We booked a full day tour to see as much of what Bangkok has to offer as possible. Here are all the places we stopped to visit with our EXO Travel Thailand tour guide, and a few things we learned about Thai culture along the way.
Bangkok Formal Customs
Bangkok, as home to Thailand’s major royal sites and most important temples, is the most formal of the places we visited in Thailand. Etiquette and dress codes were taken very seriously here.
We learned in touring the royal sites that in Thai Buddhism, statues of the Buddha are considered to be sacred representations, and not just decorative sculptures. Because of this, the statues are referred to as Buddha “images” to emphasize that they symbolize the Buddha’s teachings and spiritual presence, not simply his physical likeness.
While you can generally take smaller Buddha images out of Thailand as souvenirs, larger statues or antique pieces require a government export permit. Travelers are expected to treat all Buddha images respectfully when packing and transporting.
Grand Palace
This is the large royal complex and former residence of the Kings of Thailand. Today it is used mainly for ceremonial events. It was built in 1782 when Bangkok became the capital, and served as the royal residence for about 150 years.
It is extremely ornate, filled with gold, mosaics, and detailed murals. A strict dress code is enforced – you will be turned away if your shoulders and knees are not covered. Flip flops and casual sandals are not always allowed, but I guess it depends on the staff.
For those who are unprepared with shoulder and knee coverings, they have rental/loan clothing stations outside the entrance. To be honest, I didn’t think the dress code was all that strict since we were welcomed in wearing our moisture-wicking hiking clothes.
Our favorite part of the Grand Palace was the row of 112 Golden Garudas – they are powerful, mythical, bird-like creatures from Hindu-Buddhist mythology that serve as the palace protectors.
Wat Phra Kaew – Temple of the Emerald Buddha
This is a sacred temple located inside the Grand Palace complex. It houses Thailand’s most revered religious image – the Emerald Buddha.
Though the Emerald Buddha is actually carved from jade, not emerald. This is no secret; every local and travel guide and website are quick to tell you it’s jade. I guess the statue was discovered centuries ago and people assumed the vivid green meant it was emerald. By the time experts determined it was actually jade, the name “Emerald Buddha” was too entrenched to change it.
It is considered the most sacred temple in all of Thailand. We felt lucky to be allowed to visit such an esteemed place as outsiders!
The King ceremonially changes the statue’s seasonal garments three times a year, an interesting tradition.
Photography in the main hall is NOT ALLOWED.
We thought it was very beautiful, but we wished we had been able to get a closer view of the Emerald Buddha – it’s very high up and difficult to see.
Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles
Part of our tour included a quick stop around this museum of textiles. There were some very beautiful dresses on display.
Queen Sirikit was beloved – our tour guide talked about her with reverence. She was the wife of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and later became the Queen Mother of Thailand – in fact her birthday August 12 is celebrated as Mother’s Day in Thailand. She was alive when we came in 2022, but she has since passed in 2025 at the age of 93.
She revived Thailand’s silk and textile industry and emphasized supporting rural artisans, especially women. This museum was created in 2003 at her request to preserve and showcase Thailand’s textile and fashion heritage. She was internationally known for her elegance, fashion, and diplomacy.
It was a nice add-on to the typical tour of the Grand Palace, and quick. We probably spent about 15 minutes there.
Wat Pho and the Reclining Buddha Image
The full royal and religious name of this temple is Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimon Mangkhalaram Rajwaramahawihan. Wat Phot is the short name used by locals, tourists, etc. Thank goodness, Wat Pho is much easier to say!
This was the most impressive thing we saw in all of Bangkok! We knew that its main feature was a giant reclining Buddha image, but nothing can prepare you for how massive it actually is. It really stood out from the myriad of other Bangkok attractions that we saw.
Per the tour description, we were actually supposed to start our tour here first thing in the morning so we could see monks gathering for their morning chants. I was pretty excited to see this, and I was bummed when we found out they weren’t meeting for morning chants that day. I don’t remember why, but I’m guessing it had to do with lingering Covid restrictions.
