Bangkok

Thailand's capital and the arrival city for almost every flight from India. The Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha, the reclining Buddha at Wat Pho and Wat Arun across the Chao Phraya sit within a boat ride of each other; Chinatown, rooftop bars, malls and the weekend market at Chatuchak fill the rest. Indian food is easy: Sukhumvit Soi 11 and Pahurat (Little India) have pure-vegetarian South and North Indian restaurants.

Highlights

• Grand Palace & Emerald Buddha
• Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho
• Wat Arun at sunset
• Chao Phraya express boat
• Chinatown street food on Yaowarat Road
• Chatuchak Weekend Market
• Rooftop bars of Silom and Sukhumvit
• Jim Thompson House
• Damnoen Saduak floating market
• Thai massage at the Wat Pho school
• Pratunam and Platinum mall shopping
• Indian vegetarian thalis in Sukhumvit Soi 11 and Pahurat

Things to do

• Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaew (Emerald Buddha)Morning · 2h 30m
• Wat Pho reclining Buddha & traditional Thai massageMorning · 2h
• Cross-river ferry to Wat ArunAfternoon · 1h 30m
• Chao Phraya dinner cruiseEvening · 2h 30m
• Yaowarat (Chinatown) street food walkEvening · 2h 30m
• Chatuchak Weekend Market (Sat–Sun)Morning · 3h
• Damnoen Saduak floating market half-day tripMorning · 5h
• Rooftop bar sunset over SilomEvening · 1h 30m
• Golden Mount (Wat Saket) and its 300-odd stepsAfternoon · 1h 30m
• Jim Thompson House museumAfternoon · 1h 30m
• Sri Maha Mariamman (Wat Khaek), the Tamil temple on Silom RoadMorning · 1h
• Indian lunch in Phahurat, Bangkok's Little IndiaAfternoon · 1h 30m
• Lumphini Park at dawn: tai chi and monitor lizardsMorning · 1h

Tours & tickets

When to go

Best time: November – February

• Songkran (Thai New Year water festival) — Three days of nationwide water fights, biggest around Chiang Mai's old-city moat, Bangkok's Silom and Khao San Road, and Pattaya, where it runs on to about 19 April. Expect to be soaked anywhere outdoors: carry phones and passports in a dry bag. Buses, trains and flights sell out as Thais travel home; book two months ahead.
• Loy Krathong · 24 Nov — On the full moon of the twelfth lunar month, people float candle-lit krathong baskets on rivers and ponds. Sukhothai's historical park holds the oldest celebration, with light shows over the ruins; Bangkok's riverside piers get very crowded. Hotels in Sukhothai and Chiang Mai fill weeks ahead.
• Chinese New Year in Yaowarat — Bangkok's Chinatown closes Yaowarat Road to traffic for lion dances and food stalls; Phuket Old Town also celebrates. Some Chinese-run shops close for two or three days; Chinese tour groups push up island hotel prices that week.
• Buddhist holy days (Makha Bucha, Visakha Bucha, Asahna Bucha) · Visakha Bucha 31 May; Asahna Bucha and Buddhist Lent 29–30 Jul — Candle-lit processions round the temples at dusk, worth seeing in Chiang Mai and Ayutthaya. Alcohol may not be sold anywhere, bars included, for 24-48 hours (hotels and airport duty free excepted); the Full Moon Party moves a night.
• Christmas and New Year peak — The most expensive fortnight of the year on the islands: resorts set 5-7 night minimums and compulsory gala-dinner charges on 24 and 31 December, and Phi Phi, Samui and Phuket ferries and flights fill a month ahead. Indian school holidays add to it. Book by October.

Part of a longer route

Bangkok is a stop on 2 curated circuits through Thailand.