CHRISTY: Vancouver Lifestyle, Travel, Fashion, Beauty, Business, & Food Blogger ❀

Last year, I got to finally visit Bangkok for the first time! It was for a business trip and big event. I haven’t gone international for a few years due to the pandemic and travel restrictions, so this is my first time also visiting Asia again post pandemic.

My favourite part about Bangkok is delicious and affordable food! As a fan of Thai food, I definitely wanted to try the local food there. Not to mention, I actually shared over 10 pad thai dishes and Thai iced tea!

I was originally going to fly to Chiangmai or Phuket as well, which I highly recommend! I stayed in Bangkok for 12 days and it felt quite long.

Some things to bring: sunscreen, bug spray, lots of cash/ credit cards, wifi, a neck fan is a good idea, umbrella (in case it rains), comfortable shoes – lots of walking!, try booking Jay Fai (Michelin Star Restaurant) at least a month in advance, book a cooking class or elephant sanctuary trip!

Some must-eats: Pad Thai, Thai iced tea, boat noodles, bugs (if you’re into that – I’ll avoid that), fresh coconuts, pandan desserts, coconut desserts, lime iced tea, skewers, mango sticky rice, pork leg

Quick tips: You can definitely get around with English as they speak some English there, taking taxis is convenient but haggle for the price (generally 200 baht was good for places we went to), be cautious with the street food and drinks (make sure they’re fresh, clean)

Here’s a brief summary of my recommended itinerary (I stayed near CentralWorld Mall)!

🗓 DAY 1 – Thai Massage & CentralWorld Mall

• Afternoon
  • Arrived at airport and grabbed our first Thai iced tea (so good) and pad thai (pad thai #1) at Blue Cup Coffee!
  • We took an airport taxi to our hotel
  • We arrived to our hotel and downstairs was a Thai massage place. After a long flight, a massage is great! Other notable massage chains: Let’s Relax

• Evening
  • CentralWorld Mall: It was November and they already had a lot of Christmas decor!
    • The malls in Bangkok are quite amazing – so many restaurants and shops! Honestly there was also a ton of Michelin-featured restaurants
  • Dinner: Nara Thai – This is where we ate at the mall since they were also Michelin restaurants. We thought the taste could be more flavourful (we’re used to sweeter flavours in North America) but the presentation of the dishes were amazing. We got skewers, Tom Yum soup, pad thai #2, and steamed fish.
    • Caution: the Tom Yum Soup made me tear up..
  • Late night snacks at 7-11

🗓 DAY 2 – Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market, Khao San Road (Bar Street), Thai Massage

• Morning – Afternoon
  • Breakfast: Try some street food. We actually had dim sum at our hotel which was pretty good!
  • Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market: We took a taxi to the floating market and honestly, we were expecting the market to actually be floating on water but not this one exactly. There was a river path you could take a boat on though which was scary but fun!
    • There’s a lot of street food you can get here, we got a famous herbal tea
    • Boat ride: It took about 1.5 hours to go through the full ride. We got to get off at some other areas to wander around, as well as an orchid garden.

• Evening
  • Khao San Road: We went to a famous bar street and they had a ton of street food (including insect skewers!). I also got a Thai-style dress here which was confusing to wear but comfortable! I honestly enjoyed the energy on this street and some of the open seating bars.
    • Dinner: We had pad thai #3 at a street food stall.
    • Try a massage while you’re here! There are usually a ton of people trying to sell you.
  • CentralWorld: Since this mall is near our area, we decided to go back for dessert. We went to Make Me A Mango, which I love, and grabbed a drink. The mangos in Bangkok are delicious!

🗓 DAY 3 – Temples (Wat Traimit, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, Chao Phraya River), The Giant Swing, High Tea @ The Gingerbread House

You definitely need to reserve one day for temples. We booked a temple tour and it’s highly recommended! They take you around in a car, help you take photos, and also explain the history. My favourite temple was Wat Arun (many people rent outfits to take photos here).

• Morning
  • Breakfast: Grab some snacks at 7-11 or try some street food!
  • Catch the car ride from the tour guide (it was quite early for us). Wear some shoes that are easy to take off and socks if you’d like as you’ll need to remove your shoes in some areas.
  • Wat Traimit (The Golden Buddha): We didn’t get to go to Wat Phra Kaew but to this temple. It was close to the main city and quite small but tall. The golden Buddha inside is one of the largest in the world.
  • Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha): This was an amazing temple that held a huge Buddha inside! We took a ferry over to Wat Arun after. If you have time, many people tend to rent a traditional Thai outfit to take photos here!
  • Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn): This it the most iconic temple in Bangkok so you don’t want to miss this! It was my favourite. It overlooks the Chao Phraya River so there’s a beautiful backdrop.

