Bangkok Best Sights
The Grand Palace
Royal Palace
The Grand Palace is the ancient home of the Thai royal family. The country has had a monarchy for hundreds of years, with the current monarchy being founded in 1782. As of 1923, Thailand became a constitutional monarchy, so the royal family and government moved out of the palace. Now, it is possible to visit many of the buildings and temples on the palace grounds.
The palace itself is very beautiful. There are several museums and areas to explore. At the time of our visit, much of the palace was closed off due to renovations, which was not a bad thing because the grounds were so massive. We got to witness some sort of demonstration of guards marching, which was fascinating.
The Temple of the Emerald Buddha
The most impressive attraction is the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, which is located within the palace grounds. This is an opulent temple with many buildings, shrines, stupas, and courtyards. In the past the temple was the private place of worship for the royal family, although in modern times it is not a functioning monastery. However, it is still an important place of reverence for Buddhists, who we saw coming from all over to admire.
This temple was one of the most intricately decorated places we’ve seen. The central hall which houses the eponymous emerald Buddha is decorated on every surface with shiny glass tiles and gold-gilded carvings. The pure spectacle was almost too much to take in. Buddhist temples are usually the most decorative religious sites, but this was truly on a new level. The Buddha itself is impressive, although photography inside wasn’t allowed.
Every building is interesting and amazing in its own way. One of the stupas is gilded in gold, and towers into the sky. You really get the sense that the Thai royal family was immensely wealthy. Although the temple isn’t incredibly old, being finished in 1785, we still got the impression of an ancient religious site as we wandered the lavish halls. The temple is remarkably well-maintained, making it one of our favorite stops in Bangkok.
Wat Pho
Just south of the palace is Wat Pho, yet another opulent Buddhist temple Built by King Rama I, the first king of the current royal family, this is one of Thailand’s most important temples. Similarly to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Wat Pho is absolutely covered in amazing detail. While not quite as opulent, it’s still very impressive with lots of buildings, stupas, and shrines.
The most famous part of Wat Pho is the reclining Buddha. This truly gigantic statue is 150 ft (46m) long, and covered in gold. Built by King Rama III, it is one of the largest Buddhas in the country and a key place of reverence and worship. We’ve seen many big Buddhas at this point, in Vietnam, Hong Kong, and even Phuket. But this remains one of the most interesting due to its unique position and amazing surroundings.
Unlike the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Wat Pho is still an active temple. We learned on our visit that there is a school of Thai massage and medicine inside of the temple. Buddhist temples are not only places of worship but cultural and educational centers as well. You may think Thai massage is just a relaxing activity, but there’s a reason the Thai people are so good at it. It is a religiously important practice as well, showcasing the deep ties between religion, culture, and daily life in the country.
Perhaps the best part of the temple is the amazing number of furry friends! There were prangs everywhere that are covered in cats. They all live at the temple and seemed so happy, many of them let us give them pets. In Thailand, we saw cats frequently, and the locals seemed to have a good relationship with them. It’s a reflection of their welcoming culture.
Wat Arun
Rounding out the temples, is Wat Arun, one of the most famous temples in the country. Before visiting, we stopped at the pier to get some lunch, which is convenient because Wat Arun is located on the river across from Wat Pho. There is a ferry to take you directly from the pier to the temple, however, when we visited the old pier was being decommissioned. As of 2024, there is a brand new pier with ferry service resumed, so getting between the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, and Wat Arun is a breeze.
After stopping by Mahasane Thai Costume, we made our way to the temple. Immediately we noticed it was a very different type of temple than the others. It is primarily a layout of massive towers called prangs, with the central one being over 220 feet tall. Wat Arun is decorated with colorful tiles and is much steeper and taller than it seems. This gives it a feeling of reaching into the heavens.
As beautiful and interesting as this temple is, our visit was the most “Instagram vs reality” moment of our whole trip. The pictures usually look like pure white with amazingly vibrant colors, however, for us it was quite different. The temple was super packed, with people on every staircase and every balcony (of course, we were not helping this problem). Since the pathways are so tight, it was nearly impossible to get a shot without many people in it.
Also, the white surface of the temple was weathered, making it a dull grey instead. This is not to critique the temple, it is still spectacular. It must be unbelievably tedious to keep such an intricate and massive structure clean. Just make sure you set your expectations accordingly and be prepared to appreciate the bigger picture.
