We highly recommend doing a night tour in Bangkok to see the Grand Palace and temples beautifully lit up after dark. Make sure you choose a tour that also stops at some of the city’s famous night markets that only open in the evening. Ours included Chinatown and the flower market, which were both buzzing with energy and local flavours. Food tastings were included at the stops—a great way to try dishes you might not usually order (Will even tried crickets and other bugs!).

We paid £20 each for a night time e-scooter tour, which was loads of fun and took us through backstreets the tuk tuks and taxis couldn’t access. If scooters aren’t your thing though, tuk tuk and taxi night tours are also available.

Entry is 500 baht and includes access to the Emerald Buddha Temple (which is actually made of carved jasper, not emerald). We recommend that you plan for half a day here as there’s a lot to explore.You’ll need to dress modestly with shoulders and legs covered, and no shoes or hats allowed inside. Be careful not to point your feet at Buddha statues-it’s disrespectful.

We hired an audio guide for 200 baht (you’ll need to leave a passport or credit card as a deposit), and shared it between us. Most of the interior of the palace buildings were under renovation when we visited, but we could still admire them from the outside. One of my favourite facts I learnt from the audio guide was that the Buddha has different seasonal robes, and you can view the old ones in the Emerald Buddha Museum near the exit. We also recommend that you make sure not to miss the royal bed used by the first king of the current dynasty—each new monarch still spends a night in it before officially starting their reign.

• Bang Pa-In Palace (100 baht)
  This is the royal family’s summer palace, built after King Rama V studied in Europe and wanted to bring some of that architecture back to Thailand. The estate is beautifully maintained and really spacious, with gardens, lakes, and a mix of European, Thai, and Chinese-style buildings designed to impress visiting dignitaries. It’s a large site, with gardens and buildings dotted around, so if you’re not that keen on walking long distances in the heat, don’t worry- there are golf carts for hire (500 baht per hour).

• Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon (20 baht)
  This temple features a large reclining Buddha and a great view from the top. Traditionally a place for monks; men would spend a year here before marriage learning good virtues such as patience. At the top, there’s a wishing well for prayers where tourists can still drop coins in and make a wish. Many of the Buddha statues around the temple are placed above the ashes of local residents who contributed to temple renovations.

• Wat Maha That (20 baht)
  The temple was looted during the fall of Ayutthaya and is now mostly in ruins, but still beautiful and worth the visit. This site is particularly famous for the Buddha head that was left during the looting and is now entwined in tree roots—just make sure to kneel or sit when taking photos out of respect.

This floating market is about a 1.5-hour drive from the city, so we recommend finding a transfer company rather than a taxi for your visit. It’s often paired with Mae Klong on combo tours; ours was via GetYourGuide and we paid £17 each.

When you arrive you will need to make your way to the canal, where you can choose to ride on a manual rowing boat (this was quieter and more relaxing) or a motorised one. If you choose the combo ticket, you’ll spend about 30 minutes on a rowing boat with 40 minutes free time to walk around the market. We recommend that you try the coconut ice cream or mango sticky rice during your visit (but make sure they peel the mango fresh)!

Keep in mind that prices are higher on the boat than at the canal-side shops, so we recommend waiting till you’re walking around the market, if you’re looking for souvenirs or food. As with the railway market,  we were told by our guide that the prices are higher for tourists and she recommended trying to bargain the price down by around 50% if you want a good deal. 

The basic entry cost is 880 baht. Bags aren’t allowed on the deck, but free lockers are available. Once you’ve dropped off your bags, a high-speed lift whisks you up to the 74th floor in under a minute, with panoramic indoor views in the comfort of air conditioning (which trust us, you’ll be thankful for once you’ve spent a few days in Thailand!).

Then you head up to the Sky Deck—open-air with tiered seating, sun loungers and a bar. It’s hot and sunny up there so don’t forget your sunscreen, if you’re planning on spending a fair bit of time here. There’s a glass floor section with views all the way down, but you aren’t allowed to take phones onto it, so make sure to ask someone else to snap a pic!

This museum is set up like an interactive art exhibition, with plenty of hands-on displays. Entry is 50 baht for students or 100 baht for adults and we spent about 40 minutes here. The audio guide is free and we definitely recommend you get one as it was really helpful in explaining the displays. 

The main topic covered in the museum explores what defines Thai identity (“Thainess”). As part of this, there were also exhibits on religion, monarchy and national symbols, as well as Thai food, education and fashion through time. At the end there’s also a fun photo room, where you can dress in traditional outfits and choose different themed backdrops.