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Must-sees & Must-Dos in Bangkok?

What to to in Bangkok? Must-see and visit places

What to do and see in Bangkok

People say that Bangkok never sleeps and it is true ! Here is a small list of things to see in Bangkok with the places to visit absolutely like Wat Phra Kaew attached to the Grand Palais, their neighborWat Pho and its magnificent reclining Buddha and Wat Arun on the other bank of Chao Phraya river. i advice you to use the subway and Chao Praya Express boats to get there. And to discover another facet of Bangkok, I recommend you to go discover the klongs. On the weekends id possible when floating markets take place.
I also listed at the end of the page some good tours, excursions and activities that you can do in Bangkok or from Bangkok. Click here to see them.

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The must-see places in Bangkok
Other recommended visits in Bangkok
Other suggested visits
Activities and excursions in Bangkok
Excursions from Bangkok

Must-visit places in Bangkok

Wat Pho

วัดโพธิ์

My opinion :

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Very pleasant in the late afternoon, just opposite to the Wat Phra Kaew, it is famous for its huge reclining Buddha.

Wat Arun

วัดอรุณ

My opinion :

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or Temple of Dawn on the other side of the river in front of Wat Po. The crossing by tray boat is very cheap (3 bahts)

The klongs

คลอง

My opinion :

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These small canals going through Bangkok take you rto a completly different setting : very quiet, rural, almost out of time. You really have the the impression of having left the city.

Wat Phra Kaew

วัดพระแก้ว

My opinion :

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and its many buildings with gilding and refined decorations. No entry after 15:30 is possible. Try schedule the visit in the morning to be sure.

Great Palace

พระบรมมหาราชวัง

My opinion :

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royal residence which is now used only for ceremonies. It is right next to Wat Phra Keo

Golden Mountain

ภูเขาทอ

My opinion :

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which offers a beautiful view of the city and where you can see the contrast between modernity and the more fragile houses.

Klong Lat Mayom Floating Market

ตลาดน้ำคลองลัดมะยม

My opinion :

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This small floating market on the immediate outskirts of Bangkok is open on weekends only and is a nice place to visit to discover the life on the canals of the Thai capital city. Collective or private boat tours leave. I advise you to combine your visit with a tour on the klongs (canals).

Mahanakhon Skywalk

My opinion :

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At the top of the Mahanakhon Tower, on the 78th floor, culminating at over 300 meters, it offers the highest and most impressive view over the Thai capital city. Its part with its glass floor above the void is not for those who are subject to vertigo.

Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen

วัดปากน้ำภาษีเจริญ

My opinion :

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This temple, not yet very known to foreign tourists, already attracted some of them thanks to the superb colored vault of its chedi, but it should attract many more once its large Buddha image will be completed.

Talad Noï

ตลาดน้อย

My opinion :

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This small district of Bangkok Chinatown, has the atmosphere of a small village. It is very pleasant and exotic to wander there on foot. Talad Noi with its small alleys, his street art works, his old houses, his mechanics stalls, his local life gives you a very different image of Bangkok.

Sala Chalermkrung Royal Theatre

โรงมหรสพหลวงศาลาเฉลิมกรุง

My opinion :

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This theater in the center of Bangkok perpetuates the tradition of Thai drama and dance and gives at least 3 small performances every day showing short sequences of traditional visual arts. And the best part is that it's free! Well almost ! I invite you to consult the details on the dedicated sheet on the site.

Royal Barges National Museum

พิพิธภัณฑสถานแห่งชาติ เรือพระราชพิธี

My opinion :

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This riverside museum houses some of the richly decorated royal barges. These centuries-old vessels with their beautifully decorated prows are still used in rare royal processions on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok.

Chinatown Street Food Area

โซนอาหารริมถนนเยาวราช

My opinion :

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It's in the Chinatown district, on a stretch of Yaowarat Road, that you'll find the largest concentration of street food stalls in Bangkok every evening. A busy spot, but ideal for discovering the incredible richness of Thai cuisine and its wide range of flavors and products.

Find a room in Bangkok

Other nice places to visit in Bangkok

Wat Suthat

starstarstarstarstar temple in front of which stands the big swing. Its courtyard is very nice and pretty. It is not far from the golden mountain.

Ayutthaya

starstarstarstarstar Even if it is more interesting to sleep there and stay at least 2 days, Ayutthaya, former capital of Siam Kingdom can be visited very easy in one day from Bangkok. It is the nearest historical destination from the capital. Tourists come here to explore its ruins of temples classified as World Heritage by UNESCO. They get here by themselves by train or hire a guide who organizes everything for them.

Wat Benchamabophit

starstarstarstar one of our favorite temples in Bangkok. Peaceful with its small watercourse, it is pleasant to be. In the main bulding, the sitting Buddha with its blue background is beautiful on photographs.

