(Some of) Bangkok in a Day: Temples and Cocktails

Bangkok, to put it politely, divides opinion. It is one of the most visited cities in the world, with more than 20 million visitors a year pre-Covid. And yet, a significant number of those hordes claim to despise the city.

The naysayers are, in fact, objectively wrong, as Bangkok is in fact one of the best cities in the world. (See future post for airtight substantiation of this argument.) But everyone is entitled to an opinion, even an incorrect one.

Even if you are in the camp that thinks that Bangkok is too noisy, too traffic-y, too filled with touts and scamming tuk tuk drivers, though, you owe it to yourself to see just a few of the world-class sights that Bangkok has to offer.

Before catching your train to Chiang Mai or your flight to Krabi, follow this easy one-day Bangkok itinerary, and we can part as friends in spite of our differences.

Overview

This itinerary will get you to three of Bangkok’s most important cultural sights: the Grand Palace, Wat Pho (home of the Reclining Buddha statue), and Wat Arun. Along the way, you’ll have a picturesque ride down the Chao Phraya in one of Bangkok’s water buses. Finally, we’ll cap it off with a drink at one of the world’s most spectacular sky bars.

Getting to the Sights

In spite of all of the (justified) complaints about crazy Bangkok traffic, the city actually has an outstanding public transportation system—if it happens to go from where you are to where you want to be. The service is top-notch; the coverage is patchy. But, many of the best hotel deals (in a city that has a lot of great hotel deals) are in the lower Sukhumvit area, which is well-served by the Skytrain, also called the BTS. So if you happen to be staying there…

Skytrain to Saphan Taksin Station

From any station on the Sukhumvit Line, take the train toward Siam station. Exit there and change to the Silom Line in the direction of Bang Wa and get off at Saphan Taksin.

At the Saphan Taksin station, exit toward the Sathorn Pier on the Chao Phraya River and take the stairs or escalator down to ground level. The Sathorn Pier, where you will catch the Chao Phraya Water Taxi, will be a one-minute walk straight ahead.

Passengers board a Chao Phraya water taxi

Chao Phraya Water Taxi to Grand Palace and Wat Pho

At the Sathorn Pier, buy a ticket for the Orange Line water taxi for 15 baht. (Note: due to Covid, the Orange Line is suspended—or possibly just running a reduced schedule—on weekends and holidays. See the latest schedule information here.)

The Chao Phraya Water Taxi is an experience in itself. Boarding is a somewhat graceless step-jump-fall process, and there is usually no gangway as such. But once you are on board, you have great views of both sides of the river as you cruise past luxury hotels and some of the oldest parts of Bangkok.

Get off the boat at the Chang pier (Tha Chang). There is really no chance of missing it as this is the stop where most passengers will be getting off the boat.

Guardian statue at the Grand Palace in Bangkok

The Grand Palace

The river taxi will unload you into the middle of a covered market where those in the market for a coconut, soda, or souvenir will find their needs quickly met. Walk through the market and out onto the street, and you will see the massive white walls of the Grand Palace in front of you.

At this point, you may be approached by a “helpful” stranger telling you that the Grand Palace is closed and offering to take you on a tour in his tuk tuk. The Grand Palace is not closed; the tuk tuk tour is a way to get you into jewelry shops. Politely decline and continue straight on to get to the gate.

Admission: non-Thai adults 500 baht; non-Thai child 150 baht. Open every day from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.

Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha

The Grand Palace is not a single building, but rather a walled compound containing several buildings with various degrees of tourist access allowed.

The star of the show is, by far, Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. This temple is itself a walled compound containing several buildings inside. Fifteen-foot tall statues of giant guardians stand a each gate, with fierce expressions and ornate crowns.

The most important building in in the complex is the Ordination Hall (Phra Ubosot), which houses the Emerald Buddha for which the temple is named and for which it was built. The Emerald Buddha (which is actually made of jade) is at least 500 years old and has traveled throughout Thailand and Laos as political winds and the fortunes of war shifted.

Today, it is viewed as one of the most sacred Buddha images in Thailand. The Emerald Buddha has three sets of ceremonial clothes, corresponding to the hot, cool, and rainy seasons in Thailand, and the clothes are changed personally by the Thai king.

Other spectacular sights in Wat Phra Kaew include several golden chedi (memorials), monuments of the royal insignia of all of the Chakri kings, a library of sacred texts, and numerous gilded statues of mythological figures.

The Middle Court

The next interesting group of buildings in the Grand Palace is the Middle Court, the location of all Thai coronations since Rama II ascended to the throne in 1809. While the absolute monarchy in Thailand ended in the 1930s, the King and the Royal Family are still deeply revered in Thailand, giving this area a fair claim to be one of the centers of political power in Thailand even today.

One of the most impressive sights in this section of the Grand Palace is the golden Nine-Tiered Throne.

One additional point of interest is the clear Western influence on some of the later architecture in the Grand Palace.

There are many other interesting things to see in the Grand Palace, and for those interested in a more thorough visit, I would recommend this very thorough self-guided walking tour.

However, our mission is to see as much as possible in one day, so we must be off!

Statue of the Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho

Wat Pho

Our next stop is Wat Pho, which due to the spectacular planning of this itinerary, is mere steps away. After you have recharged with another coconut or a Krating Daeng, make the 10-minute walk south to Wat Pho. Like most temples in Thailand, the Wat is a walled complex rather than a single building.

