What to See in Bangkok in 3 Days? I Got the Order Wrong, So Here’s the Right One
Lumphini, with the towers behind it. This is day 3, and reaching it with energy to spare is exactly what this itinerary is about
🗓️ The mistake I made, so you don’t have to: temple after temple, all morning long. By noon you’re dehydrated, hating the humidity and stuck in traffic.
This itinerary is built the other way around: temples early, malls and air conditioning through the worst hours, and back out on the street once the sun goes down.
Most guides tell you to check off 5 temples before lunch. Big mistake. Do that and by midday you’ll be dehydrated, cursing the humidity and sitting in a traffic jam.
After my trips to the city and plenty of trial and error with the timing, I put together this 3-day plan to see the essentials without rushing, move around in an order that dodges the hellish traffic and eat at cheap, amazing places I kept going back to.
💡 Golden rule: get up early. In Bangkok, heading out at 8 a.m. instead of 10 a.m. is the difference between a relaxed stroll and melting in the heat.
📅 Day 1: classic Bangkok, the river and the temples
Morning: the Grand Palace and Wat Pho
Start strong. Go straight to the Grand Palace. It’s expensive and packed, but it’s a once-in-a-lifetime sight.
The golden chedi at the Grand Palace. At this hour you can still walk around comfortably; two hours later, forget it
⚠️ Watch out for the scam. If a tuk-tuk driver tells you “it’s closed today for a ceremony,” he’s lying. Keep walking to the entrance. I cover it in full, along with the other two scams, in my guide to how to get around Bangkok.
When you come out, walk over to Wat Pho, home of the giant Reclining Buddha. Seeing how they squeezed a 46-meter statue in there is something else.
Midday: across the river for the photo at Wat Arun
Take the public boat across the river to Wat Arun; it costs next to nothing. This is where the trick comes in.
The outfits are 250 THB (about $7) for two, and you keep them for three hours. This is how the photos turn out
📸 The outfit trick: instead of just looking at the temple, rent a traditional Thai outfit from one of the shops outside. I paid 250 THB (about $7) for the two of us. Haggle. They dress you up, add the accessories, and you get 3 hours to take photos with the pagodas behind you. They come out looking incredible.
Have lunch in the little lanes where the outfit shops are. The food is dirt cheap and really good.
Evening: the legendary Pad Thai
Once the sun goes down, make your way to the Old Town area for dinner.
Thipsamai’s Superb Pad Thai, wrapped in its thin layer of omelet
- Dinner: you have to try Thipsamai. People say it’s the best Pad Thai in Bangkok. There’s a line, but it moves fast. Order the one that comes wrapped in egg, the Superb Pad Thai. It has a smoky flavor you won’t get from the street stalls.
- Plan B: if the line puts you off (it’s about 20 minutes), there are plenty of great street stalls nearby.
📅 Day 2: modern Bangkok, shopping and skyscrapers
Morning: the shopping triangle
Take the BTS to Siam station. This is where the luxury malls are, like Siam Paragon, but my advice is to head straight for MBK Center.
MBK, seen from the walkway. You can walk here from Siam station along the elevated walkways without ever setting foot on the street
- 🛍️ Why MBK: it’s a paradise of good-quality knockoffs. Clothes, watches, electronics.
- What happened to me: I ended up buying an extra suitcase right here so I could get all my gifts and shopping home. It happens to everyone, so leave room to spare in your backpack.
Michelin food for about $3.50 without leaving the mall
Don’t leave MBK. Look for a restaurant called Lim Lao Ngow.
The Bib Gourmand, right there on the sign at the entrance. In the food court of a knockoff mall
- The dish: order the Fishball Noodles.
- The verdict: they’ve earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand. The noodles are springy, homemade and packed with flavor. Their motto is “No Noodle, No Life,” and they’ve got a point.
You’ll find it, along with the other three places, in the guide to where to eat in Bangkok.
Afternoon: a walk along the skywalks
If the heat lets up, walk along the elevated walkways, the Skywalk, that link the malls together. You’ll watch the traffic from above, and be glad you’re not down there in it.
