Bangkok rewards an early start and punishes a midday one. This plan is built around that.
Day one: the Old City#
8:30 Grand Palace at opening, before the heat and the groups. Dress code: shoulders and knees covered, no exceptions. 10:30 Wat Pho and the reclining Buddha, then a massage at the school inside. 12:30 Lunch in the Old City lanes, then the rule: back to the hotel or a café from 1 to 4. 4:30 The ferry across to Wat Arun for the light. Evening Phra Athit Road for a quieter dinner, or Khao San Road if you want the spectacle once.
Day two: the river and Chinatown#
Morning A canal boat through Thonburi: the Bangkok that was, in an hour and a half. Midday Rest. 6pm Yaowarat Road, Chinatown, as the stalls open: eat from four of them, not one. 9pm A rooftop bar, the one locals go to, not the one in the film.
Day three: the city people live in#
Morning BTS to Ari or Thonglor: coffee, a neighbourhood walk, a lunch with no English menu (Ari, Sukhumvit). If it's Saturday or Sunday, Chatuchak instead, early. Afternoon A proper Thai massage. Evening Dinner where Bangkokians eat, with a Bangkokian if you can.
The versions#
- Couples: change the evenings. Riverside dinner, rooftop, a couples massage, a Thonglor cocktail bar. Bangkok for couples.
- Budget: hostel, boats and BTS, street food every meal. Bangkok on a budget.
- Two days: cut day three. Bangkok in 2 days.
- More time: Ayutthaya on day four, a floating market on day five, or the 4-day itinerary.
Practical#
Airport to the city, BTS and MRT, what to wear, tipping, scams to avoid, what it costs.
Day three with a Bangkokian#
Post your dates on Roavi Community: travellers in Bangkok on the same days appear together, and Local Friends who live here can reply. A Local Friend for day three is the difference between seeing a neighbourhood and being in one.
Three days in Bangkok? Spend the third with someone who lives there.
Meet a Local FriendFrequently Asked Questions
Is 3 days enough for Bangkok?
Enough for the Old City, Chinatown, the river and one real neighbourhood, which is the right first visit. A fourth day adds a day trip to Ayutthaya; a fifth adds a floating market. Most people leave wanting one more.What's the best order for the temples?
Grand Palace at opening (8:30), then Wat Pho next door, then Wat Arun across the river by the 5-baht ferry late in the afternoon when the light is good and the tour buses have gone. Never all three at midday.What's a Bangkok 3 day itinerary for couples?
The same bones with the evenings changed: a dinner cruise or a riverside restaurant on day one, a rooftop bar on day two, a couples massage and a Thonglor cocktail bar on day three. Bangkok is better for couples at night than by day.How much do 3 days in Bangkok cost?
It depends on where you sleep. Food, transport and temple entry for three days come to a modest sum even eating well; the hotel is the variable. The trip cost guide has the real numbers by budget.
