Bangkok is a massive city with a population of about 11 million people. In terms of geographic size, it´s also quite sprawling, encompassing almost 1,600 square kilometers, about half of which makes up the city itself. The implications of this for your Bangkok itinerary are that it´s important to stay centrally, to give yourself time to get around, and to plan carefully. For more on logistics and general information, check out my post, Everything You Need to Know For a Trip to Bangkok.
In writing this itinerary, I´m assuming that you´ve never been to Bangkok. Most people spend little time in the city because they find it chaotic and overwhelming. If you are more adventurous, love amazing Thai food, and are willing to overcome the chaos of the city, I promise you will be rewarded with an extremely special place.
This Bangkok itinerary comes from my heart because Bangkok is a beloved place to me. I lived there for three years and was able to explore the city slowly – which I still think is the best way if you have the time. It´s truly an incredible city and country with so much to offer!
Jump To:
- Day 1 in Bangkok – History & Temples
- Day 2 in Bangkok – Weekend Market
- Day 3 in Bangkok – Spa Day
- Day 4 in Bangkok – Day Trips
- Day 5 in Bangkok – More Bangkok Ideas
- More Bangkok Tours
Day 1 Bangkok Itinerary – See the Grand Palace & The Temples
Some of the key stops on your Bangkok itinerary are, of course, the Grand Palace and various temples of the city – I do recommend visiting these. They are incredibly beautiful and ancient. However, you should prepare yourself for heat and crowds, and you must be dressed appropriately. This plan can easily take you the entire day.
Tips for Visiting Thai Temples
- Wear appropriate clothes covering shoulders, midriff, and legs for both men and women.
- Wear shoes you can easily take on and off since shoes are not allowed in the temple. You may want socks since the ground is very hot.
- Buy tickets ahead of time! The lines at Grand Palace specifically can be very long. The temple tickets are generally easy to buy, but bring cash.
- Be patient, and take your time.
Which Bangkok Sites to Visit
You will want to visit the Grand Palace and Wat Arun at a minimum. Wat Arun is by far my favorite. Beyond that, there are several Wats (temples), Wat Pho (with the giant reclining golden Buddha), and various other attractions along the river. If you´re doing this in one day, I highly recommend a tour. It will make your life logistically much easier. This tour takes you to the three main sites with a guide and pre-pays the entrance to the grand palace (about $15 per person).
How to Visit Bangkok Temples Without A Guided Tour
- Buy a ticket to the Grand Palace at least 1-2 days in advance, print it out, and bring the scannable QR code with you. If you buy it online when you get there, it likely won´t scan, and if you don´t buy it ahead of time, you will spend an hour in line.
- Take the BTS to Saphan Taksin station. Get off and walk to the pier (directly below the station).
- On the pier, you can go to any of the ticket counters and buy hop-on/hop-off tickets for the boats that will take you down the river. There are many options, and it´s a bit chaotic, but relatively straightforward. You can choose to go to one place or many places along the river.
- This is an example of one of the boat companies. It´s very easy to buy the tickets when you´re there too.
Once you´ve done these sites, you´ll be hot and tired, so the best thing to do is find a nice place to relax and have some food and a drink. I recommend taking a taxi to Baan Rim Naam in Talad Noi and chilling out for a while! If you go for sunset, you need a reservation, but in the afternoon you can get lucky with no reservation. After eating something, head to Mother Roaster for a coffee or over to Warehouse 30 to check out one of the coolest districts of Bangkok.
Day 2 Bangkok Itinerary – Chatuchak Weekend Market
Day one of the Bangkok itinerary was a big one. You will probably want to sleep in and enjoy the amazing breakfast at whatever hotel you are staying in (recommendations in this post). From there, if it´s a Saturday or Sunday, head to Chatuchak Weekend Market. Chatuchak is a must-do on your Bangkok itinerary. It´s an enormous outdoor market that sells everything you can think of. My recommendation – if you find something you like, buy it, because you may never find your way back to that stall.
Getting to Chatuchak Weekend Market
The best way to get to Chatuchak is to take the BTS skytrain. You can also take the MTR, or underground metro. On the skytrain, get off at Mo Chit station. If you take the MTR, get off at Kamphaeng Phet station. Both get you close to the entrance, and you can just follow the crowds to the market.
What to do at Chatuchak Weekend Market
The first thing is obviously, shop. You can find everything from pets, to plants, to skincare, to clothing at Chatuchak. It´s a very common place to go on the weekends for Thais and tourists alike. After you´ve had enough shopping, I recommend picking a place to eat and maybe have a drink. There are a ton of options. Once you´ve eaten, don´t miss a foot massage! You´ll find little foot massage places throughout the market. If you can find one with a fan or air conditioning, even better.
