The best things to do in Bangkok fit into three days: the Grand Palace and the temples of the old city, a boat on the Chao Phraya, the food stalls of Chinatown at night, and a market. Entry prices are low, from 200 to 500 THB for the main temples, and the city's trains and river boats reach almost all of it. We compared prices and hours across sources on 14 November 2026 and mark every figure that is only reported.
Tours and activities to book in Bangkok
The six visits below are the ones travellers book most, with live prices and availability.
Bangkok: Grand Palace, Wat Pho, and Wat Arun Guided Tour
Guided visit of the Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun in about five hours.
- Duration: 5 hours
- Free cancellation
4.8(6,151 reviews)
See prices & availabilityFrom $22per person
Bangkok: Canal Long-Tail Boat Tour: Wat Paknam & Local Life
Two hours on Bangkok's canals by long-tail boat, with a stop at Wat Paknam.
- Duration: 2 hours
- Free cancellation
4.5(517 reviews)
See prices & availabilityFrom $18per person
Bangkok: Floating Market and Train Market Experience
Day trip to a floating market and the train market, about eight and a half hours.
- Duration: 8.5 hours
- Free cancellation
- Pickup included
4.9(13,137 reviews)
See prices & availabilityFrom $23per person
Bangkok: Muay Thai Boxing Tickets at Rajadamnern Stadium
An evening of Muay Thai fights at Rajadamnern Stadium, about three hours.
- Duration: 3 hours
4.9(16,635 reviews)
See prices & availabilityFrom $30per person
Bangkok: The Newest Luxury 5-Star Bangkok Chao Phraya Cruise
Evening cruise on the Chao Phraya, two to three and a half hours on the river.
- Duration: 2 to 3.5 hours
- Free cancellation
4.8(5,289 reviews)
See prices & availabilityFrom $46per person
From Bangkok: Ayutthaya Temples Guided Tour with Lunch
Day trip to the temples of Ayutthaya with a guide and lunch, about seven hours.
- Duration: 7 hours
- Free cancellation
- Pickup included
4.7(12,588 reviews)
See prices & availabilityFrom $44per person
See more activities in Bangkok
What not to miss in Bangkok: prices and opening hours
| Sight | Entry | Hours | Getting there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew | 500 THB | 8:30 am to 4:30 pm | Boat to Tha Chang pier |
| Wat Pho | 300 THB | 8 am to 7:30 pm | MRT Sanam Chai |
| Wat Arun | 200 THB | 8 am to 6 pm | Ferry from Tha Tien, 5 THB |
| Wat Saket, the Golden Mount | About 100 THB | 7 am to 7 pm | MRT Sam Yot, then 15 minutes on foot |
| Mahanakhon SkyWalk | About 1,000 THB, 1,200 THB at sunset | 10 am to midnight | BTS Chong Nonsi |
| Jim Thompson House | 250 THB with guided tour | 10 am to 5 pm | BTS National Stadium |
| Chatuchak Weekend Market | Free | Saturday and Sunday, 9 am to 6 pm | MRT Kamphaeng Phet, BTS Mo Chit |
| Chinatown, Yaowarat Road | Free | Street food from about 5 pm | MRT Wat Mangkon |
Prices for foreign visitors. Only the Grand Palace and Jim Thompson House publish a fixed price on their own website, and the Mahanakhon site gives a range by time slot. The others come from guides updated in 2026, and opening times for Wat Pho differ by half an hour from one source to the next.
Grand Palace Bangkok: tickets, hours and dress code
The Grand Palace is the one sight almost every visitor sees, and the one that needs the most preparation. The ticket costs 500 THB and includes Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, and the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles. Children under 120 cm enter free.
- Hours. Every day from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. The palace's own site says tickets are sold until 3:30 pm, an hour before the gates close.
- Closing days. None in the week. Royal and state ceremonies are announced ahead, and they tend to shorten the day rather than shut the palace. On 12 August 2026, ticket sales ran only until noon.
- Dress code. Shoulders and knees covered for everyone. No shorts, sleeveless tops, see-through fabric or ripped jeans. Clothes can be borrowed at the entrance against a deposit.
- Entrance. On Na Phra Lan Road, past a security check. One guide names the Mani Noppharat gate as the only entrance since January 2024, which we could not confirm, so follow the signs and the queue.
- Getting there. Chao Phraya Express boat to Tha Chang pier, then five minutes on foot. From the MRT at Sanam Chai, allow 10 to 15 minutes on foot past Wat Pho.
