Bangkok

Bangkok is not a beach city. It sits on the flat delta of the Chao Phraya, and the stretch of the Gulf of Thailand closest to the city is mudflat, mangrove and fish farms rather than sand. Swimming in Bangkok means a hotel pool, and rooftop pools are a real feature of the city's hotels.

The nearest proper beaches are Bang Saen and Pattaya on the eastern seaboard, about one and a half to two hours by road, where the water is warm all year, often near 29°C. They make a long day out at best. Travellers who want beach time usually add a few nights on the islands or at Hua Hin to the trip rather than trying to fit it around the city.

Eating is reason enough to come to Bangkok. Thai cooking is one of the world's great cuisines, and here it is everywhere, all day and late into the night: boat noodles and khao man gai at plastic tables, grilled pork skewers at breakfast, som tam pounded to order, and curries ladled from pots at shophouse counters. After dark, Chinatown's Yaowarat Road turns into one long open-air kitchen, and the old quarters around Banglamphu and the Talat Noi riverside are just as good for wandering and grazing.

The markets are part of the experience, from Or Tor Kor's immaculate produce halls to the evening food markets on the edge of every district, and the mall food halls are much better than they sound. At the other end, the city has a deep tier of ambitious restaurants reworking regional Thai cooking. There is also strong Japanese and Chinese food, a serious cocktail culture and a good spread of specialist coffee bars roasting their own beans, several using Thai-grown beans from the northern hills. Spice levels run high, so ask if you want it milder.

Bangkok's great sights are its royal and religious buildings, concentrated on Rattanakosin Island in the old city. The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, home of the Emerald Buddha, are a dazzling mass of gilded spires, mirrored tiles and murals; next door Wat Pho holds the enormous Reclining Buddha, and across the river Wat Arun rises in porcelain-studded tiers. Beyond them come Wat Saket on its Golden Mount, the marble Wat Benchamabophit and dozens of smaller temples where daily worship carries on around visitors.

The National Museum covers Thai art and history well, the Jim Thompson House shows a teak home filled with Southeast Asian art, and the canals of Thonburi preserve stilt houses and older riverside life. Chinatown's shophouses and shrines add another layer. Elsewhere the city is largely modern towers and expressways, so sightseeing clusters in the old centre and along the river, and the museum list is shorter than the temple list. Dress codes covering shoulders and knees apply at the main temples.

Bangkok has one of Asia's best-known nights out, and it comes in several distinct forms. Sukhumvit and the side streets of Thonglor and Ekkamai hold the polished end: cocktail bars of international standing, craft-beer rooms and clubs drawing young, well-off locals. Khao San Road and Rambuttri are the backpacker version, loud, cheap and open to the street, while Silom has long been the centre of the city's lively gay scene. Hotel rooftop bars, high above the river and the skyline, are a Bangkok signature in themselves.

Nights start late and run hard until official closing, which falls around two in most of the city, though a few designated entertainment areas keep going longer. The red-light strips of Nana and Patpong are part of the city's reputation, but easy to avoid. Heat makes evenings the natural time to be out anyway, and street food stalls keep feeding people long after the bars close.

Bangkok is a flat, hot delta city, and outdoor life within it is limited to its parks. Lumphini Park, with monitor lizards on its lake shores, and the larger green spaces of Chatuchak and Benjakitti give a place for early-morning runs and a rest from the traffic, and Bang Krachao, a jungly loop of the river just south of the centre, is good for an afternoon's cycling on raised paths through palms and orchards.

Real landscape is further out. Khao Yai National Park, with its forests, waterfalls and wild elephants, and the river and limestone country around Kanchanaburi are each two to three hours away, better as overnight trips than day outings. Heat and humidity for much of the year also make long activity in the middle of the day hard work.

The outstanding trip is Ayutthaya, the old Siamese capital, about an hour and a half north by train or road. Its ruined temples, prangs and Buddha heads in tree roots spread across an island in the river and fill a full day, ideally by bicycle. Bang Pa-In's summer palace sits on the way.

To the west and southwest lies canal country. Samut Songkhram has the Amphawa floating market and the Maeklong railway market, where the stalls fold back for passing trains, and the Damnoen Saduak floating market is just over the provincial line in Ratchaburi. Nakhon Pathom, on the way, has the tallest stupa in Thailand. Kanchanaburi, with the bridge on the Death Railway and its war cemeteries, is about two to two and a half hours away and makes a long day. Beyond these the list thins, and Pattaya and Hua Hin work better as overnight stays.