Day 3 Bangkok Itinerary – Spa Day
After two big days in Bangkok, you´ll probably be ready for a rest. If you haven´t been, definitely remember to get foot massages every day. At only about $10 – $15 for an hour-long foot massage, this is an ideal way to relax and recover from long days, and they´re an essential part of Thai life and a key aspect of your Bangkok itinerary. Beyond that, Bangkok has so many spas, massage places, and wellness activities. Don´t miss out!
Where to Have a Spa Day in Bangkok
On your third day in Thailand, I recommend taking advantage of the spectacular wellness culture of Thailand. You could do this through an onsen, a massage, or a day spa. One of my favorites is Let´s Relax – I particularly love their Thong Lor location because it has an onsen – however, they have spa locations all over the city. Another option is Oasis Spa. I haven´t been, but it´s one I´ve been meaning to try. Their Sukhumvit 31 location looks particularly good. Finally, I absolutely love Nap Salon, which is exactly what it sounds like. They give you a head massage, wash your hair, and give you a blowout and it´s one of the most relaxing things ever.
Day 4 Bangkok Itinerary – A Day Trip
For your fourth day in Bangkok you may want to get out of the city and breathe some fresh air. There are two day trips from Bangkok that I recommend. One is Ayutthaya – the ancient Thai capital, and the other is Phra Phradaeng – or Bangkok´s Green Lung. Both are relatively easy to do. I wrote a whole post on how to get to and spend a day in Bangkachao, or Bangkok´s Green Lung, so here, I´ll focus on Ayutthaya.
How to Get to Ayutthaya
To get to Ayutthaya, you can take a tour, take a taxi, or take the train. All are good options and provide you with a different experience and level of expertise. This Ayutthaya Bike Tour and this Ayutthaya Small Group Tour both look like great options. I think these options are better than taking a taxi because it will likely be a similar price to take a taxi (if not more), and with a tour, you´ll have a personal tour guide to learn about the history of this ancient place. If you take a taxi, negotiate a price with a taxi driver ahead of time, or use Grab.
Another fun way to get to Ayutthaya is to take the train. This is how I did it – it´s a unique experience to take a train in Thailand. To take the train, head to Hua Lamphong station, go to the ticket counter, and ask them for return tickets to Ayutthaya. I recommend looking at 12GoAsia for tickets if you want to book in advance. Some trains will take longer than others, but it shouldn´t take more than 90 minutes to get to Ayutthaya at most. Pay attention to the class of your ticket and whether it´s standard or express, and don´t expect any trains to be on time!
What You´ll See in Ayutthaya
Ayutthaya is a very easy day trip, and it´s worth it to see a bit of Thai history just outside the city. Ayutthaya is the ancient capital of Thailand, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the main attraction is the temples. It was founded in 1350 as the second capital of Siam after Sukhothai, and it remained the Siamese capital until the 1800s, when it was destroyed by the Burmese. However, it still has many ancient wats and an interesting history. Along the way, you will also encounter a little town and maybe a market as well.
Day 5 Bangkok Itinerary – Rest Day
After four days exploring Bangkok and it´s surroundings, you are likely to be tired! This is an incredible city, but there is so much to see and it´s so hot that you often need breaks. That´s why I think Bangkok is best experienced slowly. Because of this, I recommend building a free day into your Bangkok itinerary. Whether you spend this day exploring the neighborhood you´re staying in or sitting by the pool, it will be worth it to have the rest.
If you´re interested in doing more, here are my top recommendations (in no particular order) of other sites in Bangkok I recommend visiting depending on your interests.
- Bangkokian Museum (museum)
- Bangkok Museum of Contemporary Art (museum)
- Jim Thompson House (museum)
- Asiatique (theme park/market/restaurants)
- Icon Siam (mall)
- Emquartier/Emspere/Emporium (mall)
- Rot Fai Night Market (night market)
- Warehouse 30 (art space)
- Benjakitti Forest Park (park)
- Yaowarat Chinatown Heritage Center (museum)
- Mahanakhon Skywalk (viewpoint/skybar)
- MBK Center (essentially an indoor Chatuchak)
- Time Out Bangkok – Check out what there is to do this week/month in Bangkok since there are always new things going on!
More Bangkok Tours
For more options for Bangkok tours, check out the link below!
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