# 3 days in Bangkok: a day-by-day itinerary for a first visit

> 3 days in Bangkok, day by day: the river temples, the Grand Palace, Chatuchak or Jim Thompson House, then Chinatown, with 2026 prices and fares.

- URL: https://traypass.app/blog/3-days-in-bangkok
- By: Gonzalo Fuentes, Traypass
- 2026-11-02
- [es](https://traypass.app/es/blog/3-dias-en-bangkok) · [fr](https://traypass.app/fr/blog/3-jours-a-bangkok) · [de](https://traypass.app/de/blog/3-tage-bangkok) · [it](https://traypass.app/it/blog/3-giorni-a-bangkok) · [ja](https://traypass.app/ja/blog/bangkok-3-days)

## In short

- **Day 1, the river**: Wat Arun at 8:00 a.m., the ferry across to Wat Pho, lunch by Tha Tien pier, a boat downriver, dinner on Yaowarat Road.
- **Day 2, the palace**: the Grand Palace when it opens at 8:30 a.m., then Chatuchak on a weekend or Jim Thompson House on a weekday.
- **Day 3, Chinatown**: the flower market, Wat Traimit and Talat Noi, then Yaowarat's street food after dark.
- **Money**: about **1,290 THB ($38)** for the five paid sights. The Grand Palace is 500 THB, the boat about 19 to 24 THB, and shoulders and knees must be covered.

3 days in Bangkok is enough for the big sights if you put them in the right order: the river temples early, before the heat and the tour groups, then the Grand Palace on a morning of its own, and Chinatown in the evenings, when its street food comes out.

This is the plan as we built it in Traypass for a sample trip in mid-November. The times are the ones that work in practice; move them to fit your flights. Prices were checked on October 31, 2026, at about 33.7 baht (THB) to the dollar. US passport holders can enter visa-free for 30 days, after filling out the arrival card online; the details are in [Thailand before you land](/blog/what-to-know-before-traveling-to-thailand).

- Grand Palace: 500 THBAbout $15, with Wat Phra Kaew included

- Five paid sights: 1,290 THBAbout $38 with Jim Thompson House; Chatuchak is free

- River boat: 19–24 THBAbout 55 to 70 cents a ride

- Dress code: Knees and shouldersCovered at every temple

## Day 1: the river temples

Spend the first day on the river: Wat Arun at 8:00 a.m., Wat Pho across the water, lunch by the pier and a boat in the afternoon. Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, stands on the west bank of the Chao Phraya. It opens at 8:00 a.m., and at that hour the heat and the tour groups have not built up yet. Entry is about **200 THB** ($6).

When you ask Traypass to plan a day in Bangkok, it suggests one stop at a time. For this day it called the theme “Riverside temples, markets and Chinatown” and put Wat Arun first, at 8:00. You keep a stop with the check mark, or skip it with the cross and see the next one.

![Traypass suggesting a Bangkok day called Riverside temples, markets and Chinatown, one card at a time: Wat Arun at 8:00, 45 minutes, with a cross to skip it and a check to keep it, and an empty strip above reading Your day builds here](/_astro/th-ai-deck-front.9kxw3RHB_Z2lKHJz.webp)

![The golden Reclining Buddha of Wat Pho seen from its feet, filling the hall under a red and gold painted ceiling](/_astro/photo-wat-pho.CiF43wTJ_1SAvbL.webp)[sippakorn yamkasikorn · Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/AoLKRtqU4Nw?utm_source=traypass&utm_medium=referral)

## Day 1 as planned

From Wat Arun, the cross-river ferry takes a few minutes and costs a few baht to reach Tha Tien pier. Wat Pho, with its 46-meter (150-foot) Reclining Buddha, is a short walk from there. It opens at 8:00 a.m.; give it an hour and a half. Entry is **300 THB** ($9).

Eat by Tha Tien pier and sit out the hottest hours. Then take a commuter boat downriver to Sathorn pier, about 45 minutes on the water for **19 to 24 THB**, depending on the line. The orange flag is 19 THB but runs only at weekday rush hours; the yellow flag, 24 THB, runs through the day, and on weekends it is the only commuter line. Look at the board on the pier to see which one calls at Tha Tien. Finish with dinner on Yaowarat Road.

In the trip, each stop sits under its day with its time and how long it takes, and the free time between stops shows as a line (“30m free”, “1h 30m free”). The notes come with it: cross on the ferry from Tha Tien, shoulders and knees covered, and for the boat, “Check the flag at the pier.”

![A Thailand trip in Traypass: check-in at Riva Surya Bangkok on Wednesday, November 18, then the plan for Thursday, November 19, with Wat Arun at 8:00, Wat Pho at 9:45, lunch by Tha Tien pier at 12:00, the Chao Phraya Express boat at 14:30 and dinner on Yaowarat Road at 19:00, with the day map starting below](/_astro/th-trip-day-bangkok-front.CkTxq0kW_rjIo7.webp)

## The day on the map

The morning is tight: Wat Arun, Wat Pho and the lunch stop are all along the river, a ferry hop or a 20-minute walk from one another. Only dinner, in Chinatown, is a ride away.

