Planning your days in Bangkok with children
The golden rule is simple: outdoors in the morning, indoors in the afternoon. It is above 30°C all year round and the heat is at its worst between 11am and 4pm; the afternoon is also when thunderstorms break during the rainy season, from May to October. Schedule temples, parks and boat trips for opening time, then keep an aquarium, a museum or a mall for the afternoon. From November to February the weather is drier and a little less hot; our guide to the best time to visit Bangkok sets out the calendar, including the fine-particle pollution of the dry season, worth watching with young children.
Don't try to see everything either: one big visit in the morning and one activity in the afternoon is plenty, with a nap at the hotel in between. Choosing a hotel close to a Skytrain (BTS) or metro (MRT) station, ideally with a pool, makes the days much easier: our guide on where to stay in Bangkok compares the neighbourhoods.
The must-dos in the city, out of the heat
SEA LIFE Bangkok Ocean World, the Siam Paragon aquarium
The SEA LIFE Bangkok Ocean World aquarium fills levels B1 and B2 of the Siam Paragon mall (991 Rama I Road), right by BTS Siam station. Sharks, rays, penguins, jellyfish and an underwater tunnel take an hour and a half to two hours to explore. It opens daily from 10am to 8pm (last entry at 7pm). A child ticket (ages 2 to 11) costs 799 baht online and 1,199 baht at the counter: book on the official website at least the day before to pay less and skip the queue. Combo tickets add the Madame Tussauds wax museum, in the neighbouring Siam Discovery mall, or the Mahanakhon SkyWalk.
KidZania, the children's mini city
On the 5th floor of Siam Paragon, KidZania recreates a child-sized city where kids spend a few hours playing at being firefighters, pilots, doctors or bakers, earning a currency they can spend on site. Activities are run in Thai and English and suit 4 to 14-year-olds best. It opens on weekdays from 10am to 5pm and at weekends from 10:30am to 8:30pm. On weekdays, admission costs 1,100 baht for a child aged 4 to 14, 700 baht for ages 2 to 3 and 640 baht for an adult; it is free under 2, and prices go up at weekends, on public holidays and the day before them. Children up to 8 must stay with an adult.
The whole Siam area can be covered without stepping into the sun: the Siam shopping malls are linked by covered walkways and their food courts serve simple dishes that suit children.
Museum Siam, the hands-on museum
Near Wat Pho, Museum Siam (4 Sanam Chai Road, at the exit of MRT Sanam Chai station) tells the story of Thai history and identity through games, costumes to try on and interactive screens. It is one of the most child-friendly museums in the city, and free for children under 15 (100 baht for an adult). It opens Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm and closes on Mondays. It pairs well with neighbouring Wat Pho, free for children under 120 cm.
Museums and science for curious minds
Bangkok's children's museum, free in Chatuchak
The Children's Discovery Museum (810 Kamphaeng Phet 4 Road), run by the Bangkok city administration, sits at the edge of Queen Sirikit Park, opposite Chatuchak Market, a few minutes' walk from MRT Chatuchak Park and Kamphaeng Phet stations. It is designed for children aged 1 to 12: a sensory corner for toddlers, a mini city, science and dinosaur rooms with a dig site, an art studio, and outside a large climbing frame and water play. Admission is free after a quick registration at the front desk (bring an adult's passport). It opens Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 4pm and closes on Mondays. At weekends it combines well with Chatuchak: the museum in the morning, the market afterwards.
The planetarium and science centre in Ekkamai
The Science Centre for Education (928 Sukhumvit Road), a few minutes' walk from BTS Ekkamai station, houses Thailand's oldest planetarium as well as hands-on science galleries and a large lunar module in the garden. It opens Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 4pm and closes on Mondays. Admission costs only a few dozen baht per zone (about 50 baht for an adult and 30 baht for a child); the dome shows are mostly narrated in Thai, but the starry-sky show can be enjoyed without understanding the language. A handy outing if your hotel is in Sukhumvit.
The Thai Red Cross snake farm
At the Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute (1871 Rama IV Road, near MRT Sam Yan station), a Thai Red Cross centre that produces antivenoms, the snake farm shows cobras, pythons and vipers, with a demonstration narrated in English: on weekdays at 11am (venom extraction) and 2pm, at weekends and on public holidays at 11am. It opens from 9:30am to 3:30pm on weekdays and from 9:30am to 1pm at weekends; admission is 200 baht for a foreign adult, less for children. Arrive a little before the demonstration to get a seat.
