Secrets are always fun to explore, and in Bangkok they are plentiful! Some are spoken of only in whispers, others take years to discover and a few are outrageously underrated. But one thing unites those picked for our list: all will enhance your enjoyment of this exciting city.
Most of the things below are door-openers (specific places you should visit), but we’ve thrown in a few eye-openers (curious facts) for good measure. Check them out before they’re “discovered” by the crowds!
Rod Fai Market is an open-air bazaar just behind Seacon Square Shopping Mall on Srinakarin Road Soi 51. The vintage look never goes out of style here. Spread on the ground is all kinds of collectables and memorabilia from yesteryear, from antique furniture to hippy fashion to Mao kitsch. The overall feel is down-to-earth cool.
Location: 51 Srinagarindra Road, Nong Bon, Prawet, Bangkok 10250, Thailand
Open: Thursday–Sunday from 5 pm to 1 am (closed from Mondays to Wednesdays)
Phone: +66 (0)81 827 5885
A huge, 3-headed elephant statue standing upon an equally gargantuan pedestal is the first thing you see when visiting Samut Prakan’s Erawan Museum. It’s a splendid, towering beast: 250 tons in weight, 29 metres high, 39 metres long, and cast in a pure green-hued copper. The sculpture is the museum itself, which houses a wide range of artifacts in a psychedelic setting.
Location: 99 Bang Mueang Mai, Samut Prakan 10270, Thailand
Open: Daily from 9 am to 7 pm
Phone: +66 (0)2 371 3135
Bangkok Forensic Museum, located inside the Siriraj Hospital, offers a sinister exhibition for the morbid or for travellers searching for something extremely unusual. Expect deformed babies and mutated organs preserved in jars, as well as the mummified remains of Bangkok’s most prolific cannibal.
Location: 2 Wanglung Road, Bangkok Noi, Bangkok 10700, Thailand
Open: Wednesday–Monday from 10 am to 5 pm (closed on Tuesdays)
Phone: +66 (0)2 419 2601
Red Sky is a fancy rooftop bar and restaurant at Centara Grand CentralWorld Bangkok. Offering impressive panoramic cityscapes from its 56th floor, it’s one of the best places in the city for dinner and drinks, especially after a day of shopping. Take your time and enjoy the moment with an excellent jazz quartet providing unobtrusive music. Happy hour at Red Sky Bar is from 4pm to 5pm, offering buy-1-free-1 promos on drinks and snacks. Signature cocktails include the Imperial Mojito and Martini-infused cocktails.
Location: Centara Grand at CentralWorld, 999/99 Rama 1 Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Open: Daily from 4pm to 1am
Phone: +66 (0)2 100 6255
The Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) offers a wide range of contemporary art, design, music, theatre and film in the city. The exhibitions on display at BACC vary widely. It has an international feel with explanations in English and bilingual staff on hand to enhance the experience. At times, the large space can feel empty but once you step inside the galleries the innovation is obvious. Together with over 4,000 square metres of exhibition space, you’ll find shops, an art library, and a couple of cafes serving coffee and snacks.
Location: 939 Rama I Rd, Wangmai, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Open: Tuesday–Sunday from 10am to 9pm (closed on Mondays)
Phone: +66 (0)2 214 6630
Madame Tussauds Bangkok at Siam Discovery Center is where you can explore exhibits of lifelike wax figures, most of which you can touch, hug, play with, and even kiss. Imagine taking a selfie with an A-list celebrity like Vin Diesel or Jackie Chan, practising Kung Fu with Bruce Lee, walking the red carpet with Angelina Jolie, or… even posing with Her Majesty The Queen. You can learn all about the craft of waxwork from the 2nd-floor exhibit on the history of Madame Tussauds. The museums’ souvenir boutique carries an interesting collection of memorabilia and quirky accessories you might want to bring home with you.
Location: 6th Floor, Siam Discovery, 989 Rama I Rd, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Open: Daily from 10am to 8pm
Papaya Studio Bangkok is like no other shop you have even seen before. Many have heard of it, but few have actually stepped inside it. Trying to list the amazing objects, items, figures, toys, household objects and furniture tightly packed next to each other would be impossible, but you can’t help but notice the pinball machines, Vespas, and full-size comic characters like Flash, Wolverine, Green Lantern and Batman, all proudly standing next to… a pair of giant rabbits.
Location: 306/1 Soi Lat Phrao, Phlabphla, Wang Thonglang, Bangkok 10310, Thailand
Open: Daily from 9 am to 7 pm
Phone: +66 (0)2 539 8220
Known as the Bangkok Phallic Shrine, this unique place of worship honours a female fertility spirit called Chao Mae Tubtim. Hundreds of penises, from small wooden carvings to big stone sculptures that stand over 2 metres tall and decorated with ribbons, make this Bangkok shrine quite unique. Women visit this shrine when they are trying to conceive, leaving offerings of lotus and jasmine.
Location: Nai Lert Park Heritage Home, 2 2 Witthayu Rd, Lumphini, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Pathum Wanaram Temple was built by King Rama IV in 1857 as a place of worship near his Sa Pathum Palace. During your visit, check out the carvings on the crematorium that demonstrate rare examples of ancient craftsmanship featuring ornate stencils and lacquered sculptures. Located between Central World Plaza and Siam Paragon Mall, Pathum Wanaram is even more striking due to the incongruous sight of 2 huge shopping malls bearing down on this temple from both sides – strangely symbolic of modern Bangkok.
Location: 969 Rama I Rd, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Open: Daily from 9am to 4pm
The Royal Thai Air Force Museum has a small but surprisingly interesting plane collection hidden away near Don Mueang International Airport. Covering the entire history of Thai Aviation since the very first biplanes, about 30 aircraft are displayed partly outdoor, partly indoor inside a couple of large hangars.
Location: 171 Paholyothin Road, Don Mueang, Bangkok 10210, Thailand
Open: Tuesday–Sunday from 8 am to 4 pm (closed on Mondays)
Phone: +66 (0)2 534 1853
Scala Cinema in Siam Square offers a modest 1-screen experience in Bangkok. Built in 1967, this exquisitely maintained movie theatre is worth a trip not only for the bargain-priced seats and popcorn but also for the retro setting. From the tickets to the building, everything here has been preserved and it’s worth a trip just to stand in the domed-ceiling entrance and be transported to another age.
Location: 184-216 Rama I Rd, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Phone: +66 (0)2 251 2861
Rama IX Park is the largest green space in Bangkok, with a beautiful botanical garden, large lake and gardens inspired by countries around the world. Founded in 1987 to celebrate King Bhumibol’s 60th birthday, a visit to this large park on the outskirts of Bangkok is a great break from the city. Despite all the interesting things to see, the park remains surprisingly free of tourists and offers a genuine experience of how locals spend their afternoon (see previous post).
Location: Suan Luang Rama 9, Sukhumvit 103 Road, Prawet, Bangkok 10250, Thailand
Open: Daily from 5 am to 7 pm
Phone: +66 (0)2 328 1385
For a real sense of how locals used to live (and how some still do) – in stilted shacks, old wooden townhouses and dilapidated lean-tos – join a tour of Bangkok’s Thonburi khlongs (canals). A boat ride along the canals usually begins on the Chao Phraya, the main river that bisects Bangkok in a wide arc. From there, the narrow waterways spread into the city on either bank.