Bangkok in 2 days: what to see on a weekend, hour by hour

Before you go: dress code, opening hours and budget

The main constraint of this weekend is the dress code. The royal temples require covered clothing: at the Grand Palace, sleeveless tops, short tops, see-through clothes, shorts, miniskirts, tight trousers and torn clothing are refused at the entrance; at Wat Pho, shorts above the knee are not allowed. The simplest solution is to wear light trousers or a long skirt and a top with sleeves on the first day. Also wear shoes that are easy to slip off: you take them off to enter temple halls and Jim Thompson House.

The second constraint is timing. The Grand Palace sells its last tickets at 15:30, so it has to be done in the morning. The other visits are more flexible. No booking is essential, but Grand Palace tickets can be bought online on the official website to skip the queue at the ticket office.

Prices checked in October 2026 on the official websites of each site; the prices shown are those for foreign visitors.

For the whole weekend, allow about 1,250 baht in admission fees per adult for the four paying visits, plus transport (a few dozen baht per trip by BTS, MRT or boat), meals and your evening out.

Day 1: Rattanakosin Island and Chinatown

The first day is done on foot and by boat. The Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Tha Tien pier are about ten minutes' walk from one another. To get there, the nearest metro station is Sanam Chai (MRT, Blue Line), a short walk from Wat Pho; from the river, the orange-flag express boat stops at Tha Chang, in front of the Grand Palace, and at Tha Tien.

Morning: the Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha

Arrive at opening time, 08:30, at the entrance on Na Phra Lan Road. The ticket gives access to Wat Phra Kaew, the temple that houses the Emerald Buddha, to the palace courtyards and façades, and to the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles. Allow two to two and a half hours. The palace may close on some days for royal ceremonies: check the official website the day before, and ignore strangers at the gate who tell you it is closed in order to offer you a tuk-tuk tour. Our Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew guide details the route and the dress rules.

Late morning: Wat Pho and the Reclining Buddha

Follow the palace wall south to Wat Pho, about ten minutes away. The temple houses the great Reclining Buddha, covered in gold leaf, as well as more than ninety stupas decorated with ceramics. It is also the home of a school of traditional medicine and massage: a one-hour Thai massage costs 520 baht there (price checked in October 2026), a welcome break in the middle of the day. Then have lunch near Tha Tien pier.

Afternoon: Wat Arun by boat

From Tha Tien pier, a ferry crosses the Chao Phraya in a few minutes, for a few baht paid in cash, to Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, on the Thonburi bank. Its great central tower, the prang, is covered in fragments of porcelain. The steps are steep: take your time. The temple closes at 18:00; cross back to the east bank before nightfall to watch the prang light up from the terraces along Tha Tien's waterfront.

Evening: Chinatown and Yaowarat Road

Head to Chinatown on the orange-flag express boat, from Tha Tien to Ratchawong pier, or by MRT, from Sanam Chai to Wat Mangkon. After dark, Yaowarat Road lights up with neon signs and its pavements fill with street-food stalls: noodles, grilled seafood, Chinese desserts. The neighbouring streets and the Talat Noi district, by the river, round off the walk. Our Chinatown guide lists the addresses and temples of the district.

Day 2: Siam, Pathumwan and Lumphini Park

The second day follows the Sukhumvit and Silom lines of the BTS, the elevated railway. All the sights are a few stations apart, and a covered walkway, the Skywalk, links National Stadium station on foot to the Ratchaprasong intersection by way of Siam.

Morning: Jim Thompson House and the BACC

Get off at BTS National Stadium (exit 1) for Jim Thompson House, which opens at 10:00. This American, who revived Thai silk after the Second World War before disappearing in Malaysia in 1967, assembled several traditional teak houses here around a tropical garden. The main house can only be visited with a guide, in English, French and other languages; bags larger than 20 cm go in the lockers, and videos and selfies are not allowed inside.

