What to do in Bangkok: 11 tips!
If you are traveling to Bangkok soon, you probably want to know what to do in Bangkok. It’s a huge city and there is so much to do, to see and to experience, it can be overwhelming. Luckily for you, I am writing this blogpost with 11 amazing tips on what to do in Bangkok. You won’t have to worry about the activities at all. Let’s dive into it!
Table of Contents
Take a bicycle tour through Bangkok
Let’s begin with a bicycle tour through Bangkok. This is the perfect way to see a good part of the city and to explore a little bit with a guide. The guide will tell you all about Bangkok and will give you information you can use later on during your stay.
I booked my bicycle tour with Co van Kessel. Fun fact: this tour company is Dutch in origin! You can go for a short bicycle tour (like I did), but there are also options to go on longer tours. Co van Kessel also offers a tour of Bangkok by night, which seems amazing as well! Additionally, Co van Kessel also operates in Chiang Mai AND if you do a bicycle tour in one city, you get a discount in the other one. Have I convinced you yet?
Eat street food in Chinatown
I cannot recommend this enough: go get some food in Chinatown in Bangkok! It’s the place to be when it comes to affordable and tasty food. During my stay in Bangkok, I barely ate in restaurants; I just ate a lot of street food.
My personal favourite? A pad Thai with just egg. You can also find lots of fried rice and noodles here. If you are vegetarian, make sure to be really clear about this. Fish and chicken are sometimes not seen as food, so be sure to mention specifically what you eat and what you don’t eat. I did not experience any mistakes with this here, but it’s still good to be clear about it.
Visit the most beautiful temples
If Bangkok (and Thailand in general) is known for one thing, it’s for the beautiful temples you can find here. Wander around the streets of Bangkok and you will eventually run into one of the many temples the city has. Or make a list of all the temples you want to visit and take one day to go to all of them. Need some inspiration? Take a look at my top 5 prettiest temples in Bangkok!
Do remember to not fall for a common tourist scam. Whenever someone tells you that the temple you are trying to visit is closed today due to a holiday, but they can take you to another temple… Don’t do it. Just find out for yourself if you can enter the temple or go to another temple yourself.
Walk down Khao San Road
Khao San Road is the place to be for all backpackers and travellers that visit Bangkok. Truth be told, I only went here one night. I didn’t stay in an accommodation near Khao San Road, as opposed to many other travellers. At first I experienced FOMO a little bit, for not staying on this road. But once I visited, that FOMO disappeared.
Khao San Road in Bangkok is a really busy and touristy street. You can find street food, markets, massages, clubs, cafes… Basically everything. It’s the place where you can try to eat spiders and scorpions. I think Khao San Road is really fun for a night, but I’m personally glad I stayed in a more quiet part of the city.
Stay in Luk Hostel
As I said, I didn’t stay in an accommodation on or near Khao San Road in Bangkok. Instead, I decided on a hostel in Chinatown. And I am so happy I did! Chinatown is lively and fun, but the small streets behind the busy street are quiet and calm. This is why I would recommend staying in Luk Hostel in Bangkok.
Luk Hostel offers free breakfast every morning in the lobby. You can eat bananas or toast with butter and jam. There is also cereal with milk or water. The hostel is quite big and it has multiple floors. I stayed in a private room, which was really good, but the dorms also seemed fine. Upstairs, there is a rooftop with an indoor and outdoor space. There is a small kitchen to prepare your food and also a bar to order some if you don’t feel like cooking.
Try food at the Sook of Iconsiam
Iconsiam is one of the biggest shopping malls of Bangkok. It looks very modern and has all the clothing stores you could wish for. It even has an Apple Store, where I looked at a new phone (but didn’t buy it).
On the ground floor, there is an entrance to a sook. This is a market-like area with all sorts of food and drinks. You can order some at different stalls and sit down at one of the many tables to enjoy your meal. Oh and bonus tip: Iconsiam Mall also has this big indoor waterfall, which reminded me of the famous indoor waterfall in the airport of Singapore.
Take a day trip to Ayutthaya
Although Bangkok is an amazing city, there is also lots to explore outside of it. Take Ayutthaya for example, an ancient city and once the capital of a great area. From Bangkok, you can take the train to Ayutthaya. This will take about two hours and it only costs about €2 for a oneway ticket.
Once you’re in Ayutthaya, from the trainstation you can walk to the small ferryboat to take you to “the island”. This is where all the ancient sites and temples are. I would advise you to rent a bike once you’re on the island to ride around. It’s quite a small island, so you can easily do this in one day. For almost each temple, you pay an entrance fee to get in and walk around the property.
Wanna know more about it? Read my blogpost on a daytrip to Ayutthaya from Bangkok.
Watch the skyline from a rooftop
Bangkok, like a lot of amazing cities, has a beautiful skyline that is worth seeing from every perspective. Of course, you can take a walk along the riverside and enjoy that skyline, but you can also see it from above. So please do yourself a favour and go for drinks at a rooftop bar!
When I was in Bangkok, I went to Bar Yard for the evening. Make a reservation so you’re sure to secure a spot and enjoy the views. When I went here, I made sure to arrive before sunset, so I could see the skyline before, during and after sunset. And believe me, that skyline in the night, with all the lights from the buildings, is also an amazing sight!
Go for a ride in a tuktuk
I probably don’t have to tell you about this, but you should definitely go for a ride in a tuktuk. This is one of the easiest ways to explore Bangkok. Of course you can walk, but that can be quite far and exhausting… and you could book a taxi, but the chances are that you will be stuck in traffic forever.
A tuktuk will be able to give you the speed that you need without being stuck between all the other vehicles. Often, tuktuk drivers are able to avoid crowds or just drive in between all the cars and other tuktuks. You will arrive at your destinations relatively soon!
Discover the cutest coffee places
If you’re like me, you love to stop and sit down at a cute coffee place while you explore a new city. If you’re in Bangkok, this won’t be a struggle. There are lots of cute coffee places to be found everywhere. And with the hot temperatures, you’ll need some iced coffee or juice often!
My recommendations? You should visit:
- Vivi: the coffee place
- Chata
- Semisweet Cafe
- Jade Old Town
- Cafe Velodome
- Naam 1608
Admire the street art in Bangkok
An amazing and FREE activity to do in Bangkok is admire all the street art. There is lots to see on the walls. If you do the Co van Kessel bike tour I mentioned earlier, you will already see some of the art. But you can definitely also walk around yourself and explore the city on your own.
