A visit to Thailand would be incomplete without a quick stopover in Bangkok. Below we have outlined how best to spend your 2 Days in Bangkok itinerary with kids (or without) while to visit.
There are so many things to do in Bangkok with kids, so we have tried to narrow it down for an easy Bangkok itinerary – 2 days to guide you through this amazing city. This Bangkok itinerary would also work for anyone going visit for a 2 day trip in Bangkok.
Typically, many travellers are heading to Thailand for the wonderful beaches and islands, including Phuket Island, Krabi and Phi Phi Islands. But, be sure to include Bangkok on your Thailand itinerary to see some of the authenticity of Thailand and great aspects of the country.
Either put these 2 days in Bangkok at the beginning or end of your Thailand trip to complete your itinerary.
We visited Bangkok a couple of times on our 1 year trip around the world with our kids, and below are the best places to visit in Bangkok in 2 days!
What You'll Find in This Post
- Top 10 Things to Do in Bangkok in 2 days
- Day 1 in Bangkok: Grand Palace, Emerald Buddha, Reclining Buddha, Temple of Dawn & Asiatique
- Day 2 in Bangkok: Golden Buddha, Flower Market, Turtle Temple, Golden Mount & Chinatown
- Where to stay in Bangkok?
- Map of Bangkok 2 Days
- 3 Days in Bangkok or More
- Bangkok Travel Tips
- Best Time to go to Bangkok
- How to Get Around Bangkok
Top 10 Things to Do in Bangkok in 2 days
Day 1 in Bangkok: Grand Palace, Emerald Buddha, Reclining Buddha, Temple of Dawn & Asiatique
For the first day in Bangkok, you must immerse yourself in some of the greatest places to visit in Thailand. You will spend most of your day exploring temples, travelling along the Chao Praya river and seeing some spectacular monuments in the city.
1. The Grand Palace
The Grand Palace Bangkok is probably the most famous landmark in all of Bangkok. This palace complex is lined with white walls that surround the variety of buildings inside. It houses some government buildings, the ceremonial or official residence of the King of Thailand and Wat Phra Kaew.
Enjoy the beautiful architecture, intricate designs and beauty of the Grand Palace.
2. Emerald Buddha – Wat Phra Kaew
Wat Phra Kaew is also known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and located inside the Grand Palace. The Emerald Buddha is the most sacred site in Thailand, so be sure to dress appropriately to be admitted.
The Emerald Buddha is small in comparison to other Buddhas that we had seen in Thailand. The temple is very busy, very hot and steady with people flowing through the temple we didn’t stay inside very long, so just set your expectations.
3. Reclining Buddha – Wat Pho
Wat Pho is also known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. This enormous Buddha spans the entire length of the building and remarkable to see up close. This temple is very close to the Emerald Buddha less than 10 minutes walk, but outside of the Grand Palace.
4. Temple of Dawn – Wat Arun
The Temple of Dawn or Wat Arun is located across the Chao Phraya river so you can access it by riverboat taxi or ferries easily. This temple is different than the others with the stunning temples that line river and beautiful to see at night when it is lite up. The details and intricate hand craftsmanship of the temples are worth the visit.
5. Asiatique – The Riverfront
Asiatique on the Riverfront is a combination of both the new modern aspects of Bangkok and some traditional aspects. It has night bazaars, malls, restaurants and street food vendors. It’s such a mix and clash that brings to the forefront the modernization of Bangkok while keeping its authenticity to the Thai culture.
Finish your day off with some delicious Thai food at Asiatique. There are a variety of modern restaurants but also on local food vendors to try.
If you absolutely only have 24 Hours in Bangkok this is the 1 day in Bangkok itinerary that I would recommend doing. You will finish the day wanting to see more of Thailand but have no regrets about all the things you did see in Bangkok.
Day 2 in Bangkok: Golden Buddha, Flower Market, Turtle Temple, Golden Mount & Chinatown
When you visit Bangkok in 2 days you will be able to explore some other hidden gems and see other angles of this city. The second day will let you get a bit deeper into the Thai culture and explore a bit more of the history of this culture.
6. Golden Mount – Wat Saket
The Golden Mount it a fun spot to visit in Bangkok. It is located in Old Town Bangkok and is an Ayutthaya-era shrine and shiny gold which you can see from so far away. It is a sacred pilgrim site where you climb up 300 steps that circle the chedi.
