Unmissable Experiences in Bangkok
Bangkok is a fairly large city. The city is home to more than 10.5 million people as of 2020 and has a land area of more than 600 thousand square miles.
There’s quite a lot of history in the city as well. It’d be virtually impossible to see and do everything within a single trip.
Time’s limited. But you still want to make the most out of your trip to Bangkok. After all, it’s halfway around the world, depending on where you’re from, and it may be a very long time till your next trip back. So, how exactly are you supposed to make the most of your time? And can you do it in a cost-effective way?
Yes, you can. Whether you choose to book a tour or plan out an itinerary yourself, it’s important to know which activities get the most out of your time and money.
Here are some recommended things to participate in once you set foot in the Land of Smiles:
Tuk-tuk Tour
A national icon of Thailand is the tuk-tuk. There are tricycles that are used as taxis. They don’t normally use meters and the cost of flagging one down can be relatively high, comparable to a regular (air-conditioned) taxi, especially if the passengers are tourists because most tourists wouldn’t know how much they should cost. Still, people ride them because of the novelty.
Tour companies recognize how popular they are, especially among tourists, and that they’re an efficient way to get around the city. So if you want to be able to see a good amount of Bangkok’s temples, markets, and street food locations, then you can book a tuk-tuk tour at night. You’ll visit several tourist hot spots and walk the streets of Bangkok’s Chinatown under the supervision of a tour guide.
Muay Thai Match
The national sport of Thailand is the martial art of Muay Thai. It’s incredibly popular around the world and is the striking discipline that’s most commonly used in Mixed Martial Arts. Children are taught Muay Thai as part of their P.E. in school and it’s an incredibly popular sport even without national endorsement.
There are dozens of stadiums all around the city and even more gyms. So take the opportunity to see a live match and partake in a cornerstone of Thai culture. If you’re not predisposed to seeing children be violent, be warned. Some events feature children as young as 5 step into the ring to compete.
Market Hop
Bangkok is something of a shopping hub in Southeast Asia. It’s got a number of world-class shopping centers. But the real icons of Bangkok’s shopping scene are its markets. Night markets, floating markets, and weekend markets. Bangkok’s markets are rather unusual.
Now, some of these markets aren’t free of unsavory elements. Some vendors will see a tourist and think that they’ve got someone that won’t know how much things should cost and raise prices. Some will see you and see an easy target for theft. So instead of going to the various markets by yourself, book a tour and go to those markets in a group and under the watchful eye of a local guide.
Canal Cruise
If you want to take a tour of some of Bangkok’s highlights that aren’t tourist traps and crawling with other travelers, then you’ll want to take a canal tour. Ride a longboat through Bangkok’s canals and see parts of the city you wouldn’t have come across otherwise and have a taste of what life in the city was like half a century ago.
Airport Check-in
Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport is one of two international airports servicing the Bangkok area and it’s the more luxurious of the two. In fact, this airport is practically a tourist destination in and of itself. But it’s a sprawling airport and there are quite a number of long lines, so getting to see what it has to offer can be difficult.
But there is a guided fast-track service available, so you can get through the longest lines in as short a time as possible. This is available for both departing and arriving passengers. Departing passengers can also use the departure lounge if they avail of this service.
Former Capital
Bangkok is the capital of Thailand, but before the country was Thailand, back when it was the kingdom of Siam, it had different capital cities entirely.
One of those capitals was Ayutthaya, a city about 80 km north of Bangkok. On this tour, you’ll get to visit the Bang Pa-In Summer Palace and you’ll glimpse a tree that contains the face of Buddha. This tour can last between 7 to 9 hours depending on where your hotel is and the traffic in the city.
Elephant Sanctuary
Thailand is a largely Buddhist country and in the country, elephants are seen as sacred animals as they are meant to be symbols of peace. However, despite this, the elephants in Thailand are exploited and endangered, with just under 3,800 in captivity and roughly a thousand in the wild.
2 hours away from Bangkok is the Pattaya Elephant Jungle Sanctuary. By participating in this tour, you can see Indian elephants (the subspecies found in Thailand) up close and personal, but you’re doing so in a way that’s ethical and doesn’t exploit the animal.
Most of the elephants in the sanctuary are not wild but used to be riding or show elephants that were rescued and now get to live in more comfortable conditions.
As an aside, regardless of what you choose to do in Thailand, make sure to have mosquito repellant on hand. Malaria and dengue fever, both of which are carried by mosquitoes, are real problems in Thailand. It also wouldn’t hurt to have sunscreen handy because of how much sunlight Southeast Asia gets.
There’s quite a lot of history and culture in Bangkok. It is in the buildings, the roads, and the alleys. Those are things that have seen quite a lot over the years. But to see and experience it, even on a prolonged trip, may prove difficult. So narrowing down the list to tours and highlights can make the most out of your limited time in the country.
