Bangkok Things to Do Tips by Mahieu

The Wat is made of white Carrara marble, that's why people call it also "The Marble Temple".
I was really grateful that I took the time to discover this beautiful temple! The courtyard of the temple exhibits more than 50 Buddha images representing different styles from all over Asia.
It's a beautiful place, not too touristic and it's nice to have a walk next to the temple, close to the monk quarters.

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Address: Si Ayutthaya Road, Bangkok
Directions: Near Chitralada Palace

I visited the Golden Mountain twice. Once to actually visit it and the second time because it was the yearly Wat Sakhet-festival.
The steep climb up to the Golden Mountain offers you a nice view.
I actually thought that Wat Sakhet and Golden Mountain were the same thing, but as it turned out, I only visited Golden Mountain, that means the highest part. A bit lower, you can find the actual temple. ;-))

Anyway, I liked this place, it's not touristic and also the surrounding streets, famous for its carpenters, are nice to explore.

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Phone: 66-2-233 4561
Address: Bus No. 8, 15, 37, 47, 97 Air Con Bus No. 38, 49

Wat Pho was the first temple I visited. I was surprised that the temple complex was that huge! You can easily spend an hour checking everything out. The main reason why tourists come here is the Reclining Buddha which is 46 metres long!
There are also four large Chedis commemorating the first three Chakri Kings ( Rama III has two Chedis).
If you would like to get a real Thai massage, then the best place to do this is here. At What Po you can find the national headquarters for the teaching of traditional Thai medecine, including Thai massage.

The Wat was built during the 16th Century and almost completely rebuilt in the 18th.

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Phone: 02-221-991
Address: Tha Tien Pier, Chao Phraya River, Bangkok
Directions: The entrance to Wat Pho is on Chetuphon road. Entrance is 20B. It's open every day, opening hours are from 08.00am to 5.00pm, with a break from 12.00pm to 1.00pm.
Website: http://www.discoverthailand.com/

To get to Wat Arun, we took a boat on the Chao Praya. Quite an adventure, I'm not really used to boats shaking that much when you get in ;-)
Wat Arun is called after the Indian god of Dawn, Aruna. Tourist brochures tell you to explore it very early in the morning, but we couldn't make it and visited it in the evening. It's a nice Wat, allthough very small. You can climb up the stairs to a certain level. The decoration of the Wat is beautiful. Also the view from the river is worth the trip.

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Phone: 02-466-3167
Address: Tha Tien Pier, Chao Phraya River
Directions: From this pier take a cross river ferry to Wat Arun.

This is the number one of the tourist attractions in Bangkok. And indeed, there were lots and lots of tourists! The temple of the Emerals Buddha ( Wat Phra Keo) adjoins the Grand Palace on the same ground. There are about 100 buildings, representing 200 years of royal history.

Honestly, I was a bit disappointed after the visit. Of course, it's beautiful, but due to the amount of tourists, I had some difficulty seeing the serenity of the temple. I didn't have the feeling that I was in a religious place. To me, Wat Pho and Wat Benchamabophit were far more beautiful and authentic!

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Phone: 02-224-1833
Address: Maharaj Pier, Chao Phraya, Bangkok
Directions: The combined compound is open 8.30am to 3.30pm everyday. Cost is 200B (if you are Thai, it's free), and includes admission to Vimanmek Mansion and Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall, both in the Dusit area.
Website: http://www.discoverthailand.com/

I stayed in the Chinatown area and would do this again on my next visit. To me, it's the most liveliest part of Bangkok: during day, but especially during the evening, lots of street vendors are cooking the most delicious meals right on the street. At first I was a bit scared about the hygiene, but I tried the food several times and never got sick!
This may not be the area with the most beautiful monuments, but you can't leave Bangkok before you visited Chinatown!

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Address: in and around Yaowarat Road

Patpong is an area where every tourist will end up. There are two reasons, the first one being the night market, the second one the red light district (see nightlife tip)
At the nightmarket, you can buy the most famous brands ( Rolex, Louis Vuitton, Breitling, Timberland, ...) for almost nothing. Of course everything is fake, but the imitations are really well done!
Don't forget to bargain: sometimes they let go things for half of the price!

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