Mahasane Thai Costume
As you can see, we decided to rent traditional Thai clothes for our trip to Wat Arun. Mahasane Thai Costume is just down the street from Wat Arun, and it had great reviews so it just made sense. This store has a large selection of dress options for men and women, and even more accessories. They also will do your hair and you can choose add-ons for even more flair. The staff were very nice and helpful, and we were in and out quickly with our beautiful clothes.
Thai clothes are very comfortable, especially compared to the gut-crushing Japanese Kimono or cumbersome Korean Hanbok hoop skirt. They were adorned with gold necklaces, earrings, and intricate embroidery. We felt like royalty, and I think this is one of my favorite traditional clothes we’ve tried on.
I used to be scared to wear other cultures’ clothes because I thought it might be rude or cultural appropriation. Having tried on clothes from Mongolia, Japan, Vietnam, and Korea, I’ve learned that it’s appreciated and many people stop and give their support! Locals love to see you engaging in their culture in all ways, as long as you’re respectful.
Chutachak Weekend Market
Every city has some sort of market, and Bangkok is no different. This is the largest market in Thailand, with over 15000 stalls and every imaginable product and service. There are massage parlors, clothing stores, restaurants, and food stands. There are even pet stores and repair shops, this is truly the most comprehensive market we’ve ever seen. It is so easy to get lost in this maze of a bazaar, with something interesting around every turn.
Eventually, we came across a coffee shop called Dream Coffee. Several specialty coffee shops are tucked away in random corridors in the market. The coffee was shockingly great, and very well made which I was not expecting. The point isn’t that the shop was good, but that it was so cool that it was there at all. No matter what you want, there’s sure to be a shop or stall that catches your eye.
Octave Bar
We always try to visit rooftop bars in every city we visit. It’s a great way to get a beautiful night view of a city, enjoy ourselves, and feel like we’re rich for a night. Octave Bar is at the top of the Marriott right outside the subway, so it was easy to get to. Located on the 49th floor, it has a massive sweeping view over the entire city. Bars usually have a DJ or live performer, but we were not prepared for the amazing set the DJ had in store.
As she spun some absolute bangers, we enjoyed a drink while taking in the view. Bangkok is not known for its skyline, but we were surprised to see a beautiful bustling, and modern city. Having not known what to expect from Bangkok, we were absolutely blown away by everything it has to offer. Spending a night soaking it all in with such a great view was the perfect way to end our last night.
Lumphini Park
Before we left Bangkok, we had a few hours to kill. Most cities have a “central park” style park with lots to see. Bangkok has some amazing parks like Rama IX Park and Benchakitti Park, but we had something else in mind. Lumphini Park is located close to the downtown core and right off the subway line, so it was the best option for us. We arrived at sunrise and we were on a mission.
This park is home to two large ponds, which serve as a home for the infamous monitor lizards. These are some of the largest lizards in the world. They won’t attack humans, but if threatened they can bite and inject venom. It’s best to respect their space and observe them from a distance. It was so cool to see them in person and was a strange way to end our visit to Bangkok. The park also has many adorable cats and was a really lovely place to take a morning walk.
Malls of Bangkok
We never plan on going to malls, but it somehow always happens. They are great places to hang out and cool off if you have a little bit of extra time. We weren’t prepared for how nice the malls in Bangkok were, with so many amazing and different layouts. We visited ICONSIAM, Terminal 21, and EmSphere. All of them had great varieties of Western, Asian, and local brands. Since it was Christmas at the time, they were decked out in trees and fake snow, with brass bands playing Christmas classics, and rock bands covering Elvis’ Blue Christmas.
ICONSIAM is unique because it has a recreation of a floating market in its basement. We didn’t have long to spend there, but it was one of the nicest malls we’ve ever seen. Usually, a “nice” mall has only expensive brands, but we were happy to see a huge variety. These malls were nice due to the genuinely great architecture and interesting layouts.
Final Thoughts
Bangkok shocked and amazed us. We never expected to find such a diverse and fun city, with everything we needed. You could easily spend a week in Bangkok if you see all the best sights, and we’re looking forward to see what else we can explore in the future.
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