Sukhumvit: What to See & Do

Inside is a collection of agricultural and domestic items - woven fish baskets and terra-cotta pots among other items - which show the everyday lives of ordinary people in the past. The spirits of three ladies - previous occupants - are said to haunt the house and watch over it. The gardens, Lanna style, are landscaped like a northern Thai garden.

There's an excellent library (Siam Society members can borrow, but the general public can browse) which includes rare books about Thai history, palm-leaf manuscripts and old maps. Fondly attended by Bangkok's foreign intelligensia, The Siam Society is dedicated to providing information on all aspects of Thai culture, especially the regions, arranging regular lectures and study trips to historic sites and wildlife sanctuaries.

Open: 09:00 - 17:00 (Tuesday - Saturday)

Location: 131 Soi Asok, north of Sukhumvit on Soi 21

Skytrain: Asok (about ten minute walk)

Admission: 100 baht for adults, 50 baht for children

Benjasiri Park

Built in 1992 to celebrate Queen Sirikit's 60th birthday, Benjasiri Park is often referred to as 'Queen's Park'. This is definitely the place to be for sculpture lovers, as several of the best examples of Thai sculpture are scattered around the park. Benjasiri Park is located next to the Emporium right in the middle of the busy Sukhumvit area.

Location: Next to the Emporium Shopping Centre, Sukhumvit 23

Museum of Science & Planetarium

Here the kids can engage with science and technology, natural history, the environment and deep space in informal surroundings. The Science Museum aims to open the door on scientific experimentation and discovery with special events, lectures and discussions on science, astrology and related subjects. The Planetarium has a giant projection of the solar system and a section on the life of stars. On top of that the Aquatic World, Nature and the Environment area, Health Science area and Children's Discovery House can all be explored. Educating and exciting.

Location: Next Eastern Bus Terminal (Ekkamai), near Ekkamai BTS Station on Sukhumvit Road

Open: 09:00 - 16:00 (Closed on Mondays and public holidays)

Admission: For the Science Exhibition it's 20 baht for adults and 10 baht for children and students; for the Planetarium its 10 baht for adults, 5 baht for children

There aren't many traditional tourist attractions on Sukhumvit Road. There are few temples and no palaces to explore. Instead what lends Sukhumvit its magnetism is its modern face: towering luxury hotels, colossal condomoniums, air-conditioned shopping malls and entertainment complexes, fine restaurants, trendy shops and world-class nightlife.

Then there are the crowds - an attraction in themselves. Where else can you see veiled Muslim women brushing past provocatively dressed ladyboys; middle-aged Europeans nonchalantly walking hand-in-hand with exotic Thai women. Each soi, or lane, has its own personality and target audience and endless hours can be spent exploring these. To see multi-culturalism at work, visit Soi 3 (Soi Nana), a Middle Eastern enclave known as 'Little Arabia'.

Traditional Attractions

There are some conventional attractions on Sukhumvit. Opened to preserve and boost creativity in the Kingdom, the Thailand Creative & Design Centre (TCDC) is a design showcase of Thai and foreign trends and talent. It's located on the 6th floor of the Emporium, which is the trendiest shopping mall on Sukhumvit and also houses the SF Cinema City complex.

The Siam Society on Soi 21 (near BTS Asok) puts on interesting exhibitions and lectures on all aspects of Thai culture, and features Kamthieng House - a 19th century teak house full of interesting domestic and agricultural relics.

Natural Relief

Sukhumvit is also home to many popular day spas. And Soi 23's Benjasiri Park (next to the Emporium), often referred to as the 'Queen's Park', provides green relief from the frenetic pace of the surrounding area. It's worth seeing alone for the many Thai sculptures dotted around its grounds and the large groups of locals who gather here at dusk for energetic aerobics sessions.

For kids, the National Science Centre for Education in Ekkamai is worth exploring for an edutainment experience, while the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre hosts many interesting events all year-round.

Thailand Creative & Design Centre

Asia's first design learning and resource facility, the Thailand Creative and Design Centre (TCDC), was established to foster the country's creativity and inspire innovative ideas among design professionals and entrepreneurs. TCDC is part of the Thai government's attempt to build Thailand as a knowledge-based society under the supervision of the Office of Knowledge Management and Development.

Kamthieng House

A beautiful, stilted 19th rice farmer's teak house transplanted from the banks of Chiang Mai's Ping River to Bangkok in 1964, Kamthieng House is now the headquarters of the the Siam Society - a place dedicated to preserving and promoting Thai culture and heritage.

Inside is a collection of agricultural and domestic items - woven fish baskets and terra-cotta pots among other items - which show the everyday lives of ordinary people in the past. The spirits of three ladies - previous occupants - are said to haunt the house and watch over it. The gardens, Lanna style, are landscaped like a northern Thai garden.