- Time needed. Two to three hours.
- Best time. At opening. Tour groups arrive around 9:30 am, and there is little shade. After 2 pm is the second quiet window.
One travel writer reports a companion turned away at the gate in shorts that reached the knee. Licensed guides wait inside the grounds and are reported at 700 to 1,000 THB for an hour to an hour and a half.
Temples in Bangkok: Wat Pho, Wat Arun and the Golden Mount
Wat Pho and the Reclining Buddha
Wat Pho sits just south of the Grand Palace and houses the Reclining Buddha. Entry is 300 THB, and the temple stays open until about 7:30 pm. Its massage school is the best-known place in the city for a traditional Thai massage, reported at around 340 THB for 30 minutes and 520 THB for an hour, on top of the entry ticket, with lower rates quoted elsewhere. Allow an hour and a half to two hours. Take the MRT to Sanam Chai, exit 1, or the river boat to Tha Tien. Shorts are not allowed, and you take your shoes off to enter the halls.
Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn
Wat Arun stands on the other bank of the river. From Tha Tien pier, next to Wat Pho, a ferry crosses in two minutes for 5 THB. Entry is 200 THB, hours 8 am to 6 pm with last entry at 5:30 pm. The climb up the central tower takes 10 to 15 minutes. Go before 9 am or after 4:30 pm, and avoid the hours between noon and 3 pm, when the stone is hot and the light is flat. Cover shoulders and knees. A sarong rents for about 20 THB plus a 100 THB deposit.
Wat Saket and the Golden Mount
The Golden Mount is a small hill topped by a gilded chedi, with a view over the roofs of the old city. Foreign visitors pay about 100 THB to climb. It is open from 7 am to 7 pm, and the hours stretch during festivals, so check on the day. Walk 15 minutes from MRT Sam Yot, or take the canal boat to Phan Fa pier.
Views and museums: Mahanakhon SkyWalk and Jim Thompson House
Mahanakhon SkyWalk
The observation deck of the King Power Mahanakhon tower has a glass floor above the city. The tower's own site lists tickets from 500 to 1,200 THB depending on the slot. Guides quote about 1,000 THB in the daytime and 1,200 THB for the sunset slot from 3:30 pm to 7 pm, and prices have moved during 2026. It is open from 10 am to midnight, with last entry at 11 pm, next to BTS Chong Nonsi.
Rooftop bars sell the same skyline over a drink. Sky Bar at Lebua and Vertigo at Banyan Tree are the best known, so check each dress code before you go.
Jim Thompson House
The home of the American who revived the Thai silk trade is a group of red teak houses in a garden. Entry is 250 THB and includes a guided tour, every day from 10 am to 5 pm, and nobody enters the main house without a guide. Visitors aged 10 to 21 pay 150 THB with ID, and younger children go free. Online sales opened on 8 September 2026, and the house says walk-in tours are still possible. It is a short walk from BTS National Stadium.
Other temples and museums, and what they cost
The National Museum and the Museum of Siam cost 200 THB each, according to one 2026 price list, which also gives 250 THB for the Museum of Contemporary Art, 400 THB for the Erawan Museum and 100 THB for the Royal Barges Museum. Wat Benchamabophit, the marble temple, and Wat Ratchanatdaram with its metal spires are reported at 100 THB each. Wat Intharawihan, with a 32-metre standing Buddha, is reported at 40 THB. Lumpini Park and the Erawan Shrine are free.
Bangkok markets: Chatuchak, Chinatown and the floating markets
Chatuchak Weekend Market
Chatuchak is open in full on Saturday and Sunday from 9 am to 6 pm. Friday evening is a quieter session, and the plant section opens on Wednesday and Thursday. Entry is free. Come at opening or after 4 pm to avoid the heat, bring cash and expect to bargain by 10 to 20%. Allow three to four hours. The MRT stops at Kamphaeng Phet, exit 2, and the BTS at Mo Chit. The pet section sells live animals, which many visitors find upsetting.
Chinatown and Yaowarat Road at night
Yaowarat Road turns into the city's largest street food strip from about 5 pm until midnight, with each stall keeping its own hours. MRT Wat Mangkon is 350 metres away. The lanes of Talat Noi, next door, are worth an hour before dinner for their street art and old workshops.
