Bangkok itinerary: 1, 2 and 3 days

Bangkok rewards a slow first day and punishes a packed one. Traffic and heat eat hours, so the useful unit is not "sights per day" but "one area per half-day". The old city (Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun) is one half-day. Chinatown and the river are another. Siam and Sukhumvit, the modern city, are a third.

With one day, pick the old city in the morning and the river or a mall in the afternoon. With two days, add Chinatown and a night market. With three, you can take a day trip without losing the city. Four nights is comfortable if you want a cooking class, a spa afternoon or a second temple day.

Start early. The Grand Palace opens in the morning and the heat and crowds build fast; arriving at opening gives you an hour of relative calm. Wat Pho is a short walk south, and the reclining Buddha hall is the reason most people come. From Wat Pho pier, the cross-river ferry to Wat Arun costs a few baht and takes minutes.

After lunch, take the Chao Phraya boat north or south rather than a taxi; the river is the only reliable fast route through the old city. Late afternoon suits Chinatown (Yaowarat), where the street food stalls set up around dusk. Finish at a night market or a rooftop bar if that is your thing.

If you land in the evening, treat arrival night as zero: eat near your hotel and sleep. Do not schedule the Grand Palace for a jet-lagged morning.

Day one: the old city route above, but slow it down. Add the amulet market or a riverside café between temples, and take the boat to Thonburi side if you want a quieter afternoon.

Day two: the modern city and Chinatown. Jim Thompson House is a compact, air-conditioned stop that explains the silk trade. Siam and Sukhumvit are for malls, air conditioning and people-watching; the food courts in the big malls are a low-risk way to try many Thai dishes in one sitting. In the evening, choose between Yaowarat for street food or a night market such as Jodd Fairs for a mix of food and shopping.

Day three is the day trip. Ayutthaya is the classic: 1–2 h north by train, minivan or car, with temple ruins spread over a large area best covered by bicycle or tuk-tuk. Leave early and you are back in Bangkok by evening. Kanchanaburi, with the River Kwai bridge and war cemeteries, is 2.5–3 h west and works better as an overnight.

Closer options: Ko Kret, a car-free island of Mon pottery and food stalls in the Chao Phraya north of the city, is a half-day. Nakhon Pathom, with the tall Phra Pathom Chedi, is 1–1.5 h west and easy by train. Both suit a slower third day if you do not want a long transfer.

If you would rather stay in the city, use day three for a cooking class, a Thai massage, and the neighbourhoods you missed: Bang Krachao (the green lung) by bicycle, or the old shophouse streets around Talat Noi.

Bangkok is cheap by US or European standards but not free. Temple entries, boats and taxis add up faster than food. Prices below are 2026 estimates; confirm at the gate or on the operator's site.

Book the Grand Palace and any popular rooftop bar ahead in high season. Dress codes at temples are enforced: no sleeveless tops, no shorts above the knee, and shoes off inside halls. Many temples lend or rent a wrap, but bringing your own is faster.

Use the BTS and MRT for anything along their lines, and river boats for the old city. Taxis are metered and cheap off-peak but can sit still for an hour in traffic; Grab and Bolt are the usual app alternatives. Agree on the meter or the app price before you move.

Drink bottled or filtered water, and eat where the stall is busy and the food is cooked to order. Carry small notes and coins for boats, markets and street food. A local eSIM avoids roaming charges and makes maps and ride apps work from the moment you land.