There is no shortage of “top 10 Bangkok” lists. The problem is most of them send you to the same three temples and a mall. This guide is different: it is the short list a Bangkok local would give a visiting friend, organised so you can actually walk it in a day.
1. Start early at the riverside temples
Wat Pho (the Reclining Buddha) and Wat Arun sit across the Chao Phraya from each other and are best seen right at opening, before the heat and the tour buses. A short ferry ride connects them. Dress modestly, shoulders and knees covered, and you will have the courtyards nearly to yourself.
2. Graze your way through Chinatown at night
Yaowarat, Bangkok’s Chinatown, is the city’s street-food heart. After dark the whole strip fills with woks, grills and stalls. The trick is knowing which queue to join. The best plates are rarely the ones with an English sign. Come hungry and eat in small portions across several stalls.
3. Pick one market, not all of them
Chatuchak Weekend Market is enormous, 15,000 stalls, and overwhelming without a plan. A floating market like Damnoen Saduak or the smaller Amphawa is more scenic. Choose one based on your day, and go early.
4. Slow down in Ari or Thonglor
These leafy neighbourhoods are where Bangkokians go for third-wave coffee and modern Thai cooking. They are the antidote to the temple-and-market rush, and a good place to end an afternoon.