Parks and green spaces to let off steam
Lumphini Park, between Silom and Sukhumvit, is the easiest playground in the centre: free entry, open from 4:30am to 10pm, pedal boats on the lake, playgrounds, and above all hundreds of monitor lizards that fascinate children (don't touch or feed them). Come early in the morning or after 4pm. An elevated walkway links Lumphini to Benjakitti Park, with its urban forest and boardwalks, pleasant to ride by bike.
For a full day, the Ancient City (Muang Boran), at the Kheha terminus of the BTS, gathers replicas of monuments from all over Thailand in a vast park explored by bike or by electric cart rented by the hour. Tickets cost 800 baht for a foreign adult and 400 baht for ages 6 to 14. The site is flat but has little shade: go at opening time, 9am.
The big leisure parks on the outskirts
Safari World, drive-through zoo and animal shows
Safari World, in Khan Na Yao in the north-east of the city (about an hour's drive from the centre depending on traffic), combines a safari park you drive through by car or bus, among giraffes, zebras and big cats, and a marine park on foot with sea lion, bird and orangutan shows. It opens Tuesday to Friday from 9am to 4pm and at weekends from 9am to 5pm; it closes on Mondays. It is not served by the metro: most families buy an online ticket with hotel transfer, much cheaper than the foreigner price at the gate. Allow a full day. Shows featuring wild animals are criticised by animal welfare organisations: it is up to you whether to attend.
Dream World, the Rangsit amusement park
Dream World (Rangsit-Nakhon Nayok Road, km 7, Pathum Thani province), about an hour north of the centre, is the region's big amusement park: rides for little ones, roller coasters, a tube river and an artificial snow hall. It opens at 10am every day, until 5pm on weekdays and 6pm at weekends. As with Safari World, tickets with a transfer from Bangkok bought online cost less than at the gate; go on a weekday if you can, when queues are short.
Summary table
| Activity | Access | Child price | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEA LIFE Bangkok Ocean World | BTS Siam | 799 baht online, 1,199 baht at the counter | Never |
| KidZania | BTS Siam | 1,100 baht on weekdays (ages 4 to 14) | Never |
| Museum Siam | MRT Sanam Chai | Free under 15 | Monday |
| Children's Discovery Museum | MRT Chatuchak Park | Free | Monday |
| Ekkamai planetarium | BTS Ekkamai | About 30 baht per zone | Monday |
| Snake farm | MRT Sam Yan | Reduced rate (adult: 200 baht) | Never (mornings only at weekends) |
| Lumphini Park | MRT Si Lom, BTS Sala Daeng | Free | Never |
| Ancient City | BTS Kheha, then songthaew or taxi | 400 baht (ages 6 to 14) | Never |
| Safari World | Car transfer | Depends on the online ticket | Monday |
| Dream World | Car transfer | Depends on the online ticket | Never |
Prices observed in October 2026.
Getting around with children and a pushchair
The BTS and MRT are air-conditioned, fast and safe: the best way to get around as a family. On the BTS, children under 90 cm travel free. On the MRT Blue and Purple lines, since 13 April 2026, children up to age 7 travel free whatever their height, and those aged 8 to 14 if they are under 120 cm: ask for the free ticket at the station counter, showing the child's passport. Lines and cards are covered in our guide to getting around Bangkok.
The pushchair is the real challenge: narrow, broken pavements, steps, street vendors, and not every station has a lift at every exit. A light folding pushchair is fine for the malls, but a baby carrier is more practical for temples, markets and boats. Taxis and ride-hailing cars generally have no child seat: if you want one for long journeys, book a car with driver that provides it.
Boats on the Chao Phraya River are a big hit with children and avoid traffic jams on the way to the Grand Palace, Wat Pho or Wat Arun; hold little ones tight when boarding, as the piers move and the boats stop for only a few seconds.
Our tips for a family trip
- Heat: water, hats, sunscreen and an air-conditioned break every hour. Convenience stores, found on every street corner, sell cold water, ice creams and baby products.
- Mondays: Museum Siam, the children's museum, the planetarium and Safari World are closed; plan an aquarium, KidZania, a park or a river trip that day.
- Temple dress code: shoulders and knees covered for teenagers too; keep a sarong or light trousers in your bag.
- Meals: mall food courts serve rice, noodles and skewers that aren't spicy; say "mai phet" (not spicy) when ordering.
- Rain: if a storm breaks, our guide on what to do in Bangkok when it rains lists covered places.
Further reading
To plan a realistic first day with children, follow our itinerary what to do in Bangkok in one day, which includes a family variant. For rainy days, see Bangkok in the rain, and to pick the most comfortable season, the best time to visit Bangkok.