• Afternoon
  • Lunch: High Tea @ The Gingerbread House – This was so amazing! I marked this down after seeing a reel on it and it was such a cute place. Try to make reservations beforehand. There aren’t savoury foods available though so it’s all sweets. There was a mix of mango and coconut desserts which were quite sweet for me but the presentation was Instagram-worthy.
  • Giant Swing: Can stop by for a photo here
  • Grand Temple: This is a must-go! It’s huge and there are so many beautiful buildings. I took a ton of photos here!

🗓 DAY 4: Mahanakhon Skywalk, Thai Cooking Class, Siam Paragon, After You Dessert Cafe, & Let’s Relax Massage

• Morning
  • Mahanakhon Skywalk: Take transit to get off at the station right outside the building. Buy a ticket to go up and it’s got a glass floor (pretty scary!) that you can step on. A great photo spot! You can also order some food here.

• Afternoon
  • Thai Cooking Class (House of Taste): Since we love Thai food, we had to also learn how to cook them! We cooked Pad Thai #5, Tom Yum, Curry, and made Mango Sticky Rice. It was so good! The hosts prepared ingredients for us (there was a small group of people). We got to chop stuff and then head upstairs to cook the ingredients. Some of the cooking class packages also include a market tour. I highly recommend this!

• Evening
  • Siam Paragon: Super nice mall with lots of luxury stores and a beautiful food court. The food court has an artificial waterfall! Outside the mall is also a very nice photo area by the water.
    • Indoor Floating Market: We didn’t get to go but there was a floating market with a lot of food choices there. Looks really nice too!
    • After You Dessert Cafe: Highly recommend stopping by this popular shaved ice spot. We got the mango and Thai iced tea flavours. We liked this much better than the Pang Cha Michelin Guide shaved ice.
    • Let’s Relax Massage: After a nice meal, get a good massage at this place! They have a lot of different packages with some around 200 baht only for an hour or so. There’s also snacks after!

• Dinner: We went back to our area by CentralWorld and ate at Baanbenjarongpai, another Michelin guide place. They had some unique dishes there!

🗓 DAY 5: Coffee & Lunch, MBK Center, Siam Food, Asiatique & Japara Perfume, Seafood Dinner, Shaved Ice

• Morning
  • %Arabica: Grab a coffee at one of my favourite spots! I first had this in Hong Kong so I was so happy to see it again! My favourite is their Spanish Latte that has condensed milk.
  • Lunch Options(CentralWorld)
    • Tsuta Soba Noodles: We walked by this place and saw it was on the Michelin guide and also had truffle ramen! It sounded and looked really good. The truffle flavour was quite strong and the soup was not too salty or oily. It was delicious!
    • Korean BBQ & Hot Pot Buffet: I couldn’t find the exact name for this but it had a lot of food options!

• Afternoon
  • MBK Center: This is one of the largest malls with a lot of clothes, souvenirs, shoes, and handbags you can buy. I got some souvenirs such as elephant figures, coin purses, and incense. You can also bargain here and see some highly realistic counterfeit designer goods. It was an interesting experience!
  • Siam Food: We also stopped by a food court to eat some Siam food. The Siamese boat noodles were my favourite – they were quite spicy though but so flavourful. There were pork balls too.

• Evening
  • Asiatique: One of my favourite waterside markets! It was so energetic there and refreshing by the water.
    • Famous Thai Iced Tea: Made by an award winner and he even does a super cool performance! It was quite sweet but delicious.
    • Japara Perfume: This is the only store to get this perfume brand. I loved the Egyptian inspired packaging designs! I had to pick up a few. The scents were also really good – I got a few floral ones.
    • Dinner: Seafood is a must when you’re by the water. We had clams and crab dishes!
  • Dessert:
    • Pang Cha: The Michelin Guide brown sugar bubble tea shaved ice. Honestly it wasn’t good to us – it was super sweet and tasted only like ice. But you could try it out anyways.

