Bangkok, Thailand
Five days is the sweet spot for Bangkok: three days for the city's very different districts (the royal old town, Chinatown, and modern Sukhumvit), one day trip to the ruins of Ayutthaya, and one slower day to breathe. The traffic is legendarily bad, so this itinerary is built around the things that beat it: the BTS Skytrain, the MRT, and the Chao Phraya river boats, with each day's stops kept inside one district.
Two timing rules shape everything here. Do temples at opening time (08:00-08:30), before the heat and the tour buses arrive together, and do your eating in the evening, when the street-food districts like Yaowarat only really switch on after 18:00. A 90-minute afternoon break at the hotel pool is not laziness, it is the correct response to 34 degree humidity.
Rattanakosin island holds the three headline temples within 2 km of each other, so today is all on foot and by 5 THB ferry. Start at the Grand Palace gate at opening; by 10:30 it's a different, sweatier experience.
Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew500 THB
Arrive before the 08:30 opening. The Emerald Buddha chapel and the golden chedi complex take about two hours. Strict dress code: covered shoulders and knees, no leggings.
Wat Pho300 THB
A 10 minute walk south: the 46 m gold reclining Buddha, plus the quiet courtyards of chedis most Grand Palace crowds skip. Ticket includes a bottle of water, which you will want.
Lunch at Tha Maharaj100-250 THB pp
Riverside complex a short walk or one boat stop north: air-conditioned Thai canteens and cafes where mains run 100-200 THB, with a breeze off the river.
Cross-river ferry to Wat Arun5 THB ferry, 200 THB entry
The shuttle ferry from Tha Tien pier is 5 THB and two minutes. Climb the steep terraces of the 70 m porcelain-encrusted prang; the temple is at its most photogenic from the terraces up close, and from across the river at sunset.
Riverside rooftop facing Wat Arun150-300 THB
Back on the Tha Tien side, the roof bars at Sala Rattanakosin and Eagle Nest look straight at Wat Arun. Order a drink (150-250 THB) and wait for the spire to light up at dusk.
Dinner on Phra Athit Road150-350 THB pp
A 20 minute riverside walk or short Grab north: a strip of student-y Thai restaurants and live-music bars locals actually use. Most mains 80-180 THB.
Khao San Road, brieflyFree to walk
One street over. Worth 20 minutes of neon, buckets, and pad thai carts as an anthropological stop, whether or not it is your scene.
Bangkok Chinatown is one of the biggest in the world and everything today radiates from Yaowarat Road on foot, with one free boat hop across the river. Save your appetite: this is the best street-food night of the trip.
Wat Traimit and the Golden Buddha100 THB
A 5.5 tonne solid gold Buddha, hidden under plaster for centuries and rediscovered in 1955. Ten minutes from Hua Lamphong MRT.
Sampeng Lane market crawlFree to walk
The narrow wholesale alley that predates Yaowarat itself: fabric, toys, and gold shops, motorbikes threading through the crowd. Chaotic on purpose.
Guay jub at Nai Ek Roll Noodle60-150 THB pp
The century-old Yaowarat institution for peppery rolled rice-noodle soup with crispy pork, around 60-100 THB a bowl. Expect a short, fast-moving queue.
Talat Noi street art and So Heng Tai mansionCoffee 80-150 THB
The old riverside mechanic district, now layered with murals and third-wave coffee shops among the engine parts. So Heng Tai is a 200-year-old Chinese courtyard mansion that survives by serving coffee.
Free shuttle boat to ICONSIAMFree boat; snacks 50-150 THB
From Si Phraya pier, the mall runs a free ferry. Inside, Sook Siam recreates a floating market with dishes from all 77 provinces at street prices, in air conditioning. That last part matters by mid-afternoon.
Yaowarat street food night200-400 THB pp
Ferry back and eat your way down Yaowarat Road as the stalls light up: grilled prawns at the seafood pavement restaurants, kuay tiew carts, bird nest and toast shops. Budget 200-400 THB and share everything.
Cocktails on Soi Nana (Chinatown)250-500 THB
Not the Sukhumvit Nana: this Soi Nana is a lane of shophouse craft bars like Teens of Thailand and Wallflowers. Drinks 250-400 THB.
Today runs along the BTS Sukhumvit line, so hops are 5-10 minutes: a park morning, the best house museum in Thailand, mall food-hall culture, and a rooftop night.
Lumpini ParkFree
Bangkok's central park at its best hour: tai chi groups, joggers, and 2 m monitor lizards cruising the lakes like small dinosaurs. Free paddle boats aside, this costs nothing.
