Bangkok has a lot to offer and it is almost impossible to cover all attractions of this beautiful city just in a day. However, if you are short of time and want to cover the top things to do on your Bangkok trip, here is our list and also one day itinerary.
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We had a day at Bangkok before catching our evening train to Chiang Mai and wanted to make the most of the time available with us. We are putting the itinerary that we followed on our trip. We hope this helps you plan your trip better to Bangkok and Thailand.
- Head to a floating market in the morning to experience Thai Culture
- Visit magnificent Wat Phra Kaew and Grand Palace
- Walk to Wat Pho to see biggest reclining Buddha in Thailand
- Take boat to reach Wat Arun on other side of Chao Phraya River
- Explore Pak Khlong: Bangkok’s famous flower market
- End your day with shopping at one of Bangkok’s Night Markets
Howsoever hard you try but you can not pack all in a day for your Bangkok trip but with above itinerary, we are sure that you will get a good flavor and fragrance of Bangkok and Thai culture in a day. Here are step-by-step details of above itinerary.
1. Head to a floating market on Bangkok Trip
(Go to the Top) Your Bangkok Trip is simply incomplete if you do not head to one of its famous floating markets. There are many floating markets in Bangkok (Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market, Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, Amphawa Floating Market, Talin Chan Floating Market, Bang Nam Pheung Floating Market). You may choose to visit any of them. We left at around 9:30 AM from Hua Lamphong station taking metro and then Taxi to reach Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market. It is a very lively market and took us around 3 hours to explore the market completely.
You may read more about our experience, how to reach this market and opening hours at our blog here: Khlong Lat Mayom – Best Floating Market in Bangkok
Here is the video of Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market –
2. Visit magnificent Wat Phra Kaew and Grand Palace
(Go to the Top) After your visit to a floating market, head to the city center as all main attractions are located there only. Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of Emerald Buddha) and Grand Palace are located within the same compound and remain pretty crowded during the day time. They have an entry fee of 500 Bahts per person and it takes around 2 hours to explore both these attractions completely.
Though Grand Palace closes Entry early in the evening, we will suggest to head back again at night to experience it sparkling with lights under clouds. You will be mesmerized by the spectacular views of Grand Palace at night.
3. Walk to Wat Pho to see biggest reclining Buddha in Thailand
(Go to the Top) In case you want to see the largest reclining Buddha statue in Thailand, then Wat Pho in Bangkok (วัดโพธิ์กรุงเทพฯ) is the place that you should head to. Just walk south of The Grand Palace for 10 minutes and you will reach this famous temple – Wat Pho, the first on the list of six temples in Thailand considered as the highest grade of the first-class royal temples. There is also a museum inside temple which details out Buddhist mythology characters and temple architecture. Also, there is a Bodhi tree in temple compound that is considered descendant of the Bodhi tree from BodhGaya in India under which Gautam Buddha had got enlightenment.
You may read more about our experience at Wat Pho and things to explore at our blog here: Wat Pho in Bangkok: Big Reclining Buddha Temple
4. Visit Wat Arun on other side of Chao Phraya River
(Go to the Top) Just walk straight towards Chao Phraya River and you can have stunning views of Wat Arun temple from this side of the river. Especially during sunset, you can capture beautiful pictures of the temple with boats and river in foreground and crimson sky at the temple background. You also get easy regular boat rides to cross the river and reach Wat Arun temple.
5. Explore Pak Khlong: Bangkok’s famous flower market
(Go to the Top) It took us around 15 minutes as we walked 1 kilometer down post our visit to Wat Pho and soon we were on the road with flower shops on both sides and that was the start of Pak Khlong flower market. Though there are shops on the main road but main market is inside a street which further gives way to smaller and narrower lanes lined up with flowers as you try to negotiate your way through them. Best time to visit this market is pre-dawn (around 3 AM to 4 AM) but even during day time, there were no less activities.
You may read more about our experience at Pak Khlong flower market at our blog here: Pak Khlong: Bangkok’s famous Flower Market
6. End your day with Night Market shopping: Bangkok Trip Must
(Go to the Top) Though we were short on time as we had to catch our evening train for Chiang Mai, but a night market visit is must for your Bangkok trip. Thailand is famous for its markets and almost all cities have their night markets. You may refer this blog for more details about top 5 night markets in Bangkok. Plan a visit that is closer to your stay. Beyond your shopping, you will also ample food options. So you may consider to have your dinner at one of these night markets itself.
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Booking.comHope this helps you to prepare your itinerary for Bangkok Trip. This is a power-packed one day itinerary, however Bangkok has lot to offer and you may add more places as per your schedule. Please beware that Bangkok is a big city and in case you are planning to visit too many places, you may not only lose time in travelling but also would get tired. So plan accordingly. Please feel free to write us in case you need any additional information.
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