If you're travelling to Thailand, chances are you'll make your way through Bangkok in one way or another. This articles goes through the places to visit in Bangkok and the experiences you must have before leaving this great SE asian metropolis.
1. Take the riverboat metro
Bangkok's one of the few cities in the world which actually has a metro line that uses boats and has stops along the river! The metro system has MRT (underground trains), BTS (overground skytrains) and the riverboat lines called Chao Phraya which actually has 4 LINES! This is an incredible way to see the city from the water without shelling out for a big tourist boat cruise.
Boat stations are easily found on google maps & take cash on the pier or sometimes on the boat and cost between 10-40 baht per ride. The boats will have a coloured flag symbolising the line it runs on.
You can visit so many places in Bangkok using this service & the experience itself is super memorable. Where else in the world can you take a boat halfway across the city for the price of a train ride?
2. Visit a rooftop bar
Seeing Bangkok at night from above is really cool & you wont find the same vibe anywhere else in Thailand. The good thing is that rooftop bars are plentiful in this city and also come in a variety of quality/price points. Here are a few that we visited:
Baryard - probably my favourite so far! They serve high quality cocktails as well as food, but still at great value. Not a backpackers flipflop kind of place, but no suits required :) It is somewhere that's packed out on weekends though, so make a reservation!
The bar from the movie "The Hangover" - if you want to truly dish out for the experience, this place is the location to do it. Their multi-level rooftop bar has a bar level as well as a restaurant level which is actually the highest outdoor restaurant in the world. Dress nicely & bring your credit card.
Octave Rooftop - another nice but still reasonably priced bar, which also has multiple levels and comfy lounge like seating. Their top floor is truly high in the sky (I spent 10 minutes up there before asking to be seated one floor down) and has great views!
3. The Grand Palace
A classic and not to be missed place to visit in Bangkok, The Grand Palace's sheer scale and attention to detail is very impressive. They also have a great show at the royal theatre you can do which you can read more about in my lessons learned when visiting Bangkok's Grand Palace post.
4. Bangkok Malls
The perfect place to visit in Bangkok if you've just had enough of that heat for that day. The grandeur of the way Asia does malls is just spectacular, especially if you're coming from Europe! Most malls will also have great food options ranging from sit-down restaurants to a food court filled with cheap street food.
My favourites are IconSiam (absolute must) which even has its own free boat service to get you to the mall & Centralworld, which houses my fav sushi restaurant Sushiro.
5. Take a cooking class
Thailand is one of the richest countries in terms of cuisine and learning how to make your favourite dish will not only set you up for success at home, but also give you great insight into the culture.
Doing a cooking class in Bangkok is a great activity to do if you want to escape the weather, and there are so many classes to choose from here which means they will be cheaper than ones on the islands.
Where do I find a class? We try to do a cooking class almost everywhere we travel and find great options via Cookly. The classes we've booked through them all over the world have always been great, so highly recommend!
6. Visit Chinatown for all the street food
Great street food is plentiful in all of Bangkok, however Chinatown is one of the best places to visit in Bangkok for an evening filled with tremendous options. The streets light up with beautiful neon signs and there are sights, smells and sounds everywhere around you. I recommend to walk around and immerse yourself in the atmosphere, before spotting somewhere or something you'd like to try.
7. Jim Thompson Museum
This one's for the fashion lovers! Jim Thompson was the guy that brought up & basically created the silk industry for Thailand. His stores are still popular today and you'll start to notice them across Bangkok. Specialising in high-quality, colourful prints, you can find wonderful pieces for the home as well as clothes. Since Jim himself lived in Bangkok, his GORGEOUS Thai home is now a museum which you can visit. Even if you're not that into fashion, you'll still enjoy walking along the grounds and seeing Thai architecture first hand. Tickets include an english guided tour, so this is a great place to visit in Bangkok to add to your list!
Kommentare