Night: on top of the world at Tichuca 🍸
Bangkok looks better from above. To end the day, take a Grab or the BTS to the T-One building and go up to Tichuca Rooftop Bar.
The light structure at Tichuca. It looks like a jellyfish, or the tree from Avatar
- What makes it special: a giant LED light structure that looks like a jellyfish, or the tree from Avatar.
- Tip: get there before sunset to grab a spot. The drinks aren’t cheap, but the views and the photo are worth every baht.
📅 Day 3: nature, dragons and neon
Morning: the city’s green lungs
Head over to the Silom and Sukhumvit side of town for the parks.
- Lumphini Park: Bangkok’s Central Park. The real showstoppers here are the monitor lizards, giant lizards roaming free across the lawns and in the lake. They’re harmless (I still kept my distance, just in case), but they’re quite a sight.
- Benchakitti Park: it’s right next door, and you can walk there along a lovely green walkway called the Green Mile. It has raised platforms over the wetlands with a 360° view of the skyscrapers.
Lunch: Siam Noodles
Siam Noodles, next to Samyan Mitrtown. You eat at the counter, right on the street
Near Samyan Mitrtown, look for Siam Noodles. Try the beef noodles or the meatball ones. It’s another one of those places where you eat incredibly well for very little money.
Night: the grand finale in Chinatown
We’ve saved the most intense part for last. At sunset, head to Yaowarat Road.
Yaowarat at night. Neon, tuk-tuks and people eating in the street
- The vibe: a wild mix of neon, tuk-tuks and people eating out on the street.
- What to do: just walk and eat. Try the roast duck, the dim sum or anything you see being cooked over a roaring flame. It’s the perfect place to say goodbye to Bangkok with a full belly and smelling of spices.
📅 Extra day: Instagram Bangkok and the markets
If it’s a Saturday or Sunday, Chatuchak
The biggest weekend market in the world.
One of the entrances to Chatuchak. It’s huge and you will get lost, so go early
- Chatuchak: it’s enormous. You are going to get lost. They sell everything from vintage clothes to handicrafts, food and pets.
- The strategy: go first thing, around 9 a.m., before the heat finishes you off. Pick up any souvenirs you still need here, because it’s cheaper than MBK.
- Food: try the Spanish chef’s paella; he’s famous there and you get the show thrown in. Or dive into the pork skewer stalls.
🏨 Where should you stay for this itinerary?
My room at the Vic3. Twelve nights here and not one trip longer than half an hour
My favorite was the Vic3 Bangkok Hotel, right by the BTS and close to everything: I never had a trip over 30 minutes. The staff are very attentive, they clean your room every day and the pool is really nice.
And it isn’t in Siam or Pratunam: it’s in Phahon Yothin, four hundred meters from Sanam Pao station, four BTS stops further north. On paper, an area with nothing for tourists. In practice, it worked for twelve nights straight. If you’re on the BTS line, the neighborhood matters far less than it seems.
Day by day, if you’d rather choose an area based on what you’ll be doing:
- Day 1, temples: it’s all close by if you stay in Riverside or Old Town.
- Day 2, shopping: ideal if you’re based in Siam or Sukhumvit.
- Day 3, parks and Chinatown: Silom is perfectly placed for this one.
My final tip: if you can only pick one area and want everything within easy reach on the BTS, stay in Silom or near Asok station, in Sukhumvit. You’ll find all eight areas, one by one, in the guide to where to stay in Bangkok.
Keep reading before you book
- Where to stay in Bangkok and which areas to avoid, all 8 areas one by one, so you can pick a base before planning the itinerary
- Where to eat in Bangkok, the places for each day, with prices and what to order at each one
- How to get around Bangkok, covering the BTS, Grab and the scams, which is what makes or breaks these three days
For everything else on Thailand, head to the country hub.
Need a hand?
We've stayed here ourselves and experienced it firsthand. If you have any questions, leave a comment below and avoid the typical first-timer mistakes.