Bangkok Doll Factory & Museum

Bangkok

　　This workshop was founded by Khunying Tongkorn Chandavimol in 1956 after she completed a doll-making course while living in Japan. Her dolls draw on Thai mythology and historical periods. Today her personal collection includes 400 dolls from around the world, plus important pieces from her own workshop, where you can...

Artist's House

Bangkok

　　Sort of a gallery, kind of a coffeeshop, more a cultural centre… It's tough to categorise this old wooden house on Khlong Bang Luang in Thonburi. There's food available on weekends, as well as a free traditional Thai puppet show scheduled for 2pm, but the best excuse to come is...

Flower Market

Bangkok

　　In 2016, as part of a cleaning drive, Bangkok's famous and formerly streetside flower market – also called Pak Khlong Talat – was moved indoors. Within the giant warehouse-like market that now houses the resettled stalls, you'll find piles of delicate orchids, rows of roses and stacks of button carnations....

Museum of Counterfeit Goods

Bangkok

　　Fakes are so prominent in Bangkok that there’s even a museum dedicated to them, where a mind-boggling array of counterfeit merchandise collected over the years by law firm Tilleke and Gibbins is on display. An in-house lawyer from the company's intellectual property department provides a complimentary tour. Call for an...

King Prajadhipok Museum

Bangkok

　　This museum assembles old photos and memorabilia to illustrate the rather dramatic life of Rama VII (King Prajadhipok; r 1925–35), Thailand's last absolute monarch. It occupies a grand neocolonial-style building constructed on the orders of Rama V for his favourite firm of Bond St merchants – the only foreign business...

Children's Discovery Museum

Bangkok

　　Learning is well-disguised as fun at this museum, open again after a lengthy renovation completed in 2019. The interactive exhibits range in topic from construction to culture, although we suspect most will be drawn to the Dino Detective Zone, where kids can dig in sand to find and reassemble dinosaur...

Wat Saket

Bangkok

　　Wat Saket contains murals that are among the most beautiful in the country. Proceed directly to the pillar behind the Buddha statue, however, for some rather explicit depictions of Buddhist hell. Wat Saket stands to the immediate east of Golden Mount, within the same compound. ...

Amulet Market

Bangkok

　　This arcane and fascinating market claims both the footpaths along Th Maha Rat and Th Phra Chan, as well as a dense network of covered market stalls that runs south from Phra Chan Pier. The easiest entry point is clearly marked 'Trok Maha That'. The trade is based around small...

Sri Mariamman Temple

Bangkok

　　Arrestingly flamboyant, this Hindu temple is a wild collision of colours, shapes and deities. It was built in the 1860s by Tamil immigrants and features a 6m facade of intertwined, full-colour Hindu deities. While most of the people working in the temple hail from the Indian subcontinent, you will likely...

Gallery VER

Bangkok

　　This vast experimental art space has hosted a variety of work by both established and emerging local artists, sometimes with a subversive lean. In 2017, the gallery was raided by the Thai military and five pieces deemed 'threatening to the peace and security of the nation' were removed. An art-themed...

Bangkokian Museum

Bangkok

　　Comprising three early-20th-century wooden bungalows, the charming Bangkokian Museum illustrates an often-overlooked period of Bangkok's history. The main residential building was constructed in 1937 for the Surawadee family – it is filled with beautiful wooden furniture, porcelain and other detritus of pre- and postwar family life. An adjacent two-storey shophouse...

Benjakiti Park

Bangkok

　　This 130-rai (20.8-hectare) park is built on what was once a part of the Tobacco Monopoly, a vast, crown-owned expanse of low-rise factories and warehouses. There’s an artificial lake that's good for jogging and cycling around its 2km track (bikes can be hired for 50B per hour; 8am to 7pm)....

SkyWalk at King Power Mahanakhon

Bangkok

　　Offering an unparalleled 360-degree view of Bangkok's cityscape, this two-tiered viewpoint is perched atop King Power Mahanakhon, currently Thailand’s tallest building. Stepping onto the dizzying SkyWalk – a glass-floored balcony dangling 78 floors above the earth at 310m – is a spine-chilling experience, but you can soothe your nerves afterwards...

MBK Center

Bangkok

　　This eight-storey market in a mall has emerged as one of Bangkok’s top attractions. On any given weekend half of Bangkok's residents (and most of its tourists) can be found here combing through a seemingly inexhaustible range of small stalls, shops and merchandise. 　　MBK is Bangkok's cheapest place to buy...

Siam Paragon

Bangkok

　　As much an air-conditioned urban park as it is a shopping centre, Siam Paragon is home to Sea Life Ocean World, Major Cineplex and Gourmet Paradise, a huge basement-level food court. Then there are stores and more stores, selling clothes, souvenirs, accessories, electronics, and even Rolls-Royce and McLaren cars! On...

Lumpinee Boxing Stadium

Bangkok

　　The other of Bangkok's two premier Thai boxing rings is located in a modern venue far north of town. ...

Red Sky

Bangkok

　　Perched on the 55th floor of a skyscraper smack-dab in the modern centre of Bangkok, Red Sky provides one of Bangkok's most stunning rooftop views. The dramatic arch and all that glass provide the bar with a more upscale feel than many of Bangkok's other rooftoppers. ...

