In December 2019, my husband and I spent our official honeymoon in Thailand. We had plans to spend a few days in Bangkok and a few days in Phuket. After talking to a number of people, the majority of the recommended that we spend the majority of our time in Phuket because it’s more resort-like. Due to this advice, we ended up spending a mere 36 hours in Bangkok. Here are the things we did, and the things I WISH we did.
Day of Arrival – First 7 Hours
We arrived in Bangkok at 4:45 pm on Saturday, December 21st. After arriving in Bangkok we were pretty wiped out so we decided to just chill out for the night. We stayed at the W Bangkok on N. Sathorn Road. Although we didn’t take the train anywhere, this hotel is right next to the train station. Making it pretty easy to get around the city.
Since we didn’t really plan ahead for this leg of our trip, we were unsure of where we should eat. My husband is vegan and by the time we were ready for dinner, most of the 100% vegan restaurants were closed. We decided to just get some snacks from 7-eleven and then wandered around the Patpong Night Bazaar.
The night bazaar had everything from clothes, shoes, purses, to electronics. You name it, they had it. However, be careful because I’m pretty sure most of the name brand stuff may have been fake.
A little further down from the night bazaar was an area with many restaurants and night clubs. If you’re looking for a ladyboy show, then you’ll find it here. We weren’t too interested in seeing one so we decided to skip it.
While we only had 36 hours to spend in Bangkok, after about 2 hours just wandering around, we went back to our hotel and called it a night.
Day 2 – Our Only Full 24 Hours
Breakfast/Brunch
We started the day off by walking to brunch at a vegan restaurant called Veganerie. The walk from our hotel was only about 10 minutes. While I’m not vegan, I do enjoy eating vegan dishes and this place did NOT disappoint.
We ordered the spring rolls, “chicken” nuggets made with mushrooms and jackfruit, pancakes, and waffles. The spring rolls and nuggets were absolutely amazing! I’m not the biggest jackfruit fan so I was a little hesitant to try them but let me tell you, the texture was spot on. If I had my eyes closed I probably wouldn’t have known that they had jackfruit in them.
Tipping isn’t customary in Thailand but we still left a tip. The waiters and waitresses were so thankful that they gifted us with bamboo straws to take home.
The Walking Street
On our way to Veganerie, we stumbled upon the Sunday walking street. They shut down a section of the road and various vendors set up shop. It was similar to the night bazaar but on a much larger scale.
There were people selling food, clothes, art, handmade bags, and more. You could seriously spend the whole day here because there were so many vendors to check out. If you’re adventurous and like to try local cuisine. Then this would be perfect for you!
Be sure to check out my YouTube video to see it for yourself.
Visiting Temples
After perusing the walking street for a while, my husband wanted to go to the mall. We walked there too. On our walk, we stumbled upon one of the many temples in Bangkok. It was simply beautiful! I really wish that I made it to the reclining Buddha and some of the other well-known sites, but our limited time in Bangkok just didn’t allow for it.
Dinner and Drinks
After leaving the mall and relaxing in the hotel for about 2 hours we went out for dinner at Sunrise Tacos and Grill. Weird, right? Eating at a taco joint while in Bangkok? Well, this was highly recommended online. The best part was that they offered vegan and non-vegan options.
I had the Tijuana tacos and my husband had a vegan burrito. Both were amazing. My tacos came with a guacamole cream sauce and really had some kick. My husband’s burrito was made with OmniPork which is a meat alternative that is made to have a similar taste and texture to, you guessed it, pork. I also liked that they had an extensive salsa bar. My favorite was the pineapple salsa.
After dinner, and doing some more walking during the night market, we went to have our final drinks at the House on Sathorn. It’s located right next to the W Bangkok. This was the perfect way for us to end our short time in Bangkok.
Departure Day
We left early the next morning and didn’t have time to do much of anything. We left for the airport to fly to Phuket.
Things I WISH We Did
For starters, I wish we would’ve spent more time in Bangkok. Most people that we talked to already live in big cities so I think Bangkok was too much like home for them. For us, on the other hand, we live in what many would consider paradise so we often miss being in a big city. While we were quickly ready to leave when we first arrived, Bangkok ended up filling that void.
We really should’ve spent at least two full days in Bangkok so we could do the following:
- Visit the Grand Palace
- See the floating market
- Take a ride in a tuk tuk
- Get a proper Thai massage
- Ride the sky train
- Enjoy the nightlife
If we get the chance to go back, I’ll definitely be putting these on my to-do list because 36 hours in Bangkok is simply not enough. Bangkok has so much to offer and I feel like there’s a little something for everyone. It just depends on where you stay and what your interests are.
Be sure to check out part one of my Thailand vlog over on my YouTube channel to see everything that we did.
Have you ever been to Bangkok? What was your favorite part? Let me know in the comments!
