What's up guys! We're here in Bangkok, Thailand. It's a really chaotic city,
but there's delicious food and amazing temples. So in this video,
we're going to show you the best things to do here. So hope you enjoy it.
Bangkok is located in the center of Thailand. As a convenient and major transport hub, it's usually
the first place you'll visit on your trip around the country. And while Bangkok is noisy, crowded,
and overwhelming at times, it's also exciting and fascinating. You can find an abundance
of vibrant food markets, historic temples and palaces, and excellent nightlife. In this video,
we highlight 10 of the best things to do in and around Bangkok for your first or second visit.
Make sure to watch until the end because we also share three travel tips for the city as well as
a couple exciting day trips from Bangkok in case you have more time. Now let's dive in!
We're Zac and Ine. We make helpful videos about
destinations around the world so you can easily plan your own adventures.
One of the first things you should do in Bangkok is to try the diverse street food.
You'll find food stalls all around the city center, offering local cuisine that is both
affordable and delicious. A dish generally costs between 1 and 3US Dollars and ranges
from small snacks like barbecue chicken and steamed dumplings, to famous main dishes,
and tasty sweet desserts. Some of the most diverse street food can be found in Chinatown,
Banglamphu, and around Khao San Road. We've included more markets and places to eat in
our blog post and you can find a link to that in the description.
The Grand Palace is Bangkok's most impressive and most popular tourist attraction.
Established in 1782, this complex was the royal residence for generations and is still used for
important ceremonies today. The Royal Compound is enormous, covering over 200,000 square meters or 2
million square feet. The highlight is undoubtedly the colorful Temple of the Emerald Buddha.
So we're here exploring around the Grand Palace, it actually closes pretty early in the day,
so recommend coming like a couple hours before closing time and it's a lot less busy.
Located only a few blocks from the Grand Palace, Wat Pho is a beautiful Buddhist temple that can
easily be combined with your palace visit. Known as one of Bangkok's oldest temples,
this place has a rich history and is home to an impressive Reclining Buddha,
measuring 46 meters or 147 feet in length and 15 meters or 49 feet in height. We visited
later in the day and were greeted with Chinese New Year celebrations and Buddhist ceremonies.
For more entertaining market experience, you should head to one of the floating markets near
Bangkok. Located on a series of canals, these vibrant markets sell fresh and delicious foods
as well as handcrafted souvenirs. The most popular Floating Market is Damnoen Saduak,
which is about a one and a half hour drive from the city center of Bangkok. A visit
here is usually combined with the Maeklong Railway Market, where trains pass by a few times per day.
We really enjoyed this tour as it was something we had never experienced before
and we left a link to the tour that we did in the description below.
But if you want to stay closer to the city you can also choose to visit floating
markets closer to the downtown area, such as Taling Chan and Wat Sai floating market.
They're easier to access by public transportation but make sure to check opening hours before going.
For a true escape from the hustle and bustle of Bangkok, take a stroll in Lumpini Park.
This big green oasis offers several lawn areas, paved walking paths, trees,
playgrounds, and an artificial lake where you can rent boats.
Since the park is located in modern Bangkok, skyscrapers rise all around it. It's a great
place to spend an afternoon enjoying the fresh air and shade. But keep an eye out for these big guys.
It is really big. There's actually quite a few in the park as we've seen already.
So it's kind of interesting to come here and just see them.
Another great thing to do in modern day Bangkok is to get an elevated view of the city.
And when it comes to rooftop bars and restaurants, you have a lot of choices.
We visited the Mahanakhon building, home to Bangkok's highest observation deck,
which provides spectacular views over the city and river. There's also a glass ceiling that you
can stand on to look down on the buildings below as well as a bar and seating area.
The best time to visit is in the early evening when the sun slowly sets over Bangkok.
But be aware that this is also the busiest time.
With roots steeped in centuries-old history and Buddhist culture, you can find hundreds
of temples in Bangkok. In addition to visiting the most popular ones, it's also worth visiting
the less-known temples. We visited a few in the Banglamphu area in downtown Bangkok
with a local guide. While embracing the local culture with its unique traditions and beliefs,
we saw Bangkok from a different perspective and got a real insight into the history of Thailand.
We highly recommend getting a local guide at least once during your
visit and you can find a link to the tour that we did in the description.
You can't leave Bangkok without visiting its infamous backpacker district. Khao San Road
is a vibrant street, packed with hostels, food vendors, clothing stalls, bars, restaurants,
and travelers from every corner of the globe. It's colorful, loud, and exciting in its own way.
If you're feeling adventurous, try some of the fried insects, such as grubs or scorpions.
After having a few Chang beers at the bar, the insects might become a little more enticing.
Known as Thailand's largest market, Chatuchak comes alive every weekend.
On Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 6 PM, thousands of shops open their doors to sell food, clothing,
souvenirs and home goods. It's a great place to mingle with locals and shop for
souvenirs at a more affordable price than the tourist areas of Bangkok.
You can easily get here by metro as the market is next to the MRT station.
Flowing through Bangkok, the Chao Phraya River is the city's lifeblood.
During the day, many locals use the ferries and boats to commute to work here, and during the
early evening; the city lights up with beautiful colors. From one of the rooftop bars next to the
river, you can watch the sunset over Wat Arun. It's a great way to end the day. And if you're
looking for some more excitement, it's also possible to take a boat trip down the river.
While Bangkok will easily keep you busy for a few days, it's also worth exploring some of the
amazing places nearby, and we added links to a few great day trips in the description below.
One of the best day trips goes to the country's former capital
Ayuttaya, located only one and a half hours to the north of Bangkok.
Here, you'll find remarkable temple ruins the date from between the 14th and 18th centuries.
Another great day adventure is to the historic Kanchanaburi and breathtaking Erawan National
Park, where you can find one of Thailand's most beautiful waterfalls. The movie called
"Bridge Over the River Kwai" is what put this place on the map. But kanchanaburi is in fact
way more than that. We highly recommend staying a few days if you can. We have a full video all
about the best things to do in Kanchanaburi, so check it out if you're considering going there.
As we promised at the beginning of our video,
we'll now share three things that we learned in Bangkok that will help your own trip.
First, we recommend taking the MRT Metro or BTS SkyTrain for longer distances in the city.
The traffic in Bangkok is horrible, so it's not only the cheapest but it's also the quickest way
to move around, especially during rush hour. You can also download the Grab App to book a ride.
Secondly, the best place to stay for your first time in Bangkok is in the Old Town or
Sukhumvit area. We added a link to the place that we stayed in the description below.
Finally, when visiting Buddhist temples you should dress appropriately to respect the culture.
This means shoulders and anything above the knees should be covered up. There are also a few more
things to do in Bangkok that we didn't mention and we've included a list of those on the screen here.
If you're planning your Thailand trip, we recommend keeping things organized
with our interactive travel planner. Find a discount code below. We also
included important links that you'll need for your Bangkok trip in the description,
such as a full travel guide with where to stay, where to eat, and an interactive map,
so you can get to each spot that we mentioned. We'll catch you on the next adventure.