We arrived in Bangkok on the last day of April and ended up spending nearly two months in the city. Bangkok far exceeded our expectation; we truly loved our time here. It’s a vibrant, chaotic, and fascinating place — delicious food, beautiful temples, super friendly people, nightmare traffic, messy streets, and some seriously oppressive heat. Here are some of the photos we took along the way. You can right click each picture and open it in a new tab to view more clearly.
Buddhist Temples
Temples in Thailand are intricate, stunning, and distinctly different in style from those found in East Asia. Some of the most renowned temples in Bangkok include Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn), Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha), and Wat Traimit (Temple of the Golden Buddha).
The most scenic way to reach Wat Arun is by taking the ferry from Tha Tien Pier across the Chao Phraya River. The ride costs just 5 baht ($0.15) and takes about five minutes. Along the way, we got to enjoy a beautiful riverside view of the entire temple.
Wat Arun, Bangkok's iconic riverside temple
Eastern gate of Wat Arun, guarded by two mythical giant demons Thotsakan and Sahatsadecha
The Ubosot or Ordination Hall of Wat Arun
A closeup of Wat Arun's central prang and one of the four satellite prangs
The central prang is the tallest structure in the temple complex (about 230 feet high). It's decorated with colorful porcelain and seashells.
Wat Phra Kaew is Thailand’s most sacred Buddhist temple, located within the Grand Palace. It houses the Emerald Buddha, a figurine of the meditating Buddha made from one solid piece of green jade, clothed in gold and diamonds.
The front Koei Sadet Gate at Wat Phra Kaew
Murals that surround the entire temple and depict the Ramakien story about the battle of Rama, a divine prince, to rescue his wife from the demon king Thotsakan
Wat Phra Kaew's Ubosot where the Emerald Buddha is housed
Front doors of Wat Phra Kaew's Ubosot
The Emerald Buddha decorated in gold summer season attire (no photo allowed inside, so I tried to capture the whole statue from the outside)
Row of eight Prangs at Wat Phra Kaew, each represents a different aspect of Buddhism
Royal Pantheon at Wat Phra Kaew that serves as a memorial to the past Chakri dynasty kings
The southern golden chedi, one of two positioned beside the steps to the Royal Pantheon, was built by King Rama I to honor his father, while the northern chedi commemorates his mother.
Wat Phra Kaew's library that stores manuscripts of Buddhist sacred scriptures
A scripture hall at Wat Phra Kaew, used for sermons on Buddhist holy days
Chinese stone statues at Wat Phra Kaew, once used as ship ballast for stability during trade voyages, now serve as decorative guardians
Chakri Maha Prasat Throne Hall at the Grand Palace blends European and Thai styles, symbolizing King Rama V’s modernization efforts.
The Phra Maha Prasat Group, located right next to the Throne Hall, consists of traditional Thai-style throne halls used for royal ceremonies and state functions.
Wat Pho is home to the massive Reclining Buddha, over a thousand Buddha images, and is the birthplace of traditional Thai massage.
Entrance of Wat Pho
The Reclining Buddha, a representation of Buddha during his last illness and just before he passes into the afterlife and enters nirvana
The Reclining Buddha, over 150 feet long
The Reclining Buddha's body
The Reclining Buddha's soles, with a dharma wheel in the center representing the teachings of Buddha, and divided into 108 sections depicting auspicious symbols identifying the Buddha
Interior of the temple housing the Reclining Buddha
Chinese stone statues in European clothes at Wat Pho, representing Marco Polo
A group of four large chedis at Wat Pho, each dedicated to one of the first four Chakri kings
White Chedi for King Rama II
Blue chedi for King Rama IV
Smaller chedis scattered around the temple complex, some contain ashes of royal family and some contain Buddha relics
Some Buddha images along the cloister at Wat Pho, home to over 1,000 Buddha figures
Wat Pho's library, storing Buddhist scriptures inscribed on palm leaves
Crocodiles Pond at Wat Pho
Thai massage museum at Wat Pho which is believed to be the birthplace of Thai massage
Located in Bangkok's Chinatown, Wat Traimit is famous for its massive solid gold Buddha statue. Hidden beneath a layer of plaster for centuries, the statue was only revealed by accident in the 1950s.
Wat Traimit, known for housing the world’s biggest solid gold Buddha statue
A closeup from the side
The Golden Buddha, made from pure gold weighing 5.5 tons and worth $250 million (no photo allowed inside, so I tried to capture the whole statue from the outside)
Hua Lamphong Railway Station, the former railway hub of Thailand located on the edge of Bangkok's Chinatown
Odeon Circle at Bangkok Chinatown, the largest Chinatown in the world
The Famous Yaowarat Road in Chinatown
Jim Thompson House Museum
We had no idea who Jim Thompson was until we started looking up things to do in Bangkok. Then we remembered the Jim Thompson-branded mini travel pouch we got on our Thai Airways flight from Taiwan. Turns out, he was an American entrepreneur known as the "Thai Silk King" who helped bring Thai silk to the world, and mysteriously disappeared in Malaysia in 1967. His traditional Thai-style house in Bangkok is now a museum showcasing his art collection and legacy.
Jim Thompson's House, built from six antique teakwood houses he collected and reassembled into a riverside home in Bangkok
The bottom of the house is raised on stilts, following traditional Thai design to protect against flooding and animals.
A nice lush garden surrounds the house.
A traditional spirit house tucked away in the garden to honor and appease protective spirits, believed to bring good fortune
Koi Pond
Living Room
Dining Room
Bedroom
A stone carved with over 100 Buddha images collected by Jim Thompson stands in the bedroom, facing the bed.
A door Jim Thompson bought in Bangkok’s Chinatown was repurposed as a decorative interior in his house.
The pattern on this wood panel was used as a stencil for making sarong.
A Centuries-Old Headless Ayutthaya Buddha Statue Collected by Jim Thompson
A Khmer Buddha Statue Collected by Jim Thompson
Lumpini Park
Lumpini Park, often called "Central Park of Bangkok", is the city's first public park. It was named after the Buddha’s birthplace in Nepal. I went there on a rainy afternoon and it was quite nice: very green and peaceful. I also saw quite a few of its famous water dragons!
Its name is Lumpini, but sites like Wikipedia and Lonely Planet refer to it as Lumphini...
A large statue of King Rama VI stands at the park entrance to commemorate his role of founding the park.
