Bangkok became Thailand’s capital after Ayutthaya fell to a Burmese army in 1767; the court rebuilt on the Chao Phraya River’s east bank, and two and a half centuries later this is Southeast Asia’s busiest aviation hub and Thailand’s political, commercial and cultural centre. Most Thailand trips start or end here, whether that means two nights before flying onward or a base for exploring the country’s best-known temples and markets.
This guide covers the neighbourhoods worth knowing, four landmarks worth building a day around, how to move between them, where to stay depending on what you came for, and the standard day trip out of the city.
Getting oriented
Bangkok is huge, and its districts serve different purposes. Rattanakosin, the old royal island bounded by a canal and the river, holds the Grand Palace, Wat Pho and most of the historic temples, and is best explored on foot or by river boat. Sukhumvit, running east from the centre, is the modern, expat-heavy strip of malls, condos and restaurants. Silom and Sathorn, south of the centre, are the financial district by day and a nightlife strip by evening. Khao San Road, on the edge of Rattanakosin, is the backpacker hub. Yaowarat is Bangkok’s Chinatown, dense with street food stalls. Chatuchak, in the north of the city near the Mo Chit transit interchange, is really a weekend-only destination built around its market, covered below.
Highlights
Grand Palace
Construction began on 6 May 1782, when Rama I ordered a new royal residence to replace the destroyed capital at Ayutthaya. The walled, riverside complex includes the residential Phra Maha Monthien group, where every Thai coronation since Rama II has taken place, and the Chakri Maha Prasat, a Thai-European hybrid throne hall completed in 1882. Its best-known building is Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, built in 1783 as a royal chapel rather than a monastery. The palace remains a working royal site as well as a museum, and draws more than eight million visitors a year; arrive early, and dress modestly, shoulders and knees covered, no exceptions.
Wat Pho
Just south of the Grand Palace, Wat Pho was rebuilt on an older Ayutthaya-era temple site starting in 1788 and finished under its current name in 1801. Its centrepiece, added by Rama III in 1832, is a reclining Buddha 46 metres long and 15 metres high, its plaster-over-brick surface gilded and its feet inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Beyond the statue, the grounds hold more than 1,000 Buddha images, the largest such collection in Thailand, and the temple’s traditional massage school, founded in 1955, still trains and treats visitors on site.
Jim Thompson House
A change of pace from the temples: this teak-house museum was built in 1958 and 1959 by Jim Thompson, the American businessman credited with reviving Thailand’s silk industry. Six traditional Thai houses, most relocated from Ayutthaya, were joined into a single home and filled with his collection of Southeast Asian art and antiques. Thompson disappeared without a trace on a walk in Malaysia in 1967, and the house has been run as a museum by his foundation ever since, with guided tours through the house and garden.
Chatuchak Weekend Market
Open in some form since 1942, this market moved to its current site by 1983 and took its present name in 1987. It is now the country’s largest market, with more than 15,000 stalls across dozens of sections selling everything from clothes and antiques to street food, and it draws over 200,000 visitors on a typical weekend. It only fully operates Saturday and Sunday, so plan the rest of your weekend around it rather than the other way round.
Getting around
The BTS Skytrain and MRT metro cover most of the areas visitors spend time in, and are faster than the roads at almost any hour. A BTS one-day pass costs 150 baht for unlimited rides on the Skytrain network; the MRT sells its own separate tickets and passes. From Suvarnabhumi Airport, the Airport Rail Link reaches Phaya Thai station in about 27 minutes for 45 baht, while a metered taxi costs roughly 250 to 400 baht plus tolls and takes 45 to 60 minutes depending on traffic. Along the river, Chao Phraya Express boats are a cheap, scenic way to reach Rattanakosin’s temples, with the orange-flag line costing 14 baht a ride and running roughly 06:00 to 19:00.
The commonly cited best time to visit is the cool season from November to February; the rest of the year is hotter, and roughly May to October is also the wet season. This window has not been confirmed against a reachable official Thai tourism source this run, so treat it as indicative rather than exact.
Where to stay by area
Sukhumvit suits a first visit heavy on modern conveniences: transit access, malls, and a wide range of restaurants, at the cost of being a taxi or train ride from the old temples. Rattanakosin and the area around Khao San Road put you within walking distance of the Grand Palace and Wat Pho, at the cost of the area’s crowds and traffic. Silom and Sathorn work well if you also want easy access to Bangkok’s nightlife and financial-district skyline. Wherever you stay, pick somewhere near a BTS or MRT station: it saves more time than the price difference between neighbourhoods.
Day trips
Ayutthaya, the former capital destroyed by a Burmese army in 1767, is the standard day trip out of Bangkok: a UNESCO-listed field of ruined temples reachable by train, minivan or organised tour, and substantial enough to fill a full day or justify staying the night.