There's an excellent library (Siam Society members can borrow, but the general public can browse) which includes rare books about Thai history, palm-leaf manuscripts and old maps. Fondly attended by Bangkok's foreign intelligensia, The Siam Society is dedicated to providing information on all aspects of Thai culture, especially the regions, arranging regular lectures and study trips to historic sites and wildlife sanctuaries.

Bangkok Temples

Bangkok's temples are a unique part of the capital's heart and soul. A visit here would not be complete without seeing at least two of them. The architecture is awe-inspiring and the glittering decoration like no other. Imagine thousands of pieces of coloured glass and pottery adorned with intricate structures gilded in glaring gold - you're indeed in a City of Angels!

The best time to visit most temples is in the early morning. It's cooler and generally less crowded. The temples ('wats') are not just tourist attractions but also play an important part in Buddhist traditions. Monks live in the temple complexes, wake up around 04:00, attend to prayers and duties and then collect food and necessities from ordinary people on the streets. If you are up very early in Bangkok you will see monks walking around, dressed in saffron coloured robes. This daily alms ritual (called 'tam boon') takes place all over Thailand and is part of the Buddhist philosophy of giving and making merit to attain a better life beyond this one.

It's daunting to visit all the temples, so we've listed in the following sections those in the 'must- visit' category, according to their beauty, cultural significance and high regard in Buddhism. Please not that most temples are not open after 18:00. Thai temples are sacred places so you must dress appropriately. No shorts or revealing tops, otherwise you won't be allowed in. This applies particularly to Wat Phra Kaew (inside the Grand Palace.)

Wat Phra Kaew (The Emerald Buddha)

Wat Phra Kaew or the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (officially known as Wat Phra Sri Rattana Satsadaram) is regarded as the most important Buddhist temple in Thailand. Located in the historic centre of Bangkok, within the grounds of the Grand Palace, it enshrines Phra Kaew Morakot (the Emerald Buddha), the highly revered Buddha image meticulously carved from a single block of jade.

Wat Arun in Bangkok (Temple of Dawn)

Wat Arun, locally known as Wat Chaeng, is situated on the west (Thonburi) bank of the Chao Phraya River. It is believed that after fighting his way out of Ayutthaya, which was besigned by a Burmese army at the time, King Taksin arrived at this temple just as dawn was breaking. He later had the temple renovated and renamed it Wat Chaeng, the Temple of the Dawn.

Wat Pho (Temple of Reclining Buddha)

Wat Pho (the Temple of the Reclining Buddha), or Wat Phra Chetuphon, is located behind the splendid Temple of the Emerald Buddha. It's the largest temple in Bangkok and famed for its huge and majestic reclining Buddha measured 46 metres long and covered in gold leaf. The Buddha's feet are 3 metres long and exquisitely decorated in mother-of-pearl illustrations of auspicious 'laksanas' (characteristics) of the Buddha.

Wat Mahathat

The headquarter of Thailand's largest monastic order and Vipassana Meditation centre, Wat Mahathat is an important centre for the study of Buddhism and meditation. Although most programmes are in Thai, there are some in English and the temple has become a popular place to learn the Vipassana meditation method.

Wat Traimit (Temple of Golden Buddha)

Located at the end of Chinatown's Yaowarat Road, near Hualampong Railway Station, Wat Traimit houses the world's largest golden seated Buddha measuring nearly five metres in height and weighing five and a half tons. In the past, artisans crafted the Buddhas in gold and disguised them from invading armies by a covering of stucco and plaster.

Wat Sutat (Great Swing)

One of the oldest temples with a sweeping elegant roof and the site of the original Giant Swing ceremony. A huge teak arch - all that remains of the original Giant Swing - lies in the grounds in front of the temple. The swing was used in a ceremony to give thanks for a good rice harvest. Young men would ride the swing high in the air, suspended 80 feet from the ground when in full swing...

Wat Saket (Temple of the Golden Mount)

The grubby yellow hill crowned with a gleaming gold chedi is also known as the Golden Mount, or 'Phu Khao Thong'. It rises within the compound of Wat Saket, an unusual temple that houses Buddha relics within its 58-metre-high chedi surmounted by a golden cupola. Built by King Rama I just outside the new city walls, the late-18th century temple served as the capital's crematorium. During the following 100 years, the temple became the dumping ground for some 60,000 plague victims.

Other Temples in Bangkok

In addition to Bangkok's must-see temples are a panoply of interesting worship places most guidebooks fail to mention. These hidden gems include: Wat Benchamabophit, Wat Bowonniwetwihan, Wat Chanasongkram, Wat Intharawihan, Wat Ratchanatdaram Worawihan, Wat Rakhang, Wat Ratchabophit, Wat Ratchapradit, Wat Suwannaram and Wat Thepthidaram.

  












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