Must-Do Experiences When Traveling to Bangkok
Bangkok is a very huge city, unlike anything I have ever seen. I hope you enjoy all that it has to offer. When we traveled to Thailand, Bangkok was just the starting and ending point of our trip. I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did, and I highly regret not taking more time to experience all of it
When you visit Bangkok you have to experience their nightlife, their temples, and their many fun activities. For me with such a short trip to Bangkok, I didn’t have time to see everything. However, here are some things you don’t want to miss. Even if you are here for a short or a long time, this short blog will come in handy. I hope this helps to make the huge city seem much smaller.
Temples
Some things to know about all the temples in Thailand, it is very important that you wear the right clothes. The temples have a strict dress code and whether you are male or female you must cover your shoulders and wear long pants. You shouldn’t be wearing any see-through clothing either. There are many temples throughout Thailand and you can stumble upon a lot by accident. In Bangkok though, I have one that you can’t miss:
Grand Palace
I would not miss the Grand Palace because it is centrally located and has many little temples inside of it. You can easily spend hours here admiring the beautiful culture and the incredible architecture. This palace is going to be where the King of Siam has resided since 1782. The temple is open from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm and tickets are sold at the entrance. The entrance cost is 500 baht which is 16.51 USD. It is very worth the price because the entrance to the Wat Phra Kaew and Queen Sirikit Museum of Textile. The Wat Phra Kaew is also known as the Temple of Emerald Buddha. Both of these locations are located on the grand palace premises. The layout of the Grand Palace is a bit complex so my best suggestion is to not worry about how to get around and just enjoy getting lost in the scenery.
Activity
This activity was one of my favorites when visiting Thailand. I felt truly immersed in the culture and felt like one with the locals. The floating markets in Bangkok are where goods are sold from boats. Floating markets can be found all around Asia and used to be the main means of transportation of goods and shopping. Now, it has mostly turned into a tourist attraction. It was an incredible experience, and even if it’s more of a tourist attraction now, I felt like I had a Thailand experience floating on the market.
There are many floating markets to choose from in Bangkok. I would suggest doing either the Damneon Saduak Floating Market or the Amphawa Floating Market. These two markets are the most popular and will give you a grand display of what a floating market entails. I went to the Damneon Saduk Market because it has been known to be the best for a long time. When we went it was a rainy mixture of weather so the market wasn’t full of tourists and although I would have enjoyed better weather, it was truly special having the market almost to ourselves. Don’t let this being the most popular deter you, it’s still a slower pace than being in the city.
I suggest doing a guided tour of whichever market you choose. You can search through Google different tour companies and decide what would work for you. Any of them will be amazing and they usually follow the same draft of how the day will look. You will leave Bangkok very early in the morning, you will get a chance to float down the market on your long boat, then you will get to check out all the different stalls. Something I suggest for food, especially if you go to Damnoen Saduak, is to enjoy yourself a nice soup noodle bowl at one of the stalls. You will seriously be impressed. It was so delicious and it felt like a true Thai cultural meal. I don’t know what I ordered but that’s what made it so special.
Shopping
Along with the floating markets, Bangkok has a lot of shopping markets in general. My favorite was the night markets because as the night grew, the markets became even more popular. Khaosan was the market we went to and I would highly suggest you do the same. It is the center for backpackers and full of fun. They have a lot of little treasures to spend your baht on. It is open from 3 pm to 2 am and the later it gets the more fun it is! The location is Khao San Road, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200, Thailand.
Nightlife
The nightlife in Bangkok is going to be the most fun. Does a big city mean a lot of fun? Probably. One thing that stood out to me and is something that you should at least stop by for a drink is the Sky Bar. Of course some of you may know it from the movie Hangover but besides it being famous it is a great bar. The bar shows a beautiful birds-eye view of the city. I suggest going right before sunset so you can get a look at the views during the daytime and the views at night. I am all for a rooftop bar and this one outdoes any that I’ve ever seen. To drink, I got the Sky Bar Hangovertini and I highly suggest it.
Soi 11
Soi 11 is one of Bangkok’s most famous and busiest nightlife streets. It is located at the beginning Sukhumvit Road and is not something you want to miss if you like to party. Even if you don’t, it is such an experience and honestly nothing as I have seen before. The street is full of all different restaurants from fancy to cheap with all different cuisines. Anywhere from french to Italian to Thai, you will find it here. You will also find bars with fancy drinks or cheap ones and you will even find clubs if that’s more your style. The best part is at night once the drinks start flowing, the crowds become dance parties right in the streets.
There is so much to do and see in Bangkok and I hope this post helps you make some non-negotiables when traveling. You really don’t want to miss any of this because it was truly such an incredible experience.
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