Three days in Bangkok adds the Chatuchak Weekend Market (or Or Tor Kor on weekdays) and the 318-step climb up Wat Saket's Golden Mount to the standard Old City and Sukhumvit itinerary. The route averages 5-7 km of walking per day, with one Chao Phraya ferry on Day 1, multiple BTS hops on Day 2, and one MRT segment on Day 3.

Day by day

Day 1: Rattanakosin: Old City Temples and Yaowarat

  • Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew — 2.5 hr. Arrive at 8:15 AM, 15 min before the gate opens. $14 entry with audio guide. Long pants and covered shoulders required; sarongs at the entrance carry a refundable $3 deposit. Last ticket at 2:30pm.
  • Walk south to Wat Pho — 5 min. $8.50 entry. The 46-meter Reclining Buddha hall is the main draw. Enter from the east gate on Sanam Chai Road; the south gate has the tour-bus queue.
  • Rest valve — lunch at any lokanta on Maharat Road behind Wat Pho — 45 min. Khao Man Gai or pad krapow gai with iced tea $2-4. These are the canteens where Thammasat University staff eat.
  • Cross-river shuttle ferry from Tha Tien pier to Wat Arun — 5 min. $0.15 each way, cash only at the gate (no Rabbit Card).
  • Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) — 1 hr. $5.50 entry. The central prang's tile cladding is original Chinese trade-ship ballast porcelain. Climb to the second tier only; the upper steps are 70° steep without a handrail.
  • Ferry back to Tha Tien, walk to Tha Chang Chao Phraya Express pier — 15 min.
  • Chao Phraya Express orange-flag boat from Tha Chang south to Saphan Taksin — 25 min. $0.45.
  • BTS Silom Line from Saphan Taksin to Wat Mangkon (transfer at Sala Daeng to MRT Blue Line, exit 3) — 25-30 min. $1.20-1.60.
  • Yaowarat (Chinatown) night street food — 1.5 hr. Phadungdao alley between Yaowarat and Charoenkrung runs the better seafood-grill stalls at half the price of the main road frontage. Cash only.
  • Total: ~6 km walking; 2 ferries, 1 BTS segment, 1 MRT segment.

Day 2: Sukhumvit, Siam, and the Riverfront

  • Jim Thompson House — 1 hr. $7 entry (ticket office opens 10am at the gate; no online sales). 1959 teak-house compound with the silk merchant's collection of Southeast Asian Buddhist art. BTS National Stadium exit 1, 5 min through Soi Kasemsan 2.
  • BTS from National Stadium to Siam — 2 min. $0.50.
  • Rest valve — lunch at Som Tam Nua, Siam Square Soi 5 — 45 min. Som Tam Thai, gai yang, and sticky rice $5-7 per person. Queues move in 20 min; lunch service ends at 2pm.
  • Walk through Siam Paragon ground floor and the MBK Center connecting walkway to BTS Siam — 45 min.
  • BTS Sukhumvit Line from Siam to Asok — 8 min. $0.65. Walk through Terminal 21 mall to the Asok-Sukhumvit Soi 21 intersection.
  • MRT from Sukhumvit station to Lumphini — 5 min. $0.45.
  • Lumphini Park walk — 1 hr. The 57-hectare park holds the largest monitor lizard population in central Bangkok; they sun on the south lawns and along the lake edges. Free entry.
  • MRT from Lumphini to Silom, transfer to BTS Silom Line to Saphan Taksin — 15 min. $0.90.
  • Free Asiatique shuttle boat from Sathorn pier — 15 min. Departures every 30 min from 4pm.
  • Asiatique riverfront — 1.5 hr. Sunset on the boardwalk, dinner at one of the open-front Thai food halls. Mid-range plates $4-8.
  • Free shuttle boat back to Sathorn pier — 15 min. Last service 11:30pm.
  • Total: ~5 km walking; 4 BTS segments, 2 MRT segments, 2 shuttle boats.

Day 3: Chatuchak Market, Wat Saket, and Phra Athit

  • MRT Blue Line to Chatuchak Park (exit 1) or BTS Sukhumvit Line to Mo Chit (exit 1) — 20-30 min from central. $0.65-1.20.
  • Chatuchak Weekend Market (Sat-Sun) — 3 hr. 27 numbered sections across 35 acres holding more than 8,000 stalls; the central clock tower is the navigation anchor. Pick up a printed map at any information booth (free). On weekdays, swap for Or Tor Kor Market across the road (MRT Kamphaeng Phet exit 3, daily 6am-6pm, government-run produce hall).
  • Rest valve — lunch at the market food zone in Section 26 — 45 min. Khao Mok Gai (Thai chicken biryani), Pad Thai, and mango sticky rice $2-5 per dish.
  • MRT from Chatuchak Park to Sam Yot — 20 min. $0.85.
  • Walk from Sam Yot exit 3 north to Wat Saket (Golden Mount) — 20 min through the Old City wall remnants.
  • Wat Saket (Golden Mount) — 1 hr. $0.55 entry. 318 numbered concrete steps spiral up the artificial 75-meter hill to the gold-tiled chedi at the summit; the climb has bench rests every 60 steps and a small bell line near the top. The summit gives the widest 360° view of the Old City available without a paid observation deck.
  • Walk west through the Banglamphu antique market lanes to Phra Athit pier — 30 min.
  • Santichaiprakan Park and Phra Sumen Fort — 45 min. The white octagonal fort dates from 1783, one of two surviving 18-fort city wall sections. The park along the river is free; food vendors line the river path at sunset.
  • Chao Phraya Express orange-flag boat from Phra Athit pier south to Sathorn (Saphan Taksin BTS) — 30 min. $0.45.
  • Total: ~6 km walking; 2 MRT segments, 1 ferry.
Traveller Tips
  • Day 3 only works as written on Saturday or Sunday for Chatuchak. On weekdays, swap to Or Tor Kor Market (across the road from Chatuchak, MRT Kamphaeng Phet exit 3, daily 6am-6pm) which is smaller but holds the best fruit and prepared-food vendors.
  • Days 1 and 2 are the same as the 2-day itinerary. If you have already done either, skip ahead to Day 3.
  • The Wat Saket climb is in full sun until the upper tier shade — start at 4pm or later to beat both the heat and the tour bus arrivals.
  • Carry $14-20 cash for Day 3: Chatuchak vendors, Wat Saket entry, and the Phra Athit pier ferry are all cash only.
  • If the weather is poor on Day 3, swap the Wat Saket climb with a visit to the National Museum next to Sanam Luang ($5.50 entry, indoor, 9am-4pm). The teak-house Phra That Hall holds Thailand's largest collection of pre-Sukhothai-era sculpture.