If you’re flying in
If you’re coming to Bangkok for our wedding, we hope you can stay a little longer. These are the places we’d take you, with the practical notes to help you settle in.
01 · Before you go
The practical questions, from booking your flight to finding your way around.
Check the current visa requirements for your passport on the official Thai e-Visa site. Non-Thai visitors must also submit the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card within three days before arrival, including the arrival date. Use the official sites below.
Either airport works. Suvarnabhumi (BKK) is the main international airport; Don Mueang (DMK) serves many domestic and regional low-cost flights. Choose the flight that suits your schedule, and leave time for traffic on the drive to your hotel.
Saturday, November 21 at the latest. The wedding starts at 8:00 Sunday morning, so arriving Saturday still gets you a night’s sleep first, though a short one if you’re flying from North America. If you can get the days off, come a few days earlier. That gives you time to be over the flight and to see some of Bangkok before Sunday.
Anywhere central and near a train line. Sukhumvit (the Asok to Ekkamai stretch) is the easy first-timer pick for food and trains, Siam puts you where the two BTS lines meet, and the Riverside is the prettiest. Old Town has the most character and the fewest trains. Ari is a leafy café neighborhood on our side of town. Whatever you pick, let Grab cover the rest.
If we’re arranging a room for you, your hotel details are on your personal invitation. Open your invitation →
If Bangkok is your whole trip, 4 or 5 nights is comfortable. If you want to make a bigger trip of it, Chiang Mai, the islands, Vietnam, and Japan are all easy to add.
Start looking once you know you’re coming, especially if your dates are fixed. Compare the full fare, including bags, and set a price alert if you’re still deciding. For US guests, remember that Thanksgiving is the Thursday after the wedding.
Book a Grab in the app and follow its pickup directions; at BKK, the pickup area is on Level 1 by Gate 4. Check the quoted fare before confirming. The Airport Rail Link from BKK is a cheaper option. Official metered taxis are available at both airports.
It’s real, but Sunday morning is the easy window. Weekday rush hours (8 to 10 in the morning, 4 to 8 in the evening) are slow. The MRT and BTS trains are excellent and skip all of it.
November is usually drier and less humid than the rainy season, but Bangkok is still hot. Pack light clothes and a small umbrella.
Some. Cards and phone pay work in malls, hotels, and most restaurants. Street food, markets, taxis, and small shops usually want cash. Thai ATMs charge a fee for foreign cards; check the amount on screen before withdrawing.
Most of it. English is widely spoken across central Bangkok. Hotels, restaurants, malls, and the trains all work in English. Drink bottled water, brush with the tap, and relax; it’s a safe city by big-city standards. Forget a toothbrush or anything else and there’s a 7-Eleven on nearly every corner. Taxi drivers are the one gap, so keep a screenshot of your hotel’s name in Thai to show them, carry small bills, and you’ll be fine.
02 · Explore Bangkok
Roughly in the order we’d do them.
Old town & central Bangkok · book in the MuvMi app
Electric tuk-tuks for short rides around the city.
Besides Grab, try MuvMi for a fun way to explore the city like a local. The app makes it easy to book electric tuk-tuks around the old town and central Bangkok.
Rattanakosin · MRT Blue Line to Sanam Chai, or a Grab
Start with the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, and a ferry across to Wat Arun.
Start at the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew at the usual 8:30 opening, with shoulders and knees covered. Check the official calendar for closures before you go. Walk south to Wat Pho for the Reclining Buddha, then take the short ferry ride across to Wat Arun. If someone outside says a temple is closed, confirm at the ticket window before accepting another tour.
Chinatown · MRT Blue Line to Wat Mangkon
An evening of street food beneath Chinatown’s neon signs.
This is the best food night in the city, so skip lunch that day. Arrive around 6:30 as the neon comes on and graze: grilled river prawns, oyster omelettes, guay jub noodle soup, roast goose, warm mango sticky rice. Order where you can see prices and a local crowd, bring small bills, and pass on the seafood touts with no menu. The small-group evening food tours here are good if you’d rather be led.
Jam’s pick
The river · most boats board near Saphan Taksin BTS or ICONSIAM
Dinner on the water, with the temples lit up along the river.
