Bangkok Thailand

The Grand Palace



The Grand Palace was once the official residence of Thai Royalty. Today it is the top tourist attraction in Thailand, drawing over eight million visitors a year. The large palace complex houses numerous ornate buildings, including Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The Grand Palace can be easily accessed via taxi or riverboat at the Chang Pier, and it is open everyday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with an admission fee of 300 Thai Baht.

Wat Pho or The Temple of the Reclining Buddha



This the oldest and largest Buddhist temple in Bangkok. It is home to more Buddha images than any other Bangkok temple and it shelters the largest Buddha in Thailand, the Reclining Buddha. His body is covered in gold plating and he is decorated with mother-of-pearl inlay on his eyes and the soles of his feet. The bottoms of the Buddha's feet are intricately decorated with 108 auspicious scenes in Chinese and Indian styles.


Vimanmek Mansion



One of the world's largest teakwood buildings, Vimanmek Mansion was built as a royal residence in the first few years of the 20th century. It was only used for a few years before it fell into disuse and was practically forgotten until the early eighties. It was rediscovered by Her Majesty the Queen and turned into museum reflecting the Thai heritage from the dramatic reign of King Rama V. The structures of the old Dusit Palace display everything from ancient artifacts of Thailand's pre-history to contemporary photographs donated by His Majesty the King. It is now become a large complex of museums where the buildings themselves form part of the "collection" on display.

National Museum Bangkok is home to an extensive and very informative National Museum, which claims to be the largest of its kind in all of South East Asia. It serves as a good place to learn about the full range of Thai culture, history, and of the traditional significance of Buddhism to the Thai way of life. Many of the significant remains of the former capitals Sukhothai and Ayuthaya are displayed here, and if you're planning to go to them, a visit here first should be rewarding. Depending on your interest, a visit here could take anywhere between an hour or so up to most of a day.

Jim Thompson’s House
Despite the name, Jim Thompson's House is one of the best-preserved examples of the traditional Thai house in the city. Once home to the American silk entrepreneur Jim Thompson, this remarkable house-cum-museum accommodates Thompson's vast collection of antiques and artworks from all over the Southeast Asian region. Don't miss the headless Buddha figure in the garden, which dates from the 6th century. This early Dvaravati image is one of the oldest surviving Buddha statues in the world.

Bangkok & Thonburi Klong Tour, Walk through the morning flowers market to explore real Thai lifestyle. Proceed to board on the long-tailed boat to Thonburi, western part of city, situated on the right side of the Chao Phya River. Its many canals had originally given Bangkok the name "Venice of the East." Passing by boat along the canals gives you a first hand impression of the scenic life along city's waterways. Also visit the Royal Barges and the Temple of Dawn.

Wat Arun is mostly known as a landmark of Bangkok. It is classified as a principal class Royal temple. It is an old temple, built in the days of Thailand's ancient capital of Ayutthaya and originally known as "Wat Makok".  The Main Prang, the most attractive structure of Wat Arun is the center 79-meter high pagoda or Phra Prang decorated with mosaic of multi-color Chinese porcelain. The outer four corners are Prangs which hold statues of Phra Phai (God of the wind). The most beautiful view of Wat Arun is at sunset if viewed from the Bangkok side of the river.

Wat Suthat is one of the city's finest temples with its magnificent, carved doors and gilded Buddha images. Construction of Wat Suthat got under way during the reign of King Rama I and continued through the reigns of the next two monarchs. The wooden doors to the main 'viharn', featuring intricately carved tropical vines, plants and animals, are thought to have been designed and carved by King Rama II himself. The 8-meter bronze Buddha statue in the viharn is the largest surviving image from the Sukhothai period. Notice the varied selection of pagodas and statues in the temple compound, many of which were brought from China as ship ballast in the early 19th century.

The Giant Swing Right in front of Wat Suthat is the 200-year-old Giant Swing, a bright-red wooden structure that was once the focus of Brahman ceremonies in honor of the Hindu god Shiva. At one time, courageous fellows would attempt to grab a pouch of money from a 25-meter stake by swinging higher and higher until they were able to reach it with their teeth. Accidents and deaths were so common that this practice was outlawed in the 1930s.

Chatuchak market
This is the worlds biggest weekend market selling practically everything under the sun, from the smallest nails, to foods, trendy fashions, antiques intricate wooden carvings, masks from far-off lands etc. You can find all this and more at amazing Chatuchak market. There are almost 9,000 individual booths overflowing with every imaginable type of wares to catch your fancy. Once inside the market, you will be caught up in a world of bursting crowds and stalls stretching as far as the eye can see.


