Destination · Central Thailand
Bangkok
- Airports
- Suvarnabhumi (BKK)And Don Mueang (DMK) for most low-cost flights
- Best months
- Nov–FebCool season. April is punishing
- Temperature
- 26–35°CHotter and wetter than the coast
- Nights to allow
- 2 to 4Two is the minimum that is not a waste
- Money
- Cards widelyCash for markets, street food and taxis
Almost every trip to Thailand begins or ends here, and the mistake is to treat it as a transit stop. Bangkok rewards two full days minimum: a river that is still the best road in the city, temples that are genuinely extraordinary, and a street food culture that has no real equivalent anywhere.
Decide first
Where to stay, and who each one suits.
Sukhumvit
The modern city, on the BTS and the MRT. Hotels at every price, malls, rooftop bars and easy transport to everything.
Choose it if
- A first trip
- You want the Skytrain at the door
- Business as well as leisure
Think twice if
- Nowhere near the river or the old temples
- Some stretches are seedy after dark
Riverside & Old Town
Along the Chao Phraya near Rattanakosin. The Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun are walkable or one boat stop away.
Choose it if
- You came for the temples and the river
- Photography
- A shorter stay where sightseeing is the point
Think twice if
- Further from the Skytrain
- Quieter in the evening
Silom & Sathorn
The business district, which empties at the weekend and has the best-value good hotels because of it. Lumphini Park and the night markets are close.
Choose it if
- Value in a high-end hotel
- You want to run or walk in the morning
- Good transport both lines
Think twice if
- Quiet at weekends
- Less atmospheric than the river
Ari & the north
Where Bangkok residents actually eat and drink. Low-rise, leafy, full of coffee and small restaurants, and on the BTS.
Choose it if
- A repeat visit
- Food is the reason you came
- You want to be somewhere real
Think twice if
- Twenty minutes from the main sights
- Fewer international hotels
Decide second
When to come, month by month.
Thailand does not have one season. Bar height is that month’s typical rainfall here, the symbol above it is the weather to expect, and the figures below it how busy it gets.
Pick a month to read it in full.
Peak season
January
The cool season, which here means pleasant rather than cold. The best month of the year to be walking a city.
- Typical rain
- 15 mm
- Conditions
- Cool, dry
- Crowds
- Busy
Peak season
February
Dry, clear and comfortable. Book ahead; this is when everyone comes.
- Typical rain
- 20 mm
- Conditions
- Cool, dry
- Crowds
- Busy
Warming
March
The heat begins in earnest and the air gets hazier. Still dry, still very doable if you plan around the middle of the day.
- Typical rain
- 40 mm
- Conditions
- Hot, dry
- Crowds
- Moderate
Hottest
April
The hottest month of the year, regularly touching 40°C. Songkran falls mid-month and much of the country stops for it.
- Typical rain
- 80 mm
- Conditions
- Very hot
- Crowds
- Moderate
Rain begins
May
The monsoon arrives. Rain tends to come as a heavy late-afternoon burst that clears, rather than an all-day grey.
- Typical rain
- 190 mm
- Conditions
- Hot, humid
- Crowds
- Quiet
Wet season
June
Warm, humid and green, with rain most days but rarely all day. Rates drop and the crowds thin.
- Typical rain
- 150 mm
- Conditions
- Humid
- Crowds
- Quiet
Wet season
July
Similar to June and slightly wetter. Good value, and the temples are far more comfortable than in April.
- Typical rain
- 155 mm
- Conditions
- Humid
- Crowds
- Moderate
Wet season
August
Wetter again, with longer spells of rain. Perfectly workable for a city trip; less so for anything outdoors all day.
- Typical rain
- 190 mm
- Conditions
- Humid
- Crowds
- Moderate
Wettest
September
The wettest month. Street flooding after heavy rain is normal and clears quickly, but it will interrupt a day.
- Typical rain
- 330 mm
- Conditions
- Wet
- Crowds
- Quiet
Wet
October
Still wet through the first half, then easing markedly. The last week can already feel like the cool season.
- Typical rain
- 290 mm
- Conditions
- Easing
- Crowds
- Moderate
Peak season
November
The rain stops, the humidity drops and the country is at its most comfortable. The best month to come, and priced accordingly.
- Typical rain
- 55 mm
- Conditions
- Cool, dry
- Crowds
- Busy
Peak season
December
Cool, dry and busy, with rates at their highest over Christmas and new year.
- Typical rain
- 10 mm
- Conditions
- Cool, dry
- Crowds
- Busy
Decide third
How long, and what shape.
Three shapes we actually sell. The nights are real and so is the pace — each one is a starting point we rebuild around who is travelling, not a fixed menu.
