30 Best things to see & do in Bangkok

The former seat of power of Siamese kings, the glittering Grand Palace complex is one of Thailand’s big tourism draw cards.

Constructed in 1782, the complex includes halls, pavilions and temples set around open lawns, gardens and courtyards – it was the home of Thai kings for 150 years and is still considered their spiritual and ceremonial base. While the King no longer lives here, it’s still used for ceremonies.

Decorated in shimmering mosaics and vivid murals, the buildings are incredible, especially the temple of Wat Phra Kaew.

With their golden roofs and incense-swirled spires, Bangkok’s 400-or-so wats (temples) aren’t just a pretty backdrop for box-ticking tourists, but a cornerstone of Thai society. Thais from all walks of life come here to make merit and ask Buddhist deities for good for-tune at work or in their relationships, while many young men stay as temporary monks as a rite of passage towards adulthood.

The city’s oldest temples, such as the 16th century Wat Pho, bedazzle with their jewel-studded opulence, but more recent builds, such as Wat Samphran with a giant dragon coiling around its tower, are equally impressive.

Before Bangkok – or Krung Thep – became Thailand’s (then Siam) capital in 1782, Ayutthaya was the Kingdom’s centre of power. As one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities of that time, it drew in merchants from all corners of the globe and grew into a vast empire of grand palaces and gilded temples. That abruptly ended when the Burmese ransacked the city in 1767 and reduced its splendours to rubble.

Today, it stands as a ruined shell of its former past, littered with bricks, dilapidated shrines and crumbling Buddha statues consumed by nature. But wander around these ruins, and you’ll only need a pinch of imagination to envision just how splendid this city once was.

The Jim Thompson House is the former home of the eponymous American entrepreneur who founded the Jim Thompson Thai Silk Company and played a pivotal role in reviving the industry.

Thompson mysteriously disappeared in the jungles of Malaysia in 1967 and left behind this landmark complex of six traditional Thai-style houses.

Now a museum, the site is in fine condition, with much of Thompson’s extensive art and antiques collection on display throughout, making it one of Bangkok’s must-do attractions.

Make sure you stop by the shop – there are plenty of pretty things on offer, from Jim Thompson silk to beautiful handmade souvenirs.

As the epicentre of one of the world’s most beloved cuisines, Bangkok is an excellent grazing ground for Thai food from every corner of the country. There’s creamy massaman curry and tom kha kai (chicken coconut soup), of course, which you can find everywhere from dingy street food carts to Michelin-rated restaurants.

But Bangkok is also an excellent place to hunt down hyper-local dishes you won’t find on the menu of your hometown Thai joint.

Seek out southern Thai cuisine for its ferociously fiery curries and ample use of fresh seafood. Opt for eastern fare, where shrimp paste and regional herbs create umami-rich and earthy flavours. Or follow your nose to kitchens dishing up northern Thai classics such as khao soi curry soup and nam prik chilli dips.

A trip down the Chao Phraya River or Bangkok’s many khlongs (canals) is the best way to get under the city’s skin. Seen from the water, a wholly different Bangkok reveals itself: kids dive-bombing from rickety bridges, elderly ladies doing laundry, and croc-sized monitor lizards lazing in the sun.

One of the most enjoyable (and cheapest) boat rides is the public San Saeb Express, which connects the gleaming city centre to Bangkok’s historical heart, passing by stilted shanties and glittering temples along the way.

On the other end of the spectrum are the snazzy dinner cruise lines, such as Suppaniga Cruise, which combine fabulous Thai food with spectacular sunset views of Rattanakosin’s riverside temples.

A colossal gold reclining Buddha with auspicious symbols on the soles of his feet is the main attraction at Wat Pho. The temple complex is also home to Thailand’s largest collection of glittering gold Buddha images.

Built during the Japanese occupation of Thailand in World War II, the Burma-Siam train track – better known as the Death Railway – represents a dark chapter of the country’s past.

More than 100.000 prisoners of war and civilian laborers lost their lives due to hunger and exhaustion, making this one of the deadliest construction projects in modern history.

