The best things to do in Bangkok

Expert guide to Bangkok

1. 

   Overview

2. 

   Hotels

3. 

   Attractions

4. 

   Restaurants

5. 

   Nightlife

6. 

   Itinerary

The Thai capital brims with palaces, museums and temples, especially along its historic riverbanks. From attractions such as the Grand Palace complex with its richly decorated halls and exquisite murals, to the best green space for escaping the hubbub of the city, Telegraph Travel expert Tom Vater shares his favourite things to do in Bangkok.

Rattanakosin

Explore the lavish grounds of the city's palace

The Grand Palace complex, located on Ko Ratanakosin, an artificial island by the Chao Praya River, is a curious blend of Italian Renaissance and Thai architecture and includes Wat Phra Kaew – the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The sacred statue is housed in a richly decorated hall while the temple walls are covered with exquisite murals of the Ramakien, Thailand’s interpretation of the Ramayana.

Insider's tip: All visitors must wear long sleeves, long trousers and socks, though shoes must be removed. Those who arrive at the palace gates dressed appropriately are obliged to rent ill-fitting clothes for 200 baht (￡5).

Address: 1 Maha Rat Rd
Contact: 00 66 2 2241833 
Opening hours: Daily, 8.30am-3.30pm
Prices: ￡￡

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See the reclining golden Buddha

Bangkok’s best known and most important royal temple is home to an incredible 150ft-long reclining golden Buddha. Constructed by King Rama I in 1788 on an earlier temple site, Wat Po, or Wat Pho, also houses the largest collection of Buddha images in the country and served as the first centre of public education in Thailand.

Insider's tip:The temple houses a school of Thai medicine. Traditional Thai massage is said to have originated here and visitors interested in either experiencing a traditional massage or wanting to take a course should begin here.

Contact: 00 66 2 2219911; watpho.com
Opening hours: Daily, 8am-5pm
Prices: ￡

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Discover the history of Thailand

The country’s largest museum opened in 1874 and is located in three large exhibition halls that started life as a royal palace. Today, the National Museum offers exhibitions illustrating Thai history, plus collections of Buddha images, textiles, ceramics, musical instruments and weapons from Neolithic times onwards, along with fine examples of Buddhist art from Cambodia, Indonesia, India, China and Vietnam.

Insider's tip: While it is certainly possible to roam the museum independently, the guided tours conducted by volunteers (in English, Wed-Thur, 9.30am, 200 baht/￡5) are highly recommended, as they lend a narrative and context to the countless artefacts on display.

Address: Na Phra That Road
Contact: 00 66 2 2241333
Opening hours: Wed-Sun, 9am-4pm
Prices: ￡

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Thonburi

Watch the sun set behind the temple on the river

The spectacular 19th-century Wat Arun, or the Temple of Dawn, rises on the western bank of the Chao Praya. Its main tower is covered with impressive mosaics made from shards of Chinese porcelain and seashells, and is surrounded by statues of Chinese soldiers, various animals and two demons who stand guard in front of the ordination hall. 

Insider's tip: Several restaurants and bars, including Riva Arun, on the opposite site of the Chao Praya River offer wonderful rooftop vistas and cocktails to enjoy the sun setting behind the temple, a spectacular sight on clear evenings. 

Contact: 00 6 2 8912185; watarun.net
Opening hours: Daily, 8.30am-5.30pm
Prices: ￡

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Chinatown

Learn the history of a secret Buddha statue

Wat Traimit, located on the edge of Chinatown – a warren of narrow alleys, congested roads and street markets – was a fairly innocuous temple until 1955 when workers relocated a plaster Buddha and realised that a 5.5 ton solid-gold statue dating back to the 14th century had been hidden beneath its coating 200 years earlier. The adjacent museum recounts the Buddha’s history.

Insider's tip: Pahurat, to the south-east of Chinatown, is Bangkok’s lively Indian community and it is rarely visited. Make a detour here to find countless Indian shops, a multi-story Indian shopping mall, a large and welcoming gurdwara (Sikh temple) and plenty of cheap and mid-range Indian restaurants.