Admission: 200 baht for non-Thai adults; open daily 8:30 am to 5:00 pm

The Reclining Buddha of Wat Pho

The star attraction of the complex is the 150-foot long reclining Buddha, an iconic stop on any Thai sightseeing trip and the subject of a million photos. Even if you are expecting something extraordinary, it is an impressive sight.

The statute represents the historical Buddha in his final illness, on the point of passing into nirvana, the point at which the cycle of death and rebirth ends. Particularly worth noting are the soles of the Buddha’s feet, which are ornately decorated with Buddhist symbols.

Also, behind the statute of the reclining Buddha is a set of 108 bronze bowls that visitors drop coins in for good luck.

The Massage School of Wat Pho

Wat Pho has also been a center of learning and education for hundreds of years. It is now the home of the Wat Pho Thai Traditional Medical and Massage School, where courses on traditional Thai massage are still taught. The temple’s medical pavilion features 150-year-old diagrams of the human body with pressure points important for massage identified. 

The Bodhi Tree

To me, this is the most interesting and most significant feature of Wat Pho. But the story is a little complicated, so pay attention.

Buddhists believe that Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha, achieved enlightenment while meditating under a Bodhi Tree in eastern India around 500 BCE. This tree, the location of perhaps the most important event in the history of Buddhism, came to be venerated as sacred. Although the original tree no longer survives, its location is known and is a pilgrimage site for Buddhists to this day. (Several trees believed to be descended from the original tree are still on that site.)

By 288 BCE, Buddhism was expanding, and a Buddhist nun brought a cutting from the original Bodhi tree to Sri Lanka as a gift for a Sri Lankan king. He planted the cutting in his royal park, and for the past 2,200 years, the tree that sprang from that cutting has been tended and cared for by Buddhist monks and kings. It lives to this day, and it is the oldest living tree planted by humans with a known date of planting and a known history.

What does this have to do with Wat Pho? In a small garden just outside the hall of the reclining Buddha statue, there is a Bodhi tree which was itself propagated from the Bodhi tree in Sri Lanka, which makes it a direct descendant of (and genetically identical to) the tree under which Lord Buddha sat and meditated all those centuries ago, intentionally carried by human hands from that place to this.

After you have had a chance to absorb the sights of Wat Pho, it’s time to head across the Chao Phraya river to Wat Arun.

Boat from Wat Pho to Wat Arun

The sights we’ve seen so far have been on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River. Now it’s time to head over to the east bank to see the appropriately named “Temple of the Dawn.”

Crossing the river is a breeze. From Wat Pho, just walk about 200 meters to the Tha Tien Pier, or Pier 8. (Your boat may have stopped here on the way up the Chao Phraya from the Saphan Taksin BTS station.) You don’t want to get on one of the regular Chao Phraya Express boats—there is a specific ferry that goes straight across the river for the very reasonable price of 3 baht, which is about $0.10. And it’s a very quick trip, though in the high season, there may be lines for the boat.

Aerial view of Wat Arun in Bangkok

Wat Arun

The cross-river ferry will drop you off more or less at the entrance to Wat Arun.

Admission: non-Thai adult 50 baht. Open every day 8:00 am to 5:30 pm.

Wat Arun has a fairly dramatic and obvious focal point: a 250-foot tall central tower, or prang, surrounded by four lower towers. One of the most interesting features of the towers is that they are decorated largely with broken shards of porcelain which were used as ballast on trade ships traveling from China (and then simply discarded when the ships loaded in Thailand). An excellent example of artistic upcycling! It can be fun to try to spot the various pieces of broken plates and bowls that now have a place of honor on one of Thailand’s most important temples.

There is not as much to see at Wat Arun as there is at the Grand Palace or Wat Pho. Your task is mostly just to soak in the vibrant decorations—Chinese soldiers, Hindu gods, massive guardians—and appreciate the beautiful artistry and stunning location. Once you’ve had a chance to absorb Wat Arun, it’s time to head back down the river.

How to Get from Wat Arun back to Sathorn Pier (Saphan Taksin BTS Station)

To get back to Saphan Taksin Station from Wat Arun, start by retracing your steps: take the ferry back across the river to Tha Tian Pier (Pier No. 8). From there, you will be able to catch a southbound Chao Phraya Express boat back to Sathorn Pier/Saphan Taksin BTS Station.

View from the Sky Bar at the Lebua Hotel

A Well-Deserved Cocktail at the Sky Bar in the Lebua Hotel

You’ve done a great job! You have been a serious tourist and absorbed a number of important cultural sights! It’s time for a reward for your dedication and hard work.

Like Bangkok itself, the Sky Bar at the Lebua Hotel divides opinion. On the one hand, the drinks are very expensive (well, for Bangkok), it kind of feels like a tourist trap, and it was, after all, in one of the Hangover movies. On the other hand, it’s fun to see, and has one of the most spectacular views I’ve ever experienced. I visited once, enjoyed it, and never really felt the need to go back. Is there such a thing as a tourist trap that is also fun? Anyway, I’m glad I went.

If you decide to go, it’s an easy 15-minute walk from the Sathorn Pier along either Charoeun Krung Road or the quieter Charoeun Krung Soi 50. Then it’s a quick elevator ride to the top for views and booze. Once you’re done, retrace your steps to the Saphan Taksin station and head back to your hotel by public transportation.

So…?

So, that’s it — our best first-day itinerary for a first-time visitor to Bangkok. Thoughts? Agreements? Disagreements? As we said, Bangkok divides opinion…