Choose Your Own Adventure – One Day In Bangkok

What can you do in Bangkok in a day? This vast city has so much to offer. The only thing getting in your way is time. Here’s our Essential Guide that you can use to choose your own adventure or fit in as much as you can!

 

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Bangkok is nothing if it’s not a city of choices. There’s an endless list of places to go, things to do and see, food to eat, culture to absorb and embrace. So what would you do if you only had one day here?

Of course, that’s an impossible question.

A simple ‘go here then here’ itinerary to cover everything just isn’t possible for a single day in Bangkok, so we came up with a solution: we cheated!

We’ve broken the day into sections with multiple options in each section. You pick one (or two) from each section to make up your day.

Roll the dice and choose your own adventure!

Breakfast

Generally speaking, we’ve found the best breakfasts to be in the hotel. Hit the egg station or make the most of the delicious fried rice and chilli vinegar sauce that most hotels have. 

Otherwise, venture into the morning sun and see what you can find.

Morning

Morning is the best time to explore Bangkok. By midday, the heat will have really kicked in and getting around is much less enjoyable. If you’re thinking of visiting temples, this is also the best time of day to do it.

Talat Noi

With a long history dating back to the fall of Ayutthya, Talat Noi went from being a busy river port enclave to an area of trade and industry (its name means ‘little market’) to its current arty iteration.

The narrow streets and alleys that thread through Talat Noi are full of interesting indie stores, cafes and workshops. Walls are outdoor galleries for street art and murals, and heritage architecture adds a quaint patina to this popular spot.

Chinatown

Not far from Talat Noi, Yaowarat Road bends and curves through Chinatown, a vast strip of fascinating markets, shops and hawker stalls. 

At night, the road narrows for foot traffic coming for the food scene, but during the day, it’s worth looking out for the interesting little alleys off Yaowarat.

Song Wat

Running alongside the Chao Phraya River close to Chinatown, the trendy neighbourhood of Song Wat has lots of things to see and do.

From interesting little covered markets and vintage shops selling trinkets, handicraft and clothes to local cafes and bakeries offering artisanal foods and coffee, Song Wat is a popular, busy part of the city.

It’s worth getting there soon though. The riverside designer mall is already seeing international brands co-opting the area that started as a space for small independent designers. It’s a bit like Newtown before all the big brands came in — Adidas has already got a foothold there — so get there before it all changes.

All three of these options are quite close to each other, so if you’re quick, you might be able to do all of them before lunch.

Lunch

Of course, there are almost unlimited options for lunch in Bangkok, but here are a few places we’ve been to recently that really hit the spot.

Naam 1608

Just round the corner from Song Wat and Talat Noi, Naam 1608 is a charming riverside restaurant in an old timber house. It serves traditional Thai dishes with a touch of modern flair.

Hidden Bangkok Bistro

On the banks of one of Bangkok’s many canals, Hidden Bangkok Bistro is three-storey timber cafe restaurant right under the nose of the biggest Buddha statue in the city, which peers over from the temple across the canal. 

Owner Ohm Chansuwan has not only brought what was once a derelict building back to life, but has injected a new energy into the whole area. 

You can combine lunch with a canal boat trip that ends at the big Buddha and mores at the deck of the restaurant. The boat tour costs THB1,500 and takes up to 6 people. 

DM Hidden Bangkok Bistro on Instagram here to arrange it.

Afternoon

You don’t really want to be traipsing around the city during the hottest part of the day. Instead, how about a massage?

Kliniq Thai Massage, Centralworld 

For a classic, straightforward massage without any confusion or concerns, a spa in a shopping centre is your best bet.

Staff at Kliniq are well-trained, professional and friendly, and there a plenty of massage options that can be tailored to your preferences. 

Chetawan Traditional Massage School

This is the top massage school in Thailand that teaches traditional and therapeutic massage in several campuses. We went to the Tha-tien Riverside Branch (here’s the map location pin).

Because the therapists are final-year students, the costs are usually lower, but the massages are amazing. I had the 60-minute head massage and it changed my life!

Bradbury Massage

One of the strangest experiences we’ve had (and probably the worst massage to be honest!), but a lot of fun, this place pronounces itself as the ‘world’s noisiest massage’ and it’s probably got a point. 

Rather than being a relaxing, peaceful experience, this massage takes place in a large room with a DJ pumping out music, a dance platform and pole in the middle and crazy light projections on the walls and ceiling. 

