The rainy season in Bangkok: when, and what to expect
The Thai Meteorological Department declared the start of the 2026 rainy season on 15 May; in central Thailand it usually lasts until mid-October. September and October are the wettest months, with frequent thunderstorms and sometimes several days of continuous rain. From November to April, the dry season makes showers rare.
In practice, the day often starts sunny or hazy, and the storm breaks in the afternoon or evening. The uneven pavements flood quickly and taxis become hard to find at rush hour. So plan the morning outdoors (temples, markets) and keep indoor places for the afternoon. For a month-by-month calendar, see our guide to the best time to visit Bangkok.
Museums: sheltered and often uncrowded
MOCA, Thai contemporary art
MOCA Bangkok, in the north of the city (499 Kamphaengphet 6 Road, Chatuchak district), displays over several floors the collection of modern and contemporary Thai art assembled by businessman Boonchai Bencharongkul: painting, sculpture and large installations. The museum opens Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm and closes on Mondays. Tickets cost 400 baht (120 baht for students, free for under-13s and over-60s). Allow one to two hours.
The museum is away from the metro: from BTS Mo Chit or MRT Chatuchak Park, finish by taxi or Grab; Bang Khen station on the Red Line (exit 2) is about 200 metres away on foot. At weekends it pairs well with Chatuchak Market, on the same route.
BACC, free in the heart of Siam
The Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (939 Rama I Road) is linked by a walkway to BTS National Stadium, so you can get in without getting wet. Its spiral atrium leads to temporary exhibition galleries, designer shops, cafés and an art library. Entry is free (a few special exhibitions charge a fee), Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 8pm; the centre closes on Mondays, as well as at New Year and during Songkran.
Museum Siam and the National Museum, for history
Near the Grand Palace, Museum Siam (4 Sanam Chai Road, at the exit of MRT Sanam Chai) tells the story of Thai identity through interactive rooms that children enjoy. It opens Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm (closed on Mondays); an adult ticket costs 100 baht, free for under-15s and over-60s.
About 1.5 km to the north, along Sanam Luang, the Bangkok National Museum displays sculpture, thrones, royal funeral chariots and art objects from Siam. It opens Wednesday to Sunday until 4pm and closes on Mondays and Tuesdays; entry costs 240 baht. Volunteers run free guided tours in French on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 9:30am, starting from the ticket office (only the entry fee is payable). The collections are spread across several pavilions in a garden: keep an umbrella to walk from one to the next.
Jim Thompson House
Jim Thompson House (6 Soi Kasemsan 2, Rama I Road), a few minutes' walk from the BACC, brings together six traditional teak houses reassembled by the American who revived Thai silk. The interior can only be visited with a guide, including in French, with no booking needed. Open daily from 10am to 5pm; 250 baht for adults, 150 baht for ages 10 to 21 (with ID), free for under-10s. The houses are linked by a tropical garden: in a downpour, you wait a few minutes under the eaves.
Shopping malls: much more than shopping
Siam: malls, aquarium and cinema linked to the BTS
Around BTS Siam, the Siam shopping malls (Siam Paragon, Siam Center, Siam Discovery, MBK, CentralWorld) are connected by covered walkways above the traffic: you can spend the whole day there without setting foot outside. Siam Paragon opens daily from 10am to 10pm. Its food courts, on the ground floor and upper levels, offer a wide choice of Thai food at moderate prices.
In the basement of Siam Paragon (levels B1 and B2), the SEA LIFE Bangkok Ocean World aquarium opens daily from 10am to 8pm (last entry 7pm); allow at least an hour and a half, and buy tickets online to skip the ticket desk queue. The cinema on the 5th floor mostly shows foreign films in their original language with Thai subtitles. Before each screening, the royal anthem is played and the audience stands: do the same. The theatres are heavily air-conditioned, so bring a jacket.
Iconsiam, on the river
On the Thonburi bank, Iconsiam opens daily from 10am to 10pm. On the ground floor, SookSiam recreates the markets of Thailand's regions indoors, with food and craft stalls: a way to try street food in the dry. Get there via Charoen Nakhon station on the Gold Line, which connects to the mall, or by the shuttle boat from Sathorn pier, at the foot of BTS Saphan Taksin. In heavy rain, take the Gold Line rather than the boat.
