Sights in Thailand
-
A
Chatuchak Weekend Market
Among the largest markets in the world, Chatuchak Weekend Market seems to unite everything buyable, from used vintage sneakers to baby squirrels. JJ, as it’s also known, is the ideal place to finally pick up those gifts for people back home, not to mention a pretty item or two for your own home. The market is roughly divided into thematic sections, the best guide to these being Nancy Chandler’s Map of Bangkok. Because Chatuchak is a Thai institution, food also plays a significant role, and there are numerous drinks and snack vendors, and several good restaurants on the outside edges of the market. Plan to spend a full day, as there’s plenty to see, do and buy. But…
reviewed
-
B
Night Bazaar
This extensive market sprawls along several blocks. Roofed concession areas, regular shops and street vendors offer a huge variety of Thai goods at bargain prices. Designer goods - real and fake - are also on offer. The Night Bazaar attracts foreign importers, impressed by the discounts given to bulk purchases.
Good buys include Phrae-style sêua mâw hâwm (blue cotton farmer's shirt), northern- and northeastern-Thai hand-woven fabrics, yâam (shoulder bags), hill-tribe crafts (many tribespeople set up their own stalls here; the Akha wander around on foot), opium scales, hats, silver jewellery, lacquerware, woodcarvings, iron and bronze Buddhas, as well as many other…
reviewed
-
C
Bangkok Art & Culture Centre (BACC)
This large, modern building in the centre of Bangkok is the most recent and promising addition to the city’s arts scene. To date, the compound’s three floors and 3000 sq metres of gallery space have played host to several high-quality exhibitions, but bureaucratic setbacks have delayed the library and art-related shops and restaurants slated for the rest of the structure.
reviewed
-
D
Phuket Fantasea
This is a US$60 million 'cultural theme park' located just east of Hat Kamala. Despite the billing, there aren't any rides, but there is a show that takes the colour and pageantry of Thai dance and combines this with state-of-the-art light-and-sound techniques that rival anything found in Las Vegas (think 30 elephants). All of this takes place on a stage dominated by a full-scale replica of a Khmer temple. Kids especially will be captivated by the spectacle but it is over-the-top cheesy, and cameras are forbidden.
reviewed
-
E
Wat Arun
Striking Wat Arun commands a martial pose as the third point in the holy trinity (along with Wat Phra Kaew and Wat Pho) of Bangkok's early history. After the fall of Ayuthaya, King Taksin ceremoniously clinched control here on the site of a local shrine (formerly known as Wat Jaeng) and established a royal palace and a temple to house the Emerald Buddha. The temple was renamed after the Indian god of dawn (Aruna) and in honour of the literal and symbolic founding of a new Ayuthaya.
It wasn't until the capital and the Emerald Buddha were moved to Bangkok that Wat Arun received its most prominent characteristic: the 82m-high prang (Khmer-style tower). The tower's…
reviewed
-
Phra Ratchaniwet Mrigadayavan
With a breezy seaside location 10km north of Hua Hin, this summer palace was built during the reign of Rama VI (King Vajiravudh) in 1923 as a health-promoting retreat for the king who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis. The court's Italian architect built the palace to maximise air circulation and admire the sea. The result is a series of interlinked teak houses with tall shuttered windows and patterned fretwork built upon stilts forming a shaded ground-level boardwalk. It is functional and elegant without excessive opulence. Surrounding the palace is a beautiful garden with statuesque trees, some nearing a century old. A traditional Thai orchestra helps transport…
reviewed
-
Sala Kaew Ku Sculpture Park
One of Thailand’s most enigmatic attractions, Sala Kaew Ku Sculpture Park is a surreal, sculptural journey into the mind of a mystic shaman. Built over a period of 20 years by Luang Pu Boun Leua Sourirat, who died in 1996, the park features a weird and wonderful array of gigantic sculptures ablaze with Hindu-Buddhist imagery.
To get to Sala Kaew Ku, board a bus heading to Phon Phisai or any other eastern destination and ask to get off at Wat Khaek (10B), as the park is also known; it’s about a fiveminute walk from the highway. Chartered túk-túk cost 150B return with a one-hour wait – don’t pay up front, or it may turn into a oneway fare. Or you can reach it by bike in…
reviewed
-
Tham Phraya Nakhon
Tham Phraya Nakhon is probably the most photographed cave in Thailand and can be reached by boat or foot. The boat trip takes about 30 minutes there and back, while it's 30 minutes each way by foot along a steep, rocky 430m trail from Hat Laem Sala. The cave is made up of two large sinkholes, and when the sun shines through in the early morning the effect is truly mystical. In one cave there's a royal săh·lah (often spelt sala; an 'open room' with a roof but no walls).
