I recently posted about the 3 Must – Try offbeat activities in Bangkok here (Guns, Fights & Weird Snacks – 3 Offbeat Things to do in Bangkok). However, that was just a small part of our entire Bangkok trip. In 5 days, we’ve covered several tourist attractions in the city. Even though a major part of the trip was organized by a tour operator, we did manage to find enough time for self – exploration every day. So today, let me share our full itinerary with you.
Day 1
We arrived at the Suvarnabhumi Airport by 9-30 am. After a long wait at the visa counter, we took a local sim card at the airport itself and boarded our cab to the hotel.
The one hour drive was scenic and very pleasant. We were surprised to see idols of Indian gods everywhere. However, the similarities ended there, the city is filled with pictures of the King, well designed skyscrapers and disciplined traffic. We didn’t hear a single honk during our 5 days stay here.
The Hotel
We arrived at the IBIS Riverside Bangkok around noon. Its located right on the Chao Phraya River with a beautiful view. The rooms were clean and definitely worth the price.
For Lunch, I tried out the frozen, microwavable meals of a nearby 7 – Eleven ( A convenience store chain ). It was surprisingly flavorful, cheap and quick. You pay the bill, they microwave it at the billing counter for 30 seconds and you’re good to go.
Shooting Range
We then took a cab to Bangkok Tactical Shooting for our next activity i.e shooting real guns. This was a part of my Guns, Fights & Weird Snacks – 3 Offbeat Things to do in Bangkok.
Note : We downloaded the “Grab” app to book local cabs, its similar to Uber in all aspects and has a familiar interface.
Weekend Market
From the shooting range, we moved on to the “ Chatuchak Weekend Market “, the largest market in Thailand. It’s a gigantic market full of vendors selling all kinds of things. My wife checked out all their clothing stores and I, being a foodie, hit all the food stalls.
In just an hour, I managed to eat Fried octopus, Chinese fish balls, Grilled pork and Pad Thai. We then finished our binge with coconut ice cream and a few mangoes.
Tired from all the walking and eating, we took a BTS ( Skytrain ) back to our hotel. Its similar to the metro rail system in India and again a convenient option to bypass the evening traffic.
We grabbed another 7 – Eleven meal for dinner on the way and called it a day.
Day 2
After a peaceful breakfast at the riverside, we moved on to cover the famous temples on our second day. We started off with the Golden Buddha ( Wat Traimit ), then Reclining Buddha ( Wat Pho ) and finished our sightseeing with the Grand Palace, located in the same compound.
From here, we went to the Pratunam Market, another major shopping market in the city. Luckily for my wife, we found an Indian Restaurant for lunch as she was already missing home food. I tried out the Tom Yum Soup at a nearby restaurant and then went to the Platinum Mall nearby for some more shopping.
The food on display at the mall entrance was a mouth – watering sight !!!
I then took a bike taxi (another quick mode of transportation) to the Rajadamnern Stadium to watch some live Muay Thai fights ( Guns, Fights & Weird Snacks – 3 Offbeat Things to do in Bangkok ), while my wife headed back to the Hotel. She wasn’t very keen on watching guys bash each other up for 4 hours, so I went solo.
We had some pizza for dinner at the Hotel’s restaurant and our second day was complete.
Day 3
Today’s plan was to cover the “ Safari World “ and “ Marine Park “, both located around an hour’s drive away from the city. It was a full day of watching wild animals and marine creatures doing funny, sometimes weird acts. Few of the shows were good, the rest makes you question the morality of what these animals are made to do for the sake of “entertainment”
The safari drive where we got to watch wild animals up close was an awesome experience though. Lunch was included in the tour and by evening, we were back to the hotel.
After a few hours of rest, we took a skytrain ( our hotel has a buggy to drop – off at the nearest train station ) to the MBK Center, a huge shopping center with yet another lobby full of food stalls
We had some grilled chicken and crabs for snacks and took the sky train to visit the infamous “ adult entertainment “ streets of the city i.e Soi Cowboy and Nana Plaza
Even if you aren’t interested in such activities, just a walk through these small streets full of “ go – go “ bars and bikini clad dancers is a unique experience in itself.
We headed back to the hotel and finished off the day with yet another “ 7 – Eleven ” dinner.
Day 4
We visited the “ Sea Life “ Ocean World today. Located in one of the three interconnected SIAM shopping malls, this is a huge aquarium with various underwater species on display.
It seems to be a popular destination for kids, but no kid was as excited as my wife while watching the creatures in action. We then visited the “ Madame Tussauds” museum to check out the life – size wax statues of world – famous icons. The replicas were very realistic and we got some cool looking pictures with many celebrities.
After having Pad Thai for lunch at the huge food court of the mall, we explored the other two interconnected malls. They had all the global brands on display and even an entire floor dedicated to high – end cars!!!
We then took a cab to Khaosan Road, an area famous for shopping, food and budget hotels. Here, I tasted fried scorpions, spiders and crocodile meat for snacks ( Guns, Fights & Weird Snacks – 3 Offbeat Things to do in Bangkok )
Took a cab back to the hotel, and spent the night on riverside watching colorful boats and cruises passing by along with some delicious food.
Day 5
After 4 hectic days of exploration, we decided to spend our last day of the trip at leisure. We woke up late, lazed around the hotel till noon and had an awesome Thai Massage at the hotel’s spa ( again located on the river side ).
For lunch, we had Thai Green Curry and Rice at a nearby restaurant and took a boat trip up and down the Chao Praya River.
We were surprised to find out that the boat trip covers all major landmarks of the city. It took us just half an hour to cover the entire stretch and the view was amazing. If you happen to stay near a pier, this is by far the best mode of transportation in Bangkok.
On our way back, we got off the boat at ICON Siam, a high – end shopping mall with a pier. After some window shopping, we arrived just in time to watch their water show at the mall’s entrance. Tasted some more street food at the food court and walked back to our hotel which was nearby.
With an hour to spare for our airport pick – up to arrive, I got some writing done at the Hotel’s internet center. We were then dropped off at the airport by 7-30 pm for our flight back home.
Summary
If you don’t mind staying in a single city for your entire trip, this itinerary is a good way to experience Bangkok in such a short span of time. If I’ve missed out any must – visit places , do let us know in the comments section below.
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