Bangkok Itinerary: How to Spend 3 Days

Bangkok is hot, busy, and endlessly rewarding. Beat the heat with early starts, use the BTS Skytrain and river boats to skip traffic, and dress modestly for temples.

Day 1: Grand Palace and Wat Pho

Arrive early at the Grand Palace, where the dazzling Emerald Buddha sits within gilded halls; cover your shoulders and knees. Walk to nearby Wat Pho to see the enormous reclining Buddha and Thailand's home of traditional massage; treat yourself to one. Cross the river by ferry to Wat Arun, the porcelain-studded temple of dawn, best in late-afternoon light. For dinner, find a riverside spot and order pad thai and tom yum goong, the fragrant hot-and-sour shrimp soup.

Day 2: Chinatown and Markets

Morning is for a floating or weekend riverside market outside the center for a slower pace. In the afternoon, explore Yaowarat, Bangkok's dense Chinatown, ducking into gold shops and herbal stalls. Come back after dark, when the street food stalls light up: grilled seafood, khao man gai chicken rice, and bowls of boat noodles. Menus at street stalls are often only in Thai script, so photographing them to translate helps you order exactly what you want. Finish with mango sticky rice, khao niao mamuang.

Day 3: Chatuchak and a Rooftop Finale

If it is a weekend, spend the morning at Chatuchak, a sprawling market of thousands of stalls selling clothes, crafts, plants, and snacks; wear light clothes and carry water. On weekdays, swap in Jim Thompson House or a shopping mall instead. In the afternoon, cool off in air-conditioned malls around Siam. End your trip at a sky-high rooftop bar for sunset over the glittering skyline, sipping a cocktail as the city lights flicker on.

Quick Tips

• Use metered taxis or ride-hailing apps; agree on the meter.
• The MRT and BTS avoid the worst gridlock.
• Carry tissue and hand sanitizer for street stalls.
• Bargain politely at markets, smiling as you go.

Three days deliver Bangkok's golden temples, electric street food, and a rooftop send-off, an unforgettable first taste of Thailand.