The Ultimate Bangkok Bucket List

Since first visited Thailand in March 2014, the city instantly became my second home. With countless temples all over the town, vigorous morning markets by the river, and never-ending list of delicious street food, the city never fails to attract people. From a new coffee shop around the corner to a new exhibition in town, I always found new things. It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with this beautiful country, and ended up studying there for a year.

Here is everything you should check out in Bangkok, based on my city adventure for over a year. From typical temple visiting to drinking and seeing sunsets, I included all my recommendation during your stay in Bangkok. You can choose and create your own itinerary!

 

1. Get Immersed in a World of Buddhism

Welcome to one of the most Buddhistic country in the world! With more than 90% of the Buddhist population, you can find the Buddhism culture in a lot of places. Spotting temples around the corner and local people praying are one of them. So visiting temple is a good way to know the country’s culture, and you can also appreciate the beauty of temples at the same time. Here are the must-see temples in the city!

 

Grand Palace

Located in the center of Bangkok, Grand Palace is the most popular touristic attraction. The king no longer lives here but still used for official events. The place is as large as 218,400 square meters, and filled with different buildings and pavilions, which are all decorated with golds and colorful tiles. This beautiful palace is always crowded with tourists, so I recommend to go in the early morning when there will be less people and less heat from the sun. Make sure to wear longer pants and T-shirt to hide your skin, in order to save the time borrowing some clothes at the entrance.

• Opening hours: Everyday 8:30 – 15:30
• Entrance Fee: 500 Baht ($14.13)
• When to go: Early morning
• What to wear: Hide knees and shoulders
• Place: Entrance gate will be on the Na Phra Lan Road, north to the Grand Palace. (Google Maps)

 

Wat Pho

Wat Pho, the temple famous for reclining Buddha, is right beside the Grand Palace. It is my favorite temple in Bangkok, since it’s smaller than Grand Palace and has colorful pagoda with flower decorations on. The building where contains reclining Buddha is relatively crowded, but once you pass the gate connected to pagoda area, there won’t be many people and you will find local people restoring walls and Buddha statue.

• Opening hours: Everyday 8:00 – 17:00
• Entrance Fee: 100 Baht ($2.83)
• When to go: Early morning and before closing
• What to wear: Cover your Knees
• Place: Entrance gate will be on Thai Wang Alley, north to Wat Pho (Google Maps)

 

2. Taste World’s Favorite Thai Dishes

Bangkok is a city full of delicious food. On every corner of the town, you will find street vendors selling different food right next to each other. As an eager foodie myself, the list of Thai food goes on and on endlessly, but I picked up some of the essentials for you!

Pad Thai

Pad Thai, a Thai-style noodle, is probably the most well-known Thai food in the world, and you will find it in the Thai restaurants in your country. But once you come to Thailand, I recommend you to try the Bangkok’s best Pad Thai from Thip Samai, just 5 minutes taxi ride from the famous tourist attraction Khaosan road. There are countless street vendors who are also selling Pad Thai, but Thip Samai makes the best. I wrote a post about it, so you can find more details here!

• Opening hours: 17:00 – 23:00 (Closed on Mondays)
• Price: 60B-
• Place: 511, Maha Chai Road, Samran Rat, 10200 Phra Nakhon, Bangkok, 10500 (Google Maps)

 

Tom Yum Kung

Tom Yum Kung, a spicy and sour soup with shrimp, is also one of the must-try food in Bangkok. With various kinds of herbs and chilis, the soup has rich flavor, and you will get addicted to the taste in your mouth afterwards. Among many Tom Yum Kungs, my favorite is the one at the Tom Yum Kung restaurant on the Khaosan road. Finally finished the renovation after many months, now I can go there and order it again! 😀

• Opening hours: Everyday 11:00 – 24:00
• Place: Khaosan Rd, Khwaeng Talat Yot, Khet Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200 (Google Maps)
• Go inside the little ally across the Mcdonalds, you will find the menu stand!

 

Som Tam

You can find Som Tam, a spicy Thai papaya salad, on every corner of the street. It’s so popular that it is probably impossible to find Thai restaurants with no Som Tam on their menus. From extremely spicy to relatively mild, there are different degrees of the spiciness, so you can order saying “Mai Pet” (Not spicy) if you don’t want it too spicy. (Really depends on the cook though!)

 

3. Treasure Hunt in Local Markets

From cheap T-shirts to electronic products and paintings, local markets are the world full of gadgets. You can literally spend hours and hours just wandering around and check out what they offer. Although there are countless markets across the city, I recommend to visit these markets!

