Bangkok Travel Bible - Best Museums, Markets, and Parks (Day 03)

Welcome to the third day of our Bangkok travel guide. Today is all about Bangkok’s best Museums, Markets, and Parks.

For a bit of context, Nuno and I created a complete itinerary for Bangkok, divided it into 5 parts, and organized it by days. Each itinerary is sequentially planned with all locations mapped in the most convenient order, and you can sort the days as you want. Check out:

→ Day 01
→ Day 02
→ Day 04

Walking can be one of the best ways to get to know a destination from the perspective of a local. Therefore, all the places mentioned in this post are within walking distance. Nevertheless, we also mention transportation alternatives.

Bangkok Itinerary Map for Day 3

(All spots for day-3 are marked on the map by green pins).

Jim Thompson House Museum

The Jim Thompson House Museum is one of the best museums in Bangkok. This was the house of Jim Thompson, an American architect, entrepreneur, and a big promotor of Thai silk to the world.

The museum is decorated with unique art pieces collected from around the country. And the guided visit (included in your ticket) explores the mysteries surrounding Jim Thompson’s disappearance.

Opens from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
Tickets cost 200 Baht and include a guided visit. People under 22 pay 100 bahts.
You can visit the gift shop for free.

Transportation to Jim Thompson House Museum

🚝 Skytrain
Take the Skytrain and hop off on exit Nº1 National Stadium Station.
Then, all you have to do is walk 5 minutes towards the stadiums and turn right from Soi Kasemson to the river.

Suan Pakkad Palace (Wang Suan Pakkad)

The Suan Pakkad Palace is a museum consisting of 8 typical Thai houses. The houses are filled with an eclectic mix of fine arts, royal ancient artifacts, archaeological finds, ceramics, and a collection of Khon masks and puppets.

Each building has its own history, like the Lacquer Pavilion that was brought here from Ayutthaya.

The entire venue is surrounded by a beautiful Japanese-style garden and considering that Suan Pakkad Palace is a bit off the normal tourist trail, you’ll get some alone time to wander around for as long as you want.

Open daily from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
The entrance fee is 100 Baht.

Getting to Suan Pakkad Palace on foot

If your starting point is the Jim Thomson House Museum, you will have a 20-minute walk to the northeast. First, cross the river through the Chaloemla 56 bridge and follow the map above.

Transportation do Suan Pakkad Palace

🚝 Skytrain
Hop on the BTS (Skytrain) and get off at Phaya Thai Station.
After a 5-minute walk on Ayuthaya Road (east direction), you’ll arrive at the door of Suan Pakkad Palace.

Pratunam Market

Pratunam is Bangkok’s largest clothing, footwear, and watches wholesale market.
It’s noisy, chaotic, and mazelike, but the prices and good knock-off products keep attracting thousands of locals every day.

Tip: Around here, haggling is totally expected if you’re buying wholesale.
Be careful of pickpockets and keep your items in front of you.

Open all-day-everyday (but it is more fun between 11:00 AM and 9:00 PM).

Getting to Pratunam Market on foot

From Suan Pakkad Palace, it’s a 16-minute walk south.

Transportation to Pratunam Market

🚝 Skytrain
The nearest Skytrain stations to the market are Siam or Chit Lom. The market is north of these stations, behind the Amari tower.

Erawan Shrine

This beautiful (but understated) Hindu shrine in downtown Bangkok was built after a series of misfortunes during the construction of the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel. When nothing seemed to be going in their favor, the hotel’s builders consulted a Brahmin priest who advised the construction of a temple in honor of Lord Brahma. They built it and their luck changed!

Nowadays, Erawan Shrine gets visited by thousands of devotees from Honk Kong, China, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. To have their prayers answered, worshipers, can make a donation and have Thai dancers perform to the four-faced-Buddha.

Everyone can participate in the rituals but remember this is a very important shrine for many people. Respect the space and culture.

Opens from 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM.
Free entrance.

Getting to Erawan Shrine on foot

The Erawan Shrine is a 16-minute walk from the Pratunam market. Go south, cross the river and pass the Pathumwananurak Park. 300m ahead and opposite the Apple Central World is the Shrine.

Transportation to Erawan Shrine

🚝 Skytrain
Hop on the Skytrain, and get off at Chit Lom Station (light green line). Follow Phloen Chit Street to the west and after 200m you’ll arrive at the temple.

Lumpini Park

Is one of the largest green spaces in central Bangkok – and the perfect escape from the chaos and traffic of the city.
Being frequented by people of all ages, Lumpini Park is a hub for several activities like:

Jogging
Tai Chi
Aerobics classes
Paddle boating
Local Jazz bands playing on late Sundays afternoons

Opens from 4:30 AM to 9:00 PM

Getting to Lumpini Park on foot

Just a short 15-minute walk south from Erawan Shrine you will arrive at Lumpini Park. Follow the map above.

Transportation to Lumpini Park

🚇 MRT
By MRT hop off at Lumpini or Silom Station.

🚝 Skytrain
By Skytrain hop off at Saladaeng Station.

Klong Toey Market

This is Bangkok’s biggest and most authentic wet market. Here’s where many of the city restaurants and food stall cooks come to buy their fresh ingredients.

Have in mind that by saying “fresh ingredients” we also mean “raw” and “bloody”. In Klong Toey Market you’ll find freshly picked fruits, veggies, and flowers, but also the rawest pigs feet, plucked birds, and pungent fish. It’ll all depend on the sections you walk through.

However, the outcome of all this fresh produce at hand is a huge diversity of Thai street food made on the spot.

The market opening hours are 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM, but it’s more dynamic in the morning.