These days, most visitors come to pay their respects at the iron railway bridge made famous by the eponymous 1957 movie Bridge on the River Kwai (though few know it was filmed in Sri Lanka).

But unless you’re a history buff, the bridge itself isn’t all that interesting. Instead, board one of the rickety trains still cruising the tracks several times a day to get a much better feel of the intense suffering this project has caused.

With its gleaming mega-malls and ramshackle riverside markets, Bangkok makes it dangerously easy to part with a whole lot of baht.

World-class shopping malls like CentralWorld and ICONSIAM house boutiques from almost every brand under the sun, while young Thai designers hawk indie fashion labels and funky home goods from stamp-sized boutiques around Pratunam and Siam Square.

And when these clock out, a slew of night markets pop up as neon-lit treasure troves with handicrafts and vintage clothes to paw through until well after midnight.

There are few better ways to witness Thailand’s from its wild side than at a Thai kickboxing (or Muay Thai) match. There will be sweat, there will be blood, and the crowd will be positively bonkers. But even if you can’t tell a push kick from a round kick, the whooping and hollering around the ring is wildly contagious.

This national sport finds it origins in the battlefields of ancient Siam, but has since grown into a testosterone- and beer-soaked gambling night for the mainly male fraternity. Evenings usually consist of 9 fights, each of which is made up of five three-minute rounds. Headlining fights take place later in the night, and are usually reserved for the 7th, 8th, and 9th match.

The out-of-the-way New Lumpinee Boxing Stadium is the sanctum sanctorum of this national sport and welcomes the biggest stars, but the mid-century Rjadamnern Boxing Stadium near Rattanakosin is a much more accessible and an equally enthralling venue.

One of Bangkok’s most photographed temples, Wat Arun is beautifully decorated with colourful porcelain pieces. Situated in a sublime location on the Chao Phraya river, it was renamed Wat Chaeng by King Taksin, who arrived here at dawn having escaped the Burmese during the Ayutthaya siege.

Set within the Wat Saket temple complex, Phu Khao Thong (the Golden Mount) boasts a 58m gleaming golden chedi. Most visitors climb the 318 steps to savour the views over Bangkok, which are particularly spectacular at sunset.

A bike ride might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you first step foot into Bangkok’s cacophonous Chinatown. But venture away from the rip-roaring tuk-tuks and jam-packed side streets, and you’ll soon discover that this colourful district perfectly lends itself for exploration on two wheels.

During guided tours, you’ll pedal past incense-swirled spirit houses and hidden wet markets in Chinatown’s back alleys, then continue via longtail boat to palm groves and stilted villages in the city’s rural suburbs.

Small groups and frequent informative stops make for a fascinating peek into the daily lives of the city’s residents, and to discover the Big Mango from an unexpected angle.

One of Bangkok’s most popular little museums. The charming, 70-year-old restored teak house offers a compelling glimpse of family life in Bangkok from the 1930s to the 1960s.

Few cities in the world have a skyline as impressive as Bangkok’s, and in recent years a rooftop drinking scene has developed that offers the best and widest choice in all of South-East Asia. Sipping a cocktail at one of these head-spinningly high bars gives the chance to fully grasp just how massive this vibrant metropolis is.

Dress up and prepare to pose – these high-rise haunts are all about glamour, often with prices to match. But there are plenty of budget-friendly rooftop joints hidden in this concrete jungle too.

Whether you’re after a salad bowl or a pair of vintage sneakers, you’re almost guaranteed to find it at the Chatuchak Weekend Market – in ten different colours and sizes. This is the world’s largest weekend market, and even the most determined pathfinders are bound to get lost in its labyrinth of clothing shops, massage joints, souvenir stalls and coffee corners.

While most shops lining its main path specialise in tourist tat, the thousands of stalls beyond them sell everything from antique furnishing to quirky fashion by homegrown designers.

Taking over a set of warehouses in the Prawet suburb some 30 minutes from downtown, this 2,000-stall night market is a magnet for Thai hipsters on the hunt for vintage film posters, second-hand sneakers and Japanese collectibles.

Located in a horseshoe bend of the Chao Phraya River some 45 minutes north of Bangkok proper, palm-studded Koh Kret offers a welcome antidote to the city’s concrete jungle.

