Bangkok in 24 Hours

The Thai capital is a study in marvelous contrasts, from serene Buddhist temples to bustling markets, from street eats to fine dining.

Wat Arun at sunset in Bangkok, Thailand. Santi Praseeratenang/Getty Images

Bangkok, one of the most popular travel destinations in the world, is also a major hub for travel elsewhere. If you find yourself in the Big Mango for a long layover, plan to leave the airport for some time in the city. What you choose to do will depend on your interest: Food? Historical sites? Museums? Shopping? Maybe a bit of everything. Part of it will depend on what time it is—or what time your body thinks it is.

Bangkok, or “Krung Thep” to the Thais, is a city of 11 million and the capital of the Kingdom of Thailand (formerly Siam). Sometimes called the Venice of the East, Bangkok is built along the winding, well-traversed Chao Phraya River and on top of a system of canals, some but not all of which are now beneath the concrete. The city combines the finest elements of modern Asia, with the allure of dazzling temples and a foodie scene that’s endless.

Make your way to these essential sights around the city of Bangkok, which was built along the winding Chao Phraya River. Illustration by The Epoch Times, Shutterstock, Getty Images

7 AM–9 AM: Early Arrivals

If you get into the city before most shops and attractions open, try a stroll in nature. Lumphini Park offers green space in central Bangkok, with all sorts of bird life, shade, and a lagoon for paddleboats. An elevated pedestrian walkway connects this to the new and wilder Benjakitti Forest Park. Both are served by subway and sky train. Find a street vendor that serves jook (rice porridge or congee) with simple fried breads shaped like X’s and O’s or warm soy milk, both Thai breakfast items.

Check out Pak Khlong Talat, the wholesale flower market, which is bustling around the clock, but especially in the morning, and an explosion of color to wander through with a number of street food vendors and cafés around if you’re feeling peckish.

9 AM–Noon: Hit the Most Important Sights

A wat is a temple, and if you visit just one, Wat Pho should be it, with its 151-foot golden figure of the “Reclining Buddha” lying on its side in a long hall. This is reachable by subway and by river ferries stopping at Pier 8 (Tha Tian).

From 1782 to 1925, the Grand Palace was the official royal residence of the Thai kings. It still hosts important royal events but is one of the top tourist attractions with its glittering mythological figures and golden spires. Part of the complex is the most important temple in Thailand, Wat Phra Kaew Morakot (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), with a Buddha icon carved from jasper. You can see the palace from the river ferries too.

The city is filled with ornately decorated temples. Wat Pho features a 151-foot-long reclining Buddha statue, while Wat Benchamabophit Dusitvanaram is famously made of Italian marble. Getty Images

The Siam Museum can tell you all you need to know about the history of Thailand with nice interactive exhibits. The three-story Bangkok Art & Culture Center in the heart of the city hosts exhibits and a few shops, and the building makes a nice air-con stop just steps along the pedestrian bridge from the National Stadium sky train stop and the malls at the end of Bangkok’s long central street, Sukhumvit Road.

The Bangkok Art and Culture Centre features art exhibits, cultural events, cafés, bookshops, a library, and more. Michaelnero/Shutterstock

Noon–1 PM: Lunchtime

Bangkok offers cuisines from all over the world, and if you’re pressed for time, many of the food courts, even in the malls, are great for finding multiple vendors offering varied see-before-you-buy fresh dishes. Street food is everywhere and fresh, and vendors often sell until they run out of food, so you can be confident eating outside.

Pad Thai is a familiar dish even outside its homeland, and if you want to see delicious unpretentious batches of it fried up in giant woks over open burners, head to Thip Samai, a five-minute drive from the Siam Museum. Workaday folks and the well-heeled alike stop by to grab a table or take it to go.

Thip Samai specializes in the pad thai noodle dish. Pad Thai Song Krueng, with large deep-sea prawns, crab meat, sliced squid, and raw mango. Courtesy of Thip Samai

1 PM–3 PM: More Exploration

Continue exploring the attractions above or hop on a river ferry or go shopping.

If you’re looking for the big brands or just a spectacle of architecture and design, the malls of Bangkok are many along Sukhumvit Road, where the sky train runs. MBK Center is a multistory mall of shops and booth vendors peddling just about everything—and at affordable prices—and the modern malls such as Siam Paragon are within walking distance. Iconsiam, the most impressive newer complex, rises along the west bank of the river with a high outdoor terrace for coffee or drinks with views.

Want something special to bring back? Beyond handmade items, T-shirts, and trinkets—all easily found at the partly outdoor Chatuchak Weekend Market—consider Thai silk. American businessman Jim Thompson worked to revitalize the traditional industry decades ago, and his traditional home, Jim Thompson House, is open as a museum. J.T. Silk is available in several outlets (including at Iconsiam).

