Three days in Bangkok works if you split it by geography: old city and river on day one, Chinatown and the canals on day two, and a day trip or a market on day three. Stop sightseeing at noon and start again at 4pm.
The short version
- Day 1: Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, river boat.
- Day 2: Chinatown, canals, Bang Krachao or a cooking class.
- Day 3: Ayutthaya day trip, or Chatuchak and a spa.
- Sightsee 7–11am and 4–7pm; the middle of the day is for eating and air conditioning.
Day 1: the old city
Grand Palace at 8:30, Wat Pho, ferry to Wat Arun, then a long lunch and nothing else. The heat, not the distance, is what exhausts people.
Day 2: river and markets
Morning longtail through the Thonburi canals or a cycling loop in Bang Krachao; afternoon at Jim Thompson House or a spa; evening street food in Chinatown.
Day 3: get out
Ayutthaya by train or Kanchanaburi by road — both are full days and both are better than a fourth temple in the city. Alternatively, a cooking class and a rooftop.
Where to stay
Riverside for a first visit (ferries become your transport); Sukhumvit or Silom if you care more about food and nightlife than temples.
What to do in the rain
Bangkok's rainy season runs June to October and the rain is heavy but brief, usually between 3pm and 6pm. The city is well set up for it: the Skytrain and the malls are connected by covered walkways, and the museums and markets are indoors.
The best wet-afternoon options are the Jim Thompson House (mostly covered, small), the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre at Siam, the Museum of Siam in the old city, and any of the large malls along Sukhumvit — which sounds unglamorous but includes some genuinely good food halls.
What not to do in the rain is attempt the Grand Palace. The compound has very little shelter, the marble gets slippery, and the palace closes the outdoor areas in heavy storms. Swap it to the morning of another day rather than pushing through.
