Top Ten Things to Do in Bangkok

Recently, I spent some time in Thailand. I flew to Bangkok on Turkish Airlines connecting through Istanbul. It was a 23 hour trip (including and 8 hour layover) but it was very relaxing.  Each leg of my trip, occurred at night, therefore, I was able to sleep nearly the whole way.  Though it seems like an odd choice, I would recommend Turkish Airlines for the flight from Chicago to Bangkok.

There is so much to do and see in Thailand that I could write multiple blog posts on the subject of Thailand.  This post will be a quick, top ten list of things to do while visiting Bangkok.  If you have just a few days, these are some “do not miss” things to do and see.

• Grand Palace.  In my personal opinion, the city of Bangkok ITSELF is worth seeing more than many of the tourist sites with few exceptions.  The Grand Palace is one of those exceptions. The palace is designed in traditional Thai style with the colorful mosaic tiles on the tops of the buildings.  The large golden bells and the ornamentation throughout is striking.  Be prepared for the crowds inside but even more prepared for the hustling, pushy vendors outside the palace.  My recommendation would be to get there as early as possible.  Also, please remember that in all Thai palaces and temples women must have their shoulders covered, women must have their knees covered (long skirt or pants) and absolutely no shorts for anyone.

• Visit the Reclining Buddha at the Wat Pho or Wat Po temple followed by a massage the Massage School at Wat Pho.  The Reclining Buddha is impressively large and gold,  the bottoms of his feet are adorned in mother of pearl.  The massage school at Wat Pho is not inside the temple but very close. The price is about 150 Baht for 30 a minute Thai massage.  There is information and rates inside the temple on how to get to the massage school.


Reclining Buddha at Wat Po

• Take a cruise on the Chao Phraya River.  You can arrange a dinner cruise or a cruise with just drinks on the Chao Phraya River through one of the various luxury hotels on the river.  The Peninsula has a river cruise that lasts about one hour and the cost is about 1200 Baht ($37.50 when this was written).  If you just want to take a ride on the river, feel free to hop onto one of the many river ferries for about 30 Baht or $1 USD.

• Rooftop Drink at one of the upscale, modern venues.  Close to the Siam Square area of Bangkok (which is the younger, more hip area) there is the Siam @ Siam Hotel that has a gorgeous rooftop restaurant and lounge but expect to pay Western prices at this location.  Though they do have a happy hour from 7p to 8p on most days, one drink can range between $8 and $12 USD.  There is also the award winning Sirocco restaurant and Sky Bar located in the same area that the luxury hotels are on the Chao Phraya river.

• Take a ride in a tuk tuk.  The tuk tuk drivers are notorious for taking advantage of tourists but they can be negotiated with and they are not all bad.  My experience with tuk tuk drivers was quite the opposite of many of the blogs I have read since my trip.  My recommendation would be to find out what the cost of a taxi would be to your destination (most hotels will give you that information) and then negotiate in advance what you are willing to pay for the tuk tuk.  I usually offered ½ of what the taxi ride would cost. I also did not take a tuk tuk until I was in Bangkok for a day or two.  Once I had a feel for the city, I felt comfortable taking tuk tuks.


Tuk Tuk

• Patpong district. This is the entertainment district for Western tourists.  The area is worth a few hours of your attention if you are girly bars where you can witness things that you did not think were humanly possible.  Or, you may want to take in some Muay Thai boxing where they have women fighting men.  In Patpong, the streets are lined with cheap vendors selling every trinket possibly imaginable.  If you do enter one of the girly bars, be prepared to pay more than what you originally expected.  Otherwise, if you just want to enjoy the people watching, there are some pretty good bars where you can sit and watch the tourists go by.


Patpong

• Floating Market just outside Bangkok.  This “floating market” is entirely for tourists, it is only used to shuffle tourists with a “long tail boat” through the various canals in an effort to sell cheap trinkets and or spices.  You must take a drive about 1.5 hours outside the city and then take a 45 minute boat ride through the canals.  The canals are lined with make-shift store fronts and additionally, older women will paddle their boats up to your boat in an effort to sell pork satay, fruit, or anything else one can imagine.  Most of the vendors in the make-shift store fronts sell souvenirs and spices. We arrived in the afternoon therefore missing many of the vendors who had already closed up shop. Instead, our long tail boat driver took us up and down the canals to view the Thai homes along the canals.

• Eat as much as humanly possible.  Especially MANGO AND STICKY RICE!  The streets of Bangkok are lined with street vendors and the food is good.  Try as many dishes as you possibly can and be ready because Thai food is spicy.  If you have the opportunity, head for The Peninsula hotel and have lunch in their River Café but be certain to order the Mango and Sticky Rice!  It is out of this world.


River Cafe at The Peninsula Bangkok

• The Weekend Market is the biggest market in Bangkok and it is only open on Saturdays and Sunday.  If you are in Bangkok on a weekend, most certainly make the trip.  You will find many locals shopping at the weekend market with tourists alike.

• Escape the excessive traffic of Bangkok and ride the Skytrain. The Skytrain is an elevated public train (or metro) system that transports you from one end of Bangkok to another in a matter of minutes. Riding the Skytrain is a cinch, you fly above the streets of Bangkok leaving all the traffic behind.  In Bangkok where it can sometimes take 45 minutes to travel four city blocks, the Skytrain is a god send.

Would you like to go to Thailand?  We can help you get there, please phone us at 800.677.8875  OR send us an email at info@artuntravel.com

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Tagged as: Bangkok, Thailand