 

JJ market

Located on the north of Bangkok, close to the Mo Chit BTS station, Chatuchak Weekend Market (JJ market) is the largest market in Thailand. It only opens on weekends, and the place is always packed with people. There are different kind of stores – clothing, art, food, handcrafts and souvenirs – different stores are right next to each other. You can easily get lost – it feels as if you were literally in a maze. Make sure to remember the number of the street if you find your favorite store!

• Opening hours: Saturdays and Sundays 6:00 – 18:00
• How to get there: Get off at BTS Mo Chit station and walk for 5 minutes
• Place: 587/10 Kamphaeng Phet 2 Rd, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900 (Google Maps)

 

Day Trip to a floating market

Shopping at floating market is one of the things you don’t want to miss. Sitting on the boat and threading your way through among boats – Thailand is one of the only places where offer this amazing experience. Although there are several floating markets close to Bangkok, Damnoen Saduak Floating Market is the most famous one. It will be an option if you have a tight schedule since it is located 1-2 hours drive away from Bangkok, but if you have time, include it to your itinerary!

Damnoen Floating Saduak Floating Market

• Opening hours: Everyday 6:00 – 15:00
• How to get there: Take a minivan from minivan station near the BTS victory monument station (Around 100 Baht: $2.83) or take a bus from Southern Bus Terminal (70 Baht: $1.98)
• Place: Damnoen Saduak District, Ratchaburi (Google Maps)

 

4. Try Thailand’s Cheap Street Food

 

Shakes

Shakes are my essentials for a day walk. Especially because you are in such a hot and humid city (35C/90F!), you will soon find yourself looking for some smoothie places on the street. It is a quick solution for cool-off. You can get them as cheap as around 40 Baht ($1.13), with a great variation of tropical fruits!

 

Fruits

Street vendors are everywhere in the city. They are selling food, drink, and souvenirs. Among those, fruits are perfect for snacks when you are a little bit hungry after walking around the city. They typically offer mango, pineapple, papaya, and watermelon. You can get for around 20 baht ($0.57) for one bag – it’s super cheap and healthy!

 

5. Get a Thai massage on Khaosan Road

When you go to the popular touristic attraction Khaosan Road, you will find relaxing-looking chairs lining up on the street and waiting for you. With as cheap as 150 baht ($4.24) for 1/2 hour, you can get a Thai massage. It is a little painful, but your body will soon be loosen up after the session. Either way here is one of the only places you can get a massage for such a cheap price and in the open air!

 

6. Go Climb the Ghost Tower

Being affected by the Asian economic crisis in 1997, the Sathorn Unique Tower, which is now called the ‘Ghost Tower’, was left undone. It was supposed to be one of the most luxury condos in Bangkok. Now it’s one of the top touristic destinations in Bangkok, and people are coming here everyday for a beautiful sunset from the top of the building. The view is breath-taking, and you will forget about the bustle of this busy city. It will be a great experience for someone who’s seeking for something different from normal city expedition.

• You have to bribe local people to get inside the building (Around 100 baht: $2.83)
• You need to climb up the stairs to 49th floor for the access to the top
• You will need a flashlight to climb down since it becomes completely dark after the sunset
• Place: Soi Charoen Krung 51, Yan Nawa, Sathon, Bangkok 10120 (Google Maps)

 

7. Enjoy Nightlife in Bangkok

Some people are surprised at the fact that Bangkok has so many bars and night clubs. The nightlife in this city is pretty good I have to say, with choices of different places to hang out in such a compact city. If you are on budget, start with Khaosan Road. It offers relatively cheap drinks and a great atmosphere, and you can meet many backpackers on the road. My favorite place is the Oxxi’s Place, across the street from McDonald’s. They offer 3 buckets for 400 baht ($11.31) deal, so it’s great if you go there with several people.

If you want to go clubbing, I recommend to go to Ku De Ta Bangkok in Silom area. From famous dance music like everyone else knows, to upbeat Latin music, DJ Buddha and other famous DJs in Bangkok offer the great mixture of music and it creates a fancy vibe. The entrance fee is free, like most of the clubs in Bangkok, so you can enjoy as much until the night ends.

Ku De Ta Bangkok

• Opening hours: Everyday 21:00 – 2:00
• Place: Sathorn Square Tower 39 floor (BTS Chong Nonsi Exit 1 98 North Sathorn Road 10500) (Google Maps)
• Normally taxi drivers don’t know about Ku De Ta, so you should say “Satah-ni Chong Nonsi” (Means Chong Nong Station) and they will understand. It will be right in front of the station.

 

These are all my recommendations for your stay in Bangkok. I hope you will find it helpful, and hope you will enjoy your trip! Ask me anything you want to know, and let me know what I should write about in the upcoming posts! 🙂