9 AMAZING THINGS TO DO YOUR FIRST TIME IN BANGKOK
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This post is all about the best things to see and do when in Bangkok, Thailand
If you’re heading to Bangkok for the first time there are a few things that every first timer should experience to get a true feel of Bangkok.
These are the best things to do in Bangkok if this is your first (or second!) time in the city.
At the end of this post there are travel tips to help make your first time in Bangkok an awesome experience.
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This post is all about the best things to do during your first time in Bangkok, Thailand
VISIT A FLOATING MARKET
Bangkok has a huge water network and was nicknamed ‘the Venice of the East’ by European settlers. Due to this there are alot of floating markets in and around Bangkok and some are more popular than others. They are great for a colourful, real Thai experience.
For the iconic floating market experience you will have to travel 100km from Bangkok to Damnoen Saduak. Here you will find a river full of wooden boats and locals selling everything from delicious foods to colourful flowers.
You can book a guided tour to the world famous Bangkok Damnoen Saduak floating market to experience this vibrant place with an experienced guide.
If you want to visit a floating market closer to Bangkok centre you can go to Khlong Lad Mayom or Taling Chan in downdown Bangkok. These are both accessible by public transport and are only held on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
TOUR THE TEMPLES OF BANGKOK
There are so many beautiful, amazing temples in Bangkok that you could spend days and days wandering around and if you have the time I’d encourage you to do so.
The Grand Palace is an enormous complex of temples and royal residences. Your jaw will drop wandering around the complex at all the gold and oppulance. It’s simply incredible!
The Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew) is the highlight of a visit here. It’s one of the most important Buddhist temples in Thailand which has the Emerald Buddha in a meditating position carved from a single block of jade.
Just behind this temple is another highlight - Wat Pho or the Temple of the Reclining Buddah. Inside is a giant 46 metre long reclining Buddha, covered in gold leaf. It’s a pretty amazing sight.
You can get more from your visit by taking a guided tour of the Grand Palace with a knowledgeable guide.
COST : free for Thai residents, 500 baht for foreigners
OPENING HOURS : 8:30am - 3:30pm
AUDIO GUIDE : 200 baht
EAT YOUR WAY THROUGH BANGKOK
One of the simpliest yet amazing things to do in Bangkok is eat! Bangkok is one of the world’s greateast street food cities and as soon as you arrive you will discover there are delicious things to eat everywhere you look.
You can get snacks whilst walking down to street or an entire sit down feast on the streets of Bangkok any hour of the day. The street food is so incredibly cheap at around 80p - £1.50 per dish and you can get delicious bowls of stir fried dishes over rice, Thai curry, noodles, green papaya salad and so much more!
There are a few amazing Bangkok street food areas that you should visit:
Wang Lang Market - located across the Chao Phraya River from the Grand Palace, Wang Lang Market is one of Bangkok’s best areas to get food. There is so much variety of different Thai street food along the market you’ll be spoilt for choice.
Silom Soi 20 - This is the best place to get Thai food in my opinion. There’s great variety of fresh ingredients and cooked food to try. The ambience is amazing! It’s set in a Bangkok side street with flimsy steel tables and plastic chairs. Tuks tuks and scooters will fly past and you get a real Thai experience.
Chinatown (Yaowarat) - During the day Chinatown has markets and food stalls and during the evening street food comes alive. There’s so much delicious food to try and exploring Chinatown is definitely a must when in Bangkok.
As Bangkok has so much good food a great idea is to do a food tour. This 4 hour tuk tuk food tour includes touring the cities street food neighbourhoods and eating some of the best food or if you fancy learning how to create yummy Thai dishes yourself you could take a Thai cookery class.
VISIT THE SHOPPING MALLS
The shopping malls in Bangkok are a must visit! They are ultra modern buildings filled with shops and food courts. A big bonus of them is they are air conditioned which is great if you want to escape that Bangkok heat.
My favourite is Terminal 21. The best thing about this mall is the toilets. The whole mall is designed to look like an airport with a shopping guide that looks like a passport. You can ‘check-in’ for your upcoming flight on the main floor and there are themed floors that will transport you from San Francisco to Rome to Tokyo. The toilets are also themed as different cities! It’s just such a fun mall to wander around.
For an amazing, over the top movie experience head to Siam Paragon Mall and after a little window shopping go to the Paragon Cineplex which has the largest movie screen in Thailand. Here you can lounge on reclining seats, or even beds, get a foot massage or eat a full meal. They also have 4D movie experiences.
You can find the movie times and more information from the Paragon Cineplex website.
You can go on a private shopping tour if you want to check out all the malls around Bangkok.
The toilets at Terminal 21 Mall
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WALK AROUND LUMPHINI PARK
Lumphini Park is the first public park in Bangkok. Locals and tourists can take part in many different leisure activities such as Tai Chi, learning dancing, playing games and music, reading books in the library and so much more.
There is a large lake in the park and lots of flora and fauna to admire. One of the things I love about the park is that huge monitor lizards just wander around. It’s a pretty crazy sight!
It’s a great place to step away from the craziness of the Bangkok streets and enjoy a more peaceful, relacing side to Bangkok.
VISIT JIM THOMPSON SILK HOUSE
For those that are interested in textiles, a visit to the Jim Thompson silk house is a must. Jim Thompson was na American merchant and architect who helped establish the Thai silk industry in the 20th century. In the 1950s he constructed his Thai style home in Bangkok.