Vimanmek Palace (Dusit Palace)

starstarstarstar the largest teak house in the world.

Muang Boran (Ancient City)

starstarstarstar at about 70 km from Bangkok, this park includes replicas at larger or smaller scales of the most famous temples in Thailand and some of Cambodian, Burmese, Laotian or Chinese temples. A suprising visit that can be a introduction to your stay in the country.

Wat Ratchabophit

starstarstarstar not far from Wat Pho and Grand Palace, this architecturally refined temple is rarely visited but really worth a visit

Jim Thompson House

starstarstarstar turned into a museum, the house consists of old buildings from different provinces of Thailand that Jim Thompson had made rebuilt here. You can see many pieces of his collection of art objects and learn the basics of silk work in Thailand. Jim Thompson was an American businessman who helped revitalize the Thai silk industry in the 1950s and 1960s

Taling Chan Floating Market

starstarstarstar small market held on weekends. The floating portion is quite small but is a nice place and still quite unknown among tourists. It is also a good starting point to visit the klongs, the small canals running through Bangkok. Prices are lower and tours offered interesting.

Koh Kret island

starstarstarstar this small island outside of Bangkok is an exotic and charming place. Here you will be away from the noise of the city. The inhabitants are Mon. They are famous for their pottery.

Phutthamonthon

starstarstarstar about thirty kilometers from Bangkok, this huge park is known for the big Walking Buddha statue standing at its center which is reportedly the largest in the world. Around it, monuments recall the main stages of the life of Lord Buddha and a temple houses the sacred texts of Theravada Buddhism carved in marble stone.

Wat Traimit

starstarstarstar known for its 3 meters high golden Buddha. It is the largest solid golden statue in the world. It stayed hidden under a layer of plaster for a very long time. Rediscovered in the 50s, it is now exposed at Wat Traimit.

Chatuchak Week End Market

starstarstarstar is the largest market in Bangkok. It is held every weekend. You can find and buy almost everything. The Chatuchak Market is such a phenomenon that it has become a tourist attraction even though the Thais remain by far its main customers.

Wat Intharawihan

starstarstarstar interesting for its 32 meters hight big Buddha image decorated with glass and gold mosaics. Oddly little known, Wat Intharawihan worth a visit ofr its unique in Bangkok statue.

Wat Pariwat

starstarstarstar Even if its nickname is <em>the David Beckham Temple</em>, it is more for the small statues of various comic and manga characters that are among the statues decorating the exterior of one of the halls of the temple that it is fun to visit Wat Pariwat. It is a curiosity still little known by tourists and a unique temple marrying Buddhism, super heroes and cartoons.

Wat Bang Chak

starstarstarstar This amazing temple opposite Koh Kret island on the outskirts of Bangkok is in my opinion a must see place when you go visit the island on the Chao Phraya river.

Lhong 1919

starstarstarstar This small center located on the banks of the Chao Phraya River is interesting for its Chinese architectural style warehouses dating back almost 2 centuries and its murals. But having never found its public it is now deserted, doomed to be closed but remains open to the public for the moment.

Amphawa

starstarstarstar Especially interesting for its floating market installed on weekends on a canal, the surroundings of Amphawa Floating Market which is a 1h30 drive from Bangkok are also interesting with boat tours, several other floating markets, the surprising Mae Klong Railway Merket less than 10 kilometers away, its countryside, its crafts... A destination more interesting to visit on weekends.

Kundeejeen Community

starstarstarstar This small hamlet along the Chao Phraya River in Thonburi district in Bangkok is a place steeped in history and tradition. It was first the Portuguese immigrants who came to settle there after the sack of Ayutthaya by the Burmese when the capital of the Kingdom was moved here. Today, the community perpetuates its historical and culinary traditions there.

Thonburi district

starstarstarstar This district located just opposite the most visited monuments in Bangkok, on the other bank of the Chao Phraya river, has a very pleasant small village atmosphere and is full of interesting places to visit to discover both the history and the diversity of Bangkok culture. It can be visited very easily by wlaking. Especially following my Walking Tour itinerarytinerary.

Children's Discovery Museum

starstarstarstar This museum, which is more of a small amusement park for children with educational aims, is really an interesting option to keep your children busy in Bangkok, on a rainy day for example. Large, with many activities on offer, it also has the big advantage of being completely free for both Thais and foreigners.

Wat Prayoon

starstarstarstar This Buddhist temple, located on the Thonburi side of the river, across from the Grand Palace, is rarely visited by foreign tourists despite its unique architecture and small Zen garden that I love. It can be part of a pleasant walking tour of this peaceful Bangkok neighborhood.

