Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok highlights

Grand palace
Wat Phra Kaeo temple
Wat Pho temple
Wat Suthat temple
Khlongs boat tour
Jim Thompson’s house
Street food

Why visit Bangkok?

For a buzzing city with a unique mix of traditional and modern, and tonnes to do - from boat cruises to temples, street food to golden palaces.

Getting there and around

We flew to Thailand in April 2019. Our kids were aged 4 and 7. We flew direct from London Heathrow with Eva Air. The hotel was 30km from the airport, a 90 minute drive with (a lot of!) traffic.

This was the first time we travelled long-haul with our kids and we decided to book through an agent. Using an agent gives reassurance and convenience, but at extra cost. Our trip was organised by Audley Travel. Audley are a fantastic provider of luxury custom-made tours. We could have created a similar trip for ourselves independently but sourcing the accommodation, activities and most of all - excellent local guides - would have required a lot of time and effort.

We used a mixture of tuk-tuks and the excellent mass rapid transport system of electric trains to get around.

U-Sathorn Hotel

Temples and Palaces

Bangkok is home to the Thai royal family and a visit to the grand palace is absolutely worthwhile. It was very busy and we were glad we had a guide with us, to help navigate the queues and crowds.
At the grand palace we also visited the temple Wat Phra Kaeo, which houses the famous Jade (or Emerald) Buddha.

Immediately to the south of the palace complex is Wat Pho, the oldest temple in Bangkok. It houses the 45 metre long golden reclining Buddha which is so big you have to walk along to view it all in sections. The children enjoyed dropping coins into the prayer bowls and listening to the different sounds. This is intended to focus the mind and encourages you to stay in the moment.

**The last temple we went to in Bangkok was Wat Suthat which was one of the most beautiful places we visited.**
The architecture is stunning and the temple is much quieter than others in the city so it was a more intimate & peaceful experience.

Khlongs and the Chao Phraya River

One of the highlights of this trip was a boat cruise of the river and canals (‘Khlongs’). Seeing the sights by boat gave us a different view and let us see the main attractions without the crowds.

Once off the river and into the canals we saw a different, more peaceful side to Bangkok and got an insight into local people’s homes and lifestyles. We saw people bathing and washing clothes in the water, and buying and selling produce from the floating stalls.

We docked at a beautiful orchid farm where we had fresh coconut to drink which was wonderfully refreshing.

The boat then took us to a temple located on the banks of the canal in eastern Bangkok.

The temple is a fish sanctuary for huge catfish! We bought a couple of loaves of bread and watched them all come to the surface for a feeding frenzy.

We often talk about this boat trip as it was so memorable and unlike anything else we have experienced. One day we will return to Bangkok and go and feed the fish again!

Jim Thompson’s House

The historic home of the American Jim Thompson - who was well known in the silk industry and disappeared while travelling in Malaysia - was one of the more surprising places we visited.
**It was recommended by our guide because of its fantastic restaurant.** The restaurant was luxurious, with elaborate decor and delicious Thai food.
His house has been turned into a museum offering insights into the history of the city and the Thai silk industry. It was a beautiful building with gorgeous fabrics.

Street Food

One of the main reasons we wanted to visit Thailand was for the street food. We went on a walking tour of street food stalls in the city. We messed it up by eating too much breakfast beforehand but nonetheless made space for all the delicious treats on offer:

- sticky mango rice, grilled meat and chicken spicy kebabs, noodles, fresh fruit, sweet pastries, ice cream and more…!