Epic 3 Day Bangkok Itinerary (The Best Places To Visit)
Last Updated: December 5 2020
Bangkok was our second destination in Thailand. We had recently been in Phuket and didn’t enjoy it, so were looking forward to getting to Bangkok. Thailand’s capital didn’t disappoint and is a must see city full of wonderful things. This city has so much to offer, and hopefully this post will give you an idea of the best places to go in Bangkok.
Bangkok was probably one of the most craziest places we went to in terms of the chaos, traffic and busy streets. The traffic was just something else, meaning crossing the roads meant running across at any given second. Zebra crossings and lights are pretty much ignored here haha!
We spent 5 nights (4 days) in Bangkok to ensure we had enough time to do all the things we wanted. During our first day we arrived by bus mid afternoon, so didn’t do too much exploring! It was actually Jack’s birthday so that night we wandered to the cinema to watch a film and grab some food. We watched Bohemian Rhapsody of course!
During the other 3 days, we explored all this unbelievable city had to offer. Well not all, you would need weeks to do that. We definitely recommend that you experience Bangkok if your ever travelling to Thailand.
Places to go in Bangkok:
Bangkok is well known for its temples, and there are plenty to explore. There are so many temples to explore, and we spent a whole day just exploring some of Bangkok’s temples. It is an experience you can’t miss! Without further ado lets go into some of our favourites!
Wat Arun:
Our favourite temple in Bangkok is most definitely Wat Arun (also known as the temple of dawn). This temple is found on the banks of the Chao Phraya river, and is an amazing place to visit. Make sure you arrive nice and early so you can enjoy this temple before it gets too busy. If you arrive just before it opens, they often let you in. We arrived at 7:45am and got straight in just before the tours started arriving.
Wat Arun also has some pretty amazing gates on the way to the main complex which you definitely need to check out! These gates are pictured below. Wat Arun is by far one of the best places to go in Bangkok.
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The Grand Palace:
The Grand Palace is one of the most well known monuments in Bangkok! It was built in 1782 and was the home of the Thai King and the Royal Court for 150 years. We have seen so many amazing pictures of the Grand Palace but we didn’t get a chance to visit it ourselves!
After getting to Thailand, we had made an itinerary for Bangkok, and wanted to make sure we had enough time to see the smaller lesser known temples. We also weren’t keen on paying the 500 baht (about £12) entrance fee each, especially when we were on such a tight budget! However, we do wish we had paid the Grand Palace a visit, and it will definitely be on our list for next time we visit Bangkok!
The Reclining Buddha:
The Reclining Buddha is something you don’t want to miss in Bangkok. The reclining buddha is also known as Wat Pho or Wat Phra Chetuphon. It was built in 1832 and represents the Buddha entering Nirvana. It is actually one of the biggest Buddha statues in Thailand. As well as it being a popular place all year round, there is a celebration every year in April.
Wat Pho is only a 10 minute walk away from the Grand palace so you could even see both of them in the same day. However they both get super busy, so make sure you get there really early!
The Golden Mountain:
The Golden Mountain also known as Wat Saket, is a 20 minute walk from the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. It is a lovely temple to explore, with a large bell at the very top. There are plenty of steps to the top though so it is probably best going in the morning or during an overcast day. Bangkok’s temperature can be pretty intense sometimes! Wat Saket is a sacred pilgrimage site during the worship period in November, and is considered very sacred by the locals.
Temple of the Emerald Buddha:
The Temple of the Emerald Buddha also has another name (Wat Phra Kaew) and was finished in 1784. As the name suggests it is home to the famous Emerald Buddha; the most important Buddha statue in Thailand. When the temple isn’t being used by the royal family, it is open to the public. Apparently only the kind of Thailand may touch the Emerald Buddha making it pretty bloody special!