Khao Mo

starstarstarstar This small garden, which artificially reproduces in miniature Mount Meru, the center of the universe in Hindu cosmology, on a small artificial island surrounded by a pond, is a calm and Zen place attached to Wat Prayoon in the Thonburi district.

Khlong Bang Luang Floating Market

starstarstar This is not a floating market but a small part of a sympathetic canal (klong in Thai language) sometimes on the programme of in tours on the klongs of Bangkok especially for the show at the Artist House. Exotic and only a few metro stops from the Grand Palais.

Artist's House (Baan Silapin)

starstarstar Also known as Baan Silapin, this teak canal house in Bangkok is home to a puppet and traditional dance school that gives a show every day.

Asiatique The Riverfront

starstarstar this night market located in old docks of Bangkok along the Chao Phraya river, provides shopping and dinners in quality restaurants. It is a unique place in Bangkok and getting more and more famous. Asiatique is more Hi-So compared to night markets we are used to see in Thailand.

Bang Nam Phueng Floating Market

starstarstar This small floating market is held on Saturdays and Sundays near Bang Krachao, just on the outskirts of Bangkok. This is one of the best floating markets in close proximity to Bangkok even if it is not actually ''floating''. It is interesting to add it to your tour in Bang Krachao the green lung of Bangkok.

Bang Krachao, Bangkok's green lung

starstarstar Also called 'Bangkok's green lung', this little area of nature is a good option to escape the bustle of the city. You can have some nice bicycke rides there, discover a floating market and relax in a beautiful park. A good getaway for weekends (the floating market is only open on weekends).

Wat Bowonniwet

starstarstar A 5 minute walk from the famous Khao San Road, this temple is however not much visited by tourists. It is a very important place in the royal and religious history of Thailand. Several kings were monks there, including the late King Bhumibol who died in October 2016. The temple has a superb chedi and magnificent Buddha images in its main hall.

Chinatown

starstarstar Bangkok's Chinatown has a life of its own. It is one of the busiest and most commercial area in the Thai capital city and also a convenient base for exploring Bangkok and discovering the famous Thai Street Food in the evening.

Erawan Museum

starstarstar This large museum is one of the most interesting and well known in Bangkok although it is a few kilometers outside the city. You can't miss it with its huge statue of Erawan, a 3-headed elephant.

Neon Market

starstarstar This fairly new night market is one of the nice places to dine or shop in Bangkok in the evening. Its weak point remains its location a little far from the metro.

Bang Kapi floating footbridge to cross the canal

starstarstar This ingenious floating footbridge installed with a system of pulleys and pedals to move it in one direction or the other is one of the little curiosities of a Bangkok off the beaten track. Not a visit to put on the program if you are in a hurry but if you take the time to discover Bangkok in a different way.

ICON SIAM

starstarstar Yes, it's a shopping center but it has almost become a monument to visit in Bangkok. For its architectural style, the fact that it illustrates the splendor of Bangkok's large malls or at least just for the view of the Chao Phraya river that it offers from its 6th floor terrace. By the way, you can also go shopping there ;)

JODD FAIRS Rama 9

starstarstar This is one of the nicest night markets in Bangkok. Large selection of food and clothing and craft products including jewelry. A great place to eat well and shop especially as it is right next to a large shopping center.

Bangkok Flower Market

starstarstar I'm talking about the one in town, a few minutes' walk from Wat Pho and its reclining Buddha. While it's smaller than the new flower market, it's still impressive and worth a visit. Especially to see the vendors at work creating necklaces and floral arrangements for the temples.

Ong Ang Canal

starstarstar This pedestrianized canalside promenade, cleaned and rehabilitated, is quite pleasant, with numerous magnificent works of street art. There are also stalls and restaurants, particularly Indian ones, and a night market on weekends, which unfortunately is losing momentum due to its lack of visitors.

Siam House of Bizarre Creatures

starstar little funny museum especially interesting for curious people who will love its collections of weird animals such as two-headed turtles. Don't come especially for the museum but it can be nice to see it when visiting the Taling Chan Floating Market next door.

Santa Cruz Church

starstar It is one of the churches, if not the most famous Catholic church in Bangkok. Ideally located in the Thonburi district, 50 meters from the banks of the Chao Phraya river, it was built by the Portuguese who settled here.

Wat Kalayanamit

starstar This royal Buddhist temple, located on the banks of the Chao Phraya River in the Thonburi district, is one of the most important and popular temples in Bangkok. While architecturally, it doesn't stand out from many other temples, it's interesting to see the Buddhist rites performed there, and the entire area is worth a visit.

Other visits suggestions in Bangkok

National Museum
where you can discover the masterpieces of thai art.

Tours in Bangkok and around

This selection includes tours, excursions and activities to do in Bangkok that I personally tested or were tested by people I fully trust and offers by recognized agencies or websites known for their seriousness and quality.