For your 3D itinerary in Bangkok Thailand, selectively pick the places that you want to visit especially if you want to add some food exploration and shopping to it. Since we had a limited time when we came here, we purposefully chose the visual places that we wanted to see. Below are the list that you can add into your itinerary.
GRAND PALACE
At Hotel Tara, there is a free tuk tuk that they will arrange for their hotel guests going to Grand Palace. So this was me and my friend waiting for our tuk tuk ride.
Grand Palace is absolutely one of the famous and dazzling places in Bangkok that you must visit. Within the massive complex are several impressive buildings including the Temple of Emerald Buddha. One of the characteristics of this place is its colorful, well crafted, and massive architectures within a massive complex.
Things to watch-out
Go straight to the entrance. When we arrived in the place, we saw a tourist booth but at that time, there was no one inside. However, someone who stood nearby approached and told us that the palace was full of tourists and that, it is better to try some nearby attractions and come back once the current batch is done with their tour. Then, he gestured to us that we can take a tuk tuk. I thought at first that he was someone from the tourist booth so, his suggestion made sense especially since we don’t want to go along with a massive crowd inside. However, my friend expressed her doubts that it could be a trick and that we might end up paying for more than what we initially expected. Upon realizing this, we declined the offer and went straight to the entrance. Of course, we found out that the palace was not full.
There is a strict dress code inside.
Men. Long pants, shirts with sleeves, no bare feet. In short, if you are wearing slippers, you should also wear socks.
Women. No bare feet, no see-through clothes, no leggings and shorts, and bare shoulders. It is always best to bring shawl just in case you are unsure of your attire.
Opening Hours: Daily 08:30 – 15:30
Location: Na Phra Lan Road, Old City (Rattanakosin)
Entrance Fee: Tickets sold from 8:30 – 15:30 and cost 500 baht
The entire complex is clean and really impressive but please manage your expectations. Thailand is a tropical country so you might visit this place under the heat of 36-40 deg. cel (specially during summer). Another thing is, yes, it can be crowded at specific time so it is better to be mentally prepared for it. Since the palace is massive, please plan a minimum of two hours for your tour inside.
WAT PHO
Wat Pho is around 15-20 minute walk from the Grand Palace. The place is famed for its reclining giant Buddha that is about 46 meters long and 15 meters tall. Similar to the Grand Palace, proper clothing is also required here. Note that Wat Pho is not as massive as the Grand Palace complex. Spending an hour here is more than enough.
Opening Hours: Daily 08:00 – 17:00
Location: Maharat Road. Close to the river (about a half mile south of the Grand Palace), Old City (Rattanakosin)
Entrance fee: 100 baht
From Wat Pho, my friend and I decided to take Grab car going to our next destination. Since it was very hot and we’re already starting to feel the tiredness from our walking tour, we found it wise to just take grab instead of pushing ourselves to commute. We paid 90 baht from Wat Pho to Wat Arun.
WAT ARUN
This is indeed one of the stunning temples in Bangkok that I’ve seen. Notice that its design and intricate patterns are very different from most of the temples that you’ve seen on my photos above.
Opening Hours: 08:00 -17:30
Location: West side of Chao Praya River (opposite Tha Thien Pier)
Entrance Fee: 50 Baht
You can visit all these three locations in one day and combine it with some food exploration like what we did here. Then, set aside an entire half day for Ayutthaya or if your budget permits, an entire day.
AYUTTHAYA
Ayutthaya is a historic city which is an hour away from Bangkok, Thailand. The place is a UNESCO heritage and was founded in 1350. Ayutthaya was once the center of diplomacy and commerce but it was attacked and destroyed by Burmese army in 1767 and was burned to the ground. The city was never rebuilt but preserved to be an extensive archaeological sight at present with a total area of 289 ha.
Since the places in Ayutthaya are not close to each other, you would need to rent tuk tuk for 200 baht per hour or a bicycle. But, I would not advice that you do the tour by bicycle unless you have enough time to spare. If you rent a tuk tuk, also ask you driver to drop you off at the van terminal going back to Bangkok so that it would be easier for you to go back in the city.
Getting Around Ayutthaya
From Bangkok, we took a grab car for 724 baht going to Ayutthaya. Since we left Bangkok late, around 11:00 AM, it was already too hot and we thought it would be convenient for us to just split the fare and take grab. Once we reached Ayutthaya Park Shopping Mall, we saw that there were tuk tuks parked opposite to it so, we asked a mall personnel to help us find an English-speaking driver who can tour us around. Our driver showed us photos of the places that we wanted to see within the span of two hours and here they are:
Our itinerary was very relaxed and we even had enough time to go back to our hotel, freshen-up, rest a bit, and head to our night exploration after.
Bangkok as a destination is highly recommended since flight, food, and accommodation here are cheap and there’s just so much food and historical sites to explore. For a 3D2N itinerary, my friend and I spent around 10,000 PHP/each (all in) which is equivalent to: 254 SGD/765 MYR/184 USD/158 EUR.
Where do you plan to go next? Here are some of our suggestions that you might want to explore:
