Bangkok, Thailand: A Detailed 3-Day Itinerary
We popped over to Bangkok for 3 days (that’s right, we can say popped over considering we live in Singapore) and it was a super packed trip. Although we booked this trip in advance (something we’re not normally very good at), we still hadn’t organise anything until the last minute so it was only a couple of days before our flight that we picked up a guide book and scoured travel blogs to figure out what we wanted to do.
If you’re like us and want a simple guide that gives a breakdown of each day and the costs of each site, we’ve got you covered. Below is our 3-day itinerary based on what we saw and visited, but we’ve taken our experience and laid it out in a more logical order than our own trip.
Things to Book Before Your Trip:
Even though we were so last minute, we managed to book a few things that we would highly recommend doing:
Sites:
Muay Thai boxing at Rajadamnern Stadium. Book via Klook to get your tickets in advance. We’d suggest getting the 2nd class tickets - the view is great and you sit near the local stand so you can also witness the excitement of people betting first hand. The ring-side seats didn’t really seem worth it for the extra cost.
Floating Market and Maeklong Railway Market. There are quite a few floating markets to choose from. Some run on weekends only and some are purely there for tourists. We went to the Damnoen Saduak floating market which is aimed at tourists but was the only option for the day we wanted to go. It still was a fun experience! Have a look on Klook to see your options, but if you fancy doing the same one we did, check out the link here.
Food:
If you’re a foodie and you’ve watched Street Food on Netflix, you won’t want to miss out on Raan Jay Fai’s spot. It’s not like many other street food stalls in that you need to book way in advance. We’re talking at least 2 months, sometimes more! But if you don’t want to miss out on her famous crab omelette, send an email to book a reservation at jayfaibangok@gmail.com. Prices are also higher than what you’d typically expect for street food so have a look in advance and make sure you’re comfortable with the menu.
Unfortunately we had no idea about the reservation situation so didn’t get a chance to eat there but we did hang around just to watch her in her element and it was incredible - she really does wear those giant goggles!
Where to Stay:
We’d suggest making sure breakfast is included in your hotel booking so that you can be out early and are able to make the most of the few days you have in Bangkok.
Sukhumvit is quite a busy area and there are plenty of hotels here close to various dining options. Just be wary that Sukhumvit can get very busy with traffic, so you want to take advantage of the train system (which is really efficient!). If you want something more upscale, then look closer to the river.
General Tips:
Grab is a really easy and safe taxi service to use in Thailand (it’s similar to Uber). It’s also fairly cheap too.
Getting the train / MRT is also extremely cheap and very simple to use. You can buy single journey tickets at every station. Most of our MRT journeys cost 32 Baht (B) each.
Many fast food places have specific items on their menus that are halal - just check which ones with the staff.
Klook has great deals for any tours / day trips and you can also search online for discount codes for Klook too.
To exchange money you’ll need some form of ID with you like a driving licence. There are plenty of currency exchangers but Superrich is supposed to be a trustworthy place.
Day 1: Temples
Thailand is no doubt known for its exquisite temples; they are absolutely stunning and incredibly detailed. Your first day should be dedicated to exploring the three main sites, which are all within walking distance (plus a small ferry ride).
Start the day early and take either a Grab or the MRT to the Grand Palace.
Grab: between 250-300B depending on surcharges. Journey will take between 30-60 minutes from Sukhumvit depending on the time of day.
MRT: Take the blue line from Sukhumvit to Sanam Chai which will cost about 35B for adults. The MRT will take 20 minutes and you’ll have a 10 minute walk from the station to the palace.
The Grand Palace is a huge complex which started construction in 1782 and was completed in the 1800s. It houses both royal and government buildings as well as the famous Temple of the Emerald Buddha. There are over 100 buildings in the complex and the grounds are split into the inner, middle and outer courts. The outer court is open to the public so this is where you’ll mostly be.
8:30am - 3:30pm
500B for adults. Tickets include watching a 30 minute classical Thai dance on weekdays at 10:30pm, 01:00pm, 2:30pm, 4:00pm and 5:30pm
Spend 2 hours
Note: We’d recommend getting a tour guide for this palace. The grounds are huge and it really is helpful having someone telling you exactly what everything is as well as where to go. We found a guide on the way to the palace and she charged 900B per adult which included the entrance ticket and a water bottle. It’s also worth noting that if you opted for this, the guides have a separate ticket office (more of a roadside umbrella) which means no queues! But if you’re more of an audio guide person, you can also rent these for 200B instead.
