What Is Bangkok Famous For?: Top 18 Popular Places & Things in Bangkok

Bangkok is Thailand's capital city and trading centre, situated beside the Chao Phraya River. It is popular for its magnificent palaces, skyscrapers, museums and markets that attract tourists worldwide. Also, adventure lovers visit this spot to explore its cultural and historical landmarks.

Do you wish to find out what Bangkok is famous for? Then, find out all about it in this article.

If you are planning a holiday here, you should know that the currency used here is Thai Baht, and as of November, 2022, 1 Thai Baht equals ₹ 2.30. Here are some of the tourist destinations in Bangkok that you must visit:

1. Grand Palace

It is an eighteenth-century royal residential place of the Kings of Siam. The large building complex has several beautifully-designed and well-decorated halls, pavilions, courtyards, gardens and lawns. Inside the Grand Palace complex, you will also find one of the most venerated temples, Wat Phra Kaew, which houses the sacred emerald statue of Lord Buddha.

2. Wat Pho

Wat Pho is one of the largest temple complexes in Bangkok. Inside this temple, you can find a 46-metre long reclining statue of Lord Buddha draped with gold leaf. You can also enjoy the relaxing Thai massage from this temple.

This way, you can revitalise both your soul and body by visiting Wat Pho. Another major attraction of this temple is the series of Lord Buddha’s statues collected from different parts of the country.

3. China Town

China Town of Bangkok is a large and vibrant city area, widely popular for its bustling market. During the daytime, the place is quiet, but at night, the quietness turns into endless rows of stalls. If you want to purchase souvenirs, you can find this market the best place for this. Furthermore, it is also a landmark place where you can find authentic Chinese cuisine.

4. Chatuchak Weekend Market

It is one of the largest weekend markets in the world, with over 15,000 shops. All these stalls are arranged in 27 separate sections. You can purchase several items from this market, including antiques, cosmetics, consumer electronics, pets, foods and drinks, furniture, ceramics, home accessories, books and clothing. Chatuchak Weekend Market attracts more than 200,000 people for this vast collection every weekend.

5. Wat Arun

Wat Arun is a significant temple in Bangkok, situated beside the Chao Phraya River. It is an ancient temple built in the Ayutthaya Period and gets its name from the Hindu sun god, Aruna’.

The temple building looks magnificent when the sunlight in sawn falls on it. Besides this, other major attractions of this temple are its numerous Buddha statues, central prang, the Bell Tower, the Ordination Hall, etc.

6. Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market on the Sadual canal is also a popular tourist magnet. In this market, you can see vendors selling their products, including vegetables, fruit, flower, foods, clothes, and other items, on their wooden boats (sampans). Exploring the market on sampan will fill you with unbound excitement, and it will be a journey worth remembering.

7. Jim Thompson’s House

Jim Thompson’s House also comes on the list of famous places in Bangkok. He was a businessman from America who spent 30 years of his life trying to revive Thai silk's glory during the 1950s. His house is now turned into a museum demonstrating his collections of antique Thai silks.

Besides this museum, the housing complex has a teakwood villa, a Buddha statue made of sandstone, Benjarong porcelain ware, Belgian chandeliers, etc.

8. Asiatique

Asiatique is a marketplace that includes a mall and a night bazaar. Earlier, this place was a busy international port for trade and business. Asiatique now has more than 1,500 boutique stores where you can purchase gifts for your near and dear ones. Besides, you can also get several Thai and Italian restaurants along with branches of Au Bon Pain, Pizza Company and KFC.

9. Lumpini Park

It is a large playground that includes several picnic spots, benches, walking paths, a large artificial lake and diverse flora and fauna. You can see people of almost every age group either spending their leisure time or doing exercises.

This park is also a residential place for more than 30 avian species. Besides these, some other interesting things you can find here are a statue of King Rama -IV, Smiling Sun Ground, Home of Hope, etc.

10. Bangkok Museums

If you want to explore Thailand's domestic arts and artefacts, you must visit the Bangkok Museum. It has vast prehistoric artefacts from the Ayutthaya and Sukhothai eras. These include Chinese weapons, khon masks, decorative arts, textiles, precious stones, traditional musical instruments, etc. The museum also has a funeral hall that exhibits chariots used during royal cremations.

11. Democracy Monument

The Democracy Monument was built to commemorate the Siamese revolution that resulted in the formation of a constitutional monarchy in Thailand. The sculpture demonstrates a palm leaf box of manuscripts grasping the country's constitution. There are also 4 symbolic wings guarding the constitution. Furthermore, 75 canons encircling the statue represent the year of this revolution.

12. Victory Monument

This is also a commemorative monument in Bangkok. It carries the story of a bloodless revolution that led Thailand to regain its disputed area on the Indochina border from the clutch of French colonialists. The shape of this monument is like a sword that symbolises the state’s masculine power. It also has five statues representing the prowesses of the army, police, navy, air force and civilians.

Besides the places, you also need to know about other special things about this country before embarking on your trip to Bangkok:

13. Thai Massage

Thai massage tops the list of things Bangkok is famous for. Bangkok is the place where Thai massage originated. By taking delight in this message, you can restore the flexibility of your body muscles.

14. Street Food

To get the most out of your international trip to Bangkok, you must indulge yourself in the delight of mouthwatering street foods. You can visit a nearby stall selling Thai food on almost every city corner. The taste of these street foods can easily match the cuisines you can get from a restaurant.

15. Shopping Malls

Among all other popular things in Bangkok, elegant and bustling shopping malls also have a unique position. There are about 50 uniquely designed and colourful shopping mall buildings in the city. Moreover, Siam Paragon and Central World in Bangkok come in the list of the world’s top 10 largest shopping malls.

16. Nightlife

If you are a party-lover, Bangkok will be one of the best choices for you as your destination for an international trip. There are plenty of clubs and bars for your indulgence. Apart from this, you can also enjoy the facility of dinner cruises.

17. Public Transportation

Bangkok has an efficient public transportation facility that helps residents commute to almost every corner of the city at a very lower price. The different modes of public transportation are rapid buses, sky trains and speedboats. So you can easily go from one place to another without hiring taxis, rikshaw, etc., which come at a higher cost.

18. Sky Bars

You can also get several rooftop bars in Bangkok on the sky-touching towers. Nevertheless, before going there, you should ensure that you have reserved your seat beforehand. Further, maintaining a proper dress code is also essential.