Traypass draws each day this way, with the hotel and the numbered stops, and the timeline under it shows how you get from one to the next. It also shows the weather and the time of sunset, about 5:45 p.m. in mid-November. That is your cue to be on the boat or in Chinatown, since Wat Arun closes at about 6:00 p.m.

![The same Thursday, November 19 on the map in Traypass: the Riva Surya Bangkok hotel, then Wat Arun, Wat Pho and the lunch stop clustered by the river and dinner on Yaowarat Road to the southeast, with a timeline below showing 91°, sunset at 17:47 and a 23-minute walk between Wat Arun and Wat Pho](/_astro/th-trip-map-front.CxKTLJ6W_ZgLt8r.webp)

**Day 1 · The river (Bangkok)**

1.  08:00 — Wat Arun — 1 h 15 · about 200 THB
2.  09:45 — Wat Pho and the Reclining Buddha — 1 h 30 · 300 THB
3.  12:00 — Lunch by Tha Tien pier — 1 h
4.  14:30 — River boat to Sathorn — From Tha Tien · 45 min · 19–24 THB
5.  19:00 — Dinner on Yaowarat Road — 2 h

## Day 2: the Grand Palace, then Chatuchak or Jim Thompson

Spend day 2 at the Grand Palace in the morning, then Chatuchak on a weekend or Jim Thompson House on a weekday. The palace and Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, open at 8:30 a.m. Be there at opening: by late morning the courtyards are full. Tickets are sold until 3:30 p.m. and cost **500 THB** ($15), including Wat Phra Kaew and the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles inside the same walls.

Traypass can also fit two temples and the palace into one morning. For a Saturday it suggested Wat Arun, Wat Pho and the Grand Palace before lunch at 12:00, then Chatuchak Weekend Market and Jim Thompson House in the afternoon. That is a lot for one day, and Chatuchak’s main market is open only on Saturdays and Sundays, so the plan works on a weekend and not on a weekday. This article splits the temples over two days instead. If a suggested day is too full, “Change it” sits right under it.

![A suggested Saturday in Traypass, titled Your Saturday: Wat Arun at 08:00, Wat Pho at 09:15 (15 minutes by transit), the Grand Palace at 10:45 (an 11-minute walk), lunch from 12:00 to 13:15, Chatuchak Weekend Market at 13:15 (40 minutes by transit) and Jim Thompson House at 15:15 (35 minutes by transit), with Change it and See the plan buttons](/_astro/th-ai-day-front.BN-ob2Tb_20GLRR.webp)

![The golden chedi and the orange-tiled, green-trimmed walls of Wat Phra Kaew inside the Grand Palace in Bangkok, under a blue sky](/_astro/photo-grand-palace.B4FgXHDu_Z1Q59C6.webp)[Sung Shin · Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/KipWnQeqUhc?utm_source=traypass&utm_medium=referral)

The dress code is the strictest in the city: no sleeveless tops, short shorts, mini skirts, or see-through, torn or tight clothes.

So the afternoon depends on the day. On a weekend, take the BTS to Mo Chit or the MRT to Chatuchak Park. Entry is free, and thousands of stalls sell clothes, plants, food and ceramics, from about 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. On a weekday, go to Jim Thompson House, the teak home of the American who revived Thai silk, a short walk from BTS National Stadium. It is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., costs **250 THB** ($7.50), and you can only visit with a guide (English, French, Japanese and others); the last tour starts at 5:00 p.m.

**Day 2 · The palace (Bangkok)**

1.  08:30 — Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew — 2 h 30 · 500 THB
2.  11:30 — Lunch near Tha Chang pier — 1 h
3.  13:30 — Chatuchak Weekend Market — Saturday and Sunday · 3 h · free
4.  13:30 — Or Jim Thompson House — Weekdays · guided visit, 1 h · 250 THB
5.  17:30 — An evening in Siam or Silom — BTS

The main stops in Bangkok

1.  **Wat Arun** — Day 1, 8:00
2.  **Wat Pho** — Day 1, across the river
3.  **Tha Tien pier** — Ferry and river boats
4.  **Grand Palace** — Day 2, 8:30
5.  **Chatuchak Weekend Market** — Day 2, weekends
6.  **Jim Thompson House** — Day 2, weekdays
7.  **Pak Khlong Talat** — Day 3, flowers
8.  **Wat Traimit** — Day 3, the Golden Buddha
9.  **Yaowarat Road** — Dinner, nights 1 and 3

## Day 3: Chinatown and the markets

Spend day 3 in Chinatown: flowers at dawn, the Golden Buddha, the alleys, and street food after dark. Start early at Pak Khlong Talat, the flower market near Memorial Bridge. It runs around the clock, and in the morning the stalls are full of marigolds and jasmine garlands for the temples.

![Bundles of pink and red roses wrapped in newspaper, stacked on a stall at Pak Khlong Talat flower market in Bangkok](/_astro/photo-flower-market.YeBHqDA2_ZIrCa7.webp)[Darren Ee · Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/AtXqF0HaU9w?utm_source=traypass&utm_medium=referral)

Then walk east into Chinatown. Wat Traimit keeps the Golden Buddha, about 5.5 metric tons of gold, near the end of Yaowarat Road; the hall costs **40 THB**. From there, Sampeng Lane is a narrow alley of wholesale stalls, and Talat Noi, by the river, has old Chinese shophouses and street art.

