7 Amazing Things To Do in Bangkok in 2 Days

Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, is a main airport hub and a great place for Solo Travel in Asia. At some point during your travels you’re bound to travel through the city of Bangkok, but don’t make the mistake of doing a layover or immediate plane transfer – take at least a few days to explore the city and enjoy these 7 amazing things to do in Bangkok in 2 days if you have them!  However, Bangkok is amazing and deserves a 2 week or 3 week itinerary if you have the time :).   But I do hope you’re able to squeeze in a day trip from Bangkok to Lopburi as well!

1. Floating Markets

Everybody loves floating markets – Thais and tourists alike – you just have to see how locals flock to the place on weekends! Market culture has deep local roots in daily life in Thailand and going out to eat isn’t as infrequent as it can be in Western culture. Eating out in Thailand is cheap, casual, fun and has many variations. On the floating markets, boats are loaded with vegetables and tropical fruit, coconut juice and food cooked locally from floating kitchens are situated right on the boat! 

The main floating markets include Khlong Lat Mayom, Bang Ku Wiang Market, Tha Kha, and Damnoen Saduak.

Damnoen Saduak is a very popular floating market and is fantastic for food, photo opportunities and for an insight into a bygone way of life. It’s worth starting early in the morning in order to avoid the heat and make sure that you catch the market at its liveliest. The majority of visitors who visit Thailand want to go to a floating market and most will end up here at Damnoen Saduak. You shouldn’t let that put you off – it’s a pleasant morning out of the city and if you avoid the tourist shops you can get a real sense of the region. It is over an hour outside of Bangkok, and the simplest way to get there is by joining a tour.

Another great floating market is Khlong Lat Mayom,  situated close to Bangkok, around 20 kilometers from town and accessible by taxi. It is nothing like the large tourist-based Damnoen Saduak but really has the authenticity and charm of a traditional market, and you may be one of the few foreigners there. You can spend a couple of hours here then move to the largest Taling Chan floating market, just a few kilometers away.

2. Wat Arun – The Temple of Dawn

Wat Arun, locally referred to as Wat Chaeng, is situated on the west (Thonburi) bank of the Chao Phraya River. It is comfortably the most gorgeous out of all of the Bangkok temples, not only due to its riverside location but also since the design is completely different from the other temples in Bangkok. Wat Arun, known as the temple of the dawn, is made up of colorfully decorated mosaic Chedis impressively towering over the water. It is almost directly opposite Wat Pho and very easy to get to.

From the boat pier Sapphan Taksin, you can take a riverboat which stops at pier 8. From this point, a shuttle boat can take you from one side of the river to the other for 3 baht. Entry to the temple is 100 baht. The temple is open every day from 08:30 -17:30.

3. Wat Pho

Wat Pho (the Temple of Reclining Buddha) is situated behind the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and is must-see for any visitor in Bangkok. It’s one of the bigger temples in Bangkok and it’s known for its massive reclining Buddha which measures 151 feet long, completely covered in gold leaf. It’s a short 10-minute walk between here and the Grand Palace.  I recommend going to Wat Pho second because although the golden Buddha here is just as admired, many people don’t take the same amount of time to stroll around the rest of the complex and so later in the day the experience is far more relaxing.  So naturally, it has to be one of the things to do in Bangkok in 2 days (although you should do more!)

This is also a fantastic place to get a famous traditional Thai massage – Wat Pho is often considered the leading place of massage in Thailand, so you are in very good hands. Entrance to the temple costs about 100 baht and you can visit any time between 08:00 – 17:00.

4. Chinatown Bangkok

Chinatown in Bangkok is a well-known tourist spot and a food lovers destination – new generation connoisseurs come here after sunset to discover the exciting street-side cuisine. It can be busy during the daytime as swarms of shoppers and tourists head to Charoenkrung Road to get their fill of street food or to pay a visit to one of the temples. Filled with market stalls and a large number of gold shops, Chinatown is an amazing experience that can’t be missed. The liveliness that comes from the endless rows of wooden shop-houses is simply infectious – it will make you want to come back for even more. Plan the visit during major festivals such as Chinese New Year in order to see Chinatown at its best.

5. Lumpini Park

Lumpini Park is an inner-city haven of tranquility, fresh air, and shade – offering city dwellers the perfect connection to nature. The park was given its name after the birthplace of the Lord Buddha in Nepal and is more than half a million square meters large, and the habitat of various fauna and flora. It dates back to the 1920s and was going to be an exhibition center for Thai flower displays and crafts. Even though the original vision wasn’t fulfilled, the park has grown over the years into the attractive center for leisure activities after sunset to enjoy a round of jogging, aerobics, light workouts and a host of other activities. Look out for the water Monitor Lizards in and around the pool!

6. Siam Shopping

Siam is the main shopping district and home to the city’s most important malls like Siam Discovery Centre, MBK Centre, and Siam Paragon. In Siam Square itself, there is a large range of services and shops, including cafes, designer clothing boutiques, restaurants, record stores, bookshops, a Hard Rock Cafe, banks and hotels. The shoppers vary from students, office workers, trend-setting city residents and – of course – masses of tourists.

7. Grand Palace

No trip to Bangkok is complete without a visit to the Grand Palace – undeniably the most famous landmark in the city. Built in 1782, the Grand Palace of Bangkok is a proud acknowledgment to the craftsmanship and creativity of the Thai people. Within its walls were the state departments and the  Thai war ministry. Today the complex continues to be the spiritual heart of Thailand.

The Temple of the Emerald Buddha or Wat Phra Kaew is considered the most important Buddhist temple in Thailand. Situated within the grounds of the Grand Palace, it treasures the Emerald Buddha, which is the extremely respected image of Buddha carved meticulously from a block of jade. In the style of the Lanna school of the north, it’s a Buddha image in the meditating position dating all the way back to the 15th century AD.