Emquartier

Bangkok

　　Arguably one of Bangkok's flashiest malls. Come for brands you're not likely to find elsewhere, or get lost in the Helix, a seemingly never-ending spiral of innumerable restaurants and stores. ...

Rajadamnern Stadium

Bangkok

　　Rajadamnern Stadium is Bangkok’s oldest and most venerable venue for moo·ay tai (Thai boxing; also spelt muay Thai). Be sure to buy tickets from the official ticket counter or online, not from touts and scalpers who hang around outside the entrance. 　　Children under 120cm are allowed free entry (fights often...

Papaya

Bangkok

　　What began as a private hobby for Papaya's reticent owner has snowballed over the years into a mindboggling collection of 19th- and 20th-century artefacts that occupy every inch within a warehouse-size exhibition space. Art-deco furniture, 1960s beer signage, superhero statues, Piaggio scooters, typewriters, movie projectors, love seats, TV sets, VHS...

CentralWorld

Bangkok

　　Spanning eight storeys of more than 500 shops and 100 restaurants, CentralWorld is one of Southeast Asia’s largest shopping centres. ...

Artbox

Bangkok

　　This hipster market featuring stalls housed in refurbished shipping containers attracts hordes of young Bangkokians in the evening. Comprising a smattering of stalls selling garments, accessories, food and beverages, it's particularly busy on weekends. ...

Talat Rot Fai Srinakharin

Bangkok

　　The emphasis at this night market is on the retro, from vintage clothes to kitschy antiques. With stalls and food trucks, van-based bars, land-bound pubs and even a few hipster barber shops, it’s also much more than just a shopping destination. Not to be confused with the other Talat Rot...

Brewski

Bangkok

　　Rooftop bars are synonymous with a big bill, which is why Brewski is a breath of fresh air. With drinks starting at 90B, this beer-centric rooftop is a chilled-out spot to while away an evening 30 storeys above bustling Sukhumvit. The well-stocked bar includes 100 craft brews and ciders plus...

Moon Bar

Bangkok

　　An alarmingly short barrier at this rooftop bar is all that separates patrons from the street, 61 floors down. Moon Bar claims to be among the highest alfresco bars in the world. It's a great place to meet, greet and generally hang out with friends old and new. The hoppy...

Patpong Night Market

Bangkok

　　You might be faced with the competing distractions of strip-clubbing and flea market shopping in this infamous area. And true to the area’s illicit leanings, fake goods (in particular watches) make a prominent appearance even amid a wholesome crowd of families and straight-laced couples. If you must buy, bargain with...

Chatuchak Weekend Market

Bangkok

　　Among the largest open-air markets in the world, Chatuchak (also referred to as 'Jatujak' or simply 'JJ Market') seems to unite everything buyable, from used vintage sneakers to baby squirrels. Plan to spend a full day here, as there’s plenty to see, do and buy. But come early, ideally around...

Jim Thompson House

Bangkok

　　This jungly compound is the former home of the eponymous American silk entrepreneur and art collector. Born in Delaware in 1906, Thompson briefly served in the Office of Strategic Services (the forerunner of the CIA) in Thailand during WWII. He settled in Bangkok after the war, when his neighbours’ handmade...

Golden Mount

Bangkok

　　Even if you're wát-ed out, you should tackle the brisk ascent to the Golden Mount. Serpentine steps wind through an artificial hill shaded by gnarled trees, some of which are signed in English, and past graves and pictures of wealthy benefactors. At the peak, you'll find a breezy 360-degree view...

Lumphini Park

Bangkok

　　Named after the Buddha’s birthplace in Nepal (Lumbini), Lumphini Park is central Bangkok’s largest and most popular park. Its 58 hectares are home to an artificial lake surrounded by broad, well-tended lawns, wooded areas, walking paths and startlingly large resident monitor lizards to complement the shuffling citizens. It’s the best...

Wat Phra Kaew

Bangkok

　　Architecturally fantastic, the Wat Phra Kaew temple complex is also the spiritual core of Thai Buddhism and the monarchy, symbolically united in what is the country’s most holy image, the Emerald Buddha. Attached to the temple complex is the Grand Palace, the former royal residence, once a sealed city of...

Wat Arun

Bangkok

　　Wat Arun is the missile-shaped temple that rises from the Chao Phraya River's banks. Known as Temple of Dawn, it was named after the Indian god of dawn, Arun. It was here that, after the destruction of Ayuthaya, King Taksin stumbled upon a small local shrine and interpreted the discovery...

Grand Palace

Bangkok

　　The Grand Palace (Phra Borom Maharatchawang) is a former royal residence in Bangkok that was consecrated in 1782. Today, it’s only used on ceremonial occasions, but it remains the city's biggest tourist attraction and a pilgrimage destination for devout Buddhists. 　　As part of the greater complex that also encompasses the hallowed...

Wat Pho

Bangkok

　　Wat Pho is our absolute favorite among Bangkok's biggest sights. In fact, the compound incorporates a host of superlatives: the city's largest reclining Buddha, the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand and the country's earliest center for public education. 　　Almost too big for its shelter is Wat Pho's highlight,...