Bangkok: Temples, Street Food & City Buzz
Thailand's electric capital — grand temples, rooftop bars and the best street food on earth. What to see, where to stay, and how to beat the heat and the traffic.
Things to do
🛕 Temples & Culture
Golden temples, ancient ruins, festivals and everyday Thai life.
Thailand has something in the order of 40,000 Buddhist temples, and they range from working neighbourhood wats where nothing is charged and nothing is staged, to the ruined royal cities of Ayutthaya and Sukhothai, to thousand-year-old Khmer sanctuaries in Isan built by the same empire that built Angkor.
The country is also home to a Lanna north with its own temple architecture, a Chinese-Thai tradition that shapes Bangkok's Chinatown, and contemporary art temples in Chiang Rai that look like nothing else on earth.
Almost all of it is free or nearly free to visit, and almost all of it is better before 9am.
Where to find temples & culture in Thailand
Ayutthaya: Thailand's Ancient Capital
A UNESCO city of crumbling temples, towering prangs and a Buddha head wrapped in tree roots — Thailand's former capital, and the best day trip from Bangkok.
Chiang Mai: Mountains, Temples & Markets
The cultural capital of the north — 300 temples, cool mountain air, ethical elephant sanctuaries and the country's best cooking classes.
Chiang Rai: White Temple & the Golden Triangle
Thailand's far north — the dazzling White Temple, the surreal Blue Temple, the Black House, and the point where three countries meet on the Mekong.
Phanom Rung: Thailand's Khmer Temple on a Volcano
A 1,000-year-old Khmer temple crowning an extinct volcano in Buri Ram — Isan's answer to Angkor Wat, beautifully restored, and gloriously free of crowds.
Suphanburi: Temples, Dragons & Rice Fields
A Central Thailand province of giant temples, a walk-through dragon museum and endless rice paddies — 90 minutes from Bangkok, and almost no foreign visitors.
Other things to do
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