It was built for King Chulalongkorn, who would stop off here when travelling back and forth between Bangkok and Nakhon Si Thammarat. Check out 'Pagoda Rock', covered with colourful talismans, and…
reviewed
-
Ao Phang-Nga National Marine Park
This sheltered pocket of the Andaman Sea is blessed with verdant limestone cliffs, odd rock formations, submerged karst caves and quaint fishing villages. Around the coast, turquoise waters and scenic islands await the swooshing of your paddles. Hire a canoe, kayak or private boat from the visitors' centre or join a tour organised through an agency in town.
Tours usually include a stop at a Muslim fishing village and James Bond Island (the island rock in The Man with the Golden Gun) within Ao Phang-Nga National Marine Park. The tours take from two to three hours and can be arranged through tour agencies at the Phang-Nga bus station.
reviewed
-
F
Or Tor Kor Market
Or Tor Kor is Bangkok’s highest-quality fruit and agricultural market, and sights such as toddler-sized mangoes and dozens of pots full of curries amount to culinary trainspotting. The vast majority of vendors’ goods are takeaway only, but a small food court and a few informal restaurants exist, including Rot Det, which does tasty stir-fries and curries, and Sut Jai Kai Yaang, just south of the market, which does spicy northeastern-style Thai.
To get here, take the MRT to Kampheng Phet station and exit on the side opposite Chatuchak (the exit says ‘Marketing Organization for Farmers’).
reviewed
Advertisement
-
G
Vongburi House
The two-storey teak house of the last prince of Phrae has been converted into a private museum. It was constructed between 1897 and 1907 for Luang Phongphibun and his wife Chao Sunantha, who once held a profitable teak concession in the city. Elaborate carvings on gables, eaves, balconies and above doors and windows are in good condition. Inside, many of the house's 20 rooms display late-19th-century teak antiques, documents (including early-20th-century slave concessions), photos and other artefacts from the bygone teak-dynasty era. Most are labelled in English as well as Thai.
reviewed
-
Kaeng Khut Khu
The gorgeous rapids at Kaeng Khut Khu is about 5km downstream. It’s most beautiful in the dry, hot season, but worth the trip anytime. The surrounding park has a bevy of vendors selling Isan food into the early evening. The local speciality is coconut candy (má·prów gàaw), and you will also find gûng đên (dancing shrimp), little bowls of live shrimp meant for slurping down just as they come, on the menu. Sŏrng·tăa·ou rarely come out here, so take a túk-túk (50B), or better yet, hire a bike.
reviewed
-
H
Victory Monument
This obelisk monument was built by the then military government in 1941 to commemorate a 1940 campaign against the French in Laos. Today the monument is primarily a landmark for observing the social universe of local university students and countless commuters. It’s worth exploring the neighbourhood around Victory Monument, which is reminiscent of provincial Thai towns, if not exactly hicksville. It's also something of a transport hub, with minivans to Ko Samet, Kanchanaburi and Ayuthaya stopping here, and there's a useful BTS stop.
reviewed
-
Ko Rang
By far the best diving in the region is in and around Ko Rang. Protected from fishing by its marine park status, this place has some of the most pristine coral in Thailand. Visibility is much better than Ko Chang and averages between 10m and 20m.
Ko Yak and Ko Laun are both shallow dives perfect for both beginners and advanced divers. These two small rocky islands can be circumnavigated and have loads of coral, schooling fish, rays, morays, barracuda, puffer fish and the occasional turtle.
reviewed
-
Hat Bang Ben
The most accessible beach in the park is Hat Bang Ben, where the park headquarters are. This long, sandy beach, backed by shady casuarinas, is said to be safe for swimming year-round. From Hat Bang Ben you can see several islands, including the nearby Ko Kam Yai, Ko Kam Noi, Mu Ko Yipun, Ko Khang Khao and, to the north, Ko Phayam. The park staff can arrange boat trips out to any of these islands. During low tide you can walk to an island just a couple of hundred metres from Hat Bang Ben.
reviewed
-
I
Baan Krua
This canal-side neighbourhood is one of Bangkok’s oldest communities. It dates back to the turbulent years at the end of the 18th century, when Cham Muslims from Cambodia and Vietnam fought on the side of the new Thai king and were rewarded with this plot of land east of the new capital. The immigrants brought their silk-weaving traditions with them, and the community grew when the residents built Khlong Saen Saeb to better connect them to the river.
