Bangkok — Street Food, Temples & Incredible Value.

Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) and the Grand Palace: the undisputed highlight. Go early — by 10am it is packed. Dress code enforced: no shorts, no sleeveless tops. Sarongs available to borrow at the gate.

Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn): best seen from across the Chao Phraya at sunset, then cross over to walk the temple grounds. The river ferry costs THB 5 (₹12).

Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha): attached to the Grand Palace complex. Home to the best Thai massage school in the city — a 1-hour massage costs THB 420 (₹1,000).

Bangkok has some of the best street food on earth. Pad Thai, green curry, massaman curry, mango sticky rice, and boat noodles are essential.

Yaowarat (Chinatown) is the best street food destination in the city — go at night when the food carts fill the street. Budget THB 100–200 (₹240–480) for a full meal.

Avoid tourist restaurants near Khao San Road unless you specifically want overpriced pad thai with a side of backpacker ambience.

The BTS Skytrain and MRT Metro cover central Bangkok efficiently. A single journey costs THB 17–59 (₹40–140). Buy a Rabbit Card for convenience.

Tuk-tuks are fun once, expensive always, and the driver invariably wants to take you to a gem shop or tailor. Use them for the experience, not for transport.

For the river and canal areas, the Chao Phraya Express Boat is cheap (THB 15–40) and bypasses traffic entirely. Essential for getting to the temple district.

November to February: 25–32°C, low humidity, virtually no rain. The best time to visit — and peak season.

March to May: very hot (35–40°C), humid, occasionally thundery. Songkran (Thai New Year water festival) is in April — chaotic and wonderful.

June to October: rainy season. Short heavy downpours, mostly in the afternoon. Still visitable — just carry an umbrella and plan indoor options.