🗓 DAY 6: Greyhound Cafe, Neverland Husky Cafe, TukTuk, Omakase, Red Sky Bar

• Morning
  • Greyhound Cafe (Different Locations): We came here for lunch and the food was delicious. Of course we ordered a pad thai #6 and then chicken wings. I was so excited for the pandan dessert and lime iced tea

• Afternoon
  • TrueLove @ Neverland Husky Cafe: If you’re a dog lover, this Husky cafe is the only one in the world. People travel to Bangkok just to go here! They train and take care of the dogs very well and there’s even an intro clip on each dog. You get photo sessions with the dogs too. There were some other dogs there as well besides huskies. We took the Tuktuk back to the station and it was both scary and fun

• Evening
  • Omakase: When we first visited, we walked by many affordable omakase places (we’re talking $40 US) so we booked a place to try. It was definitely super fresh for the price! If you go to omakase often though then best to stick to the more expensive ones!
  • Sky Bar: Checking out a sky bar is a must when travelling, we went to Red Sky Bar which has a 55th floor. The bar was so lively and the view was amazing, there was both skyscrapers and flat buildings with lots of lights.

🗓 DAY 7: Shiko Udon, Haircut, Massage, Thipsamai, Food Court Finds, Big C Supermarket

• Afternoon
  • Lunch: We had so much pad thai that we wanted something else for lunch. Shiko Udon was just outside our hotel. The restaurant was cute and cozy and the udon was.. then we walked to a very modern market area beside hotel.
  • There was a matcha tea house that served some unique matcha drinks (such as clear matcha)
  • When in Asia, beauty services is a must. I got a haircut and perm at a very famous hair salon, turned out to be around $100.

• Evening
  • Dinner: We decided to eat at some amazing food courts. Thipsamai (Different Locations) was one of the pad thai places we had down. It took a while to find. The pad thai #8 there was unique as it had a netted looking egg on top, the flavour was the sweetest pad thai we had there.
    • Pork leg and crab soup: we also tried some unique dishes. Pork leg is a very popular dish as well as the meat is cooked for long hours. The crab soup was also a popular dish, it had a strong crab flavour!

• Supermarket: If you want to grab some snacks as souvenirs, Big C is a big supermarket in Bangkok. It had two floors and had such a selection of food. We had to try the mangoes there! It actually turned out so sweet even if it wasn’t in season yet. I stocked up on Tom yum pocky and Tao Kae Noi seaweed snack.

🗓 DAY 8: Terminal 21 Mall, Cha Tra Mue Soft Serve, Chinatown, Lhong Tou Cafe, Art Mall, Jay Fai

• Morning:
  • Terminal 21 Mall is a bit far but it has some unique characteristics. The interior is sectioned off and decorated as different popular cities! I loved checking out the Tokyo area. We came here to have the Cha Tra Mue Thai iced tea soft serve that was only available here. Definitely worth it!

• Afternoon:
  • Chinatown: For lunch time, I had to go Lhong Tou Cafe. I watched it on a reel once and it was saved on my to-go list. I’m so glad I actually went! Who would’ve imagined. The modern Chinese restaurant was super unique as it had tables attached to the wall and ladders to climb up. We got a big dim sum tray and pretty drinks. The food was pretty good and I had a great time here.

• Evening:
  • Jay Fai: Many people come here to try the Michelin star restaurant. Jay Fai is known for the crab omelette and other amazing dishes such as pad thai. Be sure to book here beforehand!

Our Favourite Food

After trying multiple pad thai dishes and Thai iced tea, we have a few places we like the most!

• Pad Thai (Not Super Sweet): Thipsamai
• Thai Iced Tea (Not Too Sweet, Strong Tea & Milk Flavour): ChaTraMue, Blue Cup Coffee

(Side note: The ones we cooked ourselves during our cooking class was actually pretty good!!)

Other Notable Areas

• Other Activities
  • Jim Thompson’s House (American Spy & Silk Merchant)
  • Lumphini Park (like Central Park of NYC)
  • Sunday Night Market (Warorot Market)
  • Doi Inthanon

• Food
  • Above 11 Bar
  • Jay Fai (Michelin Star Restaurant) – Super famous street food stall for the crab omelette and other dishes, book at least a month in advance or line up early
  • Octave Bar
  • Mae Veri Mango Sticky Rice
  • Soei (Mark Wein’s favourite)
  • Som Tam Jay So (Laos, Mark Wein’s 2nd favourite)
  • Wattana Panich Beef Broth
  • Here Hai
  • TKT’s Row House
  • Aroon Rai
  • Mango Tango

Other Links:

• 🍴 Check out my foodie account @christyenjoys for more! Stay tuned for my next trip on Taipei, Bangkok, Hiroshima/ Miyajima, Toronto, NYC, and San Francisco
• If you have time to go Osaka nearby, I have a 4 Days In Osaka Itinerary!