Bangkok

The world's most-visited city by international travelers in 2025 (30.3 million), with the Grand Palace, street food and night markets, and Southeast Asia's travel hub.

Bangkok is the capital and largest city of Thailand, set on the delta of the lower Chao Phraya River with a population of over 10 million. It ranked first in the world in 2025 with about 30.3 million international visitors and is the hub of Southeast Asian travel. Sightseeing areas can be organized by the river and the rail network. Along the river lies Rattanakosin, the old city (the Grand Palace, Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Pho, the National Museum, Wat Saket (Golden Mount) and the Giant Swing, with Wat Arun across the river), as well as Khao San Road, the backpacker street. Next come Chinatown (Yaowarat Road) and Wat Traimit (the Golden Buddha). Downtown are the Siam–Chit Lom shopping district (Siam Square, the Erawan Shrine, Jim Thompson House and Lumphini Park) and Sukhumvit Road (hotels and nightlife). South along the river are ICONSIAM, Asiatique and the King Power Mahanakhon observation deck, and in the north is the Chatuchak Weekend Market. Day trips from the city include, to the southwest, the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, the Maeklong Railway Market and the Amphawa Floating Market (about 1–1.5 hours away), to the southeast Ancient City and the Erawan Museum, and to the west Phra Pathommachedi in Nakhon Pathom. Ayutthaya, the ancient capital, as well as Pattaya and Kanchanaburi, are separate destinations. The climate is tropical monsoon: the cool season from November to February is best; the hot season in March–May often reaches 38°C, with the Songkran water festival on April 13–15; and June–October is the rainy season with frequent afternoon showers. Getting there: from Suvarnabhumi Airport the Airport Rail Link takes about 30 minutes into the city, while Don Mueang Airport serves many low-cost carriers. In the city, the BTS Skytrain and MRT subway reach the main commercial districts; for the old city, take the MRT to Sanam Chai station or a Chao Phraya Express Boat. Grab taxis are convenient. Chinese citizens can enter Thailand visa-free for 30 days (please verify before you travel). Recommended stay: 3–4 days, or 5 days if you add the floating markets outside the city. Tips: temples require long trousers or a knee-length skirt and a top with sleeves; beware of the "the Grand Palace is closed today" scam; insist that taxis use the meter.

Top sights

• Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaew – A complex of royal palace buildings constructed when King Rama I founded Bangkok in 1782, with the dazzling Wat Phra Kaew housing Thailand'…
• Wat Pho – Bangkok's oldest and largest temple, home to a 46-meter gilded reclining Buddha and 108 bronze bowls. It is also the birthplace of Thai mas…
• Wat Arun – A roughly 70-meter-tall porcelain-tiled main prang on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River. Named after the Sino-Thai King Taksin, it off…
• Yaowarat Road (Chinatown) – Bangkok's 200-year-old Chinese quarter. After nightfall, the seafood stalls, bird's nest and shark fin dishes, and Michelin-recommended str…
• Chatuchak Weekend Market – One of the world's largest weekend markets, with 27 sections and 15,000 stalls selling clothing, handicrafts, fragrances, and coconut ice c…
• Maeklong Railway Market – Vendors sell goods on both sides of the railway tracks. As a train approaches, they quickly pull in their awnings, and the train passes slo…
• Khao San Road – The 'world centre' of backpackers: a 400-metre street packed with bars, street food stalls, cheap guesthouses and hair-braiding stands, mos…
• ICONSIAM – A huge riverside mall on the west bank of the Chao Phraya; its basement Sook Siam brings Thailand's 77-province floating markets indoors, a…
• Damnoen Saduak Floating Market – Thailand's most famous floating market, where long-tail boats loaded with fruit and snacks ply the canals. It is usually combined with Mae…
• Wat Saket (Golden Mount) – A golden chedi on a man-made hill; climbing 344 steps rewards you with a 360-degree view of the old town and the Grand Palace roofs.
• Wat Benchamabophit (Marble Temple) – A temple built in the reign of King Rama V with Italian Carrara marble, blending Thai and Western styles, and whose design appears on the r…
• Wat Suthat & Giant Swing – One of Bangkok's six first-class royal temples, with exquisite interior murals. The 21-metre red Giant Swing outside its gate is a landmark…
• Wat Traimit (Golden Buddha) – A temple at the entrance to Chinatown housing a solid gold seated Buddha weighing about 5.5 tonnes, one of the largest solid gold Buddha st…
• Wat Ratchanatdaram (Loha Prasat) – Home to the world's only surviving 'iron palace'-style pagoda, with 37 golden spires stacked in tiers, and you can climb to the top for a v…
• Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen – A temple on the west bank of the Chao Phraya; the top of its huge white chedi features a jade-green glass chedi and a starry dome mural, an…
• Jim Thompson House – The teak stilt houses of silk tycoon Jim Thompson, housing a collection of Southeast Asian antiques, and the legend of his mysterious disap…
• Bangkok National Museum – One of Southeast Asia's largest museums, housed in the former Front Palace, with artefacts from prehistoric times to the Bangkok (Rattanako…
• Museum Siam – A discovery-style museum that uses interactive exhibits to explore 'what it means to be Thai', housed in a neoclassical building beside Wat…
• Lumphini Park – The green lung of central Bangkok, with a lake where you can ride swan pedal boats, lawns, and lakeside strolls past leisurely water monito…
• Erawan Shrine – A Brahma shrine at a shopping-district intersection, famed among Chinese visitors for granting wishes. Those giving thanks can hire traditi…
• Siam Square & Siam Paragon – Bangkok's core shopping district, where a youthful trendy quarter connects with top-end malls. The aquarium and food court make it a one-st…
• Asiatique The Riverfront – A Chao Phraya riverside night market converted from old pier warehouses, with a Ferris wheel, cabaret shows and over a thousand shops.
• King Power Mahanakhon SkyWalk – A 314-metre skyscraper with a pixelated facade, whose 78th-floor glass-floor observation deck overlooks all of Bangkok.
• Pak Khlong Talat (Flower Market) – Bangkok's largest wholesale flower market, open 24 hours, with heaps of jasmine garlands and colourful orchids.
• Amphawa Floating Market – A canal floating market that opens on weekend evenings, with grilled seafood on boats, old wooden shops, and fireflies you can watch by boa…
• Ancient Siam (Muang Boran) – Thailand's answer to Splendid China, an open-air museum covering over 800 mu, with 116 famous ancient buildings reproduced as replicas and…
• Erawan Museum – A 43.6-metre bronze sculpture of the three-headed elephant Erawan, with a museum inside its belly and a Buddhist hall beneath a coloured-gl…
• Safari World – Drive through the grassland area to see giraffes, lions and tigers, while the marine park hosts dolphin shows, orangutan boxing and more. A…
• Phra Pathom Chedi – One of the world's tallest Buddhist chedis, about 120 metres high, in Nakhon Pathom province, where Buddhism is believed to have first ente…
• Bang Kachao – A peninsula oasis in a bend of the Chao Phraya, known as Bangkok's green lung, where you can cycle through coconut groves and along elevate…

