Things to do in Bangkok

There are lots of things to do in Bangkok it is big quirky place and every street and side street offers up its own strange flavor and style.

The Khlong

To really get under the skin of a town, though, you have to wander off the beaten path, take the road less traveled by the tourist and see the city locals see.

There are plenty of well known attractions and group tours, some of which are very cool and will keep you happily occupied for some time, but after you’ve seen all of the temples and compared the prices of as many pieces of luggage as you care to look at here a few things to do in Bangkok for some firsthand cultural edification and big silliness.

Transportation is one of the most basic features of everyday modern urban living.  People need to go places.  Most tourists will travel in vans, taxis, tuk-tuks, trains, and tour buses, but in limiting themselves to these form of transportation (at least the off-rail stuff) they are wasting huge amounts of time sitting in traffic and missing out on an excellent rush between destinations.

The boats that take passengers up and down the majestic Khlong Saen Saep are the most exhilarating and speedy way to get around Bangkok.  The Khlong is a canal, a particularly foul one at that and all manner of unspeakable detritus have found a home somewhere in its unspeakable depths.  The joke is- if you fall in, just stay.

But not to worry, the long wooden speedboats that zip up and down the canal are equipped with tarpaulins rigged to a pulley system along the sides of the boat.  Whoever is sitting (or standing, it can get pretty crowded around rush hour) closest to the side is responsible for keeping the  tarp up between stops.  Of all the things to do in Bangkok, it doesn’t get more real than the khlong boats.

As the boats speed through the canals you get a chance to see a very unique side of Bangkok, the life along the canals.  Homes, markets, concrete walkways (or rickety wooden ones), and all the trappings of any other community can be found along the banks of Bangkok’s canals.  If you can get past the smell, it really is quite charming.

Pratanum Pier

But the best part of the khlong boat is its speed.  From the Mall Bangkapi at the far reaches of town to Phratunam takes all of 30 minutes on the canal boat, any time of day.  The same trip by any other means of conveyance takes an hour with no traffic, and there is almost never ‘no traffic’.

It runs from Bangkapi right out to the temples and area around Khao San Road and makes stops in all of the city’s key locations and can get you right up to things like subway terminals.  If you have a lot of things to in Bangkok this is the way to get them done.

In a day on the khlong you can visit Talad Bobae, a huge wholesale clothing market with over 700 vendors.   You can find some really good prices here if you know how to bargain, and bargaining is expected.

You can visit a whole host of lesser known temples; they usually don’t mind you walking around the grounds, some offer classes on meditation and open lessons from the senior monk, too.  Just use your best judgment and don’t go charging into rooms or buildings where you aren’t sure you should be.

You can hop off at Soi Mahadthai, which is peopled mostly by college age people who attend Ramkhamhaeng University and doesn’t really have too many interesting shops, unless you’re into hair and skin care.  Two out of every three businesses on Mahadthai seems to be a beautician, hair stylist, or skin clinic.  Everything is priced for locals, so it’s all affordable.  If you enjoy a good facial or restyling the do, this has to make your list of things to do in Bangkok.

So when you’re ready to explore, look up a list of stops on the canal, buy a vapor inhaler, close your mouth, and hop onto the khlong boat and discover all of the things to do in Bangkok, like locals experience it.

Do you want to experience Bangkok canal tour by yourself? Checkout our Bangkok Canal tour.