Bangkok, Thailand

Top places to visit in Bangkok

6 places worth your time in Bangkok, with what each is actually like and when to go.

Last updated 2026-08-08

1. Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew

The former royal seat and the temple of the Emerald Buddha — the densest, most gilded thing in the city and the one sight almost every first visit includes.

Where: Rattanakosin (Old City)
Map: Open in Maps
Best time: At opening, around 08:30, before both the heat and the tour buses
Cost: 500 THB entry
Tip: Shoulders and knees must be covered for both. Sarongs are rented at the gate, but bringing your own clothing is cheaper and faster.

Watch outThe classic 'the palace is closed today for a ceremony' line, delivered by a friendly stranger near the gate who then arranges a tuk-tuk tour to a gem shop. The palace is open daily; check the gate yourself.

2. Wat Pho

Home of the 46-metre reclining Buddha and the country's traditional-medicine school. Quieter and, to many people, more atmospheric than its famous neighbour.

Where: Rattanakosin (Old City)
Map: Open in Maps
Cost: 300 THB entry
Tip: Walk the length of the statue to the soles — the mother-of-pearl inlay there is the detail most people miss.

3. Wat Arun

The Temple of Dawn, encrusted in broken Chinese porcelain, standing over the Chao Phraya's west bank. Best seen from the water at either end of the day.

Where: Thonburi, west bank
Map: Open in Maps
Best time: Late afternoon, or after dark when it is lit
Tip: The cross-river ferry from Tha Tien pier costs a few baht and gives you the classic approach view.

4. Chatuchak Weekend Market

Thousands of stalls across a grid of numbered sections — clothing, ceramics, plants, secondhand oddities. A whole afternoon disappears here easily.

Where: Chatuchak, north Bangkok
Map: Open in Maps
Best time: Saturday and Sunday, early morning for the heat
Tip: Photograph the section map at the entrance. The lanes look identical once you are inside and getting lost is the default experience.

5. Chinatown (Yaowarat)

A dense corridor of gold shops, herbal sellers and street kitchens that comes alive after sunset under a wall of neon signage.

Where: Samphanthawong
Map: Open in Maps
Best time: From about 18:00, when the street kitchens set up

6. Jim Thompson House

The teak compound of the American who revived Thai silk export and then vanished in Malaysia in 1967. A calm, shaded counterpoint to the temple circuit.

Where: Pathum Wan
Map: Open in Maps
Tip: Entry is by guided tour only, which is genuinely worth it here — the house is small and the story carries it.