48 Hours in Bangkok

With a population over 8 million and spanning 1,500 square kilometers, decidedly covering Bangkok could take weeks. My wife and I had 48 hours. So we decided to focus on two things Thailand does as well or better than any other country in the world: architecture and food.
(photo by Mallory Dowd)

STAY

• 3 House: Guesthouse and bar located off Khao San Road. Fun bar where they host CouchSurfing meet ups every Friday, but not a place to stay if you intend on getting any sleep. The staff is friendly, but not overly knowledgeable nor helpful. The beds were rock hard and our room had a water pump directly outside the window that ran on and off 24 hours a day and made sleep quite difficult to come by. 

SEE

• The Grand Palace: Located in the heart of Bangkok, the Grand Palace has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam (and later Thailand) since 1782. The sprawling complex is separated into several quarters with buildings, halls, pavilions, gardens and courtyards.
• Wat Pho: Home of the 46m long Reclining Buddha, this temple complex offers striking architecture and more open spaces to explore than most within the city limits.
• Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn): Located on the West of the Chao Phraya River, this Buddhist temple is one of Thailands most recognizable landmarks with its distinctive spires built in the early nineteenth century.
• Pak Khlong Talat: The primary flower market in Bangkok with flowers, fruit, and vegetables for sale. Best visited during the early morning when boats arrive on the river to deliver flowers from around the country.
• Khao San Road: Southeast Asia’s largest backpacker district with markets and shops galore.
• Adhere The 13 Blues Bar: Bangkok blues bar near Khao San Road.

DO

• Lumpini Park: Bangkok’s “Central Park.” Jogging paths, bicycle roads, picnic, and chess tables, Tai Chi classes, plenty of trees, weight-lifting, and rowboats for rent on its pair of lakes.
• Chatuchak Market: Vast weekend flea market on the northern outskirts of the city with plenty of shops and food.
• DAY TRIP: The Maeklong Railway Market is a popular destination for tourists in Bangkok to see trains rip through the center of the market.

EAT & DRINK

• Vertigo & Moon Bar: Moon Bar is a classy rooftop bar 61 floors up with fantastic views of Bangkok below. Highly recommended for sunset or after when the city lights truly shine. Gentlemen, be aware there is a dress code that requires pants and not shorts, so don't show up in your beach gear. 
• Tang Jai Yoo: Where to get roasted suckling pig in Bangkok’s Chinatown.
• Likit Gai Yang: Home of a very popular Isan-style grilled chicken dish and green papaya salad.
• Unbranded Cafe: Nice little coffee shop near Khao San Road offering a truly great cup of coffee and tasty breakfast options.
• Jok Prince Restaurant: Home of classic Bangkok breakfast of jok (rice porridge) with pork offal and eggs, garnished with chilies and hot sauce.
• Taling Chan Floating Market: Open 7am-4pm, 1-1.5 hours from city center via taxi or long tail boat.
• Somtum Der: With locations in Bangkok, New York, Saigon, Beijing, and Tokyo, these restaurants specialize in Northern Thai-Isan Cuisine.
• Chon Thai: Fine dining restaurant in the Siam Hotel.

ITINERARY

As with everything on this blog, the itinerary is by no means all encompassing nor an expert guide to this city. It's simply what my wife and I did during our time here. Throughout the itinerary I'll leave notes on what I'd recommend doing or skipping based on the experience we had.

Day 1: Get In, Get Fed, Grab A Drink

• Arrive at BKK: Take the light rail into town from Suvarnabhumi Airport. It's quick, easy, and only cost ฿45 ($1.28). If it doesn't stop at your destination, tuk tuks can be had much cheaper from this far in the city than taking an expensive cab from the airport. 
• Arrive at Khao San Road: If you're not a 22 year old fresh out of university and ready to don your Chang beer tank top and get amazingly and totally wasted while entirely ignoring local culture, this may not be the place for you. It's a spot to visit, sure, but taking numerous blogs advice to stay here was easily the biggest mistake of our second Bangkok trip.
• Check in to 3 House: As mentioned above this place has a fun bar and would be a great spot to simply hang out and then retire to a bed much farther away.
• Walk to Santi Chai Prakan Public Park: Nice place to sit and relax on the river for a bit if you're in need, or a decent spot to grab some noodles or a beer. If you're so inclined, you can also easily catch a sunset river boat cruise nearby. 
• Dinner at local shop: Don't remember the name of the place we ate, but it was near Santi Chai Prakan and the noodles were fantastic. They wash down extremely well with a Leo or Chang. 
• CouchSurfing Party at 3 House: We arrived on a Friday and this was being held at the place we were staying, so we figured why not? The CouchSurfing party is a great way to meet people from all over the world (and a few folks from Thailand as well) and chat about everything from global politics to which toppings belong on a pizza. 
• For a more decadent evening, book a reservation at Chon Thai in the Siam Hotel to have sunset drinks on the pier before having some relatively affordable fine dining. To really make an evening of it, arrange a boat pickup along the river to drop you at the Siam Hotel. Boat schedule and pickup locations.

