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What to see in Bangkok: 20 things to do in 3 days

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Bangkok is one of those cities that either love you or overwhelm you from one minute. We recognize that it is a bit chaotic, but we liked it a lot. Yes, we recommend visiting Bangkok in three days, more time can get tired/saturated. Here we have prepared the best things to see in Bangkok in 2 or 3 days.

what to see in Bangkok

20 things to see in Bangkok in 3 days: the most comprehensive guide to the craziest city in Thailand

1. You cannot leave Bangkok without visiting The Royal Palace (Wat Phra Kaew) it is the most essential place to see in Bangkok.

By the way, if they tell you in the vicinity that the Royal Palace is closed, I recommend that you enter by one ear and get out by another; it is one of the most common scams in Thailand. And remember to take care of the clothes to enter this palace because they are very strict. You cannot enter with the shoulders and knees in the air. We recommend you take a scarf from home or you will have to buy it directly there at a price more expensive (and probably will be uglier) than normal.

Within the Grand Palace complex, the former residence of the Thai Royal Family, the Emerald Buddha is the biggest claim. By the way, do not forget the sunglasses to visit the palace because in the meantime you will be dazzled.

The schedule to visit the Palace is from 8.30 am until 4.00 pm, but we recommend going first hour to avoid crowds.

2. Khao San Road is probably the busiest street in Bangkok by the Guiris. Here you will find the largest number of foreigners per square meter in all of Bangkok. We especially recommend going at night, especially if you want to party. On this street, you will find many street food stalls (even if you are a brave and you dare to try grasshoppers or scorpions).

3. One of the prettiest temples to see in Bangkok is the Wat Pho known for having the largest reclining Buddha in Thailand. With its 46 meters long and 15 meters high we recognize that an egg impresses. Also in this temple it is the largest collection of Buddhas in Thailand and the largest public education center in the country.

thai temple

4. Another of the best temples in Bangkok is the Temple of Dawn, the so-called Wat Arun, although we recommend you to visit it at sunset. The best thing about the temple is to contemplate it from the shore of the opposite river. It’s a blast! To get close to the temple, you only have to take a small boat and cross the river.

5. Enjoy the markets of Bangkok. For example, we recommend the market for amulets or the flower market. We also recommend you to lose yourself in the Trok Tha Wang alleyway, near the river.

floating market

6. Speaking of markets, on the outskirts of Bangkok are two of the most curious markets I’ve seen in my life. This is the Damnoen Saduak floating market and the Mae Klong Railway Market. The floating market is quite touristy and the products you find in it are quite more expensive than other markets. On the other hand, the railway market is more authentic, although it is also quite congested.

The railway market is very curious because it is all located around the train tracks. Therefore, it is logical to visit it at the time the train passes. In this way you will see how the merchants pick up the things in a jiffy and put them back as if they did not want the thing just after the train again. The train schedules are as follows: 6.20 am, 8.30 am, 11.10 am, 14.40 pm and 15.30 pm

Both the floating market and the railway market are about an hour and a half from Bangkok. The best thing is that you can visit it as an organized excursion.

7. Take a walk through Chinatown the most chaotic neighborhood in the city. It has a lot of street food stalls. By the way, good luck! We hope you survive so much chaos.

8. You have to do in Bangkok is to eat the best Thai platform of the whole trip to Thailand. You find it in the Thip Samai bar, in the Rattanakosin neighborhood.

thai cuisine

9. You also have to try more dishes of Thai cuisine. For example, fried rice, green curry, massaman curry, papaya salad and Thailand’s richest dessert: mango sticky rice. What is not rich, but nothing is the durian, the most stinking we have eaten in our lives. To see that we do not exaggerate, it is forbidden to eat it in hotels and take it by public transport. It smells and tastes like a rotten egg.

10. Giving yourself a traditional Thai massage is one of the best pleasures to do in Bangkok. We in Bangkok gave one in Khao San Road. If you have a problem in the neck or back, be careful with Thai massages.

11. We did not have time and we recognize that it did not particularly attract our attention, but we also recommend visiting the Jim Thompson House. It is a set of traditional Thai houses where once lived this American architect who helped in the liberation of Thailand during the Second World War.

12. What we consider essential is to do a day trip to Ayutthaya, one of the best excursions from Bangkok, for us it was one of the days that we liked the most.

13. The Wat Saket temple is known as the golden mountain of Bangkok. You have to climb more than 300 steps to reach the top, but the views from above are very worthwhile.

14. If you want to go shopping I recommend the MBK Center. It has all the imitations of good brands that you can imagine. One important thing, during your trip to Bangkok there is something that you cannot forget for anything in the world: do not forget to haggle!

15. Climb the most famous skyscraper in Bangkok. This is Baiyoke Tower II to enjoy the skyline of the city. You can even book a romantic table with views directly here.

16. Experience real weapons shooting at the popular shooting range near center of Thai capital. There is broad choice of weapons from pistols and revolvers to shotguns and military rifles. All shooting events are done under close supervision of an shooting instructor and the Bangkok shooting events are also open for people without a shooting license.

17. We recognize that we do not enter any museum in Bangkok. With the ration of temples we had more than covered the cultural dose, but there are the best museums to see in Bangkok: The National Gallery, Bangkok Folk Museum or the Bangkok National Museum.

18. If you have more time, other excursions within a stone’s throw of Bangkok are: excursion to Khao Yai National Park, Kanchanaburi or Ko Samet, Ko Chang or Ko Kut island.

19. We did not see it, but you can also be very interesting to see a Muay Thai Combat in Bangkok.

20. If you have spare time, take a tremendously pleasant walk through Lumpini Park, the green lung of Bangkok.