How We Spent 3 Days in Bangkok and How to Do It Better

If you have 3 days in Bangkok, your itinerary has to revolve around your priority. The megacity is a unique blend that houses everything from ancient golden temples and urban luxury malls to the laidback vibes of floating markets to exuberant nightlife.

Our priority was primarily shopping in Bangkok after exploring one day in Krabi, two days in Phi Phi Islands and two days in Phuket. Knowing that Bangkok is a two-hour flight from Kolkata and we’d be back anytime, we didn’t explore the place extensively. But that is exactly why you should do it better, based on what you like exploring and popular touristy places!

What to do in 3 days in Bangkok to explore better than us

Bangkok is different for history buffs, different for shoppers, different for food enthusiasts, and different for everyone looking for a laidback, slow travel experience. The best way to make the most of 3 days in Bangkok is to make a list of the top things to do and choose the ones you definitely want to visit.

Once you have the list, check the distance between each place, keeping your hotel as the starting point. You can also choose where to stay based on how close the top places to visit are. We stayed in the Bayioke Sky Hotel because it was close to shopping places like Pratunam Market, Platinum Mall, and more.

Here are all the top places your Bangkok three-day itinerary can include, based on how touristy they are:

1. Grand Palace: established in 1782, this historic attraction was home to the kings of Siam. The palace has a temple complex famous for the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.
2. Wat Arun: is known as the Temple of Dawn due to stunning sunset views by the Chao Phraya River. It was built in Khmer-style architecture, intricately decorated with Chinese porcelain and seashells.
3. Wat Pho: is located directly south of the Grand Palace and is famous for a gigantic reclining Buddha statue.
4. Khao San Road: is a 410-meter stretch filled with inexpensive accommodation options for backpackers. By night, this place becomes a chaotic neon-lit hub, making it one of the most incredible places to experience nightlife in Bangkok.
5. Iconsiam: a ferry across the Chao Phraya River brings you to Bangkok’s most iconic luxury shopping experience. It is spread across this 7-story mall full of lifestyle products.
6. Chatuchak Weekend Market: is Bangkok’s largest weekend market with more than 15,000 stalls spread across 35 acres. It is open only on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 am to 6 pm.
7. Damnoen Saduak Floating Market: the most popular floating market for tourists, where vendors sell goods from colorful boats. It is best experienced during crowd-free mornings.
8. Maeklong Railway Market: located 70 km southwest of Bangkok, this place has become a tourist attraction for its bustling market, which operates alongside a railway line.
9. Ayutthaya: located 80 km north of Bangkok, this place features a UNESCO World Heritage Site that protects ruins, damaged temples, and statues belonging to former capital of Siam.

The day trips will take an entire day, so choose one if you only have 3 days in Bangkok. The other places to visit in Bangkok can be spread out between the first two days of your stay. This is the most compact itinerary that has a bit of everything.

Based on how much time you spend at historic locations, can you figure out how to include all of them in your itinerary. If not all, prioritize visiting the Grand Palace and Wat Pho, and grab sunset views of Wat Arun on your way to Iconsiam.

What we did for 3 days in Bangkok

Our Bangkok itinerary was all about shopping and eating with a laidback approach. Here are all the places we went and what makes them special:

Day 1

On the first day, we flew from Phuket to Bangkok, checked into the Baiyoke Sky Hotel, visited Caturday Cafe, and shopped at MBK Mall. Here is how it went:

Reaching Bangkok from Phuket

We took a Thai Smile flight from Phuket to Bangkok and arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport. Next, we used the Suvarnabhumi Airport Rail Link to reach Ratchaprarop Station. It was a 35-minute ride that cost us Baht 40 each. After reaching the station, we walked for 290 meters to reach our hotel.

Baiyoke Sky Hotel

For 3 days in Bangkok, we chose to stay at the Baiyoke Sky Hotel, which is itself an attraction, being the third-tallest building in Bangkok. If you are in the Pratunam area, visit this hotel to get a 450 Baht ticket to access the 84th floor. It offers 360-degree, mesmerizing panoramic views of Bangkok from an open-air, revolving rooftop area. From here, you get to see the immediate skyline of Bangkok that stretches up to offer glimpses of the Gulf of Thailand.

Since we stayed here, our visit was free, and our complimentary breakfast buffet was spread on the 81st floor. The skyline was visible from here as well, and it was a spectacular experience.

Caturday Café

We walked 2 km from Baiyoke to reach a Japanese-style cat paradise, with the nearest metro station being Ratchathewi. The entire cafe is themed around cats and houses more than 20 cats of different breeds, all of which interact with visitors.

To our surprise, the place was clean and hygienic, and it didn’t smell funny. The cats were calm and playful, and we had to abide by rules to ensure their safety. We had to pay 250 Baht per person at the entry, but the amount was redeemable against food. The food wasn’t impressive, but it doesn’t seem to be the highlight either. We had a bowl of French fries with cheese nuggets, strawberry slush, and coffee.

In transit:

From here, we had plans for lunch that didn’t work out after wasting two hours in line at Jay Fai. This is one problem you’re likely to face if you don’t come here early. So, we didn’t have much to do but get to the MBK Mall.

MBK Mall

While there are plenty of shopping places in Bangkok, MBK Mall has been iconic for affordable shopping since 1985. There are seven floors filled with shops selling clothes, cosmetics, shoes, souvenirs, home decor items, and so much more. Here’s a tip to swear by: if you like something at MKB, you’d better buy it at once because the architecture of the place confuses you in finding the same place twice!

At the MBK Mall, I realized that Bangkok doesn’t let you try clothes before purchasing. Even though it is a crazy shopping hub where we saw people bringing empty suitcases to fill them up, one thing you have to be sure of is clothing size. MBK also has a food court with items similar to what you get at Thai night markets. We had dinner here before heading back to Baiyoke.

