If you’re visiting Thailand it’s highly likely that you’ll need to go via the capital city Bangkok at some point. Although you may be keen to get out to the islands or to the jungle, don’t overlook Bangkok itself. It may have a reputation of being a chaotic, crowded city – but there are so many amazing things to see and do while you’re there! It won’t be possible to see everything in one day (and would be hectic and stressful to try!), so I’ve narrowed down some of my favourites. Read on for my short itinerary on how to spend a day in Bangkok. Staying for longer? Combine with How to Visit the Wat Sam Phran Dragon Temple in Bangkok.
Remember to buy travel insurance for your trip. Receive a 5% discount on Heymondo travel insurance.
24 Hour Itinerary for Bangkok, Thailand
Get Breakfast at a Bangkok Street Market
There are plenty of nice cafes in Bangkok, but my favourite way of getting breakfast is to head to one of the local street markets. Thai food is fresh and delicious. You’ll find an array of fresh fruits, as well as all sorts of savoury dishes and sweet snacks. The photos below are from the street market around the corner from my accommodation in Silom (the market is on Soi Silom 20 street), but these markets are common all over the city.
Visit the Temple of Dawn: Wat Arun
As its name suggests, Wat Arun is best visited in the early morning. It will be less crowded and there’s something special about the early morning light reflecting off the glimmering white exterior covered in intricate colourful designs. Open every day between 8am and 6pm. Read my more detailed post about visiting Wat Arun here.
Thai Massage
There are so many venues offering traditional Thai massage in Bangkok. I recommend going for one of the semi open air venues by the side of the river (you can take a river boat from near Wat Arun). This massage technique generally involves changing into loose clothes and lying on a padded mat on the ground. The aim of Thai massage to improve the flow of energy throughout your body. The practitioner will gently stretch your limbs and apply pressure using their hands, elbows, knees and feet! It may seem odd but you’ll feel amazing afterwards!
Lunch at Mr Joe’s Crispy Pork
Did you know that there’s a small crispy pork street kitchen vendor that’s so amazingly good that they’ve been awarded a Michelin Star?! This unassuming hole in the wall venue, complete with metal tables, stools and plastic plates, serves up the most deliciously tender crispy pork going. Trust me, you don’t want to miss it. Open 8:30am to 4pm daily. Read my more detailed post about Mr Joe’s here.
Sightseeing Cruise Along the Chao Phraya River
If you’re short on time this is a fabulous way to learn about some of the main sites of Bangkok without getting hot and bothered trying to reach them all. There are various different cruises available, such as hop on hop off cruises, private longtail boat trips, evening and riverside dinner cruises and more. The temples look magical when they’re lit up after dark. Book a 2-Hour Longtail Boat Ride or a Luxury Evening Cruise with Dinner.
Nighttime Food Tuk Tuk Tour
It wouldn’t be a real trip to Bangkok if you don’t do something a bit kitsch! And the iconic Thai tuk tuk is an excellent way to explore some of Bangkok’s nighttime food venues! Don’t just grab any old tuk tuk though as they have a reputation for scamming tourists. I’d recommend booking this one in advance.
Practical Guidance for Bangkok, Thailand
As well as the itinerary for How to Spend a Day in Bangkok, Thailand: 24 Hour Itinerary, I’ve also included some practical guidance below:
Insider Tip: TAGTHAi Pass
If you’re in Thailand, even if only Bangkok for a short time, I also recommend trying the TAGTHAi Pass. You can buy a digital pass for a fixed rate that is pre-loaded to allow you entrance to multiple attractions. This is quite a good time-saver if you’re just in the city for a short visit, but also saves a lot of faff for longer visits. TAGTHAi is an initiative supported by the Thai Government. Further information can be found on the TAGTHAi website. (And snag 15% OFF during the Festive season until 31 January 2025!).
Money in Bangkok (Thailand): (THB)
If you’re visiting Bangkok you’ll need Thai Baht (THB). To get THB at the best rates, I highly recommend getting a WISE card before you go. This allows you to convert money into Thai Baht (or any other currency!) at the best rates and then spend on your Wise card as though it were a local bank card or withdraw cash in Thailand without hidden fees. Wise is a UK-based financial services company (available in most countries worldwide) and is highly regulated in the various regions it operates in (in the UK it is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority).
Get your WISE card here.
How to get around Bangkok
The easiest way to get around Bangkok is to use Grab. Grab is a Singaporean-headquartered rideshare app (like Uber) that operates in a number of countries in South East Asia. You can choose to book either a car or a scooter. Scooters are cheaper and much faster as they can weave through the traffic. It’s also safer to use Grab and have a local driver rather than hiring a scooter yourself. I recommend downloading the app in advance before your trip so that you can set up the payment card etc. The best card to link in order to avoid high FX exchange fees is a WISE card (see above).
Public transport in Bangkok is also very good. This is much cheaper than using Grab. The BTS Skytrain is efficient and easy to navigate. The buses are also very good, although sometimes it can be hard to find the bus stop, even using Google Maps. Once on the bus, there will be a ticket conductor who you can buy your ticket from. Bus tickets are insanely cheap so I definitely recommend using the buses if you’re on a budget.
Getting from Bangkok Airport to your Accommodation
Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) is outside of the centre of the city itself. The best way to get into the city centre is to use the airport rail link. It’s cheap too – up to 45 baht depending on where you’re going. Go downstairs to the bottom floor in the airport to find the airport station and follow the signposts. There are two lines: the City Line, which stops at all 8 stations and the Express Line, which goes straight through to Makkasan. Trains run every 10-15 minutes. Depending on where you get off, you can then connect to BTS Skytrain routes. Note that the trains will be crowded during the morning and evening rush hours.
If grappling with a heavy suitcase on public transport during rush hour does not sound like your cup of tea, then treat yourself to Welcome Pickups. You can book an airport pickup in advance with Welcome Pickups. You prepay when you book at a flat rate that matches the local standard fare. The advantage of Welcome Pickups over rideshare apps is that there is no surge pricing. The Welcome Pickups app is also incredibly easy to use and I was able to chat to my driver via the app to coordinate a meeting spot. Welcome Pickups operate in lots of different countries worldwide. You can sign up here.
Travel Insurance
Make sure that you have travel insurance to cover you for your trip. I can highly recommend Heymondo. I use them to cover me for all my trips and their app is very easy to use.
Purchase Heymondo travel insurance here.
Where Else in Thailand Should I Visit?
Hopefully you’ve found this post on How to Spend a Day in Bangkok, Thailand: 24 Hour Itinerary useful. Thailand is a big place so the options of where to go next are limitless. Read my other posts about Thailand.
Getting a Thai massage after visiting Wat Arun sounds like a transcendent experience. Will definitely be doing this itinerary on my first trip to Bangkok!
One of my favorite cities, there’s so much to do – I’d have trouble narrowing it down to just 24 hours. Great idea about the food tour, I never did one of those but just kind of went where I found along the way. That mango sticky rice brings back good memories though