Must Visit Places in Bangkok | The Ultimate Bangkok List for First-Timers

I’ll be honest, big cities usually aren’t my favorite places to visit when I’m exploring a new country.

I’ve always felt like major cities can lose a bit of their cultural identity, becoming more of a melting pot where it’s harder to experience the true essence of a destination.

I typically find that the smaller, quieter areas offer a deeper, more authentic connection to a country’s culture and way of life. But Bangkok completely changed that perspective for me.

This vibrant city is overflowing with rich culture, incredible food, and an endless list of things to do. From temples to buzzing street markets, there’s something around every corner—and it’s exactly why this guide to the Must Visit Places in Bangkok will show you why it’s become one of my favorite cities in the world.

Must Visit Places in Bangkok: The MANY Temples

Okay this feels self-explanatory, one of the top must visit places in Bangkok is the MANY temples.

Thailand has no shortage of temples, but Bangkok has some extremely beautiful and famous spots that you have to check out before you leave the city. While I was in Bangkok for three days, I spent a day hitting three of the famous temples: Wat Arun, The Grand Palace, and Wat Pho.

• Wat Arun is across the river, so you take a ferry to get there and the architecture feels very different from some of the other temples in Bangkok — it’s stunning!
• The Grand Palace is HUGE and is stunning everywhere you look, this temple also has the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.
• Wat Pho has the famous reclining buddha that you have probably seen many pictures of. I do believe it is the largest reclining Buddha in Thailand — it’s an experience all on its own, but Wat Pho also has so many other amazing things to see. At Wat Pho, there is also a classroom for children so it’s a pretty amazing sight walking past the classrooms and the kids are so excited to see tourists as well.

Bangkok has many more temples to offer, these are just some of the ones I visited and some of the most famous in the city. If you love temples, take a look on Google or ask a local for suggestions because there are many more to see.

With a local, I did visit a temple in an area less known by tourists. I’m not sure the name but it just shows how you can find hidden gems all over the city just by asking the right person! I was able to really get a feel for the culture and religion being in a temple without it being full of tourists.

Food Markets

Pretty much any food stall you see is on my list of must visit places in Bangkok. The street food is just phenomenal here.

One of the greatest things that I did in Bangkok was book a food tour so that I could get the most out of experiencing all the street food.

Food is a big part of the Thai culture so walking around with a local and trying food around the city is such a great way to immerse yourself in the culture. I booked my tour through Airbnb experiences (Hidden Bangkok Tuk Tuk Street Food Tour) — it was around 23 USD for TONS of food and a Tuk Tuk ride to all our stops.

I really don’t think I’ve ever eaten so much, so be sure to go hungry. The great thing about this specific tour was that it takes you to areas of Bangkok that are not filled with tourists. Several of the places that we went to were full of locals other than our tour group.

We also were able to go to visit Wat Arun at night which was beautiful. I highly recommend this specific tour — it just included so much more than just food! Maybe you’ll even get adventurous and try a bug — they are not as bad as they look!’

Obviously, you can take yourself on a little walk and hit some food markets or explore the street food. I just think food tours are a fun way to experience them, learn the culture, and try food that you maybe would have missed.

The people that I booked my food tour with now offer so many different types of tours through Bangkok. I truly feel like they made my experience in Bangkok so special because I saw areas of Bangkok with no tourists. I cannot recommend taking a tour with them enough. The food tour has become one of my favorite food tours ever, and I’ve taken a lot.

Visit Bangkok’s Chinatown

Chinatown is full of beautiful colors and lights, and of course — more great street food! It also has chaotic street markets to walk through and shop. It’s chaotic and vibrant. Your senses will be absolutely overtaken. Take a walk-through!

Visit Khao San Road

Khao San Road is basically a hub of backpackers visiting Thailand. It’s a budget and tourist-friendly street in Bangkok — with cheap accommodation, restaurants, souvenir shops, and street food.

At night, it becomes a bustling spot for backpackers to grab a drink. Even if you aren’t into the party scene, it really is a must-see when coming to Bangkok. There are people everywhere, music blaring, neon lights, and vendors selling cooked bugs and food oddities to travelers.

Keep in mind when coming, it will be packed. To be honest, I’ve kind of out run my Khao San Road age, but I think it’s such a fun people watching spot to grab a drink either way. So if you’re thinking it’s not for you, maybe plan to hit a quieter bar and feel it out. I really enjoyed Happy Bar which was a little reggae bar down a smaller alley — it had great live music and chill vibes in comparison to the rest of the street!

Pak Khlong Talat (A Flower Market in Bangkok)

Pak Khlong Talat is a wholesale flower market in Bangkok. While one may not think to add this to your must visit places to visit in Bangkok, I absolutely loved walking through here. I actually went as a part of my food tour, but you can go whenever. There are beautiful flowers everywhere for extremely cheap prices.

Warning: Watch out for the buggies running products through the market, if you don’t move — they will hit you! So just keep an eye out, which personally I felt like it made it more fun.

Take a day trip to Nearby Areas

Bangkok is HUGE! There are so many things to experience just right outside the city.

I know, this isn’t really something to do in Bangkok but take a look at day trips from Bangkok. One thing that I didn’t get to do that I was upset about was taking a day trip to Ayutthaya Temple.

Many tours offer a trip to the temple and a trip to a floating market as well. I heard amazing things about these day trips. Make sure you take a look! There are many websites that you can book these trips through but if you are staying in a hostel then I suggest waiting to book the trip through your hostel. That way you can potentially go with a few people from your hostel and it is generally cheaper and easier!

Visit a Mall

I know this one feels silly, but I think one of the must visit places in Bangkok is a mall! I went to the Platinum Fashion Mall in Bangkok and it was a wild and fun experience.

It’s a wholesale mall so there are more shops than I even knew what to do with and everything is incredibly cheap. Lots of the stores were doing “sales” but I started to get the feeling that it was just always on “sale.”

There’s also a food county in the Platinum Fashion Mall that has some pretty good options.

Tip: Just so that you don’t look like a confused tourist like I did, you have to stop at one of the stands in the food court to put money on a card they give you to buy any food there. If you don’t use all the money, you just simply go back to the stands when you’re done and they will give you cash back — it’s very easy!

When I went, I was surrounded by locals who were all there shopping and grabbing some lunch. However, tons of tourists come to shop here and bring suitcases to fill with new clothes. It’s a really fun and crazy experience — plus you get a break from the Thailand heat!

Bangkok has my heart!

There is SO much to see in this dynamic city. Go out and explore, you’ll be guaranteed to stumble upon something amazing. Let me know about all your must visit places in Bangkok so that I can stop in when I go back!

Check out my post on two weeks in Thailand to help plan your time backpacking through Thailand!