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!
Skip to the good bits
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?