Things to Do in Old Town Bangkok: A Rattanakosin Neighborhood Guide

The top things to do in Old Town Bangkok are the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho, the ferry across the river to Wat Arun, Museum Siam, the National Museum and the climb up the Golden Mount. All of them sit in or beside Rattanakosin, the royal city founded in 1782 on the east bank of the Chao Phraya, within the Phra Nakhon district. It is the best part of Bangkok for first-time visitors, and much of it can be covered on foot and by boat.

This guide explains how to get there, what each of the main sights offers, where to eat, and how to fit it into one or two days.

Getting to the Old Town

Rattanakosin has few rail stations, which is part of why it keeps its low-rise, old-city feel. There are two easy ways in:

• By MRT: Sanam Chai station on the Blue Line is the closest. Exit 1 is the one that Museum Siam, Wat Pho and the palace all direct visitors to.
• By river: ride the BTS to Saphan Taksin, take exit 2 to Sathorn Pier, and board the orange-flag Chao Phraya Express Boat to Tha Chang (N9) for the Grand Palace or Tha Tien (N8) for Wat Pho. A cross-river ferry runs from Tha Tien to Wat Arun.

The river route is slower but avoids road traffic and gives you the skyline on the way. Once you arrive, the palace, Wat Pho and Museum Siam are close together, while the National Museum is a walk north across Sanam Luang and the Golden Mount is further east.

The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew

The Grand Palace was the official residence of the Kings of Siam from 1782 and is still the ceremonial heart of the kingdom. Its crenellated walls enclose about 218,000 square meters of throne halls, residences and Wat Phra Kaew, the royal chapel that houses the Emerald Buddha. The ticket also covers the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles inside the grounds.

Go early: the palace opens at 8:30 a.m., and the courtyards have little shade. The visitor entrance is the Mani Noppharat Gate, and the palace asks visitors to buy tickets only through its own ticket offices or official website. Royal ceremonies can close parts of the compound, so check the daily schedule on the palace website the day before.

Wat Pho and the Reclining Buddha

Directly south of the palace, Wat Pho is a first-grade royal monastery, rebuilt by King Rama I from 1788 on the site of an older Ayutthaya-period temple. Its best-known image is the Reclining Buddha: 46 meters long and 15 meters high, with 5-meter feet whose soles are inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Beyond it, look for the four 42-meter chedis, one each for Kings Rama I to IV, faced in green, white, yellow and dark blue tile mosaic.

Wat Pho is also the home of the Wat Po Thai Traditional Medical and Massage School, opened in 1955, which runs massage services inside the temple grounds. A massage here makes a good break between the palace and the river.

Wat Arun, across the river

From Tha Tien pier, beside Wat Pho, a short ferry crosses to Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, on the Thonburi bank. Its central prang rises 66.8 meters and is covered in seashells and pieces of Chinese porcelain. According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the main pagoda is lit from sunset to sunrise every night, and in 2024 it was certified as a World Night View Heritage site. That makes Wat Arun worth seeing twice: up close by day, and from the Rattanakosin bank after dark.

Museum Siam

A short walk from Wat Pho on Sanam Chai Road, Museum Siam occupies the former Ministry of Commerce building, completed in 1922. It is a discovery museum rather than a collection of treasures: its permanent exhibition, Decoding Thainess, uses hands-on rooms to ask what makes something Thai, from food and religion to pop culture. It suits families and anyone who wants context for the temples. It is closed on Mondays.

The National Museum Bangkok

North of the palace beside Sanam Luang, the National Museum Bangkok is the country's main museum of art and history. It traces its origins to a public museum opened in the Grand Palace in 1874 and now fills buildings of the former Front Palace, including the Siwamokkhaphiman Hall of 1782. Galleries run from prehistory through Dvaravati, Srivijaya, Lopburi, Sukhothai and Ayutthaya to the Bangkok period, and since May 2024 the museum has displayed the Golden Boy, a bronze figure returned from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It opens Wednesday to Sunday only, so plan around it.

The Golden Mount (Wat Saket)

East of the old city wall, Wat Saket and the Golden Mount crown the only hill in Bangkok, an artificial mound topped by a gilded chedi. The Tourism Authority of Thailand counts 320 steps to the top, and the terrace gives a wide view back over the rooftops of Rattanakosin. The temple holds its biggest celebrations during Loy Krathong, when the hill is the focus of a week-long festival. Climbing in the late afternoon leaves you close to the food on Maha Chai Road for dinner.

Where to eat in and around the Old Town

• By the river: Supanniga Eating Room (Tha Tien) serves recipes from Trat and Isan on the riverfront opposite Wat Arun, and is listed as a selected restaurant in the current MICHELIN Guide.
• Maha Chai Road: Jay Fai, the one-MICHELIN-star street-food cook known for her crab omelette, and Thipsamai, a pad thai shop dating from 1939, are a few doors apart, a short walk from the Golden Mount. Jay Fai is walk-in only and cash only, so expect a queue.
• Near Khao San: The Island Bangkok on Soi Samsen 4 in Banglamphu serves Thai dishes and all-day breakfast from early morning until late.
• Just north, in Dusit: Krua Apsorn on Samsen Road is a family-style Thai restaurant with a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand for its Samsen branch.

For more options across the city, see our Bangkok restaurants guide.

Where to stay near the Old Town

Few large hotels sit inside Rattanakosin itself. Just upriver in Dusit, The Siam is a small riverside hotel whose own shuttle boat runs down the Chao Phraya to Sathorn Pier, which puts both the Old Town and the BTS within easy reach. Riverside hotels further south in Bang Rak connect to the Old Town by express boat. Browse all Bangkok hotels to compare.

A one-day Old Town route

1. 8:30 a.m.: the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, before the heat and the crowds.
2. Late morning: walk south to Wat Pho for the Reclining Buddha, and a massage if you have time.
3. Lunch: by the river at Tha Tien.
4. Afternoon: the ferry to Wat Arun, then back across for Museum Siam (Tuesday to Sunday).
5. Late afternoon: a taxi or tuk-tuk to the Golden Mount for the view.
6. Evening: dinner on Maha Chai Road.

With a second day, add the National Museum (Wednesday to Sunday) and a slower walk around Sanam Luang.

Practical tips

• Dress code: the Grand Palace refuses sleeveless tops, shorts, short skirts and see-through or tight clothing, and Wat Pho asks visitors not to wear shorts. Cover shoulders and knees for the whole day.
• "Closed today": if someone near the palace says it is closed and offers to take you somewhere else instead, walk on and check the official schedule yourself.
• Cash: carry baht for temple tickets, ferries and street food.
• Heat: Bangkok is hot all year. Start early, carry water, and use the museums as an indoor break.

For the rest of the city, browse all Bangkok attractions.

Sources: The Grand Palace: practical information, The Grand Palace: history, Wat Pho, Wat Pho: the Reclining Buddha, Tourism Authority of Thailand Newsroom, Museum Siam, Fine Arts Department: National Museum Bangkok, MICHELIN Guide, Thipsamai. Checked September 26, 2026.