2 to 3 Day Bangkok Itinerary - What to do in Bangkok, Thailand

This post is a comprehensive guide on what to do in Bangkok, we'll cover the best things to do in Bangkok in 24 to 36 hours, including:

- Bangkok Temples

- Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

- Chinatown

- Chatuchak Weekend Market

- Where to stay in Bangkok

- Where to eat in Bangkok

- Craft beer in Bangkok

- How to order Street Food in Thailand

- Dress code for Thailand Temples

- And a link to more Thailand Tips & Tricks as well as the rest of our Thailand Destinations

Bangkok, Thailand - City of Angels

Bangkok is the capital of Thailand and represents almost 14% of the country's population, it's ceremonial name is

Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit

seriously...it holds the world record for the longest name with 168 letters. It means City of Angels, along with other things that's far past my knowledge.

Most people will fly into Bangkok, some will take a domestic flight to the North or South, but I'd suggest to stay a few days. We're not big city lovers, but there's so much culture and history in Bangkok that we couldn't pass up.

The only perception we had of Bangkok was from the Hangover and so we were expecting this hot, polluted, grimy, dirty place with an outrageous nightlife. And what we discovered was completely the opposite, Bangkok is surprisingly clean for being such a largely populated city and we wandered the streets for hours and felt completely safe. I was pretty concerned with the air pollution from the weather reports, I thought we'd have to wear a mask the whole time, but honestly I didn't even notice it. The only perception that was true, was that it was HOT! And that's why there are so many fresh Pomegranate Juice and Fruit Shakes street vendors. Absolutely delicious!

Suggested Stay: 2-3 Days

Where to Stay

I found this article, from the Nerd Nomads, the most helpful when narrowing down where to stay in Bangkok.

We stayed in Chinatown at 103 Bed and Brews to be in walking distance to the Chao Phraya River and easy transport from the airport, about 30-40 minutes. The hotel is also a coffee shop & craft beer destination with the most delicious Thai coffee we had during our entire trip and great local brews. If you don't stay here, come for the coffee or a craft beer.

This hotel is great for those looking to stay in a good central location at a value rate (about $45/night) and with traditional style. You must remove your shoes before going upstairs to your rooms, which brought to life traditional Thai culture. And the employees were so so friendly!

What to do in Bangkok - 2 to 3 Day Bangkok Itinerary

Day 1: Temple Tour, Chinatown and Craft Beer in Bangkok

Start your day early and be sure to fuel up with free breakfast and coffee from your hotel.

Before you head out, be sure you are wearing the appropriate attire & bring water!

Women must have their knees & shoulders covered, but remember it's hot! If you don't live in a hot climate like Thailand, the best thing is to layer or wear something flowy and breathable. I would avoid denim at all costs! Sarongs and scarfs come into handy if you want to layer or wear a jumpsuit/maxi dress with a slight sleeve.

Men must abide by the same rules. Convertible pants that zip off into shorts is the best option because the other temples aren't as strict as long as you aren't wearing short shorts.

I've read articles about sandals and bare feet...I wore sandals with a back and didn't have an issue. You are required to take your shoes off before entering the temples anyway so required footwear didn't seem to be a problem.

The Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaew - Emerald Buddha

The Grand Palace was built in 1782 and for 150 years it was the home of the Thai King. Today, it's the heart of Thailand, and a must visit!

It's home to the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew), made entirely of Jade and is regarded the most important Buddhist Temple in all of Thailand. The Emerald Buddha was discovered in Northern Thailand's Lanna Kingdom in the 1400s, from there it moved from Wat to Wat until finally making it to the Grand Palace in 1784. What the Wat? Wat means Temple in Thai :)

The Grand Palace is gorgeous, intricate, historical and because of that, it's also crowded so get there early, but it'll be hard to avoid. There are pockets of solitude to sneak off to, but the best thing is to try to appreciate the beauty and culture and ignore all the pushy people.

Getting There:

- Walk to the nearest Pier along the Chao Phraya River. From Chinatown, walk to Marine Dept or Rajchawongse Pier.

