Bangkok. A city of historic temples and modern skyscrapers, of $3 noodles on the street and $30 cocktails at rooftop bars. It has the hustle and bustle of any major modern city, but with a unique flair that is distinctly Thai. Bangkok is the first stop for most international travelers to Thailand, yet the city has a mixed reputation. Backpackers rave about the cheap street food and thriving nightlife, but for more laid-back travelers, Bangkok can also be chaotic and crowded.
I’ll say outright that we are not city people. Ben and I both would choose a natural vista or a charming village over a cityscape any day, but when we travel, we inevitably end of spending a few days in large cities like Bangkok since that’s where you’ll find the airport. Usually, we spend a day or two hitting up the main sights, then scurry off to find some nature. If you, like us, don’t particularly love big cities, this two-day guide to Bangkok might be for you.
Day One- Temples and Thai Food
Wat Arun
We started our first day in Bangkok at Wat Arun, possibly the most photogenic temple in Bangkok. We left our Airbnb bright and early and took the MRT to Itsaraphap Station, which was as close as it would take us, then walked the rest of the way to the temple. We got there right when it opened at 8:00, which is important for two reasons. First, to get all those nice pictures without any people, and second because Bangkok is hot. Like, really hot. And humid. For sure get all your sightseeing done in the morning so you can relax with a cold Thai tea in an air-conditioned café during the hottest part of the day.
Wat Arun, also called the Temple of Dawn, is a Buddhist temple dating all the way back to the 17th century, although the famous prang was built in the 19th century. The temple originally enshrined the famous Emerald Buddha before it was moved to the Grand Palace. The temple is best known for its stunning porcelain tilework and colorful central prang. The opening hours are from 8:00 AM- 6:00 PM, and the entrance fee is 100 baht. Note that like all temples in Thailand, there is a dress code requiring knees and shoulders to be covered for both men and women.
When we arrived, there were a few couples dressed in traditional Thai clothing taking pictures, but otherwise there was hardly anyone around, and we were able to explore and admire the temple with no crowds. Ben had torn his ACL about a month before our trip, and he had a little trouble getting up and down the steep, narrow steps that rise up all four sides of the temple. It was definitely a little treacherous!
Besides the huge prang, there are a few small side buildings, but it took us less than an hour to thoroughly explore the temple, plus maybe another fifteen minutes to meander along the riverside, where a small but pretty park overlooks the Chao Phraya River. Then, we were ready for our next destination.
Wat Pho
From Wat Arun, it was a short, inexpensive water taxi ride across the river to our next stop: Wat Pho. Wat Pho is one of the most significant temples in Bangkok and is famous as Thailand’s oldest university and the birthplace of Thai massage. Its most popular feature is a massive 46-meter-long reclining Buddha, one of the largest Buddha statues in the whole country. You really can’t understand the scale of this thing unless you see it in person!
The temple is open from 8:00 AM-7:30 PM, and the entrance fee is 300 baht. There is also a dress code. The temple can get quite crowded, but the complex is huge, with tons of different things to see and do, so it is easy to find quiet corners to take photos. We discovered that most people really just hung around the Reclining Buddha, which is a shame because this temple has so many other things to see! I really enjoyed the exhibit on Thai massage, which explained the history and theory of the practice. You can even get a massage in the temple, although we did not take advantage of this option.
After a couple of hours exploring Wat Pho, we were tired, hot, and hungry, so we made our way just down the street to a little restaurant called The Sixth for lunch. It was really excellent, especially the green curry!
If extra time- the Grand Palace
The plan for after lunch was to visit the Grand Palace, just beside Wat Pho. However, jet lag was really getting to us, and we decided to skip the Grand Palace to take a quick nap before our food tour. But if you have extra time and extra energy, this is another very famous attraction in this area of Bangkok.
Food Tour
One of the things we were most excited about on our trip to Thailand was the food. We both love Thai food and were super excited to eat our way across the country, and especially to try new dishes that aren’t easy to find back home. So, of course, we chose to do a food tour on our very first day in Thailand. I love doing food tours at the beginning of a trip so that I know which dishes to look out for later on.
We booked this food tour on Airbnb, which took us to several different areas. We got to eat at a couple of local restaurants, sample street food, and even do a little sightseeing. As a bonus, the tour took us around the city by tuk-tuk, which is an experience in itself!
Day Two- Day Trip to the Ancient City
The Erawan Museum
On our second day in Thailand, we decided to get a little outside the central city, starting with a visit to the Erawan Museum. The Erawan Museum is just a short BTS ride from central Bangkok and is well worth the detour. In fact, this was one of my favorite temples in all of Thailand!
The museum is famous for its enormous three-headed elephant. In fact, the museum is actually inside the elephant’s body! We spent ages taking pictures of the elegant pink staircase inside the museum and admiring the intricate tile work, the beautiful columns, and the glass ceiling. Then we took the elevator to the top to see the art collection. Even if you’ve seen pictures, this spot is so impressive in person, and I highly, highly recommend a visit.
After exploring the museum, we took a stroll around the garden, which is stunning in its own right, then stopped for a quick Thai tea in the cafe before taking a taxi to our next stop, the Ancient City.
The Ancient City
The Ancient City is rather ironically names since there is actually nothing about it that is in any way ancient. Instead, this complex (which calls itself the world’s largest outdoor museum) contains over 100 recreations of famous structures from throughout Thailand’s long history. Some of the buildings are exact replicas, while others are art installations, but all are beautiful and definitely insta-worthy.
The Ancient City is far too big to get around on foot, so most visitors rent either a bike or a golf cart to get around. We opted for bikes. While I’ve seen lots of reviews claiming that it would be impossible to see all the sites on a bike, we covered the entire park on bikes in just a few hours, stopping at basically every building. So don’t be afraid to go for the bikes, just make sure to bring lots of water because that Bangkok sun is intense!
With our bikes and a trusty map in hand, we set off to explore the various structures. There are a few buildings that you’ve likely seen on Instagram, like the green temple on the water or the fish temple, but seriously, don’t limit yourself. We stumbled upon a ton of beautiful spots just by wandering.
Do note that while we had a really fun afternoon exploring this area and definitely recommend it, there is something a little… inauthentic? Disneyland-ish? about the place. The reconstructions are meant to be historically accurate, but there isn’t much information about what you are seeing, so it can feel more like a photo-op than a museum. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just make sure to go with the right expectations.
Chinatown
By about 3:00 in the afternoon, the heat was really starting to get to us, and we decided to make our way back to central Bangkok. Based on the rave reviews I had seen on the Internet, we decided to go to Chinatown to find street food for dinner.
Well, let’s just say it was not our favorite. Walking down Yaowarat Road was like a stampede, and frankly, many of the stalls looked (and smelled) a little iffy. Besides that, the prices were shockingly high. I think this might be an example of an area that has been ruined by overtourism, and what was once a cool place for street food is now a tourist trap. We certainly had better street food elsewhere.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our two days in Bangkok. We may have stuck mainly to the tourist hot spots, but sometimes things are popular for a reason, and as the first stop on our trip through Thailand, it was a great introduction to the country. Hopefully, if, like us, you don’t tend to love big cities, this two day guide to Bangkok was helpful as you plan your own trip to the Land of Smiles.
Leave a Reply