Chao Phraya River
Also known as the River of Kings, it runs through the heart of Bangkok. After lunch, we took a longtail boat ride through Bangkok’s canals (known in Thailand as klongs) along the Chao Phraya River. It was neat to pass by pagodas and temples in conjunction with the towering Bangkok skyscrapers.
Along the way, our tour guide gave us bread so we could feed the jumping fish, a fun and unexpected activity.
There was a guy on another boat selling souvenirs. He rowed over to our longtail boat and pulled out his wares right on the river. We weren’t all that interested, but how could you say no? We bought a small figurine of “Naga Buddha” which depicts the Buddha being protected by seven serpents. We had actually learned about it earlier in the day at the Grand Palace. It depicts Buddha protected by Mucalinda, a mythical serpent king. The story goes that after enlightenment, the Buddha meditated during a violent storm. A giant serpent coiled beneath him and spread seven heads above him like an umbrella to protect the Buddha from the storm.
Royal Barges National Museum
This was one of our favorite stops of the day. You can only get there by boat, and the boats are very impressive. They are carved from teak and intricately decorated with gold leaf and mosaics. They are floating works of art.
They are used for royal ceremonies and coronations. Some of them are over 100 years old! They are rarely used – sometimes decades pass between royal processions.
It was really cool to walk around and get a private view of these amazing boats. Though we wished the surrounding water area had been cleaner – there was a lot of trash in the water.
Big Buddha – Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen
This was not part of the tour, but our tour guide made it a point to detour through the canals in a way in which we could pass by and see how impressive this Big Buddha is. It was pretty new at the time. We visited in 2022 and it had only been built in 2021.
Wat Arun – Temple of Dawn
The royal name of this temple is Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan, but again, locals have a short name for it of Wat Arun. Also known as the Temple of Dawn.
It was our favorite temple we saw in Bangkok. The central tower (called a prang) is built in a style inspired by Khmer architecture – similar to Angkor Wat in Cambodia..
It was very large and fun to walk around. It had actually been remodeled in recent years, and the white coloring was new. Apparently a lot of Thais were unhappy about the color change. We thought it was pretty, and the color scheme reminded us a bit of the Florence Cathedral in Italy, which features white marble with green detailing.
The grounds were also very beautiful. It was a nice ending to our day of sightseeing.
Thai Massage
Now our tour of Bangkok was over, but our guide booked us a couples massage and had the driver drop us off there instead of at our hotel.
Thai massage is very different from a typical Swedish massage. It involves stretching, pulling, and applying pressure using the therapist’s body weight.
I actually enjoyed it quite a bit and felt very relaxed afterward. Chris had a very different experience.
He’s a big guy, and the mattress used for the massage is placed directly on the floor. He didn’t fit on it, so they brought in a second mattress and positioned him diagonally.
Fun fact: Chris actually has a fake shoulder. The masseuses kept trying to move his shoulder during the massage, and it was causing him discomfort. It was difficult to communicate to them to leave his shoulder alone. Let’s just say it wasn’t his favorite activity of the trip.
Walking the Streets of Bangkok
After the massage, our tour guide instructed us to flag down a taxi to get us back to our hotel. He said it would be easy enough to do. But we couldn’t get anyone to stop to give us a ride. In fairness, we didn’t try that hard.
So we walked to the hotel. It was maybe a 45-60 minute walk through the busy Bangkok streets. It gave us a chance to experience a bit of the bustling city vibes.
I always feel safe around Chris – as I mentioned, he’s a big guy. People generally don’t mess with him. That being said, if navigating a large city in a foreign country at night, it’s wise to stay aware of your surroundings.
Up Next
Now that you know everything we experienced in Bangkok, the next post will tell you what we did NOT do in Bangkok. Attractions we considered but didn’t end up having time for.
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