- Hop on (literally) the Local River Ferry with an Orange Flag (or the Tourist Ferry with a Blue Flag). We suggest the Local Ferry to get the true experience plus it's only 15 Baht vs 150 Baht. We made sure we had smaller currency before we left and we were happy we did because they have quite the efficient system of picking and dropping people off.

- Jump off at Tha Chang No. 9 Pier. You'll walk through a small market selling fruit, water and elephant pants so if you didn't dress appropriately and bring water, purchase that now. Walk straight until you hit barricades that will direct you on where the entrance is.

Entrance Fee: 500 Baht/person

Estimated Time: 1-2 Hours (we spent 1 hour)

Opening Hours: 8:30 - 15:30* note the early closing time

Wat Pho - Reclining Buddha

Wat Pho is home to the Reclining Buddha and one of our favorite Wats. It's also one of the oldest in Bangkok and only a 10 minute walk from the Grand Palace.

The Reclining Buddha is the main attraction, it's covered in gold leaf and 46m long x 15m high AKA it's huge, but what I loved most about Wat Pho was walking around and admiring all the golden Buddhas and all the Chedis. It was so peaceful walking around the temple grounds, it was like we had the place to ourselves!

Wat Pho is also a public University, where they teach religion, literature, science, medicine and massage. And you can even get a Thai massage in the Wat!

Getting There:

- We were directed to walk back towards the Tha Chang Pier and walk along the wall of the Grand Palace.

- Once you get to the end of the wall, cross the street and take a left into Wat Pho.

Entrance Fee: 100 Baht/person

Estimated Time: 1-2 Hours (we spent 1 hour)

Opening Hours: 8:30 - 18:30

Wat Arun - Temple of the Dawn

Wat Arun is located across the river, you may have noticed it on the ferry. It's known as the Temple of the Dawn, because the morning light reflects off the surface with pearly iridescence.

The main tower is done in Khmer style architecture, which is from the Angkor period between the 9th and 15th century, and it's encrusted with colorful porcelain.

We loved Wat Arun equally to Wat Pho. Walking up the Temple tower, admiring the intricate detail, and all the golden Buddhas, it was just as peaceful and beautiful!

Getting There:

- Exit Wat Pho and cross the Main Street towards the River to Tha Tien No. 8 Pier.

- Take a cross river ferry to Wat Arun Pier, we just hopped in the line and ended up in the right place. There were a few street food vendors next to the Pier to tame our hunger.

- Exit the ferry and take a left into Wat Arun.

Entrance Fee: 100 Baht/person

Estimated Time: 1-2 Hours (we spent 1 hour)

Opening Hours: 8:30 - 18:00

Chinatown - Yaowarat Road

We wanted to head back towards our hotel and hit up Yaowarat Road for their street food scene. Well we got there and didn't see the amount of street food we read about and later found out that it comes to life around 6pm. So we were only able to mark a few stops off our list.

Yaowarat Toasted Bread - tasty grilled sweet bread filled with your choice of chocolate, peanut butter, jam and more! We went with the simple butter and sugar and it was melt in your mouth delicious and super cheap. And we picked up a fresh Pomegranate Juice.

There's plenty of shopping to kill the time, but we were craving our first Thai beer. So we took off in search of Thai Craft Beer.

Along our way, there were so many street food vendors, after walking up and down the blocks looking at what everyone was eating, we decided to stop at a vendor cranking out pork skewers. We really didn't know how it all worked and everyone looked like a local. I won't bore you with the details of our clumsy first street food experience, but here is what we learned to make you a street food expert before you even arrive!

How to order Street Food in Thailand in summary:

- Wait in line (which is always a good sign)

- Order your food (it's ok if you don't know what it is, that's the fun part)

- Sit down at a table, be sure it's one of their tables. Some vendors will direct you to a table

- If you are looking for a drink, it's completely ok to buy a beverage from another vendor, we've even brought them from 7-eleven

- Your food will arrive (I still don't know how they keep track of this)

- You eat your delicious street food

- When your ready to leave, wave someone over or stand up if you have exact change and someone will greet you for payment

It doesn't sound like rocket science, but it's very different from eating at a food truck in the States.