Our kids loved this place and one of their favourite spots in our 2 days in Bangkok.
7. Flower Market
Try to get here earlier in the morning and walk through the beautiful flower market to see another side of bustling Bangkok.
8. Wat Prayoon – Turtle Temple
Wat Prayoon is less busy than all the other temples that we went to, but they have a very cool experience for the kids to feed the turtles in the pond. This tranquil temple is a nice change of scenery from the busy tourist spots in Bangkok.
9. Golden Buddha – Wat Traimit
The Golden Buddha is a 5.5 tonne sitting Buddha almost 5 meters high. This temple is located in Chinatown and so it makes for a great way to end the day before going to Chinatown for the evening.
10. Chinatown
Chinatown is busy, loud, hectic and will trigger ever sense you have. Bright lights, honking horns, vendors working, food cooking, smells from a range of odours you aren’t even sure what they are. It is truly a mash of busy everywhere, and nothing western about it, which is why we loved it in Chinatown. If you want to get some of the best Thai food in Bangkok, go down to Chinatown and eat street food!
Where to stay in Bangkok?
There are so many great areas to stay for 3 nights in Bangkok. For 3 nights and 2 days in Bangkok, we typically stay in a hotel for short stays in big cities. We have been to the city a couple of times and stayed in different areas each time, it really just depends on the atmosphere or Bangkok you want to experience. My suggestions would be either Riverside, Silom, Siam or Chinatown areas. Below are some breakdowns of the areas and hotel options.
Bangkok Riverside Area
Anywhere along the Chao Praya river in the central part of Bangkok is a great spot to stay for your first time in Bangkok. The waterway is the life of the city and so many of the above places are easy to get to from here. This area is generally more expensive to stay since you are so close to many of the main sites to visit.
We stayed on Riverside for one of our stays at the Ibis Bangkok Riverside which worked great and was a little better pricing. The hotel was clean, great pool and great views of the river. We used the water ferries to get around to the other side of the river.
You can see where the Riverside area is HERE and some hotel options alongside the river.
Chinatown Area
We stayed in Chinatown on one of our visits to Bangkok and loved it. The area has a great area to get some great food, a cheaper area to stay than Silom or Riverside and good markets to visit. The Hotel Royal Bangkok in Chinatown would be one we would recommend with a great location.
HERE is where Chinatown is located in Bangkok and some hotel options.
VRBO Options in the Chinatown area in Bangkok
Silom Area
Silom is considered the business district and what is great about this area is the huge green space called Lumphini Park. We walked around this area and decided that the next time we go to Bangkok we will stay close to this area. Very good access to MRT and Skytrain in this area too!
Here are some hotel options and a map to show you where the Silom area is in Bangkok.
Silom VRBO options in this area
Siam Area
This is known as the shopping area with MBK, Siam Paragon, Siam Center and Central Chitlom. It is a great area to stay if you want to do some shopping and has easy access to trains from this location.
You can check out where the Siam area is and hotel options HERE.
I always find using the map tool at Booking.com easy to quickly check prices and location of the hotels.
Booking.comMap of Bangkok 2 Days
Below is a map of Bangkok for 2 days, which includes all the best places to visit in Bangkok with family. Use the map to get your barrings and plan your trip including where to stay, adjust your itinerary or add onto your trip. There is a lot of Bangkok attractions for family, so be sure to plan your days with some free time.
- Day 1 in Bangkok – Yellow
- Day 2 in Bangkok – Purple
- Other Bangkok Attractions – Blue
- Best Areas to Stay in Bangkok – Orange
- Day Trips from Bangkok – Green
3 Days in Bangkok or More
If you have 3 days in Bangkok, you can add in some of the Bangkok attractions below or head out on a day trip from Bangkok.
Other Bangkok Attractions
Here are a few more ideas that might fit your travel preference and can easily substitute some in the above itinerary if they suit you better. If you have more than 2 days, Bangkok has so many other attractions that you can visit.
- Chatuchak Weekend Market – This is a huge outdoor market held on Saturdays. You will find everything here for sale to enjoy a day of shopping at the markets with both locals and tourist shopping.
- Shopping in Bangkok – You can go to markets, but there is also some very high-end shopping available in Bangkok for those who love to shop.