![The gilded roofs and tiered spire of Wat Traimit in Bangkok, with gold trim along white walls against a blue sky](/_astro/photo-wat-traimit.ox6EMhI-_6Olop.webp)[Federico Mata · Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/BECb7NXdghA?utm_source=traypass&utm_medium=referral)

Rest in the afternoon. Yaowarat comes alive after dark: from about 6:00 p.m., stalls set up along the main road and the side streets for noodles, grilled seafood and mango with sticky rice. The MRT stops at Wat Mangkon, a short walk from the busiest stretch.

![Yaowarat Road in Bangkok's Chinatown at night, seen from above: taxis in traffic and rows of red and gold Chinese signs lit up](/_astro/photo-yaowarat.BSJLx1BT_1AR4db.webp)[Jakob Owens · Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/i7tQ08k9ZV0?utm_source=traypass&utm_medium=referral)

**Day 3 · Chinatown (Bangkok)**

1.  08:00 — Pak Khlong Talat — Flower market · 45 min
2.  09:30 — Wat Traimit — The Golden Buddha · 45 min · 40 THB
3.  10:30 — Sampeng Lane and Talat Noi — On foot · 2 h
4.  13:00 — Back to the hotel — Pool or nap
5.  18:30 — Street food on Yaowarat Road — Evening · 2 h

## Where to stay and how to get around

Sleep near the river or near a train line. The riverside around Phra Athit and Banglamphu puts the old city within walking distance and the boats at your door. Silom and Sathorn are close to both the river and the BTS. Sukhumvit has the most hotels and the nightlife, but the temples are a longer ride.

How

Where it goes

What it costs

River boat

Along the river: Sathorn, Tha Tien, Tha Chang

19–24 THB

Cross-river ferry

Tha Tien to Wat Arun

A few baht

BTS Skytrain

Siam, Silom, Sukhumvit, Mo Chit

By distance, from 17 THB

MRT subway

Sanam Chai, Wat Mangkon, Chatuchak Park, Silom

17–44 THB

Airport Rail Link

Suvarnabhumi Airport to Phaya Thai, 27 min

About 45 THB

Taxi or Grab

Anywhere

Cheap, but slow in rush hour

The BTS doesn’t reach the old city, but the MRT does: Sanam Chai station is a short walk from Wat Pho and the Grand Palace. The boat is the better ride, though: take the BTS to Saphan Taksin and the river boat from Sathorn pier. Boat schedules and fares changed several times in 2026, so check the board on the pier. From Suvarnabhumi Airport, the Airport Rail Link to Phaya Thai connects to the BTS.

## What to bring for the temples

Bring light long trousers or a long skirt, a T-shirt with sleeves, and shoes you can slip off at the door: every temple asks for shoulders and knees covered, and Bangkok is about 32°C (90°F) in November. For visas, money and plugs, see [Thailand before you land](/blog/what-to-know-before-traveling-to-thailand).

## Your three days in the app

Put your flights, hotel and days into a trip and Traypass lays them out in order, with the Bangkok days planned stop by stop and a [packing list](/packing-list) that knows the temples ask for long trousers. The [itinerary planner](/itinerary-planner) builds the days with you.

![The packing list for Thailand in Traypass, 5 of 15 packed: clothing with light long trousers tagged Temples ask for cov…, swimsuits tagged Railay and a rain jacket tagged Rain expected](/_astro/th-packing-front.BLnpkNGv_1Mf8Pu.webp)

## Questions people ask

### Is 3 days in Bangkok enough?

Yes, for the main sights without rushing: the river temples, the Grand Palace, a market and Chinatown. You won't see the outer neighborhoods or make a day trip, such as Ayutthaya, without a fourth day.

### Can you see Wat Arun, Wat Pho and the Grand Palace in one day?

Yes, they are a short ferry ride and a walk apart. It makes a long, hot morning, though. Splitting them over two days, as this plan does, leaves time for lunch and the river.

### How much do the temples cost in Bangkok?

About 500 THB ($15) for the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, 300 THB ($9) for Wat Pho, about 200 THB ($6) for Wat Arun, 250 THB ($7.50) for Jim Thompson House and 40 THB for the Golden Buddha at Wat Traimit. Together, about 1,290 THB ($38).

### Is Chatuchak open every day?

The main market is open on Saturdays and Sundays, from about 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. On weekdays most stalls are shut, so a weekday trip is better spent at Jim Thompson House, which is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

### What should I wear to the temples in Bangkok?

Shoulders and knees covered, for men and women. The Grand Palace is the strictest: no sleeveless tops, short shorts, mini skirts, see-through, torn or tight clothes. Light long trousers and a T-shirt are fine.

### What is the best way to get around Bangkok?

The river boats and cross-river ferries for the old city, and the BTS Skytrain and MRT subway for the rest. Taxis and ride-hailing apps are cheap but slow in traffic.

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