The 1950s and ’60s were boom years for Baan Krua after Jim Thompson hired the weavers and began exporting their silks across the globe. The last 40 years, however, haven’t been so good. Silk production was moved elsewhere…
reviewed
-
FAE’s Elephant Hospital
Near the TECC but not affiliated with, is the FAE’s Elephant Hospital, which claims to be the first of its kind in the world. Although visitors are appreciated and provided for, keep in mind that this is a functioning medical facility, and there are no guided tours and certainly no elephant art. Donations are greatly appreciated. In June 2008 the centre reached another first when it successfully provided an elephant with a prosthetic leg.
reviewed
-
Laem Son National Park
The Leam Son National Park covers 315 sq km of land shared by Ranong and Phang-Nga Provinces, it also includes around 100km of Andaman Sea coastline –the longest protected shore in the country –as well as over 20 idyllic islets. Much of the coast here is covered with mangrove swamps, home to various species of birds, fish, deer and monkeys (including crab-eating macaques), often seen while you’re driving along the road to the park headquarters.
reviewed
-
Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park
A Unesco World Heritage Site, this park features the ruins of structures dating back to the 14th century, roughly the same time as the better-known kingdom of Sukhothai. Kamphaeng Phet's Buddhist monuments continued to be built until the Ayuthaya period, nearly 200 years later, and thus possess elements of both Sukhothai and Ayuthaya styles, resulting in a school of Buddhist art quite unlike anywhere else in Thailand.
The park has two distinct parts; an inclusive ticket (150B) allows entry to both areas. The old city is surrounded by a wall (the 'Diamond Gate' of the city's name) and was formerly inhabited by monks of the gamavasi ('living in the community') sect. This…
reviewed
-
Sangkhalok Museum
This small but comprehensive museum is an excellent introduction to ancient Sukhothai’s most famous product and export, its ceramics. It displays an impressive collection of original 700-year-old Thai pottery found in the area, plus some pieces traded from Vietnam, Burma and China. The 2nd floor features examples of non-utilitarian pottery made as art, including some beautiful and rare ceramic Buddha statues.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
Oasis Sea World
The jagged peninsula of Laem Singh is a picturesque beach option and home to the region's most popular tourist destination, Oasis Sea World. Dolphins are the main attraction and the price of admission includes the opportunity to get in the water with the lovable creatures and assist the trainers with tricks and feeding. Visits can be arranged by most tour operators between Pattaya and Ko Chang.
reviewed
-
J
Wat Pho
You'll find (slightly) fewer tourists here than at Wat Phra Kaew, but Wat Pho is our personal fave among Bangkok's biggest temples. In fact, the compound incorporates a host of superlatives: the largest reclining Buddha, the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand and the country's earliest centre for public education.
Almost too big for its shelter, the genuinely impressive Reclining Buddha, 46m long and 15m high, illustrates the passing of the Buddha into nirvana (ie the Buddha's death). The figure is modelled out of plaster around a brick core and finished in gold leaf. Mother-of-pearl inlay ornaments the feet, displaying 108 different auspicious lák·sà·nà…
reviewed
-
K
Shrine of the Serene Light
A handful of Chinese temples inject some added colour into the area but the Shrine of the Serene Light, tucked away at the end of a 50m alley near the Bangkok Bank of Commerce on Th Phang-Nga, is a cut above the rest. You'll see Taoist etchings on the walls, the vaulted ceiling stained from incense plumes, and the altar is always alive with fresh flowers and burning candles. The shrine is said to have been built by a local family in the mid-1880s.
reviewed
-
Offshore Islands
The islands of Ko Larn, Ko Krok and Ko Sak are around 7km offshore and have some popular beaches - especially Hat Ta Waen on Ko Larn. Boats leave Pattaya's South Pier every two hours between 08:00 and 16:30 (20B). The last boat back from Ko Larn is at 17:00. A daytrip including viewing from a glass bottom boat costs ฿150.
reviewed
-
Cathedral
This French-style cathedral, across a footbridge from Th Sukhaphiban, is the town's architectural highlight. A small missionary chapel was built here in 1711, when Vietnamese Catholics and a French priest arrived. The original has undergone four reconstructions between 1712 and 1906 and is now the largest building of its kind in Thailand.
reviewed