1 night · 2 days
Touch & Go
One night in Bangkok is the river or the temples, done properly, rather than a list of both done badly. Traffic is the constraint, not distance.
Day 1
Drop the bags, take the river
The Chao Phraya is still the best road in the city. Wat Arun from the water at sunset, then Yaowarat for dinner — Chinatown does not really start until eight.
Day 2
The Grand Palace, early
Doors open at half past eight and the coaches arrive at ten. The Grand Palace and Wat Pho before the heat, and out by mid-afternoon.
Never plan to cross Bangkok by road at five o’clock. We build one-night stays around the river and the BTS for that reason alone.
2 nights · 3 days
Quick Getaways
The classic three days: the old city, the river, and one market. Enough to leave with a sense of the place rather than a list.
Day 1
Arrive, Chinatown after dark
Yaowarat from eight onwards. Eat standing up at least once.
Day 2
The old city and the river
The Grand Palace and Wat Pho in the morning, the ferry across to Wat Arun, and Jim Thompson’s house in the cooler part of the afternoon.
Day 3
Canals and markets
A longtail through the Thonburi khlongs, the flower market at Pak Khlong Talat, and whichever market suits who you are travelling with.
The Grand Palace dress code is enforced at the gate — shoulders and knees covered, no exceptions — and the sarong queue is long. We send the rules before you fly.
4 nights · 5 days
Destination Deep Dive
Five days lets Bangkok stop being a gateway. Two day trips out, and the city itself at a pace that survives the heat.
Day 1
Arrive, the river at dusk
A boat up the Chao Phraya as the light goes, and dinner in Chinatown.
Day 2
The old city
The Grand Palace, Wat Pho and the reclining Buddha, then across to Wat Arun and up its steps if you have the legs.
Day 3
Floating market, early
Amphawa or Damnoen Saduak before the coaches, with the Maeklong railway market on the way back — the one where the awnings fold up as the train comes through.
Day 4
Ayutthaya
Ninety minutes north to the old capital. Wat Mahathat, Wat Chaiwatthanaram, and the whole day rather than a stop on a coach loop.
Day 5
Markets, then out
Chatuchak if it is the weekend, Jim Thompson’s house if it is not, and a late transfer to whichever airport you fly from.
Bangkok has two international airports forty kilometres apart. We confirm which one your outbound leaves from before we build the last day, because the difference is two hours.
What you came for
Three things worth the day.
The Grand Palace and Wat Pho
The single most impressive thing in the country, and next door the reclining Buddha and the school that taught Thailand to massage. Go at opening or not at all.
- Time
- Half day
- Opens
- 08:30
- Entry
- ฿500 / ฿250
The Chao Phraya by boat
The orange-flag commuter boat costs almost nothing and is the best sightseeing in the city. Wat Arun at dusk from the water is the postcard, earned.
- Time
- 2–3 hrs
- Boat
- Public ferry
- Cost
- From ฿16
Chinatown after dark
Yaowarat from about seven, when the shutters go up and the street kitchens come out. Come hungry and eat standing up.
- Time
- An evening
- Where
- Yaowarat Road
- Cost
- Under ฿500
For Indians
Entry requirements
- Route
- Visa exemption
- Maximum stay
- 30 days
- Fee
- None
When this starts India was moved to this 30-day exemption by the Thai Cabinet on 16 July 2026. It commences 15 days after the Ministry of Interior announcements are published in Thailand’s Royal Gazette. We confirm in writing which rule applies to your travel dates before you fly, and we will not let you travel on the wrong one.
Every traveller must also file the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online within 72 hours of arrival. It is free, and airlines check it at the gate — without it you will not be allowed to board.
Applies to Indian passport holders. Last reviewed 12 August 2026. Entry rules change; we confirm the current position at the time of booking.
Packages through Bangkok
1 package
Worth knowing
What we would tell you on the phone.
Dress code at the temples
Shoulders and knees covered, for everyone. The Grand Palace enforces it strictly and the rental sarongs at the gate are a tax on the unprepared.
Refuse the “temple is closed today” tuk-tuk
It is never closed. The scam ends at a gem shop. Walk to the gate and check for yourself.
Use the boat and the trains
Bangkok traffic can turn a four-kilometre journey into an hour. The river and the BTS are faster and cheaper than any taxi.
September floods the streets
Not dangerously, and not for long, but it will end a day’s walking. Keep an indoor option in reserve.
Pairs well with
Where most people go next.
Ayutthaya
Ninety minutes north, and the capital that came before this one.
Pattaya
Two hours south-east to the nearest coast.
Chiang Mai
An hour in the air, or a very good overnight sleeper train.
Bangkok, built around you.
Tell us who is travelling and when. We will build the rest around the season.