12 Places You Shouldn’t Miss in Bangkok

A couple of days prior to our awaited trip to Bangkok, I decided to watch videos about Bangkok on Youtube that were fun to watch and in fact made me more excited. Most of them also talked about the things to watch out for like pickpockets, illegal tour guides, con drivers, and the like. Learning about this didn’t bother me that much because I grew up in a country where these things aren’t uncommon. I just shrugged my shoulders after watching that part and leaned toward the bright side.

My search for the good spots in Bangkok resulted in plenty of names that were kind of overwhelming. So my forever travel buddy and I listed only the places that were near our hotel. Fortunately, the hotel that we chose is located near some of the popular places. So near that we only had to walk. I’ll be posting my review on the hotel soon. Don’t miss it!

If you’re traveling to Bangkok in the near future, you might want to check out these spots as well.

1. Rattanakosin Exhibition Hall

Personally, this elegant and engaging museum allowed me to glean interesting facts about Rattanakosin which is now known as Bangkok. In addition, I was able to grasp the local’s way of living in the old times. The experience helped me to give more appreciation to the Thai culture. I highly recommend this place and suggest that you first visit this before the famous attractions so you’ll get a better understanding. Click here for more details.

BASIC INFO
Open Tuesday to Sunday: 10am – 7pm
Entrance Fee: 100 baht

After the fascinating experience, we stopped by True Coffee situated just right in the building where I had a flourless chocolate mousse. I confess that I fell in love with. It was love at first bite!

2. Wat Chana Songkhram

Tip 1: Always wear decent clothes when visiting temples in Bangkok. These can be shirts, long pants, long dresses or anything that covers your legs and shoulders. This goes to any genders.

I love that this temple is open everyday from 8am to 4pm for free. It’s not a spacious area, but the temple itself is a beauty to behold.

3. Wat Suthat

Much to my surprise, the place was empty when we got there. It might be due to the fact that it’s currently under renovation or everyone else already left. The silence was deafening and the entire temple was only for me to enjoy. I’m pretty sure it’ll be even more beautiful to see when it’s completed. It opens daily from 8:30am to 9pm. Admission fee is 100 baht.

4. The Golden Mount

Also known as Wat Saket built on an artificial man-made hill. We had to climb up some steps to get to the top. It didn’t require much effort. Thanks to the nice weather. While ascending, I was impressed by how the encircling path was made. Much more so when I finally arrived at the top of the hill. Besides the statues, the panoramic view of Bangkok was refreshing to the sight. 

Tip 2: If you want to enjoy the sunset here, be sure to arrive early to avoid the long queue.

Open Daily: 7:30am – 7:00pm
Admission Fee: 50 baht

5. The Grand Palace

I’d say that this was the highlight of our sightseeing. The reason being that this complex doesn’t only house the royal residence and throne halls, but also a few government offices and the famed Temple of the Emerald Buddha.

I couldn’t count how many times I sighed in awe upon gazing at the man-made figures and structures. The entire area was built with overflowing creativity and great history. This pretty sums up the temples in Bangkok. For me, the temples in the city look pretty much alike so you don’t really have to visit all of them. The Grand Palace should suffice. It’s where you can already see and feel the spirit of Bangkok.

Open Daily: 8:30am- 3:30pm
Admission Fee: 500 baht

Tip 3: Avoid going there (or any other famous attractions) by tuk-tuk (a public transportation) because the drivers will surely ask you for an over-priced fare. But if you’re good at haggling, the ride is actually a cool experience.

6. Giant Swing

I don’t really know why it’s called a swing because to me it doesn’t look like one. If you’re near the area, just stop by and see it for yourself. If not, you might want to skip this one. Also, if its history is what would matter to you, then it’s worth a few minutes of your time.

7. Wat Pho

This attraction is just as crowded as the Grand Palace. The good thing is that people don’t take much time to see the Buddha so the chance of taking a good photo of it is pretty high. Apart from this, there are other impressive things to see such as the intricately detailed murals and the vibrant stupas.

Open Daily: 8am – 5pm
Admission Fee: 100 baht (A bottle of water is given for free.)

8. Wat Sai Floating Market

This is what we saw when we got there since it was on a weekday. The real Thai living was right before my eyes. It was a humbling moment for me to see that even up to this date, the locals still do things the traditional way. Here you can take a peek of the old Bangkok where people used to live by the river and use boats as their mode of transportation and selling goods. Although this isn’t the main floating market in the city, it still is a nice spot to see Thai culture.

9. Safari World

I don’t know about you, but I have a thing for zoos. It always mesmerizes me to see different creatures up close. Safari World consists of 2 areas, Safari Park and Marine Park. The first one is a huge area where you can watch animals walking freely. A bus will get you around there for a good 30-minute adventure. The latter is where you can see other protected animals. There are shows to definitely enjoy. It was worth visiting! The newly opened cafe is a must visit. I had a delicious lava cake and bubble tea there.

Tip 4: Take a Grab taxi to get there. This app is legit and the price is fixed and reasonable. My husband and I never had a bad experience with the drivers.

10. Khaosan Road

What makes this road popular is I guess it’s packed with cheap accommodations and a variety of shops, diners, and other establishments. This becomes lively at night. Lots of foreigners.

11. The Old Siam Shopping Plaza

Here’s a good place to try some Thai dishes/ street food and shop for Thai silk. We bought some Thai delicacies here as souvenirs.

12. Platinum Fashion Mall

To conclude our trip, we headed to this mall to buy some clothes (okay, just mine LOL) at a reasonable price. It was quite busy with both locals and tourists. Haggling was part of the fun for me. The trip was fun-filled and fascinating. Bangkok is a worth visiting city. How was your Bangkok trip? Share your tips!

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