Massages, cooking classes and cinema
A Thai massage at Wat Pho
The traditional medicine school at Wat Pho, the temple of the Reclining Buddha, offers massages in covered pavilions within the grounds, daily from 8am to 7:30pm. A Thai or foot massage costs 340 baht for 30 minutes and 520 baht for an hour, on top of the temple entry (300 baht). The temple itself is mostly visited in the open air: come as a shower ends, then finish with the massage. All over the city, neighbourhood parlours also offer one-hour massages with no appointment.
A Thai cooking class
Bangkok's cooking schools, many of them in Silom and Sukhumvit, run half-day sessions: in the morning with a market visit, or in the afternoon or evening as a workshop only. You cook several dishes (soup, curry, stir-fry, dessert) and then eat them. Book the day before: places are limited and fill up fast on rainy days.
Mahanakhon and Chatuchak: depends on the sky
The Mahanakhon SkyWalk, at the top of the King Power Mahanakhon tower (BTS Chong Nonsi), has an indoor observation deck on the 74th floor and an open-air rooftop on the 78th, with a glass floor 310 metres above the ground. It opens daily from 10am to midnight (last entry 11pm). An adult ticket costs 1,000 baht from 10am to 3:30pm and 1,200 baht from 3:30pm to 7pm. The terms state that all or part of the attraction may close temporarily in bad weather and that tickets are neither refundable nor exchangeable: in a storm, the rooftop and glass floor are likely to be closed. So buy your ticket on site rather than in advance. On a merely overcast day, without rain or strong wind, there is no reason for the rooftop to close, but low clouds can hide the view: check the sky before paying.
Chatuchak Market, open Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 6pm, keeps most of its stalls under tin roofs, but its main walkways are uncovered and quickly turn muddy. If a storm threatens, come at opening time, stay in the covered sections, then continue to MOCA by taxi.
Summary table
| Place | Access | Full price | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| MOCA | BTS Mo Chit or MRT Chatuchak Park, then taxi | 400 baht | Monday |
| BACC | BTS National Stadium (walkway) | Free | Monday |
| Museum Siam | MRT Sanam Chai | 100 baht | Monday |
| National Museum | Sanam Luang, on foot from Museum Siam | 240 baht | Monday and Tuesday |
| Jim Thompson House | BTS National Stadium | 250 baht | None |
| Siam Paragon and SEA LIFE | BTS Siam | Free entry, aquarium ticketed | None |
| Iconsiam | Gold Line, Charoen Nakhon | Free entry | None |
| Massage at Wat Pho | MRT Sanam Chai | 300 baht + 520 baht per hour | None |
| Mahanakhon SkyWalk | BTS Chong Nonsi | 1,000 to 1,200 baht | None, rooftop closed in bad weather |
Prices observed in October 2026.
Our tips for a rainy day
- Watch out for Mondays: MOCA, the BACC, Museum Siam and the National Museum are closed. Head instead for Jim Thompson House, the Siam malls, Iconsiam, a massage or the SkyWalk.
- Stay on the rail network: the BTS and MRT run above or below the flooded streets, while taxis and tuk-tuks become scarce and ride-hailing fares rise during storms. Our guide to getting around Bangkok details the lines.
- Group by area: the BACC, Jim Thompson House and the Siam malls are linked on foot or by walkway; Museum Siam, the National Museum and Wat Pho are neighbours in Rattanakosin.
- Gear: sandals that can take water rather than trainers, a compact umbrella (sold in every convenience store) and a light jacket against the air conditioning.
- Temple dress: covered shoulders and knees are still required at Wat Pho, even when soaked; keep a change of clothes dry.
Further reading
To fit these places into a longer stay, follow our Bangkok in 2 days itinerary. If your hotel is in Sukhumvit, our Sukhumvit neighbourhood guide points to the nearest indoor options, and to avoid the wettest months, see the best time to visit Bangkok.