The island was created in 1722 by digging a canal to separate it from the mainland, and was once home to the Mon Hill Tribe, who emigrated here after the fall of Ayutthaya in 1765. Life here continues pretty much as it has done for centuries, with nothing more touristic than a handful of souvenir stores selling the community’s signature pottery.

These days, their descendants inhabit a lively little village near the pier, with wooden footbridges and cycle paths linking the shacks, tumbledown houses and historic temples. If you want a glimpse of authentic Thai village life, this is the place to come.

Shaped like a giant dragon coiled around a concrete skyscraper, off-the-beaten-track Wat Samphran proves that not every temple is a riot of glitter and gold. A steep pathway through the dragon’s belly leads to the rooftop shrine with spectacular views over the countryside some 40km from Bangkok. It’s an extraordinary creation – and worth making the effort to go see it for yourself.

This island in the horseshoe of the Chao Phraya River is only a 10-minute hop from the city centre, but feels like a world away. Rent a bicycle and follow stilted pathways through lush jungle and laid-back villages.

Flaming woks balancing on tiny canoes, mountains of fresh fruits – Bangkok’s floating markets are a kaleidoscope of Thai-tinged wonder. That said, their old-timey charm has long faded as souvenirs shops have replaced most noodle joints. It’s a fun day out, but no longer an authentic experience.

Heaving with jasmine, orchids and marigolds, Bangkok’s flower market is a mesmerising riot of colours, floral scents and boisterous vendors. Visit after midnight, when wholesalers drop off their wares and the market is at its liveliest.

Over the past few years, forward-thinking creatives have transformed Bangkok’s riverside Bang Rak area into the city’s de-facto design district.

Here, boutique concept stores and art galleries blow new life into dilapidated shophouses, while wall-spanning street art by some of Thailand’s top artists infuses the winding alleys with a much-needed pop of colour.

Most galleries congregate around the Thailand Creative & Design Center in the Grand Postal Office, the creative hub that kick-started the artistic renaissance back in 2017, but new ones pop up almost monthly.

Highlights include Warehouse 30, a multi-use creative space in a WWII-era industrial complex; artsy concept store-meets-tea parlour Citizen Tea Canteen; and ATT19, a contemporary art gallery taking over a 120-year-old former school building.

Once a sombre festival to celebrate cleansing and starting afresh in the New Year, the yearly Songkran festivities have since grown into a rowdy mass water fight with little cultural value. Couples are better off escaping town, but it’s fun for solo travellers.

The Erawan Shrine is the most important religious symbol in Bangkok – despite it actually being a Hindu rather than Buddhist shrine. Each day, there’s a constant stream of locals offering flowers or carved wooden elephants in the hope of having wishes (mostly financial) granted.

When you feel the need to escape Bangkok’s oppressive traffic fumes, Lumphini Park is a lush central oasis and a fantastic place for a stroll. Go early morning and late afternoon when locals come for sports and you’ll find elderly ladies practicing sword fighting and Tai-Chi.

Tucked away in an unassuming street snaking off Ratanakosin, the little-visited Nang Loeng Market feels frozen in time. It’s a street food hotspot, especially in the early mornings – don’t miss the crispy roasted pork at Jib Ki and the traditional Thai desserts at Nanta.

Rising from the ground like a giant swirl of steel, this ultra-luxurious mall in Phloen Chit houses the typical Chanel, Hermes and Jimmy Choo, but is also an excellent spot to pick up smart (albeit pricy) souvenirs from homegrown luxury labels like Jim Thompson, Siwilai and S’uvimol.

Bangkok’s highest sky bar on the 77th floor of the pixelated King Power Mahanakhon towers at least 14 floors above the competition. Views from this inside-outside rooftop bar and restaurant are second to none, and the multi-sensory elevator ride up is an experience on its own.

This dazzling sky bar on top of the Banyan Tree hotel is one of Bangkok’s most popular rooftop spots for a reason: its spectacular 360-degree views reach well beyond the city’s suburbs and, while pricey, the drink list is top-notch.