Bangkok Travel Guide: Where to Stay, What to See and How to Get Around
Plan a trip to Bangkok: the best areas to stay, the Grand Palace, Wat Arun and Wat Pho, Chinatown, markets and how to get around by BTS, MRT and boat.
This guide may contain affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. How this works.
In this guide
Bangkok is Thailand’s capital and, for most visitors, the first stop of any trip: a river city of gilded temples, chaotic markets and some of the best cheap food anywhere in Asia. This guide covers where to stay, what to see, how to get around and what things cost, so you can plan three or four days here without wasting them in traffic.
How many days do you need in Bangkok?
Three full days is enough for the essentials. Cover the Grand Palace and Wat Pho on day one, Wat Arun and a river boat ride combined with Chinatown on day two, and a market plus one extra sight or a spa afternoon on day three. Add a fourth day for a day trip such as the Ayutthaya ruins or a floating market. A fourth day also helps if Bangkok is only a stopover before you head north to Chiang Mai or south to the islands.
Two days works if you’ve already seen Bangkok before, or if you’re passing through on a longer Thailand itinerary. Skip Wat Arun or Chinatown rather than rushing all four in one day; both reward slower visits.
Where should you stay in Bangkok?
Where you sleep in Bangkok decides how much of your day gets eaten by traffic, so match the area to what you plan to do.
| Area | Best for | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Sukhumvit | BTS access, modern hotels, nightlife | Long strip; pick a station near what you want to do |
| Silom | Business travellers, BTS/MRT, Lumpini Park | Loud in places, mixed with red-light streets at night |
| Old Town (Rattanakosin) | Walking to the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun | No BTS or MRT; taxis and boats only |
| Riverside | River views, upscale hotels | Fewer restaurants within walking distance |
| Khao San Road | Budget backpackers, bars, cheap guesthouses | Loud, touristy, thin on local character |
| Chinatown (Yaowarat) | Street food, heritage guesthouses | Narrow streets; no BTS, walk or taxi |
For a first visit, Sukhumvit or Silom make the most practical base. Both sit on the BTS Skytrain, so you can reach almost any part of the city, then switch to a boat for the river temples. If temples are your priority and you don’t mind skipping the train network, the Old Town puts the Grand Palace, Wat Pho and the National Museum within walking distance.
What should you see in the Old Town?
Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew
The Grand Palace was the official residence of Thai kings from 1782 for more than 150 years. Its grounds hold Wat Phra Kaew, the temple of the Emerald Buddha, the country’s most sacred image. Foreign visitors pay 500 baht, according to the official entrance fee page, which also covers the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles and the Royal Decorations and Coins Pavilion inside the same grounds. The complex opens at 8:30am. The ticket office and last entry close at 3:30pm sharp, though the grounds stay open a little later for anyone already inside.
Dress properly: shoulders and knees covered, no flip-flops. Guards turn away visitors at the gate, and rental sarongs nearby cost more than dressing right the first time. Arrive by 8:30am if you can. By 10am, tour buses fill the courtyards and the queue for the Emerald Buddha hall can run past 30 minutes.
Watch for the classic scam outside the gates: someone tells you the palace is “closed for a ceremony” and offers to take you to a gem shop or another temple instead. It is almost never true. The ticket booth is a few metres from the main gate; walk straight to it.
Wat Pho
A ten-minute walk south of the palace, Wat Pho houses the 46-metre reclining Buddha, gold-leafed and too large to photograph in one frame from most angles. The temple charges 300 baht and opens 8am to 6:30pm (current entry fees), longer hours than the palace and far shorter queues most mornings. The grounds also hold Thailand’s oldest school of traditional massage, if you want an hour of relief afterwards.
The reclining Buddha at Wat Pho, 46 metres long and gold-leafed.
Wat Arun
Across the Chao Phraya River from Wat Pho, Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, is the porcelain-encrusted spire that appears on the 10-baht coin. A cross-river ferry from the pier beside Wat Pho takes a few minutes and costs a few baht; a return crossing at sunset, with the temple lit against the darkening sky, is one of the best views in the city. Entry is 200 baht, and the last tickets are sold at 5:40pm.
Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, from the Chao Phraya River.
Wat Saket and the Golden Mount
East of the palace, Wat Saket sits atop an 80-metre artificial hill with a 360-degree view over the Old Town’s rooftops, for 100 baht. It’s a quieter, less crowded stop than the palace or Wat Pho, and worth the climb near sunset.
Find experiences for your Bangkok trip
If you book through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.How much does it cost to see Bangkok’s main sights?
| Attraction | Entry fee for foreigners | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew | 500 baht | 8:30am to 3:30pm (last entry) |
| Wat Pho | 300 baht | 8am to 6:30pm |
| Wat Arun | 200 baht | 8:30am to 5:40pm (last entry) |
| Wat Saket / Golden Mount | 100 baht | 7:30am to 7pm |
| Jim Thompson House | 250 baht | 9am to 6pm |
| Chatuchak Weekend Market | Free entry | Fri 6pm to midnight, Sat/Sun 9am to 6pm |
Thai nationals enter with an ID card free at the temples; the higher foreigner price is standard practice across Thailand and applies at national parks too, as our Thailand trip cost breakdown covers in more detail.
Where should you eat?
Bangkok’s street food scene is one of the best reasons to visit, and it’s covered in depth in our Thai street food guide. For a Bangkok-specific starting point:
Chinatown (Yaowarat) is the single best area for an evening of grazing. Stalls selling grilled seafood, noodle soups and roast duck line the main road from dusk, and it’s at its best after 6pm when the neon signs come on. Chatuchak Weekend Market is open Friday evening and all day Saturday and Sunday, according to the market’s official hours; it’s closed Monday and Tuesday, with Wednesday and Thursday reserved for plants and flowers only. Food stalls are scattered through its more than 15,000 vendor units alongside the shopping.
A Chao Phraya dinner cruise is a touristy but genuinely pleasant way to see the lit-up riverside temples: most run about two hours with a set buffet, live music and views of Wat Arun and the Grand Palace from the water.
How do you get around Bangkok?
Bangkok’s traffic is some of the worst in Southeast Asia, so the transport you choose matters more here than in most cities.
- BTS Skytrain and MRT: the fastest way to move around the newer parts of the city. Fares run roughly 17 to 62 baht per trip depending on distance; buy a Rabbit Card if you’ll ride more than a couple of times.
- Chao Phraya Express Boat: the river’s public transport, with coloured flags marking different lines. Orange Flag boats cost 18 baht a trip, Yellow Flag 23 baht, Red Flag 32 baht; the tourist-oriented Blue Flag boat costs 40 baht per trip or 150 baht for a one-day pass, per the official fare list. Useful for reaching Wat Pho, Wat Arun and the Old Town piers without touching a road.
- Grab: the regional ride-hailing app, showing the fare upfront before you book. Reliable for longer or late-night trips.
- Tuk-tuks: fun for one short ride, but agree the price before you get in; metered taxis or Grab are almost always cheaper for the same distance.
- Airport Rail Link: connects Suvarnabhumi Airport to Phaya Thai station, where it meets the BTS. The fare from the airport to Phaya Thai is 45 baht.
A Chao Phraya Express Boat, Bangkok’s river public transport.
The Old Town, where the Grand Palace and Wat Pho sit, has no BTS or MRT station nearby. Combine a taxi or Grab there with the river boat to reach Wat Arun and the piers further along the Chao Phraya.
When is the best time to visit Bangkok?
November to February, the cool season, is the most comfortable stretch: daytime temperatures sit in the high 20s to low 30s Celsius, with lower humidity than the rest of the year. It’s also the busiest and most expensive period for hotels.
March to May turns hot, often into the low 40s by April, and walking around outdoor temple complexes in the middle of the day becomes uncomfortable. Mid-April brings Songkran, the water-splashing new year festival; expect closed shops, soaked streets and a citywide party, which some travellers plan around and others avoid.