You’re encouraged to wear crazy sunglasses, play with the comedy rubber chicken on your seat, and get up and dance in the middle of your massage. It’s insane. 

Jim Thompson House

If massage isn’t your thing, the Jim Thompson House Museum is very interesting. Made in honour of the ex-CIA spy that brought the Thai silk trade back to life, the museum tracks Thompson’s life in what was his home.

It’s full of objects and stories from his life, and shows how his philanthropic work in Thailand helped so many. You can read our full review of the museum here.

Dinner

As with lunch, there are so many choices in Bangkok for your evening meal. Here’s a range of options.

Thipsamai Padthai Pratoopee

Famous for its pad thai, Thipsamai has almost legend status in Bangkok. Starting as a street hawker stall in the 1930s and later a proper restaurant in the same spot, Thipsamai is one of the oldest surviving pad thai institutions. 

It regularly wins Michelin recognition as the best pad thai in Thailand and offers a number of different iterations of the national dish.

Rongsi Pochana Lansuan

Inside the luxury lifestyle mall Velaa Sindhorn Village, Rongsi Pochana is an upscale Thai-Chinese restaurant offering some beautifully crafted traditional comfort food with a focus on seafood.

Their steamed crab and coconut curry paste claypot dish that comes in one of the strangest serving pots we’ve ever seen is a must.

Cabbages and Condoms

For something a little bit out there, Cabbages and Condoms is a brilliant concept started by Mechai Viravaidya, whose name is now local slang for condoms. 

Mechai has worked in family planning, for the Thai government and now the not-for-profit Population and Community Development Association, for over 50 years, championing the cause of safe sex.

His efforts became even more important with the rise of HIV and AIDS in the ’80s, and his work educating people on birth control has helped stabilise population growth in the country.

Importantly, the food here is as worthy as the cause. Go for the whole seabass, pork satay, kai hor bai teoy, and sweet and sour chicken and cashew.

Akara Sky Hanuman

For a truly immersive dinner experience, you’ve got to check out this out. Over several levels at the top of the One City Centre building, Akara Sky Hanuman Cinema has a lot going on.

The rooftop bar not only gives you incredible views over the city and a selection of lovely cocktails, it hosts traditional Thai dancing performances in front of its impressive demon head entrance.

Down from here, the restaurant offers one of the most unique platings we’ve seen. With entrees from four regions of Thailand served on a map of Thailand, your mains are also based on which of the four regions you choose: southern, northern, central or Isan (northeast).

Not only does the food reflect the region, but the dishes it comes in does too.

While you eat, the ceiling of the restaurant tells stories of Thailand’s history and myths with projections and music.

Downstairs again is a sensory room filled with glass lamps and mirrors that you walk through. The lights change colour and the mirrors give a hypnotic ethereal effect. Through the windows, the city  lights below flicker and sparkle. 

On another floor, you can enjoy your dessert in the beautiful lounge bar Siam Societies. The whole thing is quite the event.

Evening

Muay Thai at Rajadamnern Stadium

Possibly the best evening we’ve had in Bangkok was fight night at the Rajadamnern Stadium. This is where Muay Thai, Thailand’s national martial art, was first codified and recognised.

A live Thai band plays throughout the bouts, you learn about the history and traditions of Muay Thai and there’s even a light show projection between fights that explains things more. You can also buy food and drinks from vendors as they walk round the stadium.

It’s a brilliant night out. Get as close to ringside as you can for the best experience. 

Book your muay thai tickets here.

Likhit Kai Yang

If you want dinner nearby, there is a restaurant behind the stadium that has been serving its famous charcoal grilled chicken for 70 years.

Ironically, the chicken’s actually not that good, but the crispy flounder and the som tam papaya salad are very tasty.

Late-night cocktails

There are plenty of rooftop bars in Bangkok that are a lot of fun to enjoy the steamy Bangkok evening.

Red Sky Centara Grand

This was the first Bangkok rooftop bar we ever went to and it still stands up.

Banyan Tree Moon Bar 

This iconic bar is a bit expensive but is very cool and has magnificent views across the city.

Sky Beach on King Power Mahanakhon tower

Bangkok’s highest rooftop bar (in the city’s once tallest building), Sky Beach stands over 300 metres above the streets.

Check out more of our Bangkok rooftop bar recommendations here.

BKK Social Club

Part of the Four Seasons Chao Phraya River, BBK Social isn’t a rooftop bar, but is incredibly cool. It holds the title for the best bar in Thailand. Check out our review here.

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