Chatuchak Weekend Market
One of the world’s largest markets, with some 8,000 stalls across 14 hectares selling everything from clothing and crafts to plants, art and street food. Weekends only.
Bangkok
The Grand Palace
The dazzling former royal residence built in 1782, a complex of gilded halls and spires that also houses Wat Phra Kaew and the Emerald Buddha. Dress modestly with shoulders and knees covered; entry is 500 baht, and it is best visited early to beat the heat and crowds.
Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn)
The Temple of Dawn on the Thonburi riverbank, its towering prang encrusted with colourful porcelain and nicknamed the Eiffel Tower of Thailand. Climb the steep steps for river views; foreigner entry is 500 baht.
Wat Pho
One of Bangkok’s oldest and largest temples, home to the enormous gold reclining Buddha and the birthplace of traditional Thai massage. A short walk from the Grand Palace.
Jim Thompson House
The teak home and art collection of the American who revived Thai silk, now a museum set in a lush garden, offering a calm and atmospheric window into traditional Thai design.
Bangkok Street Food Tour
An evening street-food walk, often through Chinatown’s Yaowarat, sampling grilled seafood, noodles, curries and Thai-Chinese sweets with a local guide who knows the best stalls.
Floating & Railway Markets Day Trip
A popular day trip west of the city to the Damnoen Saduak floating market and the Maeklong railway market, where stalls fold away as the train passes through.
Chao Phraya River & Canal Boat Tour
A boat trip along the Chao Phraya River and the old Thonburi canals, passing riverside temples, stilt houses and everyday life on the water.
Yaowarat (Chinatown)
Bangkok’s Chinatown, a dense grid of gold shops, shrines and market lanes that transforms after dark into one of the world’s great street-food destinations.
Fortune Town IT Mall
Located in the heart of Rama 9, IT Mall, Fortune Town is one of my favorite places to buy proper IT equipment in Thailand. While a lot of shops in Bangkok sell…