Children are warmly welcomed in Bangkok, fussed over in restaurants and shops in a way that makes travelling with them pleasant. There are attractions made for them: Sea Life Ocean World beneath Siam Paragon, Safari World and the Dream World amusement park on the city's northern edge, the children's discovery museums and KidZania, and big indoor play areas in the malls that come into their own on hot afternoons. River boats and the elevated Skytrain are usually a hit too.

The hard part is the city itself. Heat and humidity are tiring for small children, pavements are uneven, crowded and often blocked, and buggies are of little use. Traffic makes trips across town slow. Families do best keeping days short, staying near a Skytrain station and planning around a hotel pool in the afternoon.

Bangkok's rail lines are the visitor's best friend. The elevated BTS Skytrain and the MRT underground are clean, air-conditioned and easy to use, and they link Siam, Sukhumvit, Silom, Chatuchak and Chinatown, with an airport rail link from Suvarnabhumi. The Chao Phraya Express boats run up and down the river to the Grand Palace and Wat Arun, and smaller boats ply the Saen Saep canal. Ride-hailing apps make taxis straightforward.

The weak spots are the old city, which the rail network barely reaches, and everything between stations. Road traffic is among the slowest anywhere at rush hour, and walking is hard going, with heat, broken and crowded pavements, and wide roads to cross on footbridges. Plan each day around one area and the nearest station or pier, and you will rarely need a car.

Shopping in Bangkok runs from vast weekend markets to some of Asia's most lavish malls. The Siam and Ratchaprasong area is a continuous chain of shopping centres joined by Skytrain walkways, from the luxury floors of Siam Paragon and the riverside towers of ICONSIAM to the teen fashion of Siam Square and the bargain electronics and copies of MBK. Pratunam is the wholesale clothing quarter.

Chatuchak Weekend Market is the essential stop: thousands of stalls of clothes, ceramics, plants, furniture, vintage and crafts, enough for a full morning. Night markets, Chinatown's gold shops and the flower and amulet markets add more character. For things to take home, look for Thai silk, celadon, benjarong porcelain, cotton and handmade homeware. Bargaining is normal at market stalls, not in malls.

Bangkok is very kind to a travel budget. Street food and shophouse meals cost little, public transport and taxis are cheap, and comfortable hotels, including riverside and rooftop-pool properties, go for a fraction of what similar rooms cost in Western capitals. Massages, tailoring and market shopping add to the sense that money goes a long way.

Costs climb in specific places: imported wine and spirits are heavily taxed, hotel rooftop bars and international restaurants charge at global levels, and the Grand Palace is one of the few sights with a notable entry fee for foreigners. Staying in Sukhumvit or on the river costs more than Banglamphu or the side streets of Silom.

The performing art most worth seeking out is khon, the masked dance drama telling episodes of the Ramakien, staged with elaborate costumes at the Sala Chalermkrung Royal Theatre and the National Theatre near the Grand Palace. Thai classical music and dance turn up at the National Theatre and the Thailand Cultural Centre, which also hosts the city's symphony orchestra and touring productions, and large spectacle shows of Thai history play to visitors.

Live music is mostly small-scale: jazz and blues bars in the old city and Sukhumvit, cover bands in hotel lounges and indie gigs around the student areas. Muay Thai fights at the Rajadamnern and Lumpinee stadiums draw visitors for the ritual and music as much as the sport. There is no opera or theatre district a visitor would plan a trip around.

Massage is woven into Bangkok life. Wat Pho, home of the country's best-known school of traditional Thai massage, still teaches and treats within the temple grounds, and every street has shopfront parlours offering Thai, foot and oil massage at modest cost, open late. At the other end, the city's grand hotels run some of the most refined spas in Asia, with herbal compresses, long rituals and riverside treatment rooms.

What Bangkok lacks is calm. There is no bathing culture of hot springs or bathhouses beyond a few Japanese-style onsen complexes, and the city's heat, noise and traffic work against a slow pace. Visitors unwind in short doses: a morning in Lumphini Park, an afternoon massage, an evening by a hotel pool.