Jam’s pick: dinner on the water with the riverside temples lit up. Manohra’s teak rice barges and Saffron are two options. Check the boarding pier and departure time before booking; a dinner cruise may leave after sunset. Dress smart-casual and book ahead.
Riverside Chinatown · MRT Blue Line to Wat Mangkon
Cafés, galleries, and old shopfronts in the riverside lanes.
A century-old riverside trading street turning into Chinatown’s creative strip: tiny cafés, wine bars, galleries, and street-art murals in between the bun makers and tea shops that never left. Wander south into the narrow lanes of Talat Noi. It’s a lived-in neighborhood, so be gentle photographing people’s homes, and it’s loveliest from late afternoon into the evening.
Chatuchak · BTS Mo Chit or MRT Chatuchak Park
Leave room in your suitcase for a morning at the weekend market.
Saturday morning before the wedding is a good time to go. The main weekend market opens Saturday and Sunday, with clothes, art, antiques, and plenty to eat. Come before the midday heat, wear something cool, and bring small bills. Note the clock tower as a meeting point.
All along the BTS and MRT · ICONSIAM sits across the river
Food courts, shopping, and a welcome break from the heat.
A mall afternoon is a real Bangkok pastime, and the air conditioning is the point. ICONSIAM on the riverfront is worth a trip for its SookSiam food hall and fountain show; the shuttle from Sathorn pier has a fare. Siam Paragon and CentralWorld sit where the train lines cross, and Terminal 21’s Pier 21 food court is good for an inexpensive meal. Near Siam, stop at the Erawan Shrine and buy offerings from the stalls inside.
Across the city · book tasting menus ahead
Tasting menus for a special night, and good-value meals from the Bib Gourmand list.
Sorn and Sühring hold three stars in the 2026 guide; Le Du, Nusara, and Potong are other tables to look at. Compare menus and reserve ahead. For a smaller bill, Michelin’s Bib Gourmand list is a good place to start.
Tony’s pick
All over town · most near a BTS or MRT stop
Visit a market, cook a few Thai dishes, then eat what you’ve made.
Tony’s pick. Cook a few Thai dishes from scratch and eat what you’ve made. Silom Thai Cooking School lists classes at 1,200 baht, with recipes included. Choose the morning session for a market visit, and book ahead.
Silom, Sathorn & Sukhumvit · go for sunset
Get there before sunset, and stay as the city lights come on.
The skyline at dusk is worth one evening. Sky Bar at lebua and Moon Bar at Banyan Tree are the classic glamour; Octave and Tichuca are the livelier ones. Akara Sky Hanuman adds Thai-inspired design and cultural performances above Phloen Chit. The Mahanakhon SkyWalk adds a glass floor at 310 meters. Check your chosen bar’s dress code and age policy before going. For an indoor view, % Arabica on the 55th floor of Empire Tower has the skyline for the price of a coffee.
Everywhere · try a Health Land branch
A good pause after a morning of walking around the city.
One of the cheapest great hours in the city, and the perfect cure for a hot morning on your feet. Thai massage is firm stretch-and-press, not spa fluff. You stay dressed in loose cotton while someone folds you gently in half. Health Land is a clean, air-conditioned chain that locals actually use (about 700 baht for two hours), and the school inside Wat Pho, where the technique was first written down, is a lovely place to have your first. Skip the cheapest plastic-stool shops if you care about the quality.
Tony’s pick
Central · MRT to Lumphini or Queen Sirikit
Two parks and an elevated walkway for a quieter few hours.
Tony’s pick. Two central parks joined by an elevated 1.6-kilometer walkway, so you can walk between them above the traffic. Lumpini has pedal boats, dawn tai chi, and its famous monitor lizards (harmless; keep your distance). Benjakitti is the newer wetland park, with boardwalks over the lake. Free, best early morning or late afternoon, and an easy first day if you’re jet-lagged.
North-central · BTS Ari, near the venue
Coffee, brunch, and leafy lanes on our side of town.
The easiest neighborhood to wander for this crowd, because it’s on our side of town: leafy, low-rise lanes full of good coffee, brunch spots, and old-school street food, calmer than downtown but still local. Lovely for a slow morning or a relaxed evening, and cool-season November is the perfect time to be on foot. Get a bowl of khao soi at Ong Tong while you’re there.