We continue our journey to find Thai Craft Beer and headed to Rabbit Hill.

Rabbit Hill Craft Beer & Gastropub

Rabbit Hill is a Craft Beer and Gastropub, with mostly Moozen Brewing beer from Hong Kong on tap, which makes sense since we were in Chinatown. There was also a cooler filled with many surprisingly familiar beers from Rogue, Stone, Founders and even PBR. So we decided to go with the unfamiliar, I got the Moozen Thunder God Ale and Jake got the Moozen Pineapple Milkshake Sour IPA, which we were so thrilled to see such a fun flavor profile. And in the most unique glasses! I tried to offer money for the glasses, but with no avail, Moozen Brewing actually commented on my post saying we'd have to make a trip to Hong Kong in order to get one...see you soon Moozen ;)

After we ordered our brews, we asked ourselves, how much did these beers even cost, how much is 680 Baht?! Wait that's $22 USD? We just paid $11 USD for a 16 oz beer and in Thailand?! WTF. And that's when my older research dawned on me, I remembered reading that Craft Brewing was illegal in Thailand, but from my research, I had found so many Craft Beer Bars...well we learned more and more as our trip went on and discovered that what I did read was true and many of the Craft Beer Bars were entirely all imports.

Even after spending a small fortune of our daily budget on our first beer, we wanted to see what else Bangkok offered in their Craft Beer scene so we ventured a little further and arrived at Let the Boy Die Brewing.

Let the Boy Die Craft Beer & Bistro

Let the Boy Die Craft Beer & Bistro has a modern and industrial taproom with a really cool vibe. Their name is taken from a Game of Thrones quote—“Kill the boy and let the man be born”—and meant to symbolize the bar's position operating on the fringes of legality. We asked if they brewed their own beer and they said a short 'yes'. We don't have the exact details, but from what I've read, Let the Boy Die was once a smaller venue across the street, but had been closed for 2 years prior to re-opening in 2017. Our guess legal issues. The owner also runs Golden Coins beer with brewing operations in neighboring countries and imports them back into Thailand to meet the legal requirements. The steps that they have to take to bring craft beer to Thailand really speaks to their love and dedication to the craft and we really hope some progress is made to change their laws. Our guess is that money from big beer brands seem to be in control and their Craft Beer Community has been fighting for a Beer Revolution. Let's just hope a change happens soon.

Day 2 - Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, Golden Buddha, Dinner on Chao Phraya River, Khao San Road

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market Tour

I did a lot of research on Damnoen Saduak Floating Market and read review after review about how it's a tourist trap. It's rated a 3/5 on Trip Advisor, but for some reason, I still wanted to go. We booked our tour with Get Your Guide, it was only $60 USD for the both of us so even if it was a bust, we weren't that invested.

We were picked up from our hotel at 7:30AM in a tour van that fit 12 people.

We stopped at a traditional Thai house where we tasted sweet brown coconut sugar, learned about traditional Thai life and the late King Bhumibol, the world's longest reigning head of state for 70 years.

Then we made our way to Damnoen Saduak Floating Market.

We got on a fast long tail boat and cruised through the canal. The scenery isn't the best, but it was fun.

When we got off, we had the option of paying 150 Baht/person for a long tail boat ride through the market or to roam around.

Do not go to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market without getting on the long tail boat, it's what makes the market so fun! There's a ticket table so everything is well organized. Our tour guide also helped us through the process.

We were joined with 2 of our fellow tourists and our guide slowly paddled us along the edge of the market.

Our first purchase, BEER! The funnest part about it, you can negotiate!

Also note, our tour guide told us to negotiate starting at 50% off, do not feel bad, it's expected! If you don't, you'll definitely pay more than you should. It's quite the rush!

Most of the vendors are souvenir vendors, some selling authentic Thai souvenirs, others selling counterfeit purses and junky souvenirs. Don't let that bug you, you'll see it all over Thailand.

We only saw a handful of boats selling fresh fruit and food, but we got recommendations to eat at the local end of the market, so we stuck with our beers.