Also, it's important to remember to be covered up when going to the palace. They won’t allow people in wearing shorts, short skirts or sleeveless tops. Sandals are fine but you’ll have to remove shoes before entering the main temple (you’ll be given a plastic bag for them).
Next you can walk to Wat Pho, also known as Wat Phra Chetun (10 minutes away), one of the oldest and largest temples in Bangkok. It was built in the 16th century under Rama I.’s rule. This temple houses the largest reclining Buddha in Bangkok. It really is impressive at 46m long and 15m high, covered in gold leaf while the feet are decorated in mother of pearl.
The grounds also include various other parts to visit including the Great Chedis (large pyramidal shrines for royal ashes and Buddha images), the Medicine Pavilion, the multiple Garang Guards (sculptures of westerners at gateways) and more. Be sure to keep a look out for the miniature statues of hermits in various poses, these are intended to teach people about healing positions.
Wat Pho is also known for its traditional medicine and houses a Thai massage school inside so if you fancy a traditional massage after exploring the temple, this would be the perfect place to get one! Just remember that a Thai massage isn’t usually relaxing one, it incorporates yoga style stretches to improve blood circulation, so it can sometimes feel like a workout.
8:30am - 6:30pm
200B for adults
Spend 1 hour
By now you’ll probably be hungry so head to The Sixth (a 10 minute walk). It’s a small Thai restaurant (not halal) and does a really delicious Prawn Pad Thai and Tom Yum soup. It does get busy so you might have to wait 20 minutes or so for a table.
After lunch, you can make your way to the final temple of the day, Wat Arun. It’s about a 5 minute walk to the ferry dock where you’ll purchase an incredibly cheap ticket of 4B per adult to get the ferry with an orange flag across the river. It’s cheap for a reason - the outer railings feel like they’re barely there and it’s quite literally a 60 second journey to cross!
Before you get on the boat though, you’ll walk past lots of stalls. Try the fresh pomegranate juice and look out for the fried crocodile guts stall! It’s something you won’t forget, trust us. You can also pick up a delicious coconut ice cream from Molthip on Maha Rat Road - this was my (Fatima’s) favourite.
Note: If you have time and feel like a relaxing boat tour across the river before going to Wat Arun, you can also purchase a 1 hour long-tail boat tour at the same dock for 500B per person - be sure to bargain down, we managed to get it for 375B in the end! It’s not the most adventurous tour and can seem a little frustrating because to get through certain canals it takes about 15 minutes for the gates to open. Saying that, we did manage to see a huge monitor lizard which came out of nowhere!
If you’d like a place to do afternoon prayers, after crossing the river walk towards Ton Son Mosque (only 10 minutes from Wat Arun). It’s also the oldest mosque in Bangkok!
Wat Arun was named after the Indian God of Dawn called Aruna so it is also known as The Temple of Dawn. It has a central Prang (tower) at 82m tall with lots of steps leading to the top. These steps represent the hardships that mankind must face to reach enlightenment. Sadly the upper set of steps are no longer accessible to the public. The architecture is in a style known as Khmer, decorated with lots of colourful porcelain and also depicts some Chinese styles too.
This temple is much smaller than the previous two so you can take your time exploring the structure (and get in those insta-shots obviously!). Make sure you check out the four Mondops (a shrine surrounded by columns). Each one holds a statue of Buddha from different stages in his life.
8am - 6pm
100B for adults
Spend 30 minutes
Note: Wat Arun sits adjacent to the river and is also best viewed at night after it’s closed. Trust us, it’s worth waiting until sunset to see the temple lit up!
After sunset, get the MRT from Itsaraphap to Sam Yam (a 20 minute journey for 26B) and walk 5 minutes to get to Patpong Night Market. We’ll be straight with you, it’s a great night market full of character and chaos, but it is situated right along row of adult clubs so that’s definitely something to consider before going here, especially if you’ve got kids!
You could probably spend about 45 minutes going through the market and buy a few souvenirs for back home. Once you’re done and if you feel the need for a bit of rejuvenation, get a half hour foot massage (a relaxing one, not a traditional Thai one) just off of the market for 200B - this literally put me to sleep!
For dinner, get a Grab to Yellow Rice in Silom, a halal Thai restaurant which serves a really good but extremely spicy Green Curry. Make sure you tell them your spice levels!
