High Cultural Sights In Bangkok

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With impressive architecture, sprawling markets and engaging museums dotted throughout the city Bangkok has lots to maintain visitors occupied during the day before its legendary nightlife will get underway. The majestic Grand Palace and the enduring Wat Arun are amongst probably the most photographed landmarks in South East Asia and provide an interesting introduction to the Far East for the 1000's of vacationers booking low-cost flights to Bangkok every year.

Temples & Palaces

A lot of Bangkok’s most well-known architectural sights lie in and around the winding Chao Praya River in the Old Town area of the city. These are inside straightforward reach of the popular backpacking haunt Khao San Road and nicely linked to other areas of the city by water taxi.

Wat Arun

The 5 spires of Wat Arun (aka the Temple of Dawn - pictured above) tower over the adjoining river; a picture which takes satisfaction of place in many a vacation picture album. The temple consists of four intricately adorned and slim spires that encompass a taller central spire. This taller spire could be scaled using the steep flight ...
... of stairs carved into the stone.

Wat Arun appears to be significantly spectacular at sunset though the quietest time to visit is early in the morning from 8.30 am onwards however before the crowds arrive.

The Grand Palace

Arguably the must-see sight of a trip to Bangkok, The Grand Palace (foremost image) was built in 1782 and was home to the Thai king for one hundred fifty years. Nowadays the palace is a well-liked tourist attraction that features the majestic Emerald Buddha, a statue carved from a huge block of jade that dates again to fifteenth century AD. Solely the king of Thailand can come into contact with the statue, which is testament to its revered status. It’s housed inside the Wat Phra Kaew - probably the most revered Buddhist temple in Thailand.

Wat Sacket

Wat Saket (aka the Golden Mount) combines distinctive architecture with panoramic views over the city. It’s a 300 step climb to the highest of the overgrown man-made hill that sprouts incongruously from the surrounding concrete, but the view is definitely definitely worth the climb to look out over the city.

November is a particularly interesting time to visit Wat Saket when it hosts a traditional temple fair and an annual Buddha worshipping ceremony. Crowds of worshippers gather to the temple during this era and it’s ideal to go to during the day.

Wat Pho

Simply 10 minutes from The Grand Palace is Wat Pho - a soothing temple on the banks of the Chao Praya River. The golden reclining Buddha statue is the centrepiece of Wat Pho which stands at 15 metres tall. It is also an incredible place to experience a conventional Thai therapeutic massage - a extra intense take on the relaxing western version.

Markets

The thought of markets in Thailand conjures up photos of boats gently floating along slim canals promoting contemporary produce. While some of the finest-known floating markets require a day journey from Bangkok there are some interesting markets to visit within the capital itself.

Chatuchak Market

This vast 35 acre market features over 9,000 market stalls each weekend and sells just about anything you can imagine. It’s divided into 27 sections with a large walkway circling the outside of the market and numbered alleyways to help newcomers discover their means around.

Anybody ready to haggle can depart Chatuchak with a collection of implausible bargains. The market gets notably hot throughout the hotter months of April and May so it’s a good idea to reach early and discount hunt before it heats up.

Bang Nam Pheung

Tucked away in a horseshoe of the Chao Praya River, the Bang Nam Pheung market is full of all sorts of attention-grabbing local produce - the fascinating array of exotic fruit might be an eye-opener for anybody new to Asia.

Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market

This has the appeal of a small local market and isn’t as touristy as a number of the more frequented floating markets that surround the city. A lot of the market is stationed on land but there's a collection of small boats that float alongside, cooking-up delicious Thai food.

Museums

Jim Thomson’s House

Anyone that’s trying to delve just a little deeper into Thai culture ought to pay a visit to one of Bangkok’s fascinating museums.

Jim Thompson’s House is actually an unlikely name for a tourist attraction however this former of home of a US expat houses an impressive collection of artefacts, historic wall hangings and different attention-grabbing objects.

The Museum of Siam is an interactive narration of Thai identity. There are many interactive activities to maintain both kids and adults entertained, like excavating a mock archaeology site and shooting old fashioned weapons. Bangkok National Museum is extra traditional fare, housing relics from hundreds of years of Thai history including decorative royal chariots.

Melissa Newman wrote this article with the intent to help you find cheap Flights to Bangkok and choose the best flights deals with Globehunters.