Address: Yaowarat Road
Contact: 00 66 2 2259775
Opening hours: Daily, 9am-5pm
Prices: ￡

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Lumphini

Take a daytime stroll through the park

Central Bangkok’s only spot of green offers an artificial lake and well-kept lawns and is a favourite spot for joggers, weight lifters, chess players and fortune tellers. It's named Lumphini Park after the Buddha’s birthplace. Many locals come to sit on benches and watch the numerous monitor-lizards amble across the lawns. Early in the morning, locals practise t’ai chi, while in the late afternoons aerobics classes shatter the peace; sex workers take over at nightfall.

Insider's tip: It’s possible to rent both rowing and swan-shaped paddle boats on the lake (40 baht/￡1 per hour), which is a great spot from where to admire the unruly skyline that rises around the park.

Address: Rama IV, Wireless and Ratchadamri Road
Contact: 00 66 90 2489874
Opening hours: Daily, 4.30am-9pm
Prices: Free

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Pathumwan

Visit the home of the founder of Thailand's silk industry 

Jim Thompson left a distinct footprint on Bangkok. American spy and founder of Thailand’s silk industry, Thompson was a bon vivant around town in the 1950s and 1960s until his mysterious disappearance in Malaysia in 1967. Jim Thompson's House, a series of traditional wooden Thai houses in a wonderful garden compound, contains an incredible collection of antiques and personal belongings.

Insider's tip:While the only way to enter the house is in a group with a guide, it is worth lingering in the beautiful garden. The gift shop sells silk products and interesting historical prints including fantastic Thai horoscopes at reasonable prices.

Contact: 00 66 2 2167368; jimthompsonhouse.com
Opening hours: Daily, 9am-5pm
Admission: ￡

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Silom

Browse one of south-east Asia's largest book collections

Designed in 1922 by an Italian architect and named in honour of Jennie Neilson Hays, the Danish woman who started the city’s first book club, The Neilson Hayes Library houses one of south-east Asia’s largest book collection. The library and its garden not only offer a welcome respite from the busy city, but there are also occasional reading festivals, book launches and popular book sales.

Insider's tip: The Garden Gallery Café is a great place to kick back with a coffee or a glass of wine, enjoy a lunch prepared at the near-by British Club or while away an afternoon with a book.

Address: 195 Thanon Surawong
Opening hours: Tue-Sun, 9.30am-5pm
Prices: Free

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See inside an impressive Hindu temple

Bangkok’s most impressive Hindu temple was built by an immigrant from Tamil Nadu fleeing British oppression in 1879. It's called the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple, is open to non-Hindus, and is topped by a typically colourful and impressive gopura (tower) covered in garishly painted male and female deities. Inside, three shrines are dedicated to Ganesh, Kartik and Sri Maha Mariamman, the south Indian goddess of rain.  

Insider's tip: The Kathmandu Gallery, right opposite the temple on Pan Road, is a long running Bangkok institution owned by one of Thailand’s best-known art photographers and features regular photo exhibitions as well as some of the owner’s work (Tues-Sat, 11am-6pm). 

Address: Corner of Silom Road and Pan Road
Opening hours: Daily, 6am-12pm, 4.30pm-9pm
Admission: Free

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Bang Krachao

Discover the city's green lung on two wheels

The only respite from the pollution settled amongst Bangkok’s concrete canyons is the sprawling peninsula of Bang Krachao in the south-east of the city. Covered in plantations, a large, well maintained park and countless narrow raised walkways just wide enough for a bicycle, the city’s green lung makes for a quick and wonderfully quiet half-day escape.

Insider's tip: Take a boat from Wat Klong Toei Nok across the Chao Praya and rent a bicycle at the pier to explore the area in your own time. The bike rental places here provide visitors with a map and there are cafés and restaurants along the way. The Bangkok Tree House is one good option to stop off at for a drink and to watch the river from its private pier.

Address: Klong Toei
Opening hours: Daily
Prices: Free