- Lumphini Park – This is the largest green space in Bangkok. We loved walking around this park and watching all the locals run on the path. This can be a great place to get some nature in a busy metropolis.
- Jim Thompson House – This is a museum of art collection from architect Jim Thompson.
Depending on how many days in Bangkok you have, adding any one of these to your vacation is an option. If you are able to add to your Bangkok itinerary 3 days is a great way to be able to take a day trip from Bangkok to see outside of the city too.
Day Trips from Bangkok
If you have 3 days in Bangkok you can add on one of these day trips from Bangkok.
- Damnoen Saduak Floating Market & Maeklong Train Market – We went out to this and absolutely loved the floating market and train market. Here is an option to go to Damnoen Saduak Floating Markets and have everything pre-arranged for the day.
- Khao Yai National Park – A UNESCO World Heritage site that can be visited on a day trip from Bangkok. Here is one option to see Ancient Ayutthaya and the National Park for the day. Or if jungle trekking in the Kaho Yai National Park to visit the waterfall suits your travel style this looks like a great option.
- Ayutthaya & Ayothaya Floating Market – Or a combination of both the UNESCO site of Ayutthaya & Ayothaya Floating Market for a day trip is another great choice.
Bangkok Travel Tips
- Tourist Visa – Check with your country travel advisory, but likely you will need a visitor visa to enter Thailand for up to 30 days. These can typically be obtained on arrival but be sure to check with your countries travel advisory website to be sure. This is the website for Canadiens to check here and look for entry and exit requirements.
- Currency – The currency used is a Thai Baht, we typically had some cash on us for markets, transportation and enough for entry into the Wat and temples.
- Travel Insurance – Don’t forget to get international travel insurance for your trip to Thailand. We used World Nomads for our entire year of travel including Thailand and recommend for insurance!
- Airports – BKK (Suvarnabhumi International Airport) and DMK (Don Mueang International Airport) are the two airports in Bangkok. You can take the stress out of your arrival and pre-book an airport shuttle to your hotel here! We arranged one of these to make our arrival easier into the city and highly recommend it.
- Looking for the latest festival or things happening in Bangkok this weekend? Check out the Tourism Thailand website for the latest updates.
- We always take a small travel guide books with us to every country. Here are a few to pack that we like!
Best Time to go to Bangkok
Bangkok is usually warm all year round with a tropical climate. But, the best time to go to Bangkok is between November to February when the average temperature is just under 30°C and humidity is lower. For anyone who is not used to the heat and humidity, this is the most bearable for touring around a city.
Bangkok is the hottest during the months of March until the end of June, and then the rainy season is from July to October.
How to Get Around Bangkok
- Tuk Tuk – These vehicles are everywhere in Bangkok and super easy to get from one place to another. We used these often for shorter distances (less than 10 minutes) to get from one place to another. It can be hot in the city, so sometimes just having the air movement in the tuk tuks can be helpful to give you a break on your trip. Always negotiate and agree to a price BEFORE you get into a tuk tuk on the amount.
- Riverboat Taxi & Ferries – On the Chao Phraya river there are riverboat taxis that can take you from one side of the river to the other. This is the cheapest, quickest and easiest way to get around the places that surround the river. There are stops all along the river and some make you pay on the boat and some are before you enter so just go with the flow. These will be busy and expect a lot of people on these boats.
- Train – The Bangkok BTS (Skytrain) or Bangkok MRT (underground) train is a quick and great way to get around the newer parts of Bangkok. We used it to get around to areas such as Chinatown, Siam, Silom and many more. The subway doesn’t yet take you into the heart of the old Bangkok but does get you close for either walking or to take the riverboats.
- Taxi – If on occasion we were unable to find a tuk tuk to take us around then we used a taxi. In general, they are more expensive than tuk tuk and we negotiated our rate prior to getting into the cab. We also used a taxi for when we went to farther distances, such as the Chatuchak Weekend Market, and asked our hotel concierge on the expected cost from the hotel before we negotiated with the taxi.
More Information for Your Trip to South East Asia
We are just working on getting our full Thailand itinerary with kids together, so check back soon for updates.
We hope this information can provide you will all the information that you need for your 2 Day Bangkok Itinerary. If you have any questions please ask them in the comments below and we will certainly help with any information that we can.
Have you spent two days in Bangkok before? Have we missed anything that would be super useful for others to know about? If so, please share the love and put them in the comments below to share with others.
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