Bangkok travel guide

Why Bangkok, and how long to give it

Bangkok is the hinge of almost every Thailand trip. It's the country's international gateway, the rail head for the overnight train north and south, and the cheapest, best-connected place to pick up an onward domestic flight to the islands or the mountains. You'll likely arrive here, and you'll probably pass back through. So the useful question isn't whether to include Bangkok — it's how many nights to give it before you move on.

For most first-timers, two or three nights covers the headline city: a morning of riverside temples, the Grand Palace, an afternoon at a market or a mall to escape the heat, a rooftop bar at dusk, and a long, happy graze through the street food. That's a complete first impression. Stretch it to four or five nights if you want to dig into individual neighbourhoods, fit in a day trip to Ayutthaya or a floating market, or shop seriously — Bangkok rewards a longer stay, but it never demands one. If your trip is really about beaches and quiet, treat the city as a vivid two-night opener and don't force a longer stay.

Bangkok also makes an unusually good layover. With a half-day or a long stopover you can ride the airport rail link into town, see Wat Pho or Wat Arun, eat extraordinarily well, and be back at the airport in time for an onward flight — just leave a generous buffer for the city's famous traffic.

Bangkok itinerary

A heat-smart one-to-three-day route through the temples, food and markets, in a sensible order.

Where to go in Thailand

How Bangkok fits the bigger picture — pair a culture base with one beach region.

Top things to do

Bangkok's headline sights cluster along the Chao Phraya River in the old royal quarter, so the river is both an attraction and the smartest way to move between them. The unmissable trio is the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaeo (home of the Emerald Buddha), Wat Pho next door (the giant Reclining Buddha and the country's most famous Thai-massage school), and Wat Arun, the porcelain-studded Temple of Dawn across the water — best seen late afternoon from the far bank. All three carry a modest-dress rule: covered shoulders and knees, no exception at the Grand Palace.

Away from the temples, the city's pleasures are markets, malls and the river itself. Chinatown (Yaowarat) is the country's best street-food crawl after dark; the vast Chatuchak Weekend Market is a maze of stalls; the cooled megamalls around Siam are a genuine attraction in the midday heat. Take the Chao Phraya express boat at least once, ride the BTS Skytrain over the traffic, and end a day on a rooftop bar — Bangkok does sundowners with skyline views as well as anywhere in Asia.

This is the orientation; the full picture — temple-by-temple, the markets, the parks, the rooftops and the best order to do them in — lives on the dedicated guide.

• Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaeo — the royal complex and the Emerald Buddha (strict dress code; verify hours and ticket price)
• Wat Pho — the Reclining Buddha and the home of Thai massage, right beside the palace
• Wat Arun — the riverside Temple of Dawn, best at golden hour from the opposite bank
• Chinatown (Yaowarat) — the after-dark street-food artery
• Chatuchak Weekend Market & the Siam megamalls — shopping, plus cool relief in the heat
• A Chao Phraya express-boat ride, a BTS hop and a rooftop bar at dusk

Things to do in Bangkok

The full guide — temples, markets, malls, rooftops, river boats, parks and the order to see them in.

Where to stay — choose your area first

In Bangkok, the neighbourhood matters more than the hotel, because the city's traffic makes distance expensive in time. Pick an area that sits on the river or on the BTS/MRT, and you sidestep the worst of it. Riverside and the Old Town (Rattanakosin) put you among the temples and the most atmospheric Bangkok, but a little removed from the Skytrain. Sukhumvit is the long, modern spine — endless dining, nightlife and hotels strung along the BTS, good for repeat visitors and night owls. Siam is the central, family-friendly shopping heart with the best transit interchange. Silom is the business-district base, calmer at weekends, with easy access to both lines.

Backpackers and the budget-minded gravitate to the Old Town and the Khao San area; flashpacker and mid-range travellers do well around Sukhumvit and Silom; luxury and honeymoon travellers cluster on the river, where Bangkok's grand five-star hotels look across the water. The full breakdown — which area for which trip, plus specific property picks by budget — is on the dedicated guide.

Where to stay in Bangkok

Areas compared by temples, transit and budget — with specific hotel picks for each.

Where to stay in Thailand

Zoom out — choose your region and base across the whole country first.

Eating in Bangkok

Bangkok is, plainly, one of the great eating cities on earth, and it's where the most useful rule of Thai food holds truest: the best meals are often the cheapest. A good street stall or a single-dish shophouse that's cooked one thing all day will out-cook most sit-down restaurants. Graze through Chinatown after dark, follow the busy stalls, and let the queues of locals guide you.

Beyond the street, the city spans the whole range — air-conditioned food courts in the malls for an easy, cheap, point-and-eat lunch; the night markets; a fierce rooftop-bar and cocktail scene; and a serious fine-dining and Michelin tier that has put Bangkok firmly on the world's culinary map. Eat where it's busy and freshly cooked, drink bottled or filtered water, and you'll sidestep most trouble. The full food guide covers the dish-by-dish, the markets and the splurges.

Food and drink in Bangkok

Street food, Chinatown, food courts, night markets, rooftop bars, fine dining and cooking classes.

Thai street food

How to eat street food well and safely, country-wide.

Day trips and getting onward

Bangkok is the natural launchpad for some of central Thailand's best day trips. The ruined former capital of Ayutthaya is the classic, an easy train or tour north; the floating and railway markets at Damnoen Saduak and Maeklong make a photogenic morning; Kanchanaburi pairs WWII history with Erawan's tiered waterfalls; and Khao Yai, Pattaya and Hua Hin are all within reach for a day or an overnight. Some of these reward a night rather than a round-trip — the day-trips guide flags which.

When it's time to move on, Bangkok's transport hub status comes into its own. The overnight sleeper train or a short flight takes you north to Chiang Mai; flights and train-plus-ferry combinations run south to Phuket, Krabi, Koh Samui and the Gulf islands. A sensible trip shape sees the city first while you're fresh, then unwinds on a beach or in the cooler North at the end.

Day trips from Bangkok

Ayutthaya, floating markets, Kanchanaburi, Khao Yai, Pattaya and Hua Hin — and which deserve an overnight.

Bangkok to Chiang Mai

Flights, the overnight sleeper train, buses — and whether to stop at Ayutthaya en route.

Bangkok airport guide

Suvarnabhumi vs Don Mueang, the airport rail link, transfers and layover strategy.