June to October, the rainy season, brings short, heavy afternoon downpours rather than constant rain, and hotel prices drop. Mornings are usually dry enough for sightseeing.
Bangkok works best when you stop trying to see everything and instead group sights by neighbourhood: the Old Town temples on foot, Chinatown by night, the river by boat. Once you’ve covered the capital, our Thailand trip cost breakdown and Thailand holidays guide help plan the rest of the country. Chiang Mai is the natural next stop for cooler air and slower days.
At a glance
Grand Palace
Former royal residence in Bangkok's Old Town, home to Wat Phra Kaew and the Emerald Buddha.
- Address
- Bangkok, TH
Grand Palace
Open in Google Maps ↗Know before you go
Thailand at a glance
Best time to visit
November to February
- January: hot, mostly dry
- February: hot, some showers
- March: hot, some showers
- April: hot, some showers
- May: hot, rainy
- June: hot, rainy
- July: hot, very wet
- August: hot, very wet
- September: hot, very wet
- October: hot, very wet
- November: hot, some showers
- December: hot, mostly dry
Mostly dry Some showers Rainy Very wet
- Capital
- Bangkok
- Currency
- Thai baht (THB)
- Language
- Thai
- Time zone
- ICT, UTC+7
- Plugs
- Type A / B / C / O, 230 V
- Driving
- On the left
Emergency191 police, 1155 tourist police
Frequently asked questions
How many days do you need in Bangkok?
Three full days covers the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, Chinatown and one market. Add a fourth day for a day trip such as the Ayutthaya ruins or a floating market, or if you're combining Bangkok with a wider Thailand trip.
Where should I stay in Bangkok for the first time?
Sukhumvit or Silom, both on the BTS Skytrain, are the easiest base: you can reach almost anywhere by train and switch to a boat for the river temples. Stay in the Old Town instead if you want to walk to the Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun without transport.
How much does it cost to visit the Grand Palace?
500 baht for foreign visitors, which also covers Wat Phra Kaew, the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles and the Royal Decorations and Coins Pavilion. The ticket office and last entry close at 3:30pm, even though the complex itself stays open a little later for visitors already inside.
Is Bangkok safe for tourists?
Yes, for the vast majority of visits. The main risks are traffic, heatstroke and the well-known tuk-tuk and gem-shop scams around the Grand Palace, where someone claims it's closed and offers to take you elsewhere. Ignore anyone who approaches you near the palace gates; the ticket booth is right there.
What is the best time of year to visit Bangkok?
November to February, when temperatures sit in the high 20s to low 30s Celsius and humidity drops. March to May is hot and can hit the low 40s; June to October is the rainy season, with short, heavy afternoon downpours rather than all-day rain.
Can you walk between the Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun?
The Grand Palace and Wat Pho are a 10-minute walk apart inside the Old Town. Wat Arun sits across the Chao Phraya River, so you cross by a short cross-river ferry from the pier near Wat Pho rather than walking.
Useful links (5)
- Grand Palace Bangkok Entrance Fee 2026, official prices— grandpalacebangkok.org
- Bangkok Big List of Entry Fees, Your Thai Guide— yourthaiguide.com
- Chao Phraya Express Boat fares, official site— chaophrayaexpressboat.com
- Chatuchak Weekend Market opening times, official site— chatuchakmarket.org
- Thailand trip cost breakdown— epictripideas.com
Photo credits
Thank you to Jonashtand, Wolfgang Holzem, Dina Middin and Akkharawin Khainbundit for sharing these beautiful photographs and helping bring this guide to life.
Editorial byline
Sophie Bennett Asia editor
Sophie covers Japan and Thailand for Epic Trip Ideas: temple towns, festivals, rail journeys, street food and island routes, planned around seasons and local holidays. Sophie Bennett is a pen name the Epic Trip Ideas editors use for Japan and Thailand; every guide is checked against official sources before it goes live.
