Features

Hit list: Busy in Bangkok

30 Apr 2017 by Business Traveller Asia Pacific
Bangkok National Museum

Bangkok National Museum

While Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) and Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha) are constantly packed with tourists, not far to the north the Bangkok National Museum is also well worth a visit, providing a comprehensive overview of Thai history, art and culture. One of Asia’s largest museums, it’s split into three sections filled with ancient artefacts, religious statues, antiques and gifts given to the Thai royal family over the years. Access by Chao Phraya riverboat pier Tha Phra Athit/Banglamphu (N13).

Chinatown street life in Bangkok

Chinatown

One of Bangkok’s most vibrant districts focuses on Chinese rather than Thai culture. The main streets of Charoen Krung Road and Yaowarat Road, and their myriad side streets, are filled with gold shops in heritage shophouse buildings, Chinese-Buddhist temples (check out the ornate Wat Mangkon Kamalawat), tasty seafood restaurants and streetside market stalls. It’s chaotic and often overcrowded, but the food and shopping options are endless and the energy is contagious. Access by Chao Phraya riverboat pier Ratchawong (N5).

Dusit Palace, Bangkok

Dusit Palace

To the north of the Grand Palace on Ratchawithi Road, the Dusit Palace was built at the turn of the 20th century to be the new residence of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V). Having just toured Europe and been impressed by its palaces, with their broad boulevards and large parklands, he ordered some of its mansions and throne halls to show European influences, like the Renaissance-style Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall. Probably the main attraction is Vimanmek Mansion, the largest teak house in the world, now a museum dedicated to Rama V, with porcelain, glassware, old photographs and memorabilia from that era. Access via Chao Phraya riverboat pier Thewes (N15).

Asiatique Calypso Bangkok

Asiatique

The latest must-visit market in Bangkok, Asiatique benefits from a great riverside location and a combination of stalls and bricks-and-mortar boutiques housed in replica warehouses that hark back to this area’s history as an international cargo port owned by the East Asiatic Freight Company. There are more than 1,500 shops selling handicrafts, jewellery and more, plus dozens of restaurants, so take your time, stroll down the pleasant riverside boardwalk, take in the city skyline on the Ferris wheel, and watch one of the cabaret or puppet show performances. Access via Saphan Taksin BTS Station.

Bangkok Art & Culture Centre

Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC)

Housed in a building reminiscent of New York’s Guggenheim Museum, the BACC is a contemporary arts facility with exhibition and performance spaces for events ranging across the artistic landscape, encompassing art, music, theatre, film and design. As well as a rolling calendar of exhibitions from both Thai and international artists, the centre is also home to an art library, bookshops, restaurants and a café. Access via National Stadium BTS station.

Bangkok Flower Market

Bangkok Flower Market

Colourful and fragrant, this is Bangkok’s largest wholesale/retail flower market – though it also sells fruit and vegetables along the main road and the many sois or side streets, all the way down to the river’s edge. Locally known as Pak Khlong Talat, the market is open 24 hours a day, but the best time to experience it is at night, when the artificial lights make the hues shine with a heavenly glow. Every imaginable type of flower is on sale, from rare orchids to hybrid roses and intricate floral bouquets. Access via Chao Phraya riverboat pier Memorial Bridge (N6).

Central Embassy, Bangkok

Central Embassy

The new flagship mall of the Central Group is an architectural gem built on the site of the old British Embassy. Its dynamic, sinuous curves feature Thailand’s first Park Hyatt property in the upper floors, and at the base a six-floor cornucopia of designer stores, fine-dining restaurants, a 5,000 sqm food hall and the city’s newest and most advanced cinema. Add green sky terraces, hosted artwork collections and performances by world-acclaimed visual artists and musicians, and you can see why this is Bangkok’s most happening locale right now. Access via Ploen Chit BTS Station.

Park Hyatt Bangkok

Penthouse Bar & Grill, Park Hyatt Bangkok

When it opens on May 12 in the top 24 floors of the Central Embassy building, the city’s latest luxury hotel is bound to be an instant must-visit social, dining and entertainment venue for both the Thai elite and wealthy visitors. Designed by award-winning New York firm Yabu Pushelberg, its signature drinking and dining hotspot is the Penthouse Bar & Grill on the uppermost 34th, 35th and 36th floors. Conceived as the fictional penthouse of a well-travelled British-Thai collector of fine art and vintage motor-racing relics, you can relax with an aperitif in the atmospheric speakeasy, enjoy a fine meal in the international grill restaurant, or head for the rooftop bar to soak up the panoramic city views, cocktail in hand. Access via Ploen Chit BTS Station.

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