Bangkok Sightseeing

Bangkok is certainly not one of the world’s most beautiful cities but it must qualify as one of the world’s most exciting.

A city that is flat, low-lying, polluted and crowded is unlikely to win any beauty contests. But if you add some of the world’s most enterprising and attractive people, a flamboyant architectural style, a diverse economy and a natural love of life, you will end up with variety, excitement and, believe it or not, style. That is Bangkok today.

Bangkok, known to the Thais as “Krungthep” (City of Angles), was established in 1782 by King Rama 1 as the capital of Siam. Since then, it has developed into a city of some 8-10 million with an intriguing mixture of East and West, the traditional and the modern. The city has a number of traditional tourist attractions that every visitor must see but you also need to wander down some back streets to see life as many Thais know it. Traditional pastimes and attitudes are very much part of many people’s lives.

Bangkok has many sides and the city can meet most needs. Certainly the five attractions in this journal will appeal to everyone. They rank up there with some of the worlds best. Don’t try to do them all in one day. They deserve much better than that. If possible, learn a little of the history before you visit. I appreciate them all better now that I know more about them.

Major visitor attractions are luxury hotels at great prices, glittering Buddhist temples, spectacular palaces, canal scenes, legendary nightlife, and some of the best shopping available anywhere. If you forget the heat, the humidity, the traffic, and the pollution, this is a truly great city. At the very least, it is a wonderful place to have a good time and sample some of the attractions of an amazing country.

Quick Tips:

The best time to visit the Grand Palace is in the early morning when the crowds are less and it is not so hot.

There are free guided tours of the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha at 10am, 10.30am, 1.30pm and 2pm each day. If you prefer, you can rent an audio guide for 100 Baht but you need a passport or credit card as security.

The best way to reach the “Royal” area of Bangkok is by river boat. Take the Chaophraya Express Boat to the Chang Pier (Tha Chang). Walk through the market around the pier and out onto the plaza flanked by old shophouses. The long white wall of the Grand Palace is across the street on your right. The entrance is the second gate in the wall.

While the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and Grand Palace grounds are open every day when not being used for state functions, the audience halls in the Grand Palace are closed on weekends. You can only gain entrance to see the magnificent thrones on weekdays.

Note that the admission fee to the Grand Palace and temple also includes an admission ticket to Vimanmek Mansion that can be used within seven days of your Grand Palace visit.

Best Way To Get Around:

The Grand Palace can be reached by river boat, bus or taxi. Once in this area you can walk between the Palace, Temple of the Emerald Buddha and Wat Po.

Jim Thompson’s House is best reached by taxi. All taxis are metered and the fares are cheap. Unfortunately many drivers do not speak much English so it is handy to have you destination written in Thai.

The weekend market area can be reached by Skyrail, MRT (the underground rail system), bus or taxi.

I have been here at least six times and I never tire of the place. It really is something quite special. This was the home of Jim Thompson, an American architect who settled in Thailand after World War II and turned his energy to reinvigorating the Thai silk industry. His efforts were highly successful and in the process, he made considerable profit. He disappeared in the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia under quite strange circumstances in 1967 and has never been seen since.

For his contribution to the development of the Thai Silk industry, Jim Thompson was awarded the Order of the White Elephant, a decoration bestowed upon foreigners for having rendered exceptional service to Thailand. Thompson's success story in Thailand has become one of the most popular postwar legends of Asia.

Since his disappearance in 1967, little has changed in the home that was the 'talk of the town' and the 'city's most celebrated social center'. Even today, the charming Thai-style house continues to be a key stop for visitors to Bangkok.

The house consists of a complex of six traditional Thai-style houses, teak structures that were purchased from several owners and brought to the present location from various parts of Thailand. Construction of the Thai house was completed in 1959.

The house is at the end of a narrow soi off Rama 1 Road (there is a sign post at this corner), in a small tranquil garden which is a world apart from Bangkok’s normal traffic and noise. The house is a great example of real tropical luxury. I would love to create such an atmosphere for myself. The house contains a splendid Asian art collection together with personal belongings from Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, and China. The garden and its several buildings are also worth some of your time.

Inspection of the house is only by guided tour and this lasts about 30 minutes. The guide tells you about the objects in the house and shows how Thompson was able to improve the traditional Thai architecture in several ways. Afterwards you can wander the garden by yourself.

