FALL SALE: Save up to $1,058 on our trips! Limited spots. Book Now.

The Best Experiences in Bangkok

Bangkok is a city of a thousand smells, sights, sounds and tastes
Bangkok is a city of a thousand smells, sights, sounds and tastes | © dbimages / Alamy Stock Photo

Many tourists do Bangkok with jaunts to the Grand Palace and the Reclining Buddha mixed in with a bit of illicit nightlife. But don’t short-shrift this city. Bangkok is also home to incredible experiences like Muay Thai (Thai boxing) classes, Thai cooking classes and blissful massages. These are some of the best.

Bangkok is a city of a thousand smells, sights, sounds and tastes. And to indulge in everything this magical city has to offer, it’s worth going beyond the typical tourist traps. While the Grand Palace is stunning, the Reclining Buddha is jaw-dropping and the street food definitely worth exploring, it’s a whole other thing to experience Thai culture at its core. We’ve scoured the streets of this city to bring you some of the best, most authentic experiences you can have in Bangkok.

Art and culture

Two-hour Manohra dining cruise on a rice barge

Restaurant, Thai

One of the best ways to see the city is to embark on a cruise along the Chao Phraya River. But to take things up a notch, grab your significant other for a luxury experience aboard an antique rice barge while dining on decadent Thai delicacies. This two-hour trip takes you past major sites while you drink bubbly under the stars.

Introduction to Buddhist meditation at Wat Mahathat

Buddhist Temple

Learn the art of Buddhist meditation at Wat Mahathat
© Prasit Rodphan / Alamy Stock Photo

If you’re looking for a little Zen in your life, you can learn the art of Buddhist meditation at Wat Mahathat, a temple next door to the Grand Palace. This experience is led by a Buddhist monk who can help you find inner peace in ways you probably didn’t think possible. Namaste.

Classes and workshops

Cookery class and market experience

Farmers' Market, Thai

Take a Thai cooking class
© GetYourGuide

Thailand is known for its wide range of cuisine and spices, and there’s nothing like taking a little cooking knowledge home with you. This class brings you through Bangkok’s famed flower market, where you’ll buy local ingredients and then learn to cook some of Thailand’s most sumptuous dishes like pad Thai, red curry and miang khum (leaf-wrapped salad).

The art of fruit carving

School

Ever wondered how make intricate designs out of fruit? Wonder no longer with this mind-blowing class on the art of fruit carving. Fruit carving is an ancient Thai tradition and you’ll be able to learn everything from watermelon flowers and animal carvings to intricate floral designs. When you get home, your dinner parties will be the most Instagrammable of all your friends’.

Muay Thai boxing class for beginners

Fitness Studio

Watch Muay Thai boxers in action
© Raquel Mogado / Alamy Stock Photo

For the uninitiated, Muay Thai is Thai boxing, a no-holds-barred contact sport where all your appendages do damage to your opponent. This hour-long course gives you a full introduction to this ruthless world as Muay Thai martial artists show you the basics of punching, kicking, blocking, clinching and maybe an elbow shot or two. Prepare to work up a sweat.

Bangkok flower market and Thai floral art workshop

Market

Explore the flower market
© palawat744 / Shutterstock
Touring Bangkok, you’ll see flowers everywhere. On every shrine, in every shop and at all the temples. This workshop is a flower-focussed tour of the city as you’ll hang out with local artisans, discover how to find lotuses, make Thai Jasmine garlands and even visit the Baan Kudichin Museum, which delves into Thailand’s history and its relationship with Portugal. The tour also includes a visit to Pak Khlong Talad, Bangkok’s famous flower market.

Sports tours and spa days

Flow House Bangkok

Natural Feature

Flow House Bangkok
Courtesy of Viator
Many tourists complain that Bangkok is too far from the beaches and islands. Well, one way around that is a visit to Flow House. This inner-city beach club has its own wave pool where you can learn to surf or boogie board without leaving town. Instructors are on hand to help, but if you want to just lounge by the water, there are plenty of drinks and snacks to be had as well while you work on your tan.

Baan Sabai massage

Spa

This 160-minute Thai massage experience will make you feel like a king or queen. The Royal Thai package includes a 90-minute Thai massage, a 40-minute head massage and a 30-minute foot and leg massage. All the practitioners are trained at elite massage schools, so when they’re bending your body into a pretzel, it’s because they know what they’re doing.

Bangkok flotation experience

Spa, Health Spa

If Thailand’s endless massage options haven’t given you the relaxation you’re looking for, you might want to try floating for a change. Head over to the Float Center Day Spa where you’ll experience weightlessness within a float tank of Epsom salts-infused water. The hour-long session starts with hypnotic Celtic music to help relax you as you hover in your own tank and let the stresses of life float away.

About the author

Paul Feinstein is a freelance journalist who has been working and writing in and out of Los Angeles for the past 19 years. An avid traveler, Paul has been to nearly 60 countries, lived in Israel, and is particularly obsessed with Italy and Japan. You can follow his work/travel exploits on Instagram @mrpaulfeinstein

Culture Trip Fall Sale

Save up to $1,058 on our unique small-group trips! Limited spots.

toast-message-image
close-ad
Edit article