Wat Benchamabophit:
Wat Benchamabophit was one of our favourite places to go in Bangkok! We got there around 8am and the place was nearly empty. This temple also goes by the name ‘the marble temple’ and once you have visited, it isn’t hard to see why.
The temple is incredibly beautiful and is definitely one of the best places to go in Bangkok. Wat Benchamabophit is open from around 8am – 5:30pm, and of course with all temples make sure you are wearing respective clothing.
Lumpini Park:
Lumpini park is the perfect place to relax in Bangkok away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre. We had a great time wandering around the park, and saw our fair share of huge monitor lizards! There is an artificial lake where you can hire boats, as well as an outdoor gym and jogging track. It is the perfect place to relax and take a picnic.
Khao San Road:
Khao San Road is Bangkok’s famous backpacker road! The street is full of party hostels, bars, restaurants and tattoo shops! Definitely a place for the crazy tourists out there. There are also plenty of places on Khao San Road where you can get a traditional Thai massage, and eat traditional Thai food.
Shopping in Bangkok:
We aren’t really big shoppers but we did enjoy a look around the MBK Shopping Mall. It is absolutely huge, and is a nice way to get a break from the heat. There are 2,000 shops here so there is definitely something for everybody. You can also grab something to eat here, so if you find yourself nearby and hungry then you could always nip in for something to eat!
Food options in Bangkok:
Bangkok is like most places in Asia, in regards to the foods available. There is street food stalls nearly everywhere you look and in every street. In Bangkok there seems to be street food vendors absolutely everywhere! At these street markets you can buy all sorts of delicious street food. Foods available include fried foods such as fish and chicken, different types of samosas, curry puff pastries and plenty of vegetable dishes.
A lot of street vendors even sell fried bugs such as scorpions but we definitely didn’t fancy it! There are also lots of fruits available in the food stalls. We found street vendors everywhere including side streets, outside hotels, and sometimes even on the roads!
There is also plenty of options for those that consider themselves fussy eaters. You can easily shop in supermarkets, grab fast food or cook food you like depending where you stay. Our accommodation had a kitchen that you could use to make your own food whenever you felt like it. This also made it super easy to budget travel!
Accommodation in Bangkok:
In a city like Bangkok there are endless amounts of places to stay! We stayed in a lovely budget hostel called the Rooftop residence! We paid £66 for 5 nights and got a little double room to ourselves. This included free use of the kitchen and an awesome buffet breakfast for free! The hostel was located in the centre of Bangkok, and near all the best places to go in Bangkok! It was only a 40 minute walk to the Grand Palace and it’s surroundings!
Here are some of the accommodation options we have found for Bangkok:
Low Budget- The Rooftop Residence
Medium Budget- The Printing House Poshtel
High Budget/Luxury- Villa De Khaosan by Chillax
If you are looking for more accommodation options you can find them here:
The Rooftop Residence to The Grand Palace
How to get around Bangkok:
Getting around Bangkok can be very difficult, especially as the traffics is chaotic. A lot of people tend to get a tuk-tuk as they can travel around the traffic or just walk. We did use the GRAB taxi app occasionally, but often it was quicker to walk rather than sit in the huge queues of traffic.
Onward Travel from Bangkok:
It is very easy to move on from Bangkok to other parts of Thailand. We easily got a bus to take us onward to Chiang Mai before then returning to Bangkok to head for Cambodia. Getting to Cambodia by bus from Bangkok was excellent, and also very easy. The company we went with took us right through the border and all the way to Siem Reap. We have actually written about this in another post if you fancy checking it out here.
Have you ever visited Thailand? We would love to hear your travel experiences in the comments below!
Hopefully this post has given you the information you need when planning your trip. Thank you for reading!
P.S If you want some more travel tips, why not follow our Pinterest here.
Jack & Abbie
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I’m one half of Acouplescalling. I'm passionate about all things travel and photography and I love sharing my experiences with others. I've seen a lot of the world already and I want to help as many people as I can do the same thing!
