48 hours in Bangkok

The capital city of Thailand has everything -- from historical temples and green leafy parks to the most fantastic markets and some of the best food you will have the chance to experience for your pennies. But here's how you can make the most of it, if you just have about two days in hand

Chaotic and filled with energy, Bangkok hits you smack-dab in the face. Spicy aromas from street-side hawker centres fill the air, temples glisten in the harsh morning sun, neon signs vie for attention and roof-top restaurants provide respite from the city's madness -- Bangkok is all this and much more. In our opinion at least, Bangkok should be on any Thailand traveller's itinerary. The perfect Thai holiday? Fly into Bangkok, spend at least two nights there before boarding a plane and visiting Chiang Mai for three or four nights, then finish up in one of the glorious islands of the south.

Here is your guide to spending 48 hours in this amazing capital city of Thailand.

Day 1:

Morning

Many of Thailand's famous cultural sites are located in Bangkok, so it is a good idea to include at least a couple of them. Get to the temples early, before the crowds and the heat of the day become overwhelming. Perhaps the most visited temple in Bangkok, Wat Phra Kaew or 'The Temple of the Emerald Buddha' is in the precinct of the Grand Palace and a must-see. You can hire a guide to take you on a tour of a few of Bangkok's highlights, and recommend doing this if only to understand the broader story and history behind these incredible sites.

Next stop is the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, not far from the Grand Palace. The enormous Buddha – 15 metres high and 43 metres long – is originally from Ayutthaya (Thailand's ancient capital). It is a must-see while in Bangkok.

If you are a bit of a culture-vulture, there are plenty more sites for you to discover in Bangkok, including the National Museum. Or, get your tour guide to take you out of the city to the Floating Markets. Here, you will get a fascinating look into the life in old Thailand when much of the day-to-day trading and living centred around the major river which starts in Northern Thailand and goes through Bangkok before dispersing into the Gulf of Thailand.

For lunch, you can head to Chinatown, where countless restaurants sell delicacies such as crocodile steaks and bird’s nest soup, as well as more conventional Chinese fare.

Post-lunch

Take a stroll into the heart of Chinatown, along Yaowarat Road. Look out for Trok Itsaranuphap, a narrow lane off the main road, crammed with shops selling a vast selection of Chinese delicacies, cooked and uncooked. Don’t miss Wat Traimit, which houses the world’s largest solid gold Buddha. The adjacent temple museum recounts the life story of the Buddha.

From Wat Traimit, it’s just a short walk to the historic Hua Lamphong Railway Station. Catch a train from the adjacent underground MRT (Mass Rapid Transit System) station to Sukhumvit Station and change on to the BTS (Bangkok Mass Transit System) sky train for Sala Daeng. It’s a 15-minute walk up Silom Road to the impressively colourful Hindu Mahariamman Temple.

Evening

If you're in Bangkok, shopping has to be on the menu. You have no shortage of malls to choose from. Start with the Siam area for a range of shopping malls where prices are spread from one end of the scale to the other. If you are after budget shopping, MBK Centre is a favourite with tourists, locals and expats alike and is home to more than 2,000 stores.

You can then check out Siam Centre – one of the city's first malls, or head to Siam Paragon, the piece-de-resistance of the Siam area (which is dubbed the 'battleground of shopping malls').

Day 2

Morning

The following morning, head to Tha Chang (Elephant Pier), near the northwest corner of the Royal Palace, and either engage a long-tail boat or take a much cheaper public ferry and head into the khlongs of Thonburi, on the opposite side of the Chao Phraya River. These waterways are pretty much all that's left of the 'Venice of the East' that was Bangkok before most of the khlongs were concreted over, and it's fun to just explore the area. If you take a long-tail boat, they'll likely drop you at Wat Arun and the Royal Barges National Museum, both of which can also be reached by public ferries.

At the Royal Barges National Museum, you can discover eight of the country's most unique and stunning vessels: the Royal Barges. These boats are reserved for auspicious ceremonies and state occasions like the very rare Royal Barge Procession, and have only made an appearance on the water 16 times in the last 65 years.

Post-lunch & evening

Take a stroll through Bangkok’s foreign ghetto, the pulsing enclave around Khao San Road, Southeast Asia’s largest backpacker district. For decades, this warren of streets and alleyways was a haven of cheap food and lodging for the great tide of unwashed European and American budget travellers. Now the area, parts of which are closed off to traffic at night, has become a hip destination for young Thais who stroll, gawk at the backpackers and gulp down cheap beer.

You can also visit Jim Thompson's House, which now a museum and houses various old Thai structures that the American businessman Jim Thompson collected from all parts of Thailand in the 1950s and 1960s. Here, you can get an introduction to traditional Thai architecture, before heading down to Suan Lum Night Bazaar for an outdoor meal and last-minute knock-off shopping.