How to spend 24 hours in my favourite city – Bangkok! My top picks of things to do if you are spending 24 hours in Bangkok, Thailand. Now this is kind of cheating as I’ve already been to Bangkok in January this year but that also gives me a little bit of insight to help you when choosing the best things to do in this beautiful city.

HOW TO SPEND 24 HOURS IN BANGKOK

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If you haven’t already, make sure you check out my post ‘Things To Do And Places To Visit In Thailand‘ for some more inspiration and information and also check out my other post ‘Tips & Rules For Surviving In Thailand‘. Now Bangkok is a lot like London but obviously in an asian country.

It still has the busy vibe and manic roads. If you love the hustle and bustle of the city, you will love Bangkok. It’s such a vast area and if you are only there for a small period of time e.g. 24 hours you will definitely need to know the best places to go to in order to get the best out of your visit. Below I’ve put together my favourite places that you should visit from eating, seeing, doing and staying.

WHERE TO STAY

We stayed in the very stunning Eastin Grand Sathorn Hotel 5* which is right in the centre of Bangkok not too far from the river and right on one of the BTS Skytrain stops. The Sky Train will cost you pennies and is one of the best ways to get around as the roads are constantly busy and filled with taxis (if you’ve been to New York, this will definitely give it a run for it’s money). A stunning hotel with it’s own infinity pool that overlooks the Bangkok skylines, it’s own gym and spa and also a full continental dining area for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

A full buffet from asian, American and continental food for you to choose from. This hotel features plush king size beds, large rooms with a walk in bathroom with a pressure shower, bath, sink and toilet, a mini bar in the room and a TV with free Wi-Fi. Each room has a large window that looks out onto either the main road or skylines surrounding the hotel. Don’t worry though you can’t hear the traffic if you are in a room that overlooks the road.

THINGS TO DO, SEE & SHOP

7.30am – A big continental breakfast
Rise and shine! You’ve got a big day of exploring ahead of you. Time to fill up that belly with some gorgeous food from all over the world. You can either choose to have your standard cereal or toast, or a full english breakfast, go American with pancakes or waffles or you can even go Asian and have sushi or other traditional asian dishes. It’s up to you what you choose and you can also have as much as you like – all you can eat style. Try everything if you must it’s totally worth it.

MORNING EXPLORING

9.30am – The Grand Palace & The Emerald Buddha
I definitely recommend going to this temple as early as possible so you miss the crowds and busy periods and definitely do it by yourself so you can go around at your own pace as there is so much to see and being with a big group you could definitely miss bits. A stunning gold temple and grounds with stunning architecture, perfect for photography lovers. You can learn about the history of the royal family and the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej (May He Rest In Peace) whilst exploring the gorgeous surrounding gardens of this grand palace. Due to the King passing away there is a year of mourning and due to this The Grand Palace will be closed to the public until after the year of mourning has finished.

11am- Taling Chan Floating Market
One of Bangkok’s smaller floating markets that has more of a authentic feel and less like another tourist attraction. With all the rich and fragrant smells of Thai cooking you can see the locals catching and gathering their produce and cooked right in front of you. You can also pick up other handmade gifts other than food and also take a long tail boat ride either by yourself or with a group of people down the river to an orchid farm, small temples or around the local area where you can see how the poorer people live with their houses on stilts going into the water.

AFTERNOON

1:00pm – Siam Paragon Shopping Mall
If you love shopping and want to splurge in one of the biggest malls I’ve ever seen you definitely need to visit this shopping mall in the Siam district of Bangkok. Filled with lots of high end shops and even a whole floor dedicated to expensive sports cars. But it’s definitely one you need to see even if you don’t spend anything.

5pm – The Roof @ 38th Bar Mode Hotel
Dinner time! You will have definitely worked up an appetite walking around. And exploring the sights of Bangkok and what better way to enjoy your dinner. Than on a rooftop bar overlooking the stunning views and skyline of the city. You can choose from a wide range of drinks. And dishes from their menu and eat it whilst enjoying the views and sunset.

7pm – Soi Cowboy
Now this probably isn’t to everyone’s taste but it’s definitely an eye opener. And something I think you should experience once. I’ve definitely found that if you go in a group you won’t be bothered. As much as when my brother was walking alone he’d have ladyboys approaching him. Even though he wasn’t that bothered. It’s a cheap place to drink and we just sat in a bar. And watched the football and just took in some of the sights. Thailand is known for it’s ladyboys and Soi Cowboy is one of the famous strips in Thailand. It’s definitely great to experience some form of nightlife in Bangkok.

11pm -A late night swim
If you are lucky enough and have booked a hotel with an infinity pool I would definitely recommend a late night swim in your hotels pool if it’s still open – if not you can always enjoy their spa package if they include one. Definitely think this is an amazing experience to enjoy the city lights whilst swimming around in your hotel pool. A well earned swim or spa treatment after exploring the sights of the city and relax those sore feet before flying home.

WHERE TO EAT

Hard Rock Cafe – Every city is bound to have a Hard Rock Cafe and we just happened to stumble across one but if that’s up your street you definitely need to go. You definitely work up a huge appetite for a big burger and fries walking around Bangkok.

The Roof @ 38th Bar Mode Hotel – An amazing experience sitting on the rooftop overlooking the beautiful skylines of Bangkok. A more expensive option but definitely one that needs to be done. My brother has a massive plate of prawn which was literally the size of two peoples heads for about £20 so that was amazing.

Floating Market or any Street Market – For a true authentic Thai experience you need to at least eat once at one of the floating markets or at one of the many street stalls selling lots of amazing food for literally pennies.

Banyan Tree – I haven’t personally been to this restaurant but my god sister went recently and said it was amazingly and definitely one of her highlights from her trip. Another rooftop bar which overlooks the skylines.

Top Knot @ Hotel Once – A rooftop restaurant we visited on our second trip to Bangkok this time near the River Menam and we came across this lovely rooftop restaurant with fairy lights and a live band that plays acoustic music whilst you eat some delicious food.

COMPETITION: 24 Hours In …. Blogger Competition with Accor Hotels

If you had only 24 hours in your favourite city, what would you do? Let me know in the comments.