3-day itinerary

Bangkok

Cover shoulders and knees at the Grand Palace — they enforce the dress code and rent sarongs at the gate. Arrive at 8:30am when it opens and you'll have the Emerald Buddha and the gilded pavilions mostly to yourself for the first hour. This 3-day Bangkok itinerary builds from the Rattanakosin island temples through the Chatuchak weekend market (Saturday and Sunday only; arrive by 9am before the heat) to Yaowarat Road in Chinatown after 6pm, one of the world's great street food streets. The Chao Phraya express boat is the fastest way to move along the river, and Thip Samai on Maha Chai has been making the best pad thai in the city since 1966. Tuk-tuks are for transport photos; use Grab.

Day 1

Rattanakosin: Grand Palace, Wat Pho, and the river

Start at the Grand Palace when it opens (8:30am) before the heat and the crowds. The complex requires 2-3 hours. Wear clothes that cover shoulders and knees — they do enforce the dress code and rent sarongs at the gate.

Morning
GP

Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew

Established

The royal palace complex with the Temple of the Emerald Buddha — the most sacred site in Thailand. The Emerald Buddha (carved from a single block of jade-green jasper) is 66cm tall and sits high above the altar. The surrounding gilded chedis and pavilions are dazzling. Arrive at 8:30am when it opens.

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Afternoon
WP

Wat Pho

Established

The Temple of the Reclining Buddha — a 46-metre gold Buddha filling an entire building, the soles of its feet inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The temple complex is the oldest and largest in Bangkok, and the birthplace of Thai massage. The onsite massage school is the most authentic in the city.

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CP

Chao Phraya river by ferry

Established

Cross the river to Wat Arun (the Temple of Dawn) — the spires covered in fragments of Chinese porcelain that shimmer in the afternoon light. Take the 5-baht cross-river ferry from Tha Tien pier.

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Evening
RD

Riverside dinner at Asiatique

Established

The open-air riverside night market 10km south of the Grand Palace — a converted 19th-century warehouse with street food stalls, restaurants, and a giant Ferris wheel over the Chao Phraya. Take the BTS to Saphan Taksin and the free shuttle boat.

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Days 2–3

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