Bangkok at 24 is a different city from Bangkok at 54, and a better one. The temples can wait until 4pm.
By day#
- Chatuchak on a Saturday: 15,000 stalls, vintage, food, iced coffee, a whole day.
- A long-tail through the Thonburi canals (how): the river city, an hour and a half, cheap if you share.
- A Muay Thai class in the morning, then a fight at night (Muay Thai in Bangkok).
- A cooking class: the one skill from this trip you'll use.
- Lumphini Park at dusk: outdoor gyms, monitor lizards, Bangkok exhaling.
- Ari or Thonglor on foot: coffee, cafés, the Bangkok your friends don't know (Ari).
- A tattoo, if you were going to anyway: Bangkok's studios are serious.
By night#
- Chinatown food crawl on Yaowarat: five stalls, two beers, almost nothing spent (street food guide).
- A rooftop at sunset (the ones locals use), then down into Thonglor, Ekkamai or RCA for the clubs (nightlife guide).
- A Muay Thai fight night at a stadium.
- A night market (markets guide).
- Khao San once (what it's like): the spectacle, an hour, then leave.
- A Thai live-music bar with no foreigners in it, which you'll only find with a Thai.
If you're here in April#
Songkran: the biggest water fight on earth, three days, the whole city. Plan around it; Bangkok in April.
Money#
All of the above is cheap except the rooftop cocktails and the clubs' drinks. Bangkok on a budget, hostels.
Meeting people your age#
Hostel bars, a fight, a walking tour, a cooking class. Post your dates on Roavi Community: travellers in Bangkok on the same days appear together, and you can find the people for the Chinatown crawl before you land. Young Thais are the hard part; a Local Friend your age is the direct route to the bars and the neighbourhoods they actually go to. How to meet other travellers in Bangkok has the rest.
Bangkok in your twenties? Post your dates and find your people.
Post your tripFrequently Asked Questions
What are fun things to do in Bangkok for young adults?
A Muay Thai fight, a Chinatown food crawl, rooftop sunset then a club in Thonglor or RCA, Chatuchak weekend market, a canal long-tail, the night markets, Khao San once, a cooking class, Lumphini Park at dusk with the monitor lizards, and Songkran in April.What are unusual things to do in Bangkok?
A Muay Thai class not just a fight, the amulet market, the Thonburi canals by long-tail, a Thai boxing stadium's ringside, a night at a Thai live-music bar with no foreigners, the Maeklong railway market, a neighbourhood like Ari that no guidebook sends you to.Where do young travellers go out in Bangkok?
Khao San and Rambuttri for the backpacker night, Thonglor and Ekkamai for cocktail bars and clubs, RCA for big clubs, Silom for a mix, Chinatown for a food-and-beer crawl. Rooftops for sunset before any of them.How do I meet people my age in Bangkok?
Hostel bars, a fight night, a walking tour, a cooking class, and posting your dates on Roavi Community so travellers in Bangkok the same days find you. For young Thais, a Local Friend your age is the direct route to the bars and places they actually go.
