A Complete Guide to Bangkok

There's probably enough to do in Bangkok to keep you going for much longer than just three days, but we were on a tight schedule and picked the highlights that we really wanted to see and photograph. Here is everything we saw during our time in the city:

The Streets of Bangkok

As I mentioned earlier, we intentionally booked accommodations in the middle of the downtown area that we wanted to explore so we could wander at leisure. It does get very hot in the middle of the day, so we tried to do the bulk of our exploring in the mornings and in the evenings.

Khao San Road

The legendary Khao San Road is a constant bustle of activity. You'll find plenty of open-air shopping, loads of sit-down restaurants and just as many street food carts to compete, loud music and it's all partially thrilling and partially overwhelming. We wandered up and down Khao San every night and had our daily dinner (Pad Thai and a mango banana smoothie) from the carts dotted around. An experience, for sure!

Visit the Trok Mor Market

One of the few "non-touristy" places we stumbled across was the Trok Mor Market, populated only by locals buying their goods for the day. It epitomised the essence of a proper Bangkok market, with bustling streets, smells wafting from little food stalls, a general hubbub constantly around us, a swirl of heat, the occasional breeze brushing through the crowds and always a mango banana smoothie to be found.

Admire the architecture of the Grand Palace

The temples of Bangkok make for the most gorgeous photographer’s playground and we ran around all day in the heat finding the most photogenic spots to capture and spot the Bangkok Mounted Police. We didn't go inside the Grand Palace as we felt it was too expensive and we'd be battling crowds and heat, but we thoroughly enjoyed spotting the iconic temple spires from the perimeter.

Explore the iconic temple of Wat Arun

Perhaps one of the most iconic temples of the Bangkok skyline is Wat Arun, right on the riverbank across from the Grand Palace. We took a small ferry across the river to reach it which embarks right at the ticket line. At the time we visited it was only 100 ฿ (about €2,50) but we saw a paper sign that said prices would be doubling from the end of the month (March 2024), so I would expect it to be at least 200 ฿ now.

It was hot and crowded, but I'm happy we made the effort to visit one of Bangkok's most well-known and photographed spots. Shoulders must be covered during your visit; red scarves are provided if you don't have your own. It's also apparently very popular to rent traditional costumes for photo opportunities around here; you'll find hundreds of rental shops in the immediate vicinity if that's your thing!

A temple has existed on this site since 1351, with the current structures having been completed since 1851. The name Wat Arun comes from the Hindu God Aruna, the god of the rising sun.

Wander around the peaceful Satri Wat Rakhang

In Thai, วัดระฆังโฆสิตารามวรมหาวิหาร, this sweet little temple is actually a school. And we found it to be far better than any of the other touristy temples we walked past, quietly set back from the river where we could wander in sweet peace as the only tourists around.

Walk through Lumphini Park at sunset

We weaved through the busy Bangkok streets on the back of a Grab scooter to get to this peaceful haven in the heart of the city, found the most serene golden hour spots and even managed to catch an outdoor performance of the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra playing Swan Lake, music I once danced to long ago in another life. I suggest a whole afternoon here, just wandering around, spotting the giant resident Monitor Lizards in the pond and enjoying a sense of calm in the busy city.

Take in the view from a skybar

Perhaps one of the most spectacular things to do of all, is to make your way up to one of Bangkok's iconic sky bars. We popped into the Vertigo Moonbar in walking distance from Lumphini Park, 52 floors above the city, for drinks and mesmerizing views.