Bangkok: The Perfect 3-Day Stopover

Three days. One incredible city. And three completely different ways to experience it.

Bangkok is one of those destinations I think is so often underestimated.

For many travellers, it’s simply the place you fly into before heading south to Phuket, Krabi, Koh Samui or the islands.

But I think Bangkok deserves a little more attention than that.

Give it three days and you can experience incredible food, beautiful temples, colourful markets, rooftop bars, river cruises, shopping, street food and some seriously impressive hotels.

What I love most about Bangkok, though, is that it works for so many different travellers.

A family can spend three days here and have a completely different holiday to a couple looking for luxury, while younger travellers can experience another side of the city entirely.

Same Bangkok. Three very different stopovers.

Here’s how I’d do it.

BANGKOK FOR FAMILIES

Colourful, exciting and just the right amount of chaos.

I actually LOVE Bangkok as the beginning of a family Thailand holiday.

There is so much for kids to see and experience, particularly if it’s their first trip to Asia.

Think tuk-tuk rides through the city, longtail boats on the river, enormous golden Buddhas, colourful temples, markets filled with things they’ve never seen before and mango sticky rice whenever someone needs a snack.

The key with Bangkok and kids?

Don’t try to do everything.

Choose a beautiful family-friendly hotel with a great pool and give yourself plenty of downtime between adventures.

Spend a morning exploring the Grand Palace and Wat Pho, jump aboard a tuk-tuk, take a boat along the Chao Phraya River and then retreat back to the hotel for an afternoon swim.

Another day might be SEA LIFE Bangkok Ocean World, shopping around Siam or simply wandering, eating and letting the kids experience how wonderfully different Bangkok feels from home.

For me, three days is the sweet spot.

It gives families that exciting introduction to Thailand without exhausting everyone before the beach part of the holiday has even begun.

PERFECT FOR: Families heading onwards to Phuket, Krabi, Khao Lak or Koh Samui who want to add a little culture and adventure to their Thailand escape.

BANGKOK FOR YOUTH TRAVEL

Cheap eats. Night markets. New friends. And a city that barely seems to sleep.

If you’re travelling Thailand in your late teens or twenties, Bangkok almost feels like a rite of passage.

And you absolutely don't need a huge budget to have an incredible time here.

Stay somewhere social, spend your days exploring the temples and river, eat ridiculously good food for a few dollars and then watch Bangkok completely transform once the sun goes down.

Khao San Road is famous for a reason, particularly if meeting other travellers is part of the experience, but there is so much more beyond it.

Head into Chinatown after dark and eat your way along Yaowarat Road.

Explore Bangkok’s markets.

Get a Thai massage.

Jump on the Skytrain and discover another neighbourhood.

Shop until your suitcase physically cannot take another thing.

And yes, probably experience at least one Bangkok night that feels like an excellent idea at the time and slightly less excellent the following morning.

That’s part of it.

Bangkok also makes so much sense at the beginning of a longer Thailand trip.

Spend three nights here before heading towards Krabi, Phi Phi, Phuket or joining a group tour through the islands.

PERFECT FOR: Best friends, solo travellers, first-time overseas travellers and anyone wanting to experience Thailand without spending a fortune.

BANGKOK FOR A LUXURY ESCAPE

Five-star hotels. Incredible food. Rooftop cocktails. This is a completely different Bangkok.

This might actually be my favourite thing about Bangkok.

You can backpack it.

You can absolutely do it with kids.

But you can also make Bangkok seriously luxurious.

And compared with many other major cities around the world, your luxury budget can stretch surprisingly far.

Choose an incredible five-star hotel overlooking the Chao Phraya River.

Spend your morning exploring the temples with a private guide.

Come back for a spa treatment and a few hours beside a beautiful hotel pool.

Then get dressed up and head to one of Bangkok’s famous rooftop bars as the city lights come on below you.

And the food...

Bangkok has everything from tiny local restaurants serving extraordinary dishes for a few dollars through to some of Asia’s most celebrated fine-dining experiences.

You could spend three days here doing very little traditional sightseeing and still have an amazing stopover.

Sleep in.

Order breakfast.

Book the massage.

Go shopping.

Have the cocktail.

Make the hotel part of the experience.

Sometimes the stopover doesn't need to be about squeezing in as much sightseeing as humanly possible.

Sometimes it can simply be three gorgeous nights between destinations.

PERFECT FOR: Couples, honeymoons, anniversaries, girls’ trips or anyone who wants to add a little indulgence to their Thailand holiday.

SO... SHOULD YOU ADD BANGKOK?

For me, absolutely.

If you're already flying through Bangkok, adding three nights can transform what was simply a transit point into another completely different part of your holiday.

Families can make it fun.

Younger travellers can make it an adventure.

Couples can make it luxurious.

And that's what I love about Thailand.

There isn't one right way to experience it.

If you’re considering Thailand, I’d love to help you build an itinerary around the way you actually like to travel.

Whether that's Bangkok and the islands, a family escape, a best-friends adventure or something a little more luxurious, we can create a trip that feels completely your own.