Bangkok in 3 Days: Plan With Real Entry Prices and Hours
Spend day 1 in the Old City: the Grand Palace costs THB 500, Wat Pho THB 300 and Wat Arun THB 200. On day 2 visit Jim Thompson House for THB 250 and ride the river. Chatuchak is free and trades Friday to Sunday, so give it day 3 on a weekend.
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Bangkok in 3 days: stops, prices and hours
The plan puts the Old City on day 1, Jim Thompson House and the river on day 2 and Chatuchak on day 3. The table gives the hours and the foreign adult price of each stop.
| Stop | Entry | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Palace | THB 500 | 08:30 to 16:30, last ticket 15:30 |
| Wat Pho | THB 300 | 08:00 to 19:30 |
| Wat Arun | THB 200 | 08:00 to 18:00 |
| Jim Thompson House | THB 250 | 10:00 to 17:00 |
| Chatuchak | free | 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Saturday and Sunday |
Day 1 entry adds up to THB 1,000 for one foreign adult, a total of the three Old City tickets. All four ticketed sights add up to THB 1,250.
Day 1: Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun
Start at the palace, then walk to Wat Pho and cross the river to Wat Arun. The palace has the shortest hours of the three, so it goes first.
Grand Palace in the morning
The Grand Palace opens at 08:30, every day including public holidays. Ticket sales stop at 15:30 and visits end at 16:30. Aim to be at the gate when it opens.
A ticket costs THB 500 and includes Wat Phra Kaew and the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textile. Children under 120 cm are free. You buy at the entrance gate or online.
Online ticket purchases cannot be refunded, amended or moved to another date or time. Since 10 January 2024 the entrance has been the Mani Noppharat gate.
The Amarin Winitchai, Chakri Maha Prasat and Dusit Maha Prasat halls can be visited from the outside only. Plan the visit around that, not around the halls.
Closure days and dress
On a day with a royal ceremony or official function, visits are suspended for that day. The palace publishes a daily calendar of what is open, and calendar dates may change or be added. Check it the day before.
Visitors must dress appropriately because the palace is a place of reverence for the Thai people. Sleeveless shirts, vests, short tops, see-through tops and short pants are not allowed. Torn pants, tight pants, bike pants, mini skirts, pants skirts and sleeping suits are not allowed either.
Wat Pho at midday
Wat Pho is open daily from 08:00 to 19:30. The temple’s Thai contact block gives 08.30 to 19.30, so plan for 08.30. Admission for foreign visitors is THB 300. Children under 120 cm (4 feet) enter free.
Shorts are not allowed, but trousers are. The Reclining Buddha is 46 meters long and 15 meters high from base to topknot. A Thai massage at the school costs THB 340 for 30 minutes and THB 520 for 60 minutes.
Wat Arun in the afternoon
Wat Arun is open daily from 08:00 to 18:00. Admission for foreign visitors is THB 200. Cross in the afternoon, with time to spare before the 18:00 closing.
Take the ferry from Tha Tien pier. Since 5 April 2024 the orange-flag and gold-flag express boats no longer stop at Wat Arun pier and stop at Tha Tien instead.
Visitors should dress respectfully: no shorts, sleeveless tops, open shoulders or flip-flops. Scammers claim the temple is closed and redirect visitors elsewhere.
Day 2: Jim Thompson House and the river
Day 2 starts later because Jim Thompson House opens at 10:00. The afternoon belongs to the tourist boat.
Jim Thompson House
The museum is open every day from 10:00 to 17:00, and the last guided tour is at 17:00. Adults pay THB 250, and ages 10 to 21 pay THB 150 with ID or passport. Entry is free for children aged 0 to 9, Thai Buddhist monks, press, tourist guides and tour leaders with an identity card.
Nobody enters the main house without a guide, and guides work in Thai, English, French, Chinese and Japanese. No reservation is required for a visit. The address is 6 Soi Kasemsan 2, Rama 1 Road, Bangkok 10330.
Take the BTS to National Stadium station and leave by exit 1. The adult Rabbit fare from Siam starts at THB 17 for a neighbouring station.
Rules inside the house
In the main house shoes come off, bags over 20 cm go in the lockers, and flash, selfies, individual photos and video recording are not allowed. The main house has several stairways and no elevators.
The museum warns against strangers who claim it is closed for half a day on Buddhist or public holidays and offer to take you elsewhere.
The tourist boat in the afternoon
The Chao Phraya Tourist Boat is a hop-on hop-off service, with Sathorn Pier at BTS Saphan Taksin (S6). A single journey costs THB 40 and the all-day River Pass costs THB 150. Boats depart every 30 minutes.
The boat calls at Phra Arthit, Prannok, Tha Maharaj, Tha Chang, Wat Arun, Rajinee, Ratchawong, ICONSIAM, Sathorn and, from midday, Asiatique. The map marks the flower market near Rajinee and Chinatown at Ratchawong. Asiatique is reached from 12:10 in the Sathorn direction.
The last BTS train from Siam leaves at 00:02. That leaves the evening free.
