Some of the things that you can do, see and eat in Bangkok.
Every Year in October, China has golden week. It's a week long national holiday during which almost everyone and their mother is traveling. So we hopped on the bandwagon and booked a last minute ticket to Bangkok in October of 2019. This was my second time in Thailand and it did not disappoint. There is always something to see or eat around the every corner.
Thailand is very well known for its shopping and I could not pass up the opportunity to go and explore some new malls and night markets. However the second time around it was not quite as fascinating, as China has an even better shopping scene in my opinion. But if you are looking for a few new bargains to add to your collection then definitely check out some of the places that I mention below.
Day 1
We were staying in Chinatown, which I found to be pretty close to everything that we wanted to visit. First up was taking the local ferry. This is a great way to see parts of the city from the water and its super cheap. I paid about 30 Baht. There are also private ferries and cruises that you can book but with the local ferry you just go to the pier, pay for your ticket and hop on the next ferry that passes. We took the ferry that takes you straight to the Wat Arun Temple. You can reach the temple via car or tuk tuk but I really enjoyed the ferry experience.
Wat Arun is a Buddhist temple and it is said to be the most famous and most photographed temple in Bangkok. If you are going there to get that perfect insta shot, walk around to the back right-hand side of the temple as there are a lot less people. Do keep in mind that you have to have your shoulders and knees covered as a female. Before you enter you can rent a scarf or sarong to cover yourself up. This is about 100 baht. I would highly recommend just carrying a lightweight scarf in your bag when traveling through Asia, as you often have to cover you shoulders or head, depending on the religion. Entrance into Wat Arun was 100 Baht.
After getting some much needed food we jumped in a tuk tuk and headed to Wat Benchamabophit. At this Buddhist temple you have to buy a sarong or scarf as they do not rent it out and silly me forgot mine at the hotel. So I spent 200 Baht on a new sarong. This temple is my favourite temple that I have ever visited in Asia. It is absolutely beautiful and the detail is like nothing that I have ever seen before. Another plus is that for some reason it is not as popular as Wat Arun, so there are not as many tourists. The entrance fee is only 20 Baht.
I had heard from a few of my friends that I should go to Chinatown in Bangkok. As I live in China, I did not really see why I had to visit Chinatown in another country but it did not disappoint. It’s definitely different to China but the food market did not disappoint. There is such a wide variety of foods to try from traditional Thai to Chinese dishes. I love a good dessert and had to try this one stall that sold Patongo. This cart has been apart of the Michelin Guide for 2 years running. Patongo is also known as a Chinese doughnut.
Day 2
Thailand is all about the markets and I love shopping so much that I booked a guided tour to take me through two of the most popular markets in Bangkok. I booked the tour on Get Your Guide ( as always because you get extra Emirates miles) and it included transport to and from the train market and the floating market, as well as the train ride into the train market. The guided tour was just under R500.00 which is the equivalent of about 1000 Baht. You can go to these markets by yourself but the floating market is more than an hour drive outside of the city. We started bright and early on day two and headed first to the train station, there we boarded a train that took us to the train market. What makes this market so unique is that the market is not only next to the train tracks but also on top of it and when the train approaches you can see vendors quickly moving their goods. This market is mainly a food market and locals buy their fresh produce here. There are also a few places to grab a quick snack. Like mango and sticky rice. This is a must try when you are in Thailand.
Location: Maeklong Railway Market
After enjoying my mango and sticky rice it was time to head over to the floating market. This market heavily caters towards tourists and the only locals you will see are the vendors, it's still something unique to experience. We took a long-tail boat to the market but when you get to the market you have to get onto another boat in order to go through the market. The boat ride through the market was not included in our guided tour. It is 150 Baht per person and each boat can take up to 6 people. As you are going through the canals you can ask your “captain” to stop if you want to buy something. I highly recommend trying the coconut ice cream.
Location: Damnoen Saduak Floating Market
The guided tour ended at about 2 o’clock, so we did a bit of shopping at some of the big malls in Bangkok. Below I will have a list with all of the malls and markets that I have been to. After all of that shopping I needed a drink and what better place than a rooftop bar. View rooftop bar has happy hour every day and the view is pretty good too. Happy hour is from 5pm - 7 pm and it is for buy 1 get 1 free on their signature cocktails. There are so many places in Bangkok to eat and drink at but this bar was close to the Neon market which we were going to after the sundowners. The Neon Market has a mixture of clothes, souvenirs and food. The food section has a lot of space to sit down and enjoy your meal as well as live music. The market opens at around 6pm every day.
Thailand is also well known for their Thai massages and you can pretty much walk into any spa and you are guaranteed to have a good experience. If you have time, pop into a spa. In Chinatown where we stayed there was one around every corner and a traditional Thai massage starts at about 350 baht depending on how nice the place is.
Location: Hotel Royal Bangkok
I hope you enjoyed my guide to Bangkok. Leave any questions or suggestions in the comments below.
Day 1:
Wat Arun Ferry (30 Baht)
Wat Arun (100 Baht)
Wat Benchamabophit (20 Baht)
ChinaTown Night Market (free entry)
Day 2:
Maeklong Train Market (free entry)
Floating Market (150 Baht for the boat)
Sundowners at View Rooftop Bar Bangkok (free entry)
Neon Market (free entry) and Siam Square
Shopping:
MBK (One of Bangkok's most popular shopping destinations. Has a variety of clothes, shoes, handbags and souvenirs.)Platinum Mall (Mostly clothing)
The Pratunam Market ( A lot of clothes and shoes. Opens at 6pm.)
Siam Square (Bargain shopping)
Chatuchak Weekend Market (One of the biggest markets in the world. Only open Friday (6pm-midnight), Saturday and Sunday (9am-6pm)
Khao San Rd (This used to be the party center of Bangkok but due to the police cracking down on vendors it has since calmed down a lot. It’s still worth checking out as there are a lot of bars and restaurants as well as stalls selling clothes and souvenirs.)
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