Jim Thompson House200 THB
The teak house complex of the American silk trader who vanished in 1967, entered only by guided tour (included, frequent, about 40 minutes). The art collection and gardens punch far above the size.
Food hall lunch at Siam80-250 THB pp
One BTS stop or a canal-side walk to Siam: MBK's food court for the cheap classics (60-120 THB) or Siam Paragon's ground-floor hall if you want everything from boat noodles to durian in one room.
Bangkok Art and Culture CentreFree
The spiral galleries across from MBK, free entry, strong rotating Thai contemporary shows. Closed Mondays.
Erawan Shrine and the Ratchaprasong skywalkFree
The busy Brahma shrine where dance troupes perform for hire sits under the BTS tracks at Chit Lom; the elevated skywalk gives you the intersection theater from above.
Two-hour massage at Health Land650-750 THB
BTS to Asok or Ekkamai for the reliable mid-range chain: a full two-hour traditional Thai massage for about 700 THB. Book a slot a few hours ahead by phone or walk in early.
Octave rooftop, Thonglor400-800 THB with dinner after
The 45th-49th floor rooftop at the Thonglor Marriott: 360 views without the Sky Bar circus. Smart casual, no shorts or flip-flops; cocktails 350-500 THB. Dinner after in the Thonglor sois below.
The Siamese capital from 1350 until the Burmese sacked it in 1767, 80 km north and an easy solo day trip by train. The site is flat and spread out, so you rent a bicycle or hire a tuk-tuk between the big four ruins.
Train to Ayutthaya20-345 THB depending on class
Trains run all morning: cheap ordinary services (from about 20 THB, third class, fan-cooled) from Hua Lamphong, faster express services from Krung Thep Aphiwat terminal. Ride takes 60-90 minutes.
Cross to the island, rent wheels50-900 THB
A 5 THB ferry crosses from near the station to the old city island. Bicycles rent for about 50 THB a day by the pier; a tuk-tuk with driver runs around 300 THB per hour if the heat says no to cycling.
Wat Mahathat50 THB or 220 THB pass
Home of the sandstone Buddha head wrapped in banyan roots, the most photographed object in the city, plus a field of toppled chedis. Single-temple tickets are 50 THB; a 220 THB pass covers the six major sites.
Wat Phra Si Sanphet50 THB
Three aligned bell chedis on the grounds of the vanished royal palace, the model for Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok. The adjacent Viharn Phra Mongkhon Bophit holds a 12 m bronze Buddha and is free.
Boat noodles by the ruins80-150 THB pp
Ayutthaya is the home of boat noodles (kuay tiew reua): intense little 20-30 THB bowls, so everyone orders three or four. The noodle shops cluster near Wat Mahathat and the elephant kraal road.
Wat Chaiwatthanaram50 THB
The Khmer-style riverside complex on the west bank, the most complete and cinematic of the ruins, especially in low afternoon light. Reachable by bike bridge or tuk-tuk.
Train back to Bangkok20-345 THB
Aim for a late-afternoon departure and you are back in the city by early evening. Keep dinner easy near your hotel; tomorrow starts slow.
A gentler last day, linked by one straight MRT ride: cycling the car-free jungle peninsula in the morning, then Bangkok market culture in the north, weekend juggernaut or weekday food market depending on your dates.
Long-tail boat to Bang Krachao10 THB
From Khlong Toei pier a long-tail shuttles across the river for about 10 THB, dropping you on the green peninsula Bangkokians call the city's lung. Go early; it is another 3-4 degrees nicer.
Cycle the elevated jungle paths100 THB
Rent a bike by the pier (about 100 THB a day) and ride the narrow raised concrete paths through banana and mangrove, past stilt houses, to Sri Nakhon Khuean Khan Park and its lake pavilion.
Bang Nam Phueng market or a garden cafe100-200 THB
On weekends the local Bang Nam Phueng floating-style market sells grilled bananas and old-school snacks; on weekdays settle into one of the garden coffee houses on the peninsula instead.
MRT north to Chatuchak42 THB train; market free entry
Boat back across, then the Blue Line runs from Khlong Toei to Chatuchak Park without a change. On Saturday or Sunday, dive into the 15,000-stall weekend market: clothes, ceramics, plants, and street snacks in 27 numbered sections.
Or Tor Kor market100-250 THB
Across the road and open daily: the best produce market in Thailand, government-run and spotless. Get mango sticky rice (100-150 THB) from the prepared-food hall even if you buy nothing else. The weekday fallback if Chatuchak is closed.
