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.
Region
Central Thailand
The heart of the country — Bangkok, ancient Ayutthaya, and quiet provinces like Suphanburi full of temples, rice fields and local markets.
Central Thailand is the country's historic and economic heart — the flat, fertile Chao Phraya river plain that has fed and governed Thailand for centuries. It holds Bangkok, the ruins of two former capitals, and a great deal of rice.
For visitors it is the region that almost everyone starts in, and the one most people leave too quickly. Beyond Bangkok and Ayutthaya, provinces like Suphanburi and Ang Thong see essentially no foreign visitors at all, which makes them some of the easiest places in Thailand to find a version of the country that isn't arranged for anyone.
Distances here are short and roads are good, so Central Thailand is the easiest region in the country for day trips — most of its highlights sit within two hours of Bangkok.
Suits: First-time visitors, temple and history travellers, anyone with limited time.
Places to visit in Central 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.
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 regions of Thailand
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