Where to eat

• Raan Jay Fai – A one-Michelin-starred street food icon, where the goggle-wearing chef is famous for stir-frying her signature crab ome…
• Thipsamai Pad Thai – The most famous Pad Thai restaurant in the Old Town, renowned for its signature Pad Thai wrapped in a thin egg omelet a…
• Le Du – A one-Michelin-starred contemporary Thai restaurant with a seasonal menu and a highly recognizable dining space featuri…
• Krua Apsorn (Dusit) – A Michelin Bib Gourmand family restaurant, famous for its heirloom Thai dishes like yellow curry with prawns and stir-f…
• Nai Ek Roll Noodle – A legendary Teochew roll noodle soup spot in Chinatown, serving rolled rice noodles in a peppery clear broth with crisp…
• Wattana Panich – A legendary beef stew noodle shop famous for its perpetual broth, with the giant simmering pot at the entrance being a…
• Somtum Der (Sala Daeng) – A popular Isan restaurant in Silom, specializing in a wide variety of papaya salads, grilled pork neck, and northeaster…
• Go-Ang Pratunam Chicken Rice – A legendary Pratunam chicken rice spot recognizable by its pink uniforms; though the lines are long, the table turnover…

Itineraries

• Classic Thailand: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket & Krabi – Head north from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, then fly to the Andaman Sea to experience historic temples, ancient cities, and…
• Bangkok First Visit: Classic – The Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, the Siam shopping district and the Chatuchak Weekend Market: three days to see the…
• Bangkok Old Town In-Depth and Ayutthaya – Stay in Rattanakosin's old town and explore palaces, temples, the National Museum and the flower market, plus a day in…
• Bangkok and Surroundings: Railway Market, River Kwai and Ayutthaya in – Three days exploring central Bangkok, then three day trips to Maeklong Railway Market, a night in Kanchanaburi on the R…
• Bangkok Street Food and Markets in – Stay near the river in Chinatown and sample your way through Talat Noi, Yaowarat and floating markets, plus a bike ride…
• Bangkok with Kids: Aquarium, Wildlife Park and Ancient City in – Aquarium, Safari World, Ancient Siam, and the Erawan Museum make for a relaxed family trip to Bangkok.
• Gulf of Thailand Trio: Koh Tao, Koh Phangan & Koh Samui – Take an overnight bus and ferry to Koh Tao for diving, pass through Koh Phangan, and fly out from Koh Samui on a seamle…