Bangkok

Bangkok is hot, vast and cheap, and the Grand Palace has a dress code that turns visitors away at the gate every single day. It’s also the city where the most common tourist scam involves being told an attraction is closed — it almost never is.

This page compares live ticket prices and availability for Bangkok attractions across our booking partners.

When to visit Bangkok

November to February is the cool season and the best time to visit — around 30°C rather than 35°C, and much lower humidity.

March to May is the hot season and genuinely punishing, regularly above 35°C with high humidity. Songkran in mid-April is the Thai New Year water festival, which takes over the whole city for several days.

June to October is the rainy season. Rain typically comes in heavy afternoon bursts rather than all day, and prices are at their lowest.

Bangkok is hot year-round. Plan temples for the morning and malls or indoor attractions for the afternoon heat.

The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew

The most visited site in the city, and the strictest on dress.

Dress code, enforced without exception: shoulders covered, and legs covered to the ankle. Not knees — ankles. No sleeveless tops, no shorts, no ripped jeans, no see-through fabric. This applies to everyone.

Sarongs and trousers can be borrowed or bought at the entrance, but the queue for that adds time.

Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, is inside the palace grounds and included in the ticket. The Emerald Buddha itself is small and high up, seated above the altar.

Open daily and it does not close for lunch. If a tuk-tuk driver tells you it’s closed for a Buddhist holiday and offers an alternative tour, that is the standard scam.

Go at opening, around 8:30am. By 10am both the heat and the crowds are difficult.

Wat Pho and Wat Arun

Wat Pho is beside the Grand Palace and holds the 46-metre Reclining Buddha. Cheaper, less crowded, and many visitors prefer it.

It’s also the home of traditional Thai massage, with a school on site where you can have one.

Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, is across the river — a short ferry crossing for a few baht. The central prang can be climbed partway on steep steps.

Wat Arun is best at sunset seen from the eastern bank, which is the classic photograph.

Same dress code applies at all temples, though slightly less strictly enforced than at the Grand Palace.

Markets and the river

Chatuchak Weekend Market is one of the largest markets in the world — around 15,000 stalls, weekends only. Go early; it becomes unbearable in the afternoon heat.

Damnoen Saduak floating market is 90 minutes outside the city and heavily touristed. Amphawa is further, mostly weekends, and more genuine.

The Chao Phraya Express Boat is a public river ferry that costs almost nothing and stops at most riverside attractions. It’s the fastest and most pleasant way to move along the river.

Dinner cruises range from cheap and cheerful to genuinely good.

Booking ahead vs walking up

Bangkok’s temples are almost all walk-up. Tours and day trips are what need booking.

Ayutthaya

The former capital, 80km north, with extensive temple ruins including the famous Buddha head grown into tree roots.

Reachable by train in around 90 minutes for very little money, or by organised tour with a river cruise back.

A full day. The ruins are spread out and best covered by bicycle or tuk-tuk hired on site.

Getting around

The BTS Skytrain and MRT metro are clean, air-conditioned and the fastest way across the city. Traffic above ground is severe.

The Chao Phraya Express Boat serves the riverside temples better than any road route.

Taxis are cheap and metered — insist on the meter. Tuk-tuks are more expensive than taxis for tourists and require negotiation.

Traffic jams are legendary. Never plan a journey by road during rush hour if a train route exists.

A first-timer’s three days

Day one — the old city. Grand Palace at opening, Wat Pho after, ferry to Wat Arun for late afternoon and sunset from the far bank.

Day two — markets and modern Bangkok. Chatuchak if it’s a weekend, otherwise Jim Thompson House and the malls around Siam. Rooftop bar in the evening.

Day three — Ayutthaya. Full day at the ruins, train or tour, back for dinner in the city.