Grand Palace & Wat Pra Keaw

Chintatown

Chinatown is a colourful, exotic and pleasingly chaotic area, packed with market stalls and probably the highest concentration of gold shops in the city. The Chinese communities, relocated here from southern China in the 1700s, still continue their own traditions and religious practices. During major festivities like Chinese New Year and the Vegetarian Festival, the dynamism and spirit of celebration spreads across town like wildfire, and if you happen to be around, don’t miss an opportunity to witness Bangkok Chinatown at its best.

The pioneer of all floating markets, Damnoen Saduak continues to offer an authentic experience despite its increasingly touristy atmosphere. Imagine hundreds of wooden row boats floating by, each laden to the brim with farm-fresh fruits, vegetables or flowers. Food vendors fill their vessels with cauldrons and charcoal grills, ready to whip up a bowl of ‘boat noodle’ or seafood skewers upon request. Floating markets are like living museums where you can immerse in the local culture and way of life as it once was before the arrival of global consumerism.

The impressive silhouette of Wat Arun’s towering spires has probably become one of the most recognised temple landmarks of Southeast Asia. Constructed during the first half of the 19th century by King Rama II, in the ancient Khmer style, the stupa (or ‘Prang’ in Thai), showcasing ornate floral pattern decked out in glazed porcelain, is even more stunning up close. Apart from its beauty, Wat Arun symbolises the birth of the Rattanakosin Period and the founding of the new capital after Ayutthaya fell. Contrary to what its name suggests, the temple appears most beautiful at sunset, rather than sunrise.

There’s more to Wat Pho than the gigantic reclining Buddha and traditional Thai massage. Once a centre for public education during the reign of King Rama III, Wat Pho (or Wat Chetuphon) harbours a fascinating collection of murals, inscriptions and sculptures that delve into various subjects, from warfare to literature, astronomy to archaeology. Apart from the main pavilion, the vast temple complex contains a landscaped garden with stone sculptures, stupas adorned with glazed porcelain, a souvenir shop and the College of Traditional Medicine.

Bangkok owes much of its fascinating history to the communities that flourish along the Chao Phraya riverbanks. The areas from Wat Arun to Phra Sumeru Fortress are home to some of the oldest settlements in Bangkok, particularly Bangkok Noi, where you can still revel in the charming ambience of stilt houses and markets flanking the complex waterways. One of the most scenic areas, the riverside reflects a constantly changing scene day and night: water-taxis ferrying commuters and heavily laden rice barges chugging upstream, set against a backdrop of glittering temples, historical landmarks and luxury, five-star hotels.

Chatuchak Weekend Market

Once only popular among wholesalers and traders, Chatuchak Weekend Market has reached a landmark status as a must-visit place for tourists. Its sheer size and diverse collections of merchandise will bring any seasoned shoppers to their knees – this is where you can literally shop ‘till you drop’. The 35-acre (68-rai) area of Chatuchak is home to more than 8,000 market stalls. On a typical weekend, more than 200,000 visitors come here to sift through the goods on offer.

If Bangkok is a city where East greets West, then Khao San Road is the scene of their collision, the place where they jostle for superiority and poke one another in the eye. With travellers from every corner of the modern world, sleek clubs playing sophisticated sounds, eclectic market stalls, converted VW cocktail bars, and foods tamed to suit the Western palate, it may seem clear who won the fight. However, whether you're a hard-up farang (foreigner) or open-minded Thai, its irrepressible energy and carefree vibe makes it well worth a visit.

Soi Cowboy was named after the cowboy hat-wearing African-American who opened the first bar here in the early 1970s.

Jim Thompson’s House

Jim Thompson’s three decades of dedication to the revival of Thai silk, then a dying art, changed the industry forever. After the mysteriously disappeared into the jungles of Malaysia, he left a legacy behind, which is reflected through his vast collections of Thai art and antiques now on display at the Jim Thompson’s House and Museum, itself a lovely complex of six Thai-style teakwood houses preserved to their original glory.