Bangkok is packed with culture and history to the point where it’s almost overwhelming. Every street, every alley is so full of life, every corner seems to have an even grander temple or more fascinating food market. But these five places are more hidden than most, and more interesting because of it.
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Christina and I have been to Bangkok many times over the years. Work, weddings, holidays, extended transfers — whenever there’s an excuse to go, we take it.
Bangkok is such an incredible place.
No matter how many times we go there, this city always finds new ways to surprise and thrill.
Whether it’s the traditional streets of the historic Phra Nakhon District that hasn’t changed much in 250 years or the ever-more extravagant rooftop bars at the apex of towering buildings that seem to sprout like mushrooms from the city’s concrete loam, Bangkok just can’t help itself but be extraordinary.
Here are five amazing things to do beyond the usual temple tours and night markets that will show you a whole new side to Bangkok and its surrounds.
Baan Bu Bronzeworks Community
In ‘Little Bangkok’ or Bangkok Noi in the north of the city, the Baan Bu community is the last of the once-thriving bronze bowl industry in Bangkok.
The ‘khan long hin’ bowls — highly polished bronze bowls used in Buddhist ceremonies and once only found in high-class homes — are hand-crafted from pucks of bronze, heated and hammered over coal forges.
They’re then polished and buffed by hand until they shine like mirrors. Looking into them is like peering into a bowl of liquid gold.
This process comes down from ancient Siam, when Ayutthaya was the capital and Bangkok was still marshland.
Baan Bu, its forge and shop can be a bit tricky to find, but catching a train to Thon Buri Station will get you close. This station, by the way, is the very start of the famed Death Railway from WWII. Check out our story here.
Warehouse 30 Gallery
Directly across the river from the Iconsiam shopping centre and sharing a wall with the Portuguese Embassy is a complex of repurposed warehouses that form this energetic creative space.
Here, contemporary artists have room to display their works — from paintings to full-blown sculptural installations — boutiques sell handicraft, workshops and vintage shops. You’ll also find a couple of cafes and bars here for refreshment, and even a spa if you feel like a massage or treatment.
The range of art here is impressive and constantly changing. Local and international creators display their works on a rolling programme so there’s always something new to see here in this vibrant, colour-filled corner of the city.
Jim Thompson House
Close to the MBK Shopping Centre and on the banks of one of Bangkok’s many canals, the Jim Thompson House is a fascinating museum to the enigmatic entrepreneur and ex-CIA agent who single-handedly revitalised the Thai silk trade in the 1950s and ‘60s.
Regular tours go through Thompson’s rambling timber house, which he designed and built himself. You can see his various collections of art and objects, as well as learning more about his life — though it’s his mysterious disappearance in March 1967 that’s the most interesting part of the story.
There’s also a shop where you can buy Thai silk in all manner of products and there’s usually a silk-spinning demonstration going on.
What’s more, there’s even an excellent restaurant on site serving classic Thai dishes, though it’s more expensive than most eateries serving similar dishes around town.
You can see our write-up and video on the Jim Thompson House Museum here.
Royal Barges National Museum and Boatyard
One of the stranger and more difficult-to-find museums in Bangkok, the Royal Barges Museum displays several traditional long-tail barges used exclusively by the Thai royal family.
Think being able to see the US presidential Beast or a ceremonial carriage of the British royal family up close.
In an undercover dock in the north of the city across the river from the National Museum and National Gallery, this is a working shipyard where highly-skilled craftspeople maintain these auspicious boats.
Getting here can be tricky. Trust your guide/Google Maps — the alleys and laneways seemingly through people’s back yards do lead to the museum in the end.
CBT Baan Don Kai Dee Benjarong Porcelain Art
Southwest of Bangkok, Don Kai Dee (or ‘Don Ki Di’) is the home of Benjarong Porcelain — some of the most beautiful porcelain ware in the world.
You can watch the skilled craftspeople here hand paint elegant figures, pots, cups and plates, and even have a go yourself (it takes about an hour and the shop will send you your work once its been fired and glazed).
This delicate technique of intricate designs comes down from the Chinese Ming Dynasty, painting multiple colours onto fine white porcelain, and is the traditional Thai style. From 13th to 18th Centuries, this porcelain style was made exclusively for the Thai royal court.