Floating markets near Bangkok
| Market | Distance | Open | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Khlong Lat Mayom | Inside Bangkok, about 30 minutes | Saturday and Sunday, 8 am to 5 pm | The closest, mostly local visitors |
| Damnoen Saduak | About 100 km, an hour and a half | Every day, 7 am to 1 pm | The famous one, very touristy |
| Amphawa | About 90 km | Friday to Sunday, afternoon and evening | Often combined with the train market |
The two distant markets are easiest on an organised day trip, which usually adds the Maeklong railway market, where the stalls fold back when the train comes through.
Bangkok neighbourhoods and what to see in each
Visitors sleep and sightsee from one of five areas, and the same districts come up when expats compare the best places to live in Thailand. Siam and Sukhumvit are the usual areas to stay in Bangkok on a first visit, for the Skytrain and the nightlife.
- Rattanakosin, the old city. Grand Palace, Wat Pho, the Golden Mount and Khao San Road, with Wat Arun across the river.
- Chinatown and Talat Noi. Street food, gold shops and old lanes.
- Silom and Sathorn. Mahanakhon SkyWalk, Lumpini Park and rooftop bars.
- Siam and Sukhumvit. Jim Thompson House, the big malls and Benchakitti Park.
- Riverside. ICONSIAM, Asiatique and the piers where the evening cruises leave.
How many days in Bangkok: a 3-day itinerary
One night gives a glimpse. Two nights cover the temples and the modern districts. Three nights add museums and markets, and a fourth leaves a half-day for Chatuchak or a day for Ayutthaya or the island of Ko Kret, a car-free Mon village north of the city.
- Day 1, the old city. Grand Palace at opening, Wat Pho next door, the ferry to Wat Arun, then sunset from the river.
- Day 2, markets and Chinatown. A floating market in the morning, the Golden Mount in the afternoon, dinner on Yaowarat Road.
- Day 3, modern Bangkok. Jim Thompson House, the malls around Siam, a park, then the SkyWalk or an evening cruise.
One travel guide puts daily spending at 1,500 to 3,100 THB per person, depending on comfort. Residents budget by the month instead, as in our cost of living in Thailand breakdown.
When to visit Bangkok
The coolest and busiest months run from November to February, and that is when rooms cost the most. March to May is hot, with April the peak and temperatures reaching 40°C, and Songkran, the water festival, falls in mid-April. The rainy season starts around mid-May and ends around mid-October, with short, heavy afternoon downpours and September usually the wettest month. Plan temples for early morning in any season, as most of the courtyards have little shade.
Getting around Bangkok and from the airports
From Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang
From Suvarnabhumi, the Airport Rail Link runs to Phaya Thai in about 30 minutes for 45 THB, from 5:30 am to midnight. A metered taxi from the official rank on level 1 costs about 300 to 500 THB to Sukhumvit, with a 50 THB airport surcharge and tolls of 25 to 75 THB. From Don Mueang, the A1 bus goes to Mo Chit for 30 THB and the Red Line train to Bang Sue for about 33 THB.
Fill in the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card before you land. Passport holders from the exempt countries then enter on the 30-day visa exemption.
BTS, MRT and river boats
The BTS Skytrain and the MRT cover the modern city. BTS fares run from 17 to 47 THB on the core line, and MRT Blue Line fares from 17 to 44 THB since 3 July 2026. The old city is served by one MRT station, Sanam Chai, and by the Chao Phraya Express boats. The orange-flag line charges a flat fare that changed several times in 2026. The operator lists 19 THB for the whole route, and guides quote 15 to 20 THB for a short hop. Weekend service on that line is unclear, so check the timetable at the pier. Tha Chang is the pier for the Grand Palace and Tha Tien for Wat Pho and the ferry to Wat Arun.
For taxis, insist on the meter and refuse a fixed price. Ride-hailing apps such as Grab and Bolt show the fare before you book.
Bangkok scams to avoid and what not to do
- The closed attraction. Described above for the Grand Palace, and used at other temples too.
- The 20 baht tuk-tuk tour. The low fare is paid for by stops at gem shops and tailors.
- Taxis that will not use the meter. Get out and take the next one.
- Clothes rental outside the palace walls. Stalls charge a mark-up for what the palace lends against a deposit.
- Tickets sold on the street. Buy at the official counter only.
Two warnings beyond scams. Elephant rides and shows are sold around Bangkok, and places that call themselves sanctuaries but allow direct contact deserve suspicion. Thai law also punishes insults to the monarchy severely, for tourists as much as for Thais, online as well as in person. The tourist police answer on 1155.