Day 2: Walking Tour (With Food... Lots of Food)

• Pop-Up Breakfast: If the 24 hour walk of shame that is Khao San Road also isn't your thing, head across Khlong Rop Krung (canal) and find a truly tasty pop-up restaurant on the corner serving omelettes over rice and the usual breakfast noodle soup. Our meals and drinks cost ฿100 total (under $3).
• Alternatively you could head towards Lumpini Park and stop by Bangrak Cafe for a cuppa and breakfast and explore the park after. If neither of these options is your thing, look up the nearest local morning market and eat with the locals.
• Quick Khanom Bueang Snack: Khanom bueang are essentially mini dessert tacos that consist of a waffle cone "shell" and coconut and egg yolk filling. They're amazingly delicious and cheap. Eat them all!
• The Grand Palace: A sight to behold for sure, this architectural gem is quite close to the river and an ideal starting place for a self-guided walking tour. Unfortunately for us, it was packed elbow to elbow not only with the usual tourists, but countless mourners there to show their respects for the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. We decided not to fight the crowds and took off for our next destination.
• Wat Pho: It takes less than 10 minutes to walk from the Grand Palace to Wat Pho and as per usual in Bangkok there's plenty to eat and drink along the way should you need a respite. Unlike the Grand Palace, Wat Pho has a much less organized route for tourists to walk through, is less crowded in general and allows for plenty of time and space to roam around and admire the striking architecture. This temple is also home to the astounding 46 meter long reclining Buddha that's worth the small price of admission.
• Wat Arun: A short walk and brief boat trip across the river, Wat Arun would be an easy next step. For us, being there during high season and on a holiday weekend meant an extremely long line for the boats. So we decided to nix it and get yet more food at a street stall instead.
• Pak Khlong Market: Another walk 10-15 minute walk will find you in the primary flower market in Bangkok. The wide array of flowers and organized chaos of its vendors make this place worth a visit, even if brief. 
• There's also a public park nearby should you want to stop and have a brief rest before moving on.
• Chinatown:  The longest walk of the day, Chinatown is about 20 minutes walking from Pak Khlong, so consider a tuk tuk if your legs are a bit tired at this point. Having such a short time in the city, we elected to walk it and get a sense for this part of Bangkok along the way. Once you arrive in Chinatown reward yourself by eating absolutely everything in sight! There are numerous streets lined with food vendors selling cheap delectables and countless shops along the way. 
• If you're in the mood to splurge, stop by Tang Chai U Restaurant and get the suckling pig they're famous for. Be forewarned, this is best ordered in a group to save on the ฿1,500 ($42) price tag of the meal. 
• Dinner at Likit Gai Yang: After sampling a few things in Chinatown, tuk tuk back near Khao San for some Isan-style grilled chicken and papaya salad at Likit Gai Yang for dinner. The owner speaks great English and doted on us the entire meal showing us his favorite way to eat the chicken and which sauces were best to dip the sticky rice in.
• Bar Hopping: If you can't beat em, join em. Staying near Khao San Road we elected to spend New Years Eve bar hopping with a local woman we met through CouchSurfing. Due to the recent passing of the King, the usual NYE festivities that include a ball drop, live music, and all the other goodies we originally booked the Bangkok leg of the trip for were cancelled. Instead we sampled plenty of the local beers and, of course, more street food. 
• If you're looking for an alternative, Adhere The 13 Blues Bar is within walking distance of Khao San Road and is said to offer Bangkok's best blues.

Day 3: One More Meal

• Breakfast: An early start to the day could involved stopping by one of the many morning markets for breakfast. For us it was New Years Day, so an early start was out of the question. Instead we elected to head back across Khlong Rop Krung and stopped in Unbranded Cafe for a truly delicious cup of coffee and a few baked goods before walking down the street to have noodle soup for breakfast.
• Taxi to Airport: Though we flew into Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), our departure was from Don Mueang International Airport (DMK). Ignore the tuk tuk drivers asking upwards of ฿600-฿800 for this trip and hop in a metered taxi for roughly ฿230-฿250. 

GET AROUND

TIPS/RECOMMENDATIONS

It's hard to offer up much after such a short stay, but overall I'd again highly recommend avoiding Khao San Road as your base of operations. Not only is it nearly 100% foreigners which makes it difficult to get a sense of Thai culture, but its constant party atmosphere makes it nearly impossible to sleep even if you've tied one on and had a long night yourself. We originally thought of staying near Lumpini Park, which seems to offer a more relaxing stay in the city. Cafe Bangrak and the highly recommended Somtum Der would both be within walking distance and at least one evening could easily end at Moon Bar. Additionally, this area is easily accessible from the light rail, requiring just one transfer from BKK. 

Have any additional tips or recommendations? Would love to hear your thoughts on Bangkok in the comments below!