If you still have some energy, you can end the night at the Artbox, another night market based in Nana, very close to Sukhumvit so you can head back to your hotel easily from there. It’s got an artsy vibe to it, you’ll find boutique style products and of course lots of food here. But you’d mostly go here to take in the lights, it’s stunning!
Day 2: Day Trip & Muay Thai
Today will be a day trip to the floating market and railway market. You can either book it in advance (see above) or the day before you plan to go. It’s usually a package booking so you'll see both with the same group. There are multiple markets to choose from but that will generally depend one which day you’re going. Most of them are fairly similar and you should expect that they will either be a tourist one or a local one. If you opt for the Damnoen Saduak market, here’s an insight to your day:
Most companies will give you a central location to meet at (usually right next to an MRT station) at 8:15am. You’ll take a coach to the floating market which will be between 90 minutes to 2 hours away and then get on a long-tail boat on the canal going towards the market.
It really is a wonderful thing to experience, going past boats selling all kinds of things from paintings to satay sticks. Make sure you try the rambutan fruit! Siraj definitely stocked up on them!
Note: Coconuts are MUCH cheaper at the railway market, so it might be worth holding back until then!
You’ll spend about 30 minutes on the boat and then be dropped off near some restaurants for lunch. If you’ve eaten your fill on the boat then you can go explore the local streets off the canal.
Note: There’s only one halal restaurant so let your tour guide know if you want to be taken there. Mind you, the food there isn’t actually that great but there’s also a small mosque in a portacabin near this restaurant so you can also get your afternoon prayers in here.
Next you’ll head back to the coach to drive 20 minutes to Wat Bang Kung, a temple within trees. Yup that’s right! There’s a gold Buddha inside a small structure which has Pho, Sai, Krai and Krang trees surrounding it. Somehow, the windows and door are unobstructed by any branches and roots.
Right next to this temple you’ll also see a memorial for the Bang Kung Camp with statues of soldiers in the 18th century and multiple muay thai boxers in various boxing positions - it’s kind of like the original mannequin challenge here!
Note: We’ll be honest, this isn’t the most spectacular site and we weren’t even aware that it would be something we’d be stopping at. So if you have the choice, it’s probably best to skip this. But, due to the train schedule for the Maeklong Railway Market, you might need to fill your time, so it might just be something to do between the floating and railway market.
You’ll then drive another 20 minutes to reach the Maeklong Railway. Spend some time walking through this awesome market that literally sits along the railway line. One end starts with a cafe and the other ends at the station. It sells mostly fresh foods so try some interesting fruits, get a super cheap coconut and just take it all in.
Train arrival times are 8:30am, 11:10pm, 2:30pm and 5:40pm. You’ll start noticing vendors folding up their canopies and pulling back their tables (on wheels) about 10 minutes before the train is expected. It would be good to find an open area to sit at around the same time so that you’re ready with your camera to see it all unravel.
Note: Unfortunately it’s not as exciting as you’d expect, there’s no real sense of a rush and the train approaches pretty slowly. So it’s a little bit of an anticlimax, but it’s still a fun experience.
If you’ve booked the same tour as us, it will include a short 15 minute train ride from Maeklong to the next stop. So after the train arrives, you’ll meet your tour guide at the station and collect your train ticket to board the train for the next departure (departure times are 6:20am, 9am, 11:30am, 3:30pm).
Note: Make sure you get on the train quickly as it does get quite packed!
This is the last part of the tour so you’ll then get back on the coach and head back to the city and have a choice of being dropped off at either Chinatown, Asiatique, or Asok at around 4:30pm. Opt for Chinatown and spend an hour or so exploring the busy streets and all the markets. You could head to Pak Khlong flower and fruit market (open 24 hours), Yaowarat Road for all the gold shops (open 8am to 10pm) or Phahurat Market which is actually Little India on the edge of Chinatown (open 9am - 6pm).
Note: There are a lot of different fruits here in comparison to the floating market so try some! I loved a fruit that was kind of like an egg shaped yellow plum (still no idea what it’s called). There are also lots of fried insects cooking there, so if you have the nerve, why not? We saw a girl try a scorpion and she said it tasted like crisps!
Then take a Grab to the Rajadamnern Stadium for your pre-booked Muay Thai fight. You’ll need to be there about 15 minutes before the fight starts and you can get snacks there (peanuts, popcorn and drinks). This was definitely an experience we’ll remember and really enjoyed it! You’ll be given a programme for the show - each show has 9 fights at different weight levels. Each fight has 5 rounds and every round gets more intense (the first and second rounds are kind of meh). After round 2 you’ll hear all the locals start betting and there is a massive buzz around the stadium. It’s a really fun thing to watch and by the end of fight 2 you’ll be so into it and placing friendly bets amongst yourselves!
