1
Tour the Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaew
Landmark
Gilded spires and the revered Emerald Buddha, go early, cover knees and shoulders, ignore the "it’s closed" scammers.
Time2 hrs
Cost฿500
Best atEarly AM
TipDress modestly
Country
Thailand
The best things to do in Bangkok are the Grand Palace and Wat Pho, a longtail boat through the khlongs, street food on Yaowarat and a rooftop bar at sunset. Give it 3–4 days in the cool season (Nov–Feb).
Bangkok hits all the senses at once, gold temples, chaotic markets, the best street food on earth. Below are the ten experiences worth your time, mapped, with a Wimup video guide.
Gilded spires and the revered Emerald Buddha, go early, cover knees and shoulders, ignore the "it’s closed" scammers.
A 46m gold reclining Buddha and the home of Thai massage, book one in the temple’s own school.
Skip the traffic and see the "Venice of the East" from the water, temples, stilt houses and floating vendors.
After dark, Yaowarat becomes the best street-food strip in the city, woks blazing deep into the night.
15,000 weekend stalls of everything imaginable, go early, hydrate and accept you’ll get lost.
Bangkok invented the rooftop bar, dress up, ride to the 60th floor and watch the city glitter.
The porcelain-studded "Temple of Dawn" glows pink at sunset; cross by the 4-baht ferry for the view back.
Paddle-boat vendors of fruit and noodles, pick Amphawa over touristy Damnoen, and arrive early.
The city’s green lung, dawn tai chi, paddle boats and monitor lizards the size of dogs.
Garlic-crusted fried chicken and som tam beside Lumphini Park; lunch of champions.
The golden-dome rooftop 63 floors up; overpriced, dress-coded, and still worth one sundowner.
Southeast Asia’s largest museum collection, in a former viceroy’s palace by Sanam Luang.
Climb inside the colossal three-headed bronze elephant into a stained-glass cosmos.
The retro train night market: vintage cars, neon, street food by the acre.
Chinatown’s kilometre-long wholesale squeeze; go for the spectacle as much as the bargains.
A free hands-on museum opposite Chatuchak; dinosaur digs and water play.
Ferry across to Bangkok’s “green lung” and cycle raised jungle paths all afternoon.
Yaowarat closes to traffic for lion dances and a street-food blowout.
Installations and open studios across Charoenkrung and Chinatown.
Thai New Year: the world’s biggest water fight takes over the city.
Sacred oxen predict the harvest at Sanam Luang.
Yellow flags over Yaowarat: nine days of meat-free street food.
Candle-lit banana-leaf floats fill the river on the full moon.
The late King’s birthday: lights and ceremonies citywide.
Fireworks over the river at ICONSIAM and CentralWorld.
Cool, fast Skytrain and metro that dodge the traffic; tap a Rabbit card.
Chao Phraya express boats and metered taxis beat the gridlock.
Wok-fried noodles with tamarind, egg and peanuts.
Hot-and-sour prawn soup, fragrant with lemongrass.
Coconut curry of chicken, basil and chillies.
Sweet coconut rice with ripe mango.
Pounded green-papaya salad, fiery and fresh.
Dark, rich beef or pork noodle soup.
Get our one-page Bangkok cheat sheet plus a fresh destination every Thursday. Join 38,000 travelers.