The traditional teak houses where the complex is located are an architectural feat and one of the most popular tourists attractions in Bangkok.
At the house you can learn more about the Thai silk industry and the unique products that they produce.
You can get a guided tour of the Jim Thompson Silk House which will help you understand more about the textile industry in Thailand.
TRY DURIAN
You can’t say you’ve been to Bangkok (or anywhere in Thailand) if you don’t try durian. It’s known as ‘the king of fruits’ and it’s known worldwide due to its distinct smell. Most hotels don’t allow durian to be brought in the premises and it’s banded on public transport due to the smell so trying it while you’re out in the streets is your best bet.
I’ll be honest I find it completely disgusting but I’ve met many people who absolutely love it. To me it looks like a chicken breast and the texture is rich and creamy. The smell is just so overwhelming that it’s pretty difficult to get past that.
You can buy durian all over the streets of Bangkok so make sure you pick some up and give it a try.
Watch us try durian for the first time
TREAT YOURSELF TO A THAI MASSAGE
After a busy day of walking around the Bangkok streets and sightseeing there is no better way to end your day than a traditional Thai massage.
There is no shortage of spas and massage places around Bangkok where you can indulge in a traditional Thai massage or foot massage.
One of the best things about being in Southeast Asia is how cheap massages are! Massages in Bangkok range from $500-800 THB (£11 - £18GBP)
PEOPLE WATCHING AT KHAO SAN ROAD
Khao San Road is the backpacker hub of the world. It’s a crazy street lined with food stalls, bars and hostels. The streets are crammed full of backpackers and you should soak up the hustle and bustle of this area by grabbing some street food and taking a seat or grab a drink at one of the street bars and watch the world go by.
There’s so many market stalls selling things like fried scorpions on sticks and other crazy Bangkok street food. It is crazy busy on Khao San Road at all times of the day and night and it really has a party atmosphere. It’s pretty loud and the hostels around Khao San Road are more or less big party hostels. sobare that in mind when booking if that’s not your thing.
ADVICE FOR YOUR FIRST TIME IN BANGKOK
ARRIVING IN BANGKOK
Bangkok is a gateway city to South East Asia and if you’re flying into Thailand you’re more than likely going to arrive into a Bangkok airport.
There are two airports in Bangkok :
Bangkok International Airport (BKK) which is also known as Suvarnabhumi Airport is Bangkok’s largest airport. It is 30km to the east of Bangkok and to get to the city you can take the Airport Rail Link (30 minutes, 45 BAHT), the public bus (60 minutes, 60 BAHT) or a private taxi (45 minutes, 250 - 400 BAHT)
Don Mueang International Airport (DMK) is an older, smaller airport that is 24km north of the city. To get to the city you can take bus #29 (40 minutes, 18 BAHT) or a private taxi (40 minutes, 200BAHT).
It’s most likely that you will arrive at Suvarnabhumi airport.
HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU NEED IN BANGKOK?
To visit the main sights of Bangkok I’d recommend at least 3 days. If you are travelling from afar make sure you give yourself a day or so where you can ease in to the time difference. There’s a 7 hours time difference between the UK and Bangkok.
For UK travellers we’re also heading east and ‘East is a Beast, West is Best.’ This means that travelling eastward has a much greater disturbance to our biological clock than travelling westward. This is because we are giving our circadian rhythms less time in the day to adjust to the new time zone.
If you’d like to relax a little more into your South East Asian adventure I’d recommend 5 days in Bangkok.
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO VISIT BANGKOK?
Wet season in Bangkok is from May to October so expect hot and rainy weather daily. The best time is during the dry season between November and early March when the temperatures are a little cooler.
If you want to join in with Bangkok’s festivals you should plan your visit accordingly.
Mid April : Songkran - the worlds biggest water fight takes to the streets of Bangkok.
July : Candle Festival - huge wax candles are placed on floats and there are processions down the streets.
November : Loy Krathong - the Fesitval of Lights with colourful processions, dancing and light and sound shows.
DO YOU NEED A VISA TO VISIT BANGKOK?
MaFor citizens of many countries (USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand,EU countries, Japan, UK etc) you can stay in Thailand for up to 30 days without a visa.
You should always check whether you need a visa or not before you travel.
BANGKOK ESSENTIALS
Planning a trip to Thailand? Here are some of the resources and tools I personally use to organise my travel plans in the Kingdom.
FLIGHTS : Find the best deals on flights to Bangkok using Skyscanner.
VISAS : Use iVisa to check if you need a tourist visa for Thailandand apply for an expedited visa online. Use OneWayFly to obtain proof of onward travel/hotel reservation for your visa application if needed.
TRAVEL INSURANCE : Insure your trip with my preferred insurance for single trip and annual cover HeyMondo
AIRPORT TRANSFER : Pre-book your hotel transfer from Suvarnabhumi Airport
ACCOMMODATION : Find the best hotel deals in Bangkok on Booking.com or book a Bangkok hostel.
BUS TICKETS : It is easy to book your bus tickets once you’re in Bangkok but if you’d like to book in advance you can buy your Bangkok bus tickets online through Bookaway
DAY TRIPS : Find the best city tours and day excursions in Thailand on Viator or Get Your Guide.
Thailand Guide Books & Good Reads
Videos of places to visit in Bangkok
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