Day 3: Chatuchak on a weekend
General goods trade Friday to Sunday, and the market is closed Monday to Wednesday. Saturday and Sunday run 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, with some zones open on Friday afternoon. Entry is free.
Getting in and getting around
Leave BTS Mo Chit Station by Exit 1 for a direct walkway into the market. The MRT Blue Line stop is Suan Chatuchak (Chatuchak Park). Gate 1 is the main entrance.
The market is divided into 27 projects with over 8,000 retail stalls. It is vast and maze-like, so use the market map app or take a photo of the layout at the entrance.
The best time to visit is 9:00 to 11:00 AM or after 4:00 PM to avoid the intense heat. Gate 1, the vintage art zone, plant shops in Zone B and the old wooden walkways are named as popular photo spots.
If day 3 is a weekday
Chatuchak general goods are closed Monday to Wednesday. Swap in a day trip from the section below, and keep Chatuchak for a Saturday or Sunday on your next visit.
Getting between the stops
The table lists the link for each hop, with the page that covers the stop in full.
| From | To | Route |
|---|---|---|
| Old City hotels | Grand Palace | MRT Sanam Chai Exit 1, then bus 3, 9, 44, 47, 53 or 82 |
| Saphan Taksin BTS | Grand Palace | Exit 2, Sathorn Pier, orange-flag boat to Tha Chang (N9) |
| Tha Tien junction | Wat Pho | Turn right, walk about 10 minutes |
| Wat Pho | Wat Arun | Ferry from Tha Tien pier |
| Siam | Jim Thompson House | BTS National Stadium, exit 1 |
| Mo Chit BTS | Chatuchak | Exit 1, direct walkway |
On weekdays the orange line runs at a flat fare of THB 19. The yellow midday boat runs every day. Tha Tien is pier N8, and it has stops on the orange and yellow midday lines only.
For fares on the BTS and MRT, read the Bangkok BTS and MRT fares page. A new Rabbit card costs a THB 120 issuance fee, and stored value is added from a minimum of THB 100. EMV contactless cards can pay fares on the MRT Blue Line and Purple Line.
If you have 5 days
Add one day trip a day. Ayutthaya is the easy one, with trains from Krung Thep Aphiwat from 05:15.
Ayutthaya by train
A foreign visitor pays THB 80 for the ordinary Ayutthaya Historical Park ticket, and the combination ticket costs THB 300 for foreigners. The park is open every day from 08:00 to 18:00.
From Krung Thep Aphiwat, trains 9001, 7, 111, 9003, 109, 9005, 9, 13, 107 and 51 stop at Ayutthaya. They leave at 05:15, 07:30, 07:50, 09:05, 14:15, 18:15, 18:40, 20:05, 20:45 and 22:30. Trains leave Ayutthaya toward Bangkok as late as 19:59.
Bang Pa-In Palace is open every day from 08:00 to 16:00. Train 9001 leaves Krung Thep Aphiwat at 05:15 and leaves Bang Pa-in at 06:16. See the Ayutthaya Historical Park tickets guide for the ticketed temples.
Kanchanaburi or the Maeklong railway market
Buses leave the Southern Terminal every 15 minutes from 04:00 to 20:30 and take about 2 hours 30 minutes to Kanchanaburi. A foreign adult pays THB 300 at Erawan, a Group 3 park. The Erawan Falls fee page has the details.
SRT closed the line between Tha Kilen and Nam Tok from 28 September 2026 after floodwater rose at the Tham Krasae bridge. The SRT call center is 1690, open 24 hours.
The Maeklong Railway Market is open daily from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and the train passes through it 8 times a day. Entry has no charge. From Wongwian Yai, get off at Mahachai, take a ferry to the Tha Chalom side and catch the train from Ban Laem to Mae Klong.
The first Wongwian Yai to Mahachai train, 9303, leaves Wongwian Yai at 05:30, and the last, 9347, leaves at 20:10.
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market is about 80 kilometres from Bangkok. The recommended time to arrive is around 7:00 a.m., when many vendors row boats to sell their products. The full list of trips is on the Bangkok day trips page.
Before you go
- Check the palace calendar for ceremony closures before you leave.
- Leave shorts at the hotel: the palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun each ban shorts or short pants.
- Skip sleeveless tops at the palace and Wat Arun.
- Expect to take your shoes off and leave bags over 20 cm at Jim Thompson House.
- Ignore strangers who say Wat Arun or Jim Thompson House is closed.
- Buy palace tickets online only if your date is fixed, because online purchases cannot be refunded or moved.
- Keep Saturday or Sunday free for Chatuchak.
The Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, Chatuchak and Chao Phraya boat pages go deeper on each stop. For a bed near the sights, see where to stay in Bangkok.
Step by step
- Day 1 morning: Grand PalaceArrive for the 08:30 opening, pay THB 500 for the palace and Wat Phra Kaew, and dress in line with the palace list.
- Day 1 afternoon: Wat Pho and Wat ArunPay THB 300 at Wat Pho, then take the ferry from Tha Tien to Wat Arun