A row of colorful bracelets sold at the Chatuchak Weekend Market. justhavealook/iStok/Getty Images

3 PM–5 PM: Heavenly Spas

Work the travel knots out of your muscles for an hour or two. Foot massage is a fine art, and every street seems to have a parlor for it. Thai massage is performed on a padded mat or thin mattress and involves great stretching and pushing pressure points. Aromatherapy is also popular. Smaller spas are abundant and very affordable—some as cheap as $10 for an hour of treatment. Try Yin Yang Massage for good quality and affordable prices.

A school for traditional medicinal Thai massage operates right next to Wat Pho. Within the temple grounds is an air-conditioned salon, where students and graduates of the school give quality Thai and foot massages in a public setting on the cheap.

Then there are the prestigious luxury spas at the top resorts that, although pricier, still charge prices far cheaper than back home and with a pampering that the Thai seemed to have mastered. Check out Bhawa Spa, with a variety of treatments ranging from massages to cleanses and more, some programs lasting up to 160 minutes.

Bhawa Spa offers relaxation in a serene setting. Courtesy of Bhawa Spa

5 PM–7 PM: Sunset

Set along the west bank of the river, the picturesque Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, is open for visits and reachable by boat but is hot in the midday sun. It’s better to admire it from directly across the river, especially for the sunset.

Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, is best admired from across the river to avoid the scorching heat. ake1150sb/Getty Images

Head to one of the latest popular restaurants, Rongros, which offers excellent Thai food for lunch and dinner, great drinks, and prime seats for a sunset view of Wat Arun.

Rongros is the perfect place to view sunsets while enjoying a feast of Thai flavors in dishes such as sriracha pineapple fried rice, green curry, roti, and spring rolls. Courtesy of Rongros

7 PM–10 PM: Dinner

Marked by a large Ferris wheel and set along the river, Asiatique is an open-air complex of restaurants and bars that opens in the evening.

The Mandarin Oriental’s French restaurant Le Normandie by Alain Roux was awarded one Michelin star, and the jazz club makes a classy riverside evening. An earlier, elegant splurge option is high tea at the hotel’s Authors’ Lounge. Many a famous figure has passed through here, from Joseph Conrad to Ian Fleming.

10 PM: Drink and a Stroll

“The Hangover Part II” featured the breathtaking view from Sky Bar at the top of Lebua at State Tower; at 820 feet, it’s one of the highest open-air bars in the world, with a view of the city and the river like no other. Other views offer better drinks, but it’s worth the moment.

A candlelit meal at the Sky Bar, a rooftop bar located on top of the Lebua hotel. Nodtiez/Shutterstock

An evening stroll in Chinatown, or Yaowarat, finds old storefronts and homes converted into bars and eateries, some of which are right on the river’s edge, and an abundance of street art. Then find Hong Sieng Kong, a repurposed mansion full of antiques and serving great coffee drinks, cocktails, and food with outdoor seating right next to the river and facing west.

Chinatown has many streetside eateries that draw locals and tourists alike. artapartment/Shutterstock

Yaowarat Road, the main street of Chinatown. SAHACHAT/iStock/Getty Images Plus

When You Go

Money matters: You’ll need Thai baht, so change money at the airport. Most restaurants take credit cards, but cash is still the way with most taxis. Ride-hailing apps Grab and Bolt accept cards and PayPal.

Getting to the city: Two airports serve Bangkok: the international Suvarnabhumi (Soo-wah-nah-POOM) east of the city, and the smaller Don Mueang Airport, which also has international flights but is located to the north closer to downtown.

An airport rail link can get you from Suvarnabhumi to the city center in 30 to 40 minutes for $1.50, but many opt for a private ride or a public taxi. If you opt for a cab ride, be sure to use the official taxi stand, which gives you driver information in case of complaints, and insist on the meter. This system has gone a long way toward eliminating the occasional hassles one used to encounter years ago. Don Mueang has a rail link that isn’t great. Rides are best there.

Getting around: Bangkok has a wide variety of transportation options, including the BTS Skytrain, the MRT subway, city buses, the typical taxis (insist on using the meter), ride shares such as Grab taxi (but not Uber), pulse-raising moto-taxis, and the iconic tuk-tuks.

Public and private river shuttles and ferries run during daylight hours. Central Pier (connecting to Saphan Taksin BTS Skytrain station) is a good place to start, and the ferries stop near several tourist sites up and down the river, including Wat Pho. Particular ferries cater to tourists, with hop-on, hop-off day tickets, which include a tourist map and English narration as the boat moves along the river. You can also hire a longtail boat to take you wherever you want or on a joyride. Settle on a price beforehand, of course.

Note: Any visit to the city should include some time along the Chao Phraya River. In the evening, one can book a high-styling sunset or dinner cruise with Chao Phraya Princess on air-conditioned double-decker boats with reserved seating and buffet meals. Or, during daylight hours, just get on board any one of the public or specifically tourist ferries for an open-air ride up and down the river for pocket-change prices.

Consider booking a guide to help you maximize your time and get the inside scoop, whether it’s a market tour or a museum, temple, or park visit.

Loha Prasat, "the iron palace," is a pyramid-like temple that holds a sacred Buddha relic. Navinpeep/Moment/Getty Images