It's a fast ride, especially if you're wheeling and dealing with the vendors. I would have gone on it again, but the market closes at noon so time wasn't on our side.

After we got off the boat, our tour guide greeted us and told us where we could find delicious food for half the price. Just past all the food vendors, across the street at the local market, walk to the end along a smaller canal. This is where we saw more boats selling fresh fruit and food and for HALF the price! We got a plate of Pad Thai and Fried Rice for 120 Baht and it was seriously better than any Thai food I've ever had in the US.

Overall, we had a great time and thought it was well worth the price and time! We had never been to a floating market before so we didn't have any preconceived notions of what it should be, understood it is geared for tourists and we wish it was still authentic and had more local handicrafts, but we enjoyed it!

Organized Tour: Get Your Guide - Damnoen Saduak Floating Market 6 Hour Tour

Price: $60 USD for 2 people + $10 for canal ride for 2

Pick-up / Drop-off: 7:30 - 13:30

Time at Coconut Plantation: 1 Hour

Time at Damnoen Saduak Floating Market: 2 Hours

Wat Traimit - Temple of The Golden Buddha

Temple of the Golden Buddha houses the world's largest gold Buddha, weighing in at 5.5 tons. It's estimated to have been made during the 13-14th centuries. The Golden Buddha was covered in cement to protect it from invading armies and was discovered on accident in 1955 when it was dropped, revealing its' true form.

Our tour guide dropped us off at Wat Traimit, which is at the end of Yaowarat Road in Chinatown, a short walk from our hotel.

Entrance Fee: 10 Baht/person

Estimated Time: 30 mins

Opening Hours: 9:00 - 17:00

Wishbeer Garden at Vue

After relaxing and freshening up, it was time to get a drink before dinner so we got a GrabApp Taxi to Wishbeer Garden at Vue. Wishbeer Garden is located on the street level of the Vue Mall on the other side of the Chao Phraya River. It has a modern industrial style and great vibe.

Now was the time that we realized that Craft Beer is a luxury in Thailand and not very local. Wishbeer Garden had many familiar imports, again we wanted to go with the unfamiliar and ordered a Pale Ale from Australia's Nomad Brewing + Thailand's Brewing Project and Whale Brewing, the only available Thai beer. We couldn't stay long since we had a fancy dinner reservation down the street.

Thiptara Restaurant at the Peninsula Hotel

If you're looking for a 5 star restaurant experience in Bangkok, Thiptara at the Peninsula Hotel is an absolute must! Thiptara is located on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, with beautiful views of the skyline and river, surrounded by lush tropical gardens and colorful lanterns. We recommend making your reservations as soon as possible and before sunset. Since the sunset around 6:30pm while we were there, we made our reservations at 6pm when they opened. They are a Michelin Guide restaurant with the most beautiful atmosphere, delicious food and superb service! Definitely worth the splurge and priced very reasonable compared to what you would pay in the States.

Estimated Price: $$$$ $100 for 2 people

(1 appetizer, 2 entrees, 3 alcoholic drinks & 2 bottles of water)

Attire: Smart Casual (we saw a wide range of attire from t-shirts & shorts to evening wear)

Khaosan Road or Rooftop Bar

Keep the upscale night going and drink on a Rooftop like Sky Bar featured on the Hang Over or go completely the other direction and hit up Khaosan Road and live out the first scenes of The Beach?

We decided to slum it up and check out Khaosan Road, YOLO right?! Plus the movie "The Beach" with Leonardo DiCaprio is the reason I've been wanting to go to Thailand for 19 years!

The main attraction is Khaosan Road, but running parallel is Rambuttri Alley which also has some action, but much more low key. We actually stumbled on Rambuttri Alley first and thought, "this is the wild Khaosan Road?" Until we found an alley that we wandered through and then we hit the true Khaosan Road and it all made sense.

From 80 Baht Big Chang beers, 100 Baht Buckets, cheap street food, Massages on the street, Laughing Gas and Scorpions on a stick...yes you read that right, they are slinging Laughing Gas! It was a wild, fun and entertaining night (and no we didn't take any laughing gas, but we saw a mother and daughter combo that did and they looked like they were having the best time)!

