Places to visit in Bangkok, Things to do in Bangkok

Seeing the interest readers showed after the previous post Planning a Trip to Thailand, here is my take on part one of places to see in Bangkok and things to do in Bangkok.  In the land of smiles.


If it’s a 3-4 day visit to Bangkok, you have options of:
a) spending a whole day at one place (which may be a bit far but unique & worth visiting), or
b) visiting some places although near but may require a whole day trip, or
c) combine 2-3 places together within a day, as per their locations and your interest.

Under each place below in the list, I have more remarks about:
i) how near or far it is from central Bangkok,
ii) expected duration and how much time you’ll have to allot,
iii) what's different about the place,
iv) and approximate costs if in case this information helps you plan better

1) Rajdamnoen Floating Market
i) far
ii) all day
iii) unique style of shopping on small boats, famous tourist attraction
iv) negotiate price to pay for the boat ride and for shopping from other boats

2) Wax Museum
i) far
ii) half day
iii) wax statues of Thai lifestyle in olden days, and statues of kings & some other important people around the world
iv) need ticket to enter,  about 200 Baht/person for non-Thais

3) Crocodile show
i) far, but near museum, so can combine 2 places
ii) half day
iii) men put their head in crocodile mouth, and other crocodile-related stunts
iv) need ticket to enter about 200 Baht/person

4) Siam Niramit show *recommended*
i) in Bangkok,
ii) 90 min show + 1 hour total back and forth travel
iii) biggest stage in the world, amazing non-stop shows on Thai culture & lots more
iv) ticket about 2,000 Baht/person, try getting discount from travel agency

5) Safari World
i) over 1 hour away from Bangkok
ii) all day
iii) lots of animal shows, top tourist attraction, the only drawback – they mostly speak in Thai & very few English translations (unless things have changed now…), but the animal shows & stunt shows are worth watching
iv) entry ticket about 800 Baht/person, try getting discount from travel agency

6) Baiyoke Tower *recommended*
i) within Bangkok,
ii) 1 hour there + 1 hour travel time during traffic
iii) worth going at 5pm & watching the city turning from day to night & experiencing sunset – all from the revolving deck at 80th floor – Baiyoke Tower is the tallest building in Bangkok
iv) entry 200 Baht/person with a free drink, or 600 Baht with buffet (mostly non-vegetarian food) at restaurant
View from the revolving deck of Baiyoke Tower
 7)  Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Reclining Golden Buddha
i) in Bangkok
ii) 4-5 hrs including travel time
iii) see Thai style temples if interested in architecture, and Thai style of praying.  Grand Palace once used to be the King's palace but now has only stuff to display like a museum.  Also enjoy boat ride on the Chao Phraya River from one end to another
iv) Entry for Grand Palace about 200 Baht/person, boat ride & temple prices separate
Reclining Buddha, Sleeping Buddha, Golden Buddha ... all the same
 8)  Healthland Massage & Spa *recommended*
i) several locations in Bangkok,
ii) allocate 2-3 hrs of relaxation time, best to go end of the day after you’re super tired, they close by 11-midnight though
iii) get a spa or traditional Thai foot or body massage, after a long day you'll get addicted to this kind of pampering.  there are local massage parlors everywhere too, cheaper.
iv) spa & massage prices vary, but minimum would be somewhere around 400 Baht/person.  local ones would be 200 Baht/person for 1 hour of foot or body massage.


Other places to see in Bangkok during a longer stay:
- Dream World: amusement park, rides, and shows
- Chinatown: Chinese food, gold shops, shopping
- Lumphini Park: beautiful park, lake, boating

and then of course there’s the nightlife, shopping, and food!  Are you interested in a post about those?  Tell me your specific questions and I'll address them.


Note to readers:  The ticket prices and other costs mentioned above are approximate and as per what I remember.  I have been away from Thailand over a year; a so lot must have changed about that.  Information on this page is only meant to give you basic idea.

