKEA.
Our last mall recommendation is CentralWorld.
A mall with many different stores located in the Siam district. It’s also one of the largest malls in Bangkok, is easily accessible, and has a grand square in front of it that hosts many themed events throughout the year.
If you want an escape from the hustle and bustle of the city but don’t want to go far, then visiting a park is your best bet. Benjakitti Park.
for example, is a beautiful park with a big lake that you can walk around, or you can take a stroll on the Benjakitti Forest Skywalk.
The second Bangkok park we recommend is Lumphini Park.
Here you’ll find a lake where you can take boat rides, and Lumphini Park is perfect to stroll around. You can also see lots of animals here — even the fearsome monitor lizards! We recommend visiting in the morning or in the evening, as it can get very hot.
Next up is taking a day trip to Kanchanaburi and the River Kwai.
The bridge over the River Kwai in Kanchanaburi was made famous by the movie with the same name, and it’s an easy day trip from Bangkok. You can take one of two direct trains, and it only takes 2½ hours to get there. On the way, you’ll pass through beautiful Thai landscapes, and a train ticket only costs 100 baht per person. The train stops right in front of the bridge, and after leaving the train, you can actually walk over it. For more insight about the history of the town and the bridge itself, we recommend visiting the Thailand–Burma Railway Center and the JEATH War Museum. For an easy day trip, we recommend taking the 7:45 a.m. train and returning with the 2:45 p.m. train. Alternatively, you can also spend the night here or go from Bangkok with one of the many day tours.
Last on our list is a trip to Ayutthaya.
This is the old capital city of Thailand, and you can get here with a guided tour or by train for only 15 baht. There are direct trains leaving from Hua Lamphong Station, and it takes a little under two hours to get there — super easy. In Ayutthaya, you can see the history of the old capital of Siam. There’s even a temple that looks like a mini Angkor Wat, and you can see an old Buddha head statue intertwined in a banyan tree. We really recommend taking a boat tour over the river so you can see many highlights of Ayutthaya from the water. It’s easily reachable by many trains — you can take a very early train and go back later in the day to maximize your day trip. But there are also many hotels there, so you could also spend the night.
Before we go, it’s time for the bonus tip. We wouldn’t be Dutch if we didn’t recommend doing a bicycle tour in Bangkok.
We went on a cycling tour exploring the city of Bangkok with Co van Kessel and their unique yellow bikes that also fit tall people. On a cycling tour, you will bike through the streets of Bangkok, cross the Chao Phraya River, go to the countryside, and even visit markets. It’s a great way to explore the city from a different perspective, especially if you’re short on time. Some cycling tours also include a boat ride on the canals, which we really recommend.
Now, there you have it — 10 things plus a bonus tip that we recommend doing when visiting Bangkok for the first time. Ideally, you need four to six days to do all of these things, and that’s also the minimum that we recommend when going to Bangkok.
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