Hi forum,

So I will be visiting Bangkok in October (in amongst a couple of other south east Asian countries), and have invited a boy (whom I met in Pattaya earlier in the year) to stay with me for the 7 or 8 days I am there, which he is very much looking forward to. Apart from spending time doing the 'usual' and perhaps visiting chatuchak markets, siam paragon, etc, what would you recommend some other things to do to fill the days? 

Cheers!

Asiatique (best early evening)

Terminal 21

Top of the MahaNakhon Building (best as dusk)

 

 

Food hunting, and if you are up for day trips, i highly recommend the weekend train to kanchanaburi, maeklong train market with amphawa floating market, ayutthaya. In bangkok itself, the new mall iconsiam would be great too. Some night, i like to go to jazz bar, or other thai bars that have live show. U can google the highly rated one from the many review sites to have some ideas. 

Ask your friend if he has any ideas, he will probably appreciate you asking his advice.

Consider hiring Mac at Siam Roads for a day and ask him to plan a day for you away from the normal tourist sights. (my friend, a lady, used him for 2 days back in November and was very complementary about him)

I would stay overnight in Kanchanaburi so you are not rushing things - take a trip on the river in your own small boat. If you are tempted by a trip to an Elephant camp do NOT take the cheaper options go to one that does not allow riding. I highly recommend Good Times Resort on the river

 

From touristy stuff I recommend Muang Boran (Old City  ) in the outskirts of Bangkok with miniatures of most famous buildings of Thailand, Snake farm just across the road fro  BBB Inn and Wat  Hualampong not far from there , with live cows. Hindu temple on Silom is quite interesting. 

For the weekends, maybe the market at Koh Kret. I have been there and it's fun - and a chance to ride the river boats:

https://migrationology.com/koh-kret-day-trip-bangkok/

For an evening, maybe the Muay Thai at Rajadamnern or Lumpinee Stadum:

https://rajadamnern.com/

https://www.lumpineemuaythai.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMImN-dsKfe4wIVRXZgCh0NdwRAEAAYAiAAEgJWDPD_BwE

Believe me, seeing Muay Thai at a real, professional, stadium is nothing, nothing at all, like seeing it at one of the tourist oriented rings.

Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre and the Jim Thompson House are very close together

https://en.bacc.or.th/

http://www.jimthompsonhouse.com/

These last two may be of more interest to you than to your friend. Which brings me to a suggestion: offer him a day off to go off on his own and leave you to do the same. A whole week in Bangkok, and feeling obliged to keep you entertained may be quite stressful for him. Give him the chance of a break. On a similar note, do not assume that staying in a nice hotel and eating in good restaurants will be a treat for him. He may actually find that stressful as well, if he feels out of place there. Watch out for signs of that, and be kind. Let him choose where to eat sometimes and don't be surprised if it is a food court or street stall.

You have to take into consideration that October is the most rainy month in the year so don't plan in advance anything .

Even in the rainy season, the mornings are often dry. Take a 4 hour bike tour with these guys https://www.followmebiketour.com/

Their jungle tour is best. It starts wandering through Khlong Toei sois, and then a boat crossing to Bang Kachao island, the "Lungs of Bangkok"

Just sit by the pool and chill. Beer. Chat. Swim. 

6 hours ago, ceejay said:

...feeling obliged to keep you entertained may be quite stressful for him. Give him the chance of a break. On a similar note, do not assume that staying in a nice hotel and eating in good restaurants will be a treat for him. He may actually find that stressful as well, if he feels out of place there. Watch out for signs of that, and be kind. Let him choose where to eat sometimes and don't be surprised if it is a food court or street stall.

very , very wise advice

If you're up for it, you can have a lot of fun at Siam Park City waterpark one day.  Get wet

With the new Blue Line MRT stations opening up, good old fashioned urban exploration is a bit easier for Chinatown/Old Town now.  Also in the other direction entirely you can now get to the Erawan Museum by BTS.  It's reasonably interesting and some nice photo ops. 

If your guy is even a little bit Buddhist he will usually appreciate a visit to Wat Saket/Golden Mount.  Also, a selfie-worthy chance to make merit feeding the fishes at one of the river piers is always good and much appreciated.  Oct. 13 is Ok Phansa (end of lent).  Good day to make merit at a temple.

There's a better-than-o.k. Thai restaurant called Steve Cafe & Cuisine by the river near Thewet Pier.  Easy to get to by boat and then a short confusing walk, and there's a lovely nearby temple and cute little market so a nice opportunity to take a river boat and explore and have a good lunch.  Steve

Depending on when you're in BKK, there may be activities related to the Royal Barge Procession.  

The Charoenkrung Creative District gets better and more interesting every day.  Lots of shops and galleries and especially cafes and restaurants to explore.  Highly recommended.

I enjoy Thai cooking classes as a fun daytime activity.  It depends on how comfortable you and your guy are in a group activity.  I really highly recommend Cooking With Poo & Friends.  Poo

Wow guys! Thank you so much for all of your replies!  I will definitely take it all into account and do some research on everything suggested. Wasn't expecting to return to Thailand so soon after my April trip, but hey, nothing wrong with being a little indulgent from time to time lol.

5 hours ago, ichigo said:

... but hey, nothing wrong with being a little indulgent from time to time lol.

I like your way of thinking