Sukhumvit · BTS to Thong Lo or Ekkamai
Restaurants and bars around Thong Lo and Ekkamai.
Where the modern city eats and drinks, strung along one train line so a whole evening needs no taxi. Thong Lo and Ekkamai are the trendiest streets for restaurants and cocktail bars, and The Commons is an easy open-air food hall that suits any group, kids included.
Dusit · an easy Grab from Ladprao
A lively group night at Bangkok’s historic boxing stadium.
A thrilling group night, and the real thing rather than a tourist show. Rajadamnern is the original stadium, from 1945: the ritual pre-fight dance, live music that speeds up with the action, a roaring betting crowd, and real bouts. Buy on the official site to skip the touts who inflate prices at the gate, and don’t confuse it with the choreographed show at Asiatique.
03 · Go farther
Choose by the time you have. Some places fit into a day; others deserve a few nights.
Day trip · train from Krung Thep Aphiwat
Cycle between brick temple ruins in Thailand’s former royal capital.
The keeper day trip: brick temple ruins and towers in the former royal capital, including the Buddha head cradled in tree roots at Wat Mahathat. Take a train from Krung Thep Aphiwat, connected to MRT Bang Sue. Check your train’s departure station and return service before going. Rent a bike or hire a tuk-tuk to loop a few temples rather than trying to see them all.
Day trip · BTS Kheha, then a taxi to the park
Explore replicas of Thailand’s temples and palaces by bike or golf cart.
A huge open-air park in the rough shape of Thailand, with replicas of the country’s great temples and palaces. Explore by rented bicycle or golf cart, and allow three or four hours for photos and a few stops. Bring water and sun cover. Take the BTS to Kheha and a taxi for the final stretch, or book a Grab from your hotel.
Half day · boat from Wat Khlong Toei Nok pier
Cycle shaded paths through mangroves, with temples and cafés along the way.
Tony’s pick. Take a Grab to Wat Khlong Toei Nok pier and a boat across the river, then rent a bike. Pedal shaded paths past mangroves, temples, and cafés: a little green escape from the city. Go in the cool morning, bring water and mosquito cover, and if it’s a weekend, stop at Bang Nam Phueng market.
Overnight · ~3 hrs northeast by car; a car or driver is essential
Visit waterfalls in the national park, then stop at a café in the surrounding hills.
Stay overnight to leave time for the forest, waterfalls, and cafés in the surrounding hills. Arrange a car or driver for getting around the park; public transport only gets you to the entrance. Foreign entry is 400 baht per adult and 200 per child, with a separate vehicle fee. Check the park’s current fees before going.
Overnight · by car or bus from Bangkok
Head to Na Jomtien or Bang Saray for quieter beaches and seafood.
Jam’s pick for a seaside overnight without a flight. Head to Na Jomtien or Bang Saray for quieter beaches and seafood. Buses run from Ekkamai and Mo Chit 2 to North Pattaya; arrange onward transport to your hotel. Allow for traffic whichever way you go.
Fly · about 1 hour 30 minutes to Phuket, then stay 3–4 nights
Take a boat among limestone islands and turquoise bays, with Phuket as your base.
Jam’s pick. Choose this for a proper southern Thailand getaway. Phuket makes the easiest base, while the limestone islands and turquoise bays of Phi Phi and Phang Nga provide the dramatic scenery. It is best treated as a multi-day trip with time for a boat excursion, quiet beaches, seafood, and at least one slow day by the water.
2–3 extra days · ~1h15 flight from Don Mueang, the airport nearest the venue
Wander the old city’s temples, then spend an evening at the night markets.
Chiang Mai is an easy add-on for temples, night markets, and cooler evenings. The ticketed Miracle Land lantern event in Mae Taeng is scheduled for November 24–25, 2026, just after the wedding. It’s separate from the city’s public Yi Peng and Loy Krathong celebrations. Check dates and transfers for the event you choose.
Photographs have been resized and converted to WebP for this page.
Still unsure about anything at all? Write to us. Helping you get here is part of the fun for us.