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to leave a comment here or e-mail me.  If I can answer them, I’ll reply to you.  If I cannot, I’ll refer you to someone else.  If I know something, I’ll tell you.  If I don’t, I’ll let you know.  But I would love to help you make your trip to Thailand a great one!

I will update this page occasionally.  Meanwhile, if you have something to add to it – tell me.  If you have memories from your trip to Amazing Thailand to share here – sure, be my guest!

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21 comments:

  1. I wish I could come to Thailand with you, You written very well. It always pleasure visit place who knows that place well.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Swathi! And I'd love to take you around!

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  2. I used to go to Bangkok very often when we had an apartment there but since we have given up the apartment, now I don't go there so often. I LOVE Bangkok and Thai food. Your post give me an itchy feet now. I think I might go there soon. Lovely pictures and a good write up. Thanks for the effort.

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    Replies
    1. That's great to know! If your itchy feet plans to visit Bangkok in December, we can meet up there :)
      Thank you for the comment, Veronica!

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  3. Hi ,

    without any expenses you carry

    all of us to Bankok :) Nice!!!

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  4. Reading through the post I was thinking, I should go for like a week or two... and yes I would love to get thai massage... When I read that you will be going in December I was like I too wanna come with you... I don't know if there is any possiblility of that happening but I would have loved to meet you in Thailand.

    I really appreciate your effort in helping us all who wanna visit thailand one day!

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    Replies
    1. Aha, you should totally visit Bangkok in December, a) for the weather, b) for New Years in Bangkok is great, and c) to meet me :D :D
      Thanks so much for the appreciation, Anisha, I'm doing this with all my heart! :)

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    2. You are like tempting me... now I have all the more reasons to come...If I was single I would have definetly been checking out flights after reading ur comment... but being married involves so many factors that I can't plan so soon...

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    3. I totally understand :) But I'm sure we'll meet some day!

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  5. Wat a detailed post, visiting Bangkok is quite a dream for me..Will visit this country very soon.

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  6. Such a helpful post, Nisha! My in-laws just visited Bangkok last week for 4 days. They didn't cover all the places you listed but covered a few other places like Ayuthaya, Chhao Phraya River cruise, the bridge on River Kwai and the tiger temple. I haven't been to most of these places - What a shame!:( I'll go there soon, hopefully.
    Nice to hear you are going in December! Do you fly via SG? :)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Vishakha for your inputs, I will add them to this list :)
      I've seen your posts on Khao Lak - now I haven't been there!
      Nah, not via SG ... will be flying from India direct to Bkk :)

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  7. We have planned a trip to Bangkok this Oct.. I am going to research all the places you have mentioned and plan our itinerary accordingly.. Thanks

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    Replies
    1. That's great to hear!
      Sure. Let me know if you have any questions.
      And about shopping, thanks for asking - I'll post about it, Bangkok is a shopper's paradise!

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  8. Can you tell me more about shopping there..

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  9. I've never been but my parents have...it looks like a beautiful place! I can't wait to visit...I'm bookmarking this for future reference!

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    Replies
    1. Oh nice! Yes, definitely is beautiful.
      How did your parents like it?

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  10. Never been to Bangkok, but I hear the food is amazing. I wanna visit the beaches of Thailand at Phuket, heard it's beautiful. Good post.

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  11. we had been to bangkok last year.. in july... what i loved best abt bangokok wa steh good.. totally totally loved teh pad thai, the crepes.. we also had yaki soba( though thats japanse).. loved it..we visted bangkok,pattaya and phuket.. i would love to visit chiang mai some day.. and may be next time i will also take a cooking class!!!
    the first few places on ur list i hadnt visted.. we concentrated on the wats in bangkok, beaches in pattaya and phuket..

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  12. Great share..
    I love this place.. Below are listed some of the places that you can't afford to miss while planning a Bangkok tour-
    Grand Palace
    Wat Pho
    Temple of the Golden Buddha
    Chatuchak Market
    Damnoen Saduak Floating Market
    Khao San Road

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