Farewell dinner at Supanniga Eating Room300-500 THB pp
Refined eastern-Thai and Trat-province family recipes; the Tha Tien branch adds a Wat Arun view, the Thonglor original is nearest Sukhumvit hotels. About 600-900 THB for two; book a day ahead for the riverside terrace.
The BTS Skytrain (17-62 THB per ride, Rabbit card or single tokens) and MRT subway (17-45 THB, contactless bank cards accepted at the gates) beat traffic everywhere they go. For the old town, which neither reaches, use the Chao Phraya Express Boat: the orange flag line is a flat 16 THB and stops at Tha Tien for Wat Pho. Grab is cheap (100-250 THB across town) and saves you negotiating; if you take a metered taxi, insist on the meter. From Suvarnabhumi airport the Airport Rail Link runs to Phaya Thai BTS in 26 minutes for 45 THB; from Don Mueang the A1 bus to Mo Chit is 30 THB.
Riverside (Bang Rak / Charoenkrung)
Sunset river views, the Creative District cafes and galleries on Charoenkrung Road, and boat access to the old town temples. Ranges from 1,200 THB guesthouses to the Mandarin Oriental.
Sukhumvit (Asok to Thonglor)
On the BTS with the deepest restaurant and bar bench in the city. Thonglor and Ekkamai are where Bangkok actually eats; Asok is the busier, better-value transit hub.
Ari
A leafy local neighborhood four BTS stops north of the center: independent cafes, low-key bars, and hotel prices 30-40 percent under Sukhumvit. Best for second-time visitors who have done the sights.
Temple dress code is real: shoulders and knees covered, shoes off inside every hall. The Grand Palace enforces it strictly (no leggings or ripped jeans), so carry a light sarong or wear long trousers on temple days.
Anyone outside the Grand Palace telling you it is closed today is running the oldest scam in Bangkok, ending at a gem shop. It is open every day; walk past them to the ticket gate.
Use Grab, or insist metered taxis run the meter (flagfall 35 THB). Never accept a quoted tuk-tuk price near the big sights without halving it first, and treat tuk-tuks as a fun overpriced ride, not transport.
Buy a tourist SIM or eSIM at the airport 7-Eleven counters: AIS and True both do 8-15 day packages around 300 THB with more data than you can use. You will need data constantly for Grab and maps.
Pick street stalls with a queue of locals and high turnover; that, not appearance, is the food-safety signal. Chinatown after 18:00 and Or Tor Kor at any hour are the safest great-food bets.
Rooftop bars enforce dress codes (no shorts, no flip-flops, sometimes no sandals on men). Keep one smart-casual outfit unpacked for it.
Plan indoor or shaded stops for 13:00-16:00. November to February this matters less; April to May it is the difference between a good trip and heatstroke.
Five days covers the three headline districts (old town, Chinatown, Sukhumvit-Siam), one day trip to Ayutthaya, and a slower market day, which is a genuinely complete first visit. What it does not fit: the floating markets southwest of the city (Damnoen Saduak plus the Maeklong railway market need their own half day) or a beach extension. Most people find three full city days is the right dose of Bangkok intensity, which is exactly what this plan uses.
On the ground, 1,200-2,200 THB per person per day is comfortable: 300-600 THB on food if you mix street stalls with one restaurant meal, 100-200 THB on transit, 300-800 THB on entries, and a 700 THB massage every couple of days. Hotels are the variable: clean doubles run 1,200-2,000 THB in Ari or Banglamphu, 2,500-4,500 THB for a Sukhumvit pool hotel, and river-view luxury starts around 7,000 THB.
From Suvarnabhumi (BKK), the Airport Rail Link runs to Phaya Thai BTS station in 26 minutes for 45 THB, roughly every 10-15 minutes from 05:30 to midnight; a Grab or metered taxi is 300-450 THB plus tolls and takes 40-70 minutes depending on traffic. From Don Mueang (DMK), the A1 bus reaches Mo Chit BTS in about 30 minutes for 30 THB. At either airport, ignore the touts inside the hall and use the official ranks or the Grab pickup zone.
Covered shoulders and covered knees for everyone, and shoes off inside any building with a Buddha image. The Grand Palace is the strictest: no leggings, no ripped jeans, no sheer fabrics, and staff will turn you away or point you to overpriced cover-up vendors. A light sarong in your bag solves it everywhere, and breathable long trousers beat shorts-plus-rental anyway in the heat.
Make it yours
This plan is a strong default. Tell our AI planner your dates, pace, and interests and it will rebuild it around you: routes, opening hours, and budget included. First trip is free.
Create My Custom Bangkok Plan