FUN PLACES FOR KIDS

The Snake Farm is set up to produce anti-venom serum for snake-bite victims nationwide. Venomous snakes including the king cobra, Siamese cobra, Russell's viper, banded krait, Malayan pit viper, green pit viper and Pope's pit viper are milked daily for their venom to make snake-bite antidote. Venom-milking and snake-handling shows are held daily at 10.30 am and 2.00 pm on weekdays, and 10.30 am on public holidays.

Dusit Zoo The city's main zoo was once a private botanical garden for King Rama V. Today, much of the original tropical flora can still be found and the lush gardens make an ideal retreat from the city streets. The zoo accommodates a large number of mammal, reptile and bird species, including some of the rare Southeast Asian animals such as the Siamese crocodile, gaur, Sumatran rhinoceros, lesser mouse deer and the tiger. Animals popular with the kids such as hippos, bears, monkeys and the like can all be viewed.
Safari World is split into two sections covering some 170 acres in total. The first section is the drive-through safari park with habitats for animals such as lions, tigers, bears, giraffe, zebra, deer and rare species such as white pandas. You can either drive through in your own car or take one of the park's air-conditioned coaches. The second section is a walk-through marine park with performances by trained animals such as dolphins and seals.

Lumpini Park Named after the birthplace of the Lord Buddha, this park is home to a large variety of mature tree and shrub species, with large boating lakes and a spectacular fountain. The road that circuits the park is popular among joggers who come for their exercise in the mornings and evenings. Watch out for early morning 'tai chi', performed by the older generation Chinese residents, aerobic dance classes, singing and dancing, and even open-air weight lifting. Rowing boats and paddle boats can be taken out on the lake for a few baht.

The Bangkok Doll Factory & Museum Traditional Thai dolls are made and displayed at the Bangkok Doll Factory & Museum on Soi Ratchataphan (Soi Mo Leng) off Ratchaprarop Road in the Pratunam area. Both modern and antique items are on display and dolls are also available for purchase. The Doll Factory is open from 8.00 am to 5.00 pm Monday to Saturday

Dream World is a new amusement park located beyond Don Muang Airport at Km 7 Rangsit-Ong Kharak Road. It's quite close to the huge Future Park Rangsit shopping center. Dream World is a classical European-style fantasy-land, replete with miniature versions of legendary sites and modern amusements and game machines - a great place for all the family.
 
OTHER PLACES OF ATTRACTION

Temple of the Emerald Buddha or Wat Phra Keo (the Thai name) is an exuberantly colored religious compound built inside the Royal Palace in Bangkok, Thailand. The temple's architecture is visually striking and is Thailand's most sacred shrine and the king's personal chapel. The temple’s most important building is the Bot (loosely translated as "house of meditation"). Within the Bot resides the world famous Emerald Buddha (actually made of green jade, not emerald). This 500-year-old holy statue is perched so high above the Bot's golden altar and is so small (only 66 centimeters or 26 inches high) that you could easily miss it if you didn't know where to look.

Thai Boxing should be experienced by everyone even if you are not so interested in sports. The atmosphere in the stadium is almost electric as the fights have musical accompaniments and people in the stands are frantically shouting out bets. It’s not uncommon to get caught up in the excitement and enjoy your night at the boxing rink.

Elephant Trekking Elephants in Sangkhla Buri are raised by Karen hill-tribes for working purposes. When not working, they are available to tourists to ride. Some travel agents offer one-day elephant trekking in combination with rafting tours in the vicinity of Thong Pha Phum and Sangkhla Buri.
Floating Markets Several floating markets in and around city offer the tourist a picture-postcard image of the traditional Thai way of life. Small wooden boats laden with fruits, flowers, vegetables and other produce from nearby orchards and communities make a colorful and bustling scene at market time. The boats are inevitably paddled by Thai women in blue farmer's garb ('mor hom') and flat-topped conical hats called 'muak ngob', which are characteristic to all parts of Thailand. Tha Kha Floating Market, Damnoen Saduak Floating Market and the Bang Khu Wiang Floating Market are three floating markets within reach of city

Thai Dance at Erawan Shrine A visit to city would not be complete without witnessing Thai traditional dancing. It's worth hanging around to watch the dancers at the Erawan Shrine as there is often someone who wants to "make merit" by paying the dancers to dance. Apparently this is often done as a "thank you" for recent good fortune. It's quite expensive - several hundred baht for a few minutes, but chances are if you hang around for a little while, someone will pay and there's no charge for watching!

Democracy Monument Italian-born Silpa Bhirasi, founder of Thailand's premier institute of the fine arts, Silpakorn University, designed the Democracy Monument. The 75 cannons arranged at the base of the monument symbolize the Buddhist year 2575 (1932 AD), while the revolutionaries are depicted in plaster relief. The four-ton copper tray at the center holds the Constitution.