Then walk back towards the station: across Rama I Road, the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, linked to the station by a walkway, shows free exhibitions of contemporary Thai and Asian art over several spiralling floors. It is closed on Mondays: if your second day falls on a Monday, go straight to the shopping malls.

Midday and afternoon: the Siam malls and the Erawan Shrine

The district's shopping malls follow one another along the Skywalk: MBK, a temple of electronics and souvenirs at keen prices, then Siam Discovery, Siam Center and the more upmarket Siam Paragon, and finally CentralWorld. Their air-conditioned food courts are the easiest place for lunch. In between, the small streets of Siam Square are packed with designer shops and cafés. Our Shopping in Siam guide compares the malls and what each does best.

At the Ratchaprasong intersection, at the foot of BTS Chit Lom station, the Erawan Shrine houses a gilded statue of the four-faced Brahma. Worshippers leave flower garlands and wooden elephants there, and dancers in traditional costume perform to thank the deity for a granted wish. Entry is free; be discreet and do not step over the offerings.

Late afternoon: Lumphini Park

Reach Lumphini Park by BTS to Sala Daeng, or by MRT to Si Lom or Lumphini. In the late afternoon, when the heat eases, locals come to jog, join open-air aerobics or row on the lake, and the monitor lizards, large lizards that are harmless if left alone, come out onto the lawns and into the canals. Entry is free.

The evening: rooftop or night market

For your last evening, there are three options depending on your mood:

• King Power Mahanakhon: one station from Sala Daeng (BTS Chong Nonsi, exit 3), its glass floor at 314 metres gives a complete view over the city. It is open from 10:00 to midnight, last entry at 23:00, with tickets from 500 to 1,200 baht depending on the time slot, sunset being the most expensive (prices checked in October 2026).
• Jodd Fairs: this large night market, now located in Ratchada, a few minutes from MRT Thailand Cultural Centre station, brings together hundreds of street-food, clothing and bar stalls. The station is reached directly from Si Lom or Lumphini on the Blue Line.
• Asiatique The Riverfront: on the riverbank, this night market set in former warehouses has a big Ferris wheel. A free shuttle boat leaves Sathorn pier, at the foot of BTS Saphan Taksin station, from 16:00 to 23:30, every 25 to 30 minutes.

Weekend variant: Chatuchak Market

If your trip falls on a Saturday and Sunday, do not miss Chatuchak Market, open on Saturdays and Sundays from about 09:00 to 18:00. Its thousands of stalls sell clothing, crafts, plants, home decor and street food. The morning of day 2 is the best time: arrive around 09:00, before the heat and the crowds, by MRT (Kamphaeng Phet or Chatuchak Park stations) or BTS (Mo Chit). Allow two to three hours, then take the BTS to Siam for the afternoon: Jim Thompson House then moves to the early afternoon, and the BACC or the malls are shortened. The Grand Palace and Wat Pho, for their part, are open every day: keep them for day 1 whatever the day of the week.

The hour-by-hour plan

Getting around during the weekend

The BTS and MRT cover all of day 2 and link Chinatown and Rattanakosin on the Blue Line (Wat Mangkon and Sanam Chai stations). Tickets are sold at the station machines; fares depend on distance and the two networks have separate ticketing. On the river, the orange-flag express boat costs 18 baht per trip whatever the distance (price checked in October 2026), with different timetables at weekends and on public holidays; the blue-flag tourist boat serves the same piers with a day pass. For taxis or ride-hailing, apps such as Grab spare you from negotiating the fare. Lines, fares and cards are explained in our getting around Bangkok guide.

Further reading

If you only have one day, see our plan what to do in Bangkok in one day. With an extra day, our Bangkok in 3 days itinerary adds a day trip to Ayutthaya. To cut down on travel time, choose a hotel near the river or a BTS station with our guide where to stay in Bangkok, and prepare your arrival with our article on Bangkok's airports.