6:30pm - 10pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays
Approximately 1500B for 2nd class seats (there are various discount codes on Klook)
Note: although it does run for 4 hours, you don’t have to stay for the whole thing, we left after 5 fights at around 8:30pm. If you plan to stay for the full thing, you might want to grab some dinner beforehand at Chinatown.
If you haven’t yet had dinner, get a Grab to either Raan Jai Fai’s street food stall (if you’ve booked) or Thip Samai (known to have the best Pad Thai and fresh orange juice in Bangkok and is SO cheap). Both places are right next to each other. Neither serve halal food but do great seafood so you’ll definitely end your evening well.
Note: There is always a long line for Thip Smai but it goes by really fast, so don’t let the line put you off!
Day 3: Museum and Markets
After breakfast, take the green line from Asok to Ratchathewi station for 32B per person and walk about 8 minutes to the Jim Thompson House Museum.
This traditional Thai style home was built by the American businessman and architect Jim Thompson who came to Bangkok in 1945. It houses a collection of Thai antiques, paintings and sculptures. The house is made of six buildings which all connect and are surrounded by beautiful gardens. Thompson is also well known for reviving Thailand’s silk craft and bringing it to Milan for the fashion industry. That’s why you’ll also see people producing silk from scratch and creating accessories with it.
9:00 am – 6:00 pm
200B for adults
Spend 1.5 hours
Note: Once you purchase a ticket you can look around the gardens but can’t go inside the house until your guided tour time slot. These are usually every 25 minutes or so and are arranged in multiple languages. Also, photography isn’t permitted inside the building.
If you’ve had a late morning and are at the Jim Thompson Museum around the afternoon prayer time, you’ll hear the Adhan along the canal side and can cross over the bridge to reach Masjid Daarul Falah to pray. Otherwise there is a prayer room inside MBK mall which will be your next stop.
You can then walk about 10 minutes from the museum to reach the famous MBK mall. It’s essentially a giant indoor market which sells everything. You’ll definitely be able to spend some time here looking at the various shops and working your way through the floors. It’s known to be a fairly cheap place too so it won’t feel like you’re digging too deep!
Spend 1.5 hours
Just outside the mall is a food market with a fairly large halal section too and it’s amazing! It’s a good place to stop and have lunch - we loved the chicken dumplings here.
Note: We actually had a proper indoor sit down lunch at Yana Restaurant within MBK mall which serves halal Thai and international food but we weren’t that impressed by it. If you’re looking for something that has both Asian and Western food, then this is your spot, but if you want something that’s more authentic, we’d suggest the food market outside the mall instead.
After lunch, get a Grab to the Chatuchak weekend market, it's the largest market in Bangkok where you can find anything from vintage clothing to art as well as taste some authentic Thai street food like crispy pancakes with coconut cream. You could spend a couple of hours getting lost here so make sure you download the Chatuchak market app to navigate through the alleyways.
12pm - 6pm on weekends only
Spend 2 hours
Note: We didn’t actually go here because we weren’t in Bangkok on a weekend but it’s supposed to be a must-go thing to do.
Get another Grab to Asiatique night market (you could also get here by boat taxi too). This one is very different, we promise! It’s huge, glittered in lights and along the riverfront so it makes for a really nice evening with a bit of a breeze. It’s organised within 6 warehouses, each offering different things. There’s also a muay thai stadium amongst it all so if you fancy seeing another match, you’re sorted!
4pm - 12am
Spend 2 hours
There’s also a huge ferris wheel on the edge of the river where you can get views of Bangkok at night. It’s nothing like the London Eye in that it goes around super fast! Your ticket gives you 3-4 rounds and that only takes 10 minutes.
450B for adults
Note: We are undecided as to whether the ferris wheel was worth it. The view was good, but not great.
For dinner go to a place called White Elephant (not halal) towards the back of the market. We’d highly recommend the prawn fried rice in a pineapple. We both agree that it was hands down our favourite thing we ate in Bangkok!
And that’s it, three extremely busy days in Bangkok! We’d probably suggest that if you’re able to go for 4 days, it would definitely help in spreading everything out a bit but it’s all still doable in 3.