The first thing we did was grab a giant beer and a foot massage on the side of the road. Let's just say it's the best seat in the house to people watch the chaos on the street, yet somehow it was totally relaxing! Even the masseuse was laughing at people! We wouldn't say it's kid friendly at all, but there were so many children with wide eyes walking up and down the road...I guess it's kid friendly compared to Bangla Road in Phuket, but that's a whole different story. After our massage we shared another beer and walked up and down both Rambuttri Alley and Khaosan Road before calling it a night. There are plenty of bars to hang out in with competing music blasting into the streets, but we thought the view from the road was much more entertaining.

We got a Tuk Tuk ride back to Chinatown for around 200-250 Baht and stopped for a midnight snack before calling it quits. This is their Thai Banana Pancake or Roti, it's made with a fresh Banana, egg, batter with a drizzle of chocolate and icing. Absolutely delicious!

This was our last night in Bangkok before heading to Chiang Mai, but I did mention 2-3 day itinerary because on our way back we made a pitstop to Chatuchak Weekend Market before getting on our night flight back to Minneapolis.

Day 3 - Chatuchak Weekend Market & Mikkeller Brewing

Chatuchak Weekend Market

We flew back from Phuket on our last day and decided to kill 6 hours with shopping and good beer! Once we picked up our luggage we went straight to luggage storage, take a left once you exit customs and baggage claim and it'll be a few doors down on the left right after the Police office. It's 100 Baht/Bag per day and cash only (that's a little over $3/bag). More secure than some airports in the US. There's also a counter near departures on level 4.

We ordered a GrabTaxi to Chatuchak Weekend Market, which is only open Saturday and Sunday. It's 35 acres with more than 8,000 stalls and brings over 200,000 visitors each weekend. AKA it's overwhelming as F, but you'll find almost anything here. It's big with locals and wholesalers, you'll find souvenirs, but it's not completely geared to tourists, which is refreshing. And there is a system to the madness, it's organized by category so if you're looking for something specific, you can somehow map out your way through the 35 acres. We didn't come close to covering all of it before the heat and the crowds got to us, so after 3 hours we got some Coconut Ice Cream and headed towards the exit.

Mikkeller Brewing Ari

We hopped in our second Tuk Tuk of our trip and headed to Mikkeller Ari Brewing. Mikkeller has 2 taprooms in Bangkok, Mikkeller Ari and Mikeller Bangkok Brewing. Mikkeller Brewing Ari is tucked away in a neighborhood so we had to give our driver a little help navigating since we got turned around a few times, we made sure to give him a good tip for the troubles and his positive attitude through the confusion.

Mikkeller Ari is a small, hip and colorful taproom with a laundry list of bottles and cans mostly from Mikeller, as well as Modern Times, Omnipollo and Alesmith. We were a little sticker shocked at some of the prices, so it was a little easier to narrow our options. Our first beer was the ThaiPA, not really connecting the Thai + IPA combo at first until we got the can with a Cat in a Buddha pose and it clicked. The Mikkeller ThaiPA was specifically brewed for Thailand. It's a Hazy IPA brewed with Passionfruit, Lime, Coconut & Lactose and the BEST beer we had in all of Thailand and also the most expensive at 450 Baht per can, which is $14 USD! But hey, it was our last beer stop of our trip and I was in dire need of a good beer plus it's unique to Thailand! And because of that, we had to get another one. This one was on tap, Mikkeller Creamsicle & Friends, a Double Dryhopped IPA with orange and Lactose. This one was a little friendlier on the wallet and very unique and the most approachable orange flavor I've had in a beer. After spending $26 on 2 beers, we had to call it quits, plus we were getting down to the wire before we had to get to the airport.

Even though it might break your daily beer budget, we'd highly suggest a stop at Mikkeller Ari or Mikkeller Bangkok for some uniquely crafted Craft Beer. I told Jake I was getting a stomach ulcer from all the Changs, Leos and Tigers so this was a great way to end our trip in Thailand.