Day 2

On the second day of our 3-day tour in Bangkok, we did nothing but shop. Since Bayioke Sky Hotel is located opposite Pratunam Market, we began by exploring it, passed by Baiyoke Gallery, went to Platinum Mall, and finally ended our day at Chatuchak Market.

Pratunam Market

Pratunam Market is Bangkok’s biggest wholesale market, where you get clothes, shoes, and accessories at 50% to 70% below retail cost. We were lucky that this market was within walking distance of our hotel, located on Phetchaburi Road.

It is a crowded, chaotic market, with some shops opening at 5 am. The best time to be here is between 11 am and 8 pm, as it is ideal for retail shopping. Wholesale shopping is best done early in the morning between 5 am and 9 am.

It is always crowded and chaotic, and you need to be good at bargaining to get the best price. Amidst shopping, you will also find stalls selling Thai street food to keep you going amidst an extensive shopping spree.

Platinum Mall

Platinum Mall is about 1 km from Pratunam Market. As you move towards the end of Pratunam Market, you find an overbridge to cross the road and get to Platinum Mall.

It is an affordable shopping mall with over 3000 stores spread across five floors. Clothes are the most sold product across Bangkok markets, but what attracts you most are cute accessories and stationery items.

Platinum Mall also has a food court that sells high-quality Thai street food. From Tom Yum to crispy pork, from mango sticky rice to crab in skewers, there are a lot of food options to try here.

Chatuchak Market

If you can only explore one market in Bangkok, make sure it is Chatuchak Market. With more than 15,000 stalls, this is the largest shopping market in the world, spread across 35 hectares.

Unfortunately, when we arrived, we didn’t find many shops open because it was raining. But we still managed to try delicious street food, experience local culture, and buy clothes.

Day 3

Our day began by booking a cab via the Bolt app to cover a 6.3 km distance from Baiyoke to Raan Jay Fai. On this day, we ate a crab omelet at Raan Jay Fai, visited the reclining Buddha at Wat Pho, cruised the Chao Phraya River to get to Iconsiam, and ended our day at Asiatique.

Raan Jay Fai

Jay Fai is an 81-year-old Michelin-star street food chef who cooks all by herself at her eatery named Raan Jay Fai. It is one of the most sought-after experiences in Bangkok, especially since rumors of her retirement have circulated.

We started day three of our 3 days in Bangkok by coming here for lunch, and had to wait more than 2 hours to get a spot. This is also why we couldn’t make the most of our Bangkok visit, as it cut down on our sightseeing time.

More than trying the famous crab omelet, we were intrigued to see her at work wearing her famous ski goggles. Her culinary expertise has received due diligence since she featured on Netflix’s Street Food: Asia, garnering global attention.

Wat Pho

After lunch, we took a tuk-tuk about 1.9 km from Maha Chai Road to Sanam Chai Road to reach Wat Pho. It is one of the most revered holy places in Bangkok, with a history dating back to a time when Ayutthaya was the capital of Siam.

What began as a tiny temple 400 years ago became Bangkok’s largest temple complex under the reigns of King Rama I and King Rama III. It is famous for housing a fascinating gold-leaf statue of a reclining Buddha measuring 46 meters long and 15 meters wide. The complex was the first public education center in Thailand, and here’s also where Thai massage came into prominence.

In transit:

After exploring Wat Pho, we came to the eastern bank of the Chao Phraya River to catch glimpses of Wat Arun during sunset. It was right opposite our location, and we saw the sunshine glitter over the 82-meter-tall specimen made of porcelain and seashells.

Icon Siam

Iconsiam is on the western side of the Chao Phraya River, so we had to book a ferry from the eastern side to reach it. The ticket cost us around 40 Baht, and the 20-minute ride passed by Wat Arun, which was beautifully lit up post-sunset.

Iconsiam is the largest mall in Bangkok, known for housing more than 500 stores oozing luxury. Even when we didn’t find anything affordable to buy here, we still had to come just for the experience. From Gucci to Prada, from Chanel to Dior, there are stores of all the big brands we have known our whole lives.

Iconsiam is not just about shopping; it offers an immersive experience across cinema halls, convention centers, fine-dining venues, residential complexes, and parks. The conglomeration spans 525,000 square meters, but the mall is the highlight because it has a striking glass exterior that sparkles all the way to visitors inside the ferries!

Asiatique The Riverfront

Our last stop for the day was Bangkok’s open-air riverside night market by the Chao Phraya River. It is roughly 6 km from Iconsiam and is famous for its 60-meter-high sky wheel, which offers mesmerizing views of Bangkok from high above.

Asiatique has more than 1,500 boutiques, dining options, and handicraft stalls. Along with regular night market fare, there are entertainment options such as cabaret, puppet theatre, and scary escape rooms.

We purchased branded perfumes at heavily discounted prices, watched people selling worms as food, and dined at a restaurant with live music on one side and the Chao Phraya flowing by on the other.

Mistakes we made on our 3-day tour in Bangkok

• We couldn’t make the most of Bangkok because of the rain, so it is best to avoid coming here from June to October.
• We spent too much time trying to get a reservation at Raan Jay Fai, and the food wasn’t worth the wait.
• Shopping forcefully became a priority because we wanted to spend the remaining Baht we had left on the last day. We could have spent money on experiences to explore more of Thailand, so this is one place you would want to manage your spending.
• We were mesmerized by places like Iconsiam and Asiatique, not realizing the true culture of a place is best found through local experiences. We would have rather spent a day at Ayutthaya or slow-traveled through floating markets instead!

Lastly, we were sure we would come back soon to explore more of Bangkok, but you should never take chances like that because we never know where life is going!