Opening hours are 9am to 5pm everyday with the last guided tour at 4:30pm. Admission is 100Bt for adults and 50Bt for students.

This has been a Bangkok ‘must-see’ for years but the market is currently going through a transition. Some areas of the original market have been closed and the stalls pulled down, and a new air-conditioned high-rise building called JJ Plaza has opened close by. Some stalls have relocated here but many parts of the old market are still operating and the adjacent Chatuchak Plaza still exists.

The scale of it is unbelievable. It covers 35 acres, contains more than 15,000 shops and stalls, has over 200,000 visitors each day, who spend an estimated 30 million baht (approx US$800,000). The range of products on sale is extensive, and includes household accessories, handicrafts, religious artifacts, art, antiques, live animals (which unfortunately are frequently caged in cruel conditions), books, music, clothes, food, plants, flowers, etc.

Chatuchak has in theory been segregated into areas depending on the types of goods sold, and there are maps available for the market which detail the various sections. You're as well to just forget them and just wander wherever takes your fancy, as it is an extremely disorientating place of many narrow alleys and trying to follow a map around can prove very frustrating.

Chatuchak always gets very hot and humid during the day, and it's far from the most comfortable shopping experience but for most people the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Going early in the day when it is a bit cooler is recommended. When it becomes too much, head for the air-conditioned JJ Plaza (but expect prices to be higher).

Bargaining is expected, if not mandatory, at Chatuchak and the prices are generally substantially cheaper than the shopping centers and street stalls on Silom and Sukhumvit. Chatuchak is a particularly good place to buy all sorts of Thai handicrafts, as there's a huge range, and competition keeps the prices low. Be careful when buying antiques though, as a large majority of these are fake and telling the difference between the genuine and the copies can be extremely difficult. Genuine antiques require a permit to be taken out of the country.

The published opening hours for the market are from 9am to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday, though many of the stalls actually open sometime between 9am and 10am and close around sunset. Parts of Chatuchak open on Friday as a market for wholesalers, but there is no problem doing normal shopping on this day either. JJ Plaza and Chatuchak Plaza are pretty much open every day.

The best way to get here is on the Skytrain to Mo Chit station which is only about five minutes walk away from the market or by underground to Kamphaeng Phet station. Take plenty of cash (but ATM's are there), comfortable shoes, bag(s), a good sense of humour, and don't forget to drink water. You'll probably need the toilets and they can be dirty and hot. The best one is near the station and the book section while those in JJ Plaza are modern and clean.

The Grand Palace and the adjacent Temple of the Emerald Buddha must be on every visitor’s itinerary. This complex rivals the very best European palaces and cathedrals in interest and architectural attraction. From certain angles, this represents all that is best about Thailand and Thai culture. It is a sight guaranteed to impress the most blasé traveler.

The huge white walled complex is in the center of ‘historic Bangkok’. The palace was originally built in 1782 by the first king who ruled from Bangkok. Since then almost every other king has added to it so that today the complex is an amazing mixture of architectural styles that somehow work together to create a very impressive feature. The Grand Palace is no longer used as a royal residence but it is used for state functions, the presentation of ambassador credentials and some other ceremonies.

The best part of the original palace building is known as the Dusit Group and the Phra Maha Montien Group. The main building is a splendid example of classic Thai architecture with its four-tiered roof and nine-tiered spire. Near the main building is a beautiful pavilion where the king alighted before entering the main audience hall. Please take a close look – it really is exquisite. You can see the reception rooms of what was once a royal residence.

The Chakri Group of halls was built by King Chulalongkorn (Rama 5) in 1882 in a style incorporating both Thai and Western architectural elements. The central throne room with its four canvases is a highlight. The Temple of the Emerald Buddha adjoins the palace and serves as the royal temple. (See a separate entry for this.)

Admission to both the temple and Grand Palace is 250 Baht. Opening hours are from 8.30am to 3.30pm. There is a strict dress code which my wife, in calf-length pants, did not meet. It appeared that about 25% of foreign female visitors (and a few males) were also pulled up. You need a shirt with sleeves, fully-covered legs and covered feet. T-shirts, see-through clothing, bare shoulders, etc. are not permitted.

My wife had to borrow a sarong from the booth near the entrance gate and had to leave a credit card as security. The sarong was pretty and clean but was extremely hot over other clothing as we walked the complex. There appeared to be no water for sale anywhere inside. To avoid this problem, dress conservatively and try to visit early in the morning when crowds are less.

This magical place is a temple purpose-built to house a Buddha image carved from a large solid piece of green jadite. Chaophraya Chakri, who went on to become King Rama I, brought the image from Vientiane when he captured the city in 1778. It is believed the image was previous in Chiang Rai in northern Thailand and was captured from Chiang Mai by the Laos. King Rama I built the temple and enshrined the Emerald Buddha there as a symbol of Siam's regained nationhood. The temple does not house any monks. Rather, it is more like the personal chapel of the royal family.

The Emerald Buddha is housed in the main building of the temple – the Ubosot. It is difficult for non-Thais to understand fully the significance of this rather small statue, kept in a glass case ten metres above the kneeling worshipers, but you can sense the power and the role that this has played through centuries of Thai history by watching the locals. Three times a year, at the beginning of the cool, hot and rainy seasons, the king changes the Emerald Buddha’s robes in a simple ceremony of great significance to the Thais. You must remove your shoes before entering this building and silence and a strict no-photograph policy applies.

When you enter the temple compound on the west side, climb up to the upper terrace before proceeding around to the entrance to the ubosot. North of the ubosot is an elevated platform with three large buildings in a line. Originally, the temple's main library, the Ho Phra Monthien Tham, was on this spot, but it burned down in a fire caused by fireworks later in the reign of King Rama I. He decided to have the Phra Mondop built on this spot. King Rama IV added the Royal Pantheon and the huge Phra Si Rattana Chedi to the upper terrace. He also commissioned the model of Angkor Wat which sits on the north side of the upper terrace. This is a truly spectacular area so allow time to see it properly.

Don’t rush your visit here. You are in the most holy place in Thailand and you need time to appreciate it. Apart from that, it is just a wonderful place assaulting the senses from all sides. The entire temple is enclosed by a covered gallery, the outer wall of which is painted with elaborate scenes from the Ramakien epic. Each entrance is guarded by a pair of huge demons called yakshas. Along the eastern edge of the temple are eight tall prangs.

Wat Po is located just south of the Grand Palace. It is the oldest and largest temple in Bangkok and is often called Thailand’s first university. The temple complex is so large, yet so crammed with buildings and other structures that it is initially somewhat overpowering. To help you overcome this problem there is a guide service available at the main gate. This can help you get the most from a visit.

The main attraction for most visitors is the gigantic 46-metre long reclining Buddha, entirely covered in gold leaf. The huge feet are marvelously inlaid with mother-of-pearl with the 108 signs of the Buddha. Rama III is responsible for the construction of the reclining Buddha. The Wiharn housing the reclining Buddha is just barely big enough to hold the statue, which is why it is almost impossible to take any wide shots of the whole thing.

Next to the Reclining Buddha Wiharn is an enclosure holding the four largest of the temple's 95 chedis. All of the chedi at Wat Po are square, rather than the round bell shape generally preferred at the time. They are decorated with ceramic tiles and three-dimensional ceramic pieces which form intricate floral patterns. The center of the three chedi in a line is the oldest, having been built by Rama I to hold a Buddha image bought from Ayuthaya. Later, Rama III built the chedi north of this to hold the ashes of Rama II, and the one to the south to hold his own remains. The fourth chedi was built by Rama IV for unknown purposes.

To get to the ubosot, the main building of the temple, you need to walk round to the south side of the cloister and enter through one of the doors on either side of the pavilion on that side. The cloister is a double-ringed affair housing nearly 400 Buddha images, with the ubosot in the middle. This is all currently under renovation so you cannot go inside.

Among the many other features, it is fascinating to see the traditional medical practitioners who still dispense treatment daily at the Wat. Also the massage school is open to the public so you experience the pleasure of this art form. Remember that the early kings regarded the temple as the primary source of public education so objects were placed in the compound to instruct people. Many of these can still be seen today.

Thais can enter the complex without a fee but foreigners are charged 20 baht at booths just inside the north or south entrances. The easiest way to get to Wat Po is by boat. Take the Chao Phraya River Express to the Tha Thien pier, then walk through the market and up the short street. Wat Po is directly across the intersection, on your right. On the left is the rear wall of the Grand Palace.