Things to do
13-
Bangkok National Museum
Thailand's national collection occupies the former palace of the vice king, opened to the public by King Chulalongkorn in 1874 and still arranged through its original halls and pavilions. Neolithic finds, Dvaravati and Srivijaya sculpture, Ayutthaya gilt and the Ramkhamhaeng inscription sit alongside Khmer, Cham and Javanese Buddhist art. The labelling is uneven, and volunteer tours in English run on set mornings.
-
Chatuchak Weekend Market
Saturdays and Sundays bring more than 15,000 stalls to life across 27 numbered sections, selling plants, ceramics, vintage clothing, street food and pets. Navigation is by section number and alley, and the map at the clock tower is worth a photograph. Heat builds under the low roofs by late morning, so early arrival is the usual advice. MRT Kamphaeng Phet opens straight into it.
-
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market
About 100 kilometres southwest of the capital in Ratchaburi province, this network of canals was cut under King Mongkut to link two rivers and now carries paddled sampans loaded with fruit, noodles and souvenirs. Trade is heaviest between seven and nine in the morning and thins by noon. Most of the traffic arrives by minibus or tour, so the early departure matters.
-
Grand Palace
Construction began in 1782 under the founder of the Chakri dynasty, and the walled compound served as the official royal residence until 1925. Throne halls, royal offices, a textile museum and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha stand inside one rectangle of walls, Siamese roofs above European frontages. Shoulders and knees must be covered at the gate.
-
Jim Thompson House
Six teak houses, most brought from Ayutthaya and reassembled beside Khlong Saen Saep, hold the Southeast Asian art gathered by the American who rebuilt Thailand's silk trade after the war. Thompson disappeared in Malaysia in 1967 and was never found. Entry is by guided tour only, and the gate stands a block from National Stadium station.
-
Khao San Road
A 410 metre stretch in Banglamphu, a short walk north of the palace, that has taken in backpackers since the first guesthouse opened around 1982. Bars, tattoo studios, travel agents and food carts fill it after dark and it is quiet by morning. During Songkran in April the whole street becomes a water fight.
-
Lumphini Park
Bangkok's first public park opened on land the king gave over in 1925, and covers roughly 58 hectares between Silom and Sukhumvit. Paddle boats work the lake, outdoor gyms fill at dusk, and monitor lizards several hundred strong live in the water and on the banks. Gates open before dawn for the runners and tai chi groups.
-
Wat Arun
Across the river on the Thonburi bank, a porcelain clad spire rises above the water, its surface set with broken Chinese ceramics once carried as ballast in trading ships. The main prang was finished in 1851 after nine years of work. Cross river ferries run from Tha Tien, and the stair to the upper terrace is steep.
-
Wat Benchamabophit
Carrara marble from Italy faces the ordination hall here, built from 1899 to a cruciform plan by Prince Naris, half brother of the king who commissioned it. The cloister behind holds 52 Buddha images cast in the styles of different countries and eras. Monks receive alms on Nakhon Pathom Road early each morning, standing in a line while the offerings come to them.
-
Wat Pho
Older than the capital around it, this temple holds a reclining Buddha 46 metres long, gilded and propped on one elbow, with soles inlaid in mother of pearl across 108 panels. A school of traditional medicine and massage has run in the grounds since 1955, and treatments are given there daily.
-
Wat Phra Kaew
The Emerald Buddha, a jade figure about 66 centimetres tall, sits high on a gilded throne in the ordination hall at the centre of the palace grounds. Carried from Vientiane and enshrined here in 1785, it wears gold robes that the king changes three times a year to mark the seasons. Shoes come off at the door, and the hall fills by mid morning.
-
Wat Saket
A spiral staircase climbs an artificial hill to a gold chedi holding a Buddha relic brought from Sri Lanka, with one of the clearest views over the old quarter from the terrace. The climb is shaded and takes a few minutes. Every November a candlelit procession winds up the mount and the chedi is wrapped in a long red cloth.
-
Yaowarat
Chinatown's spine runs about 1.5 kilometres in a curve said to follow a dragon's body, built under King Chulalongkorn and lined with gold dealers by day. After dark the shutters come down and the food stalls take the pavement: seafood grills, noodle woks and herbal drink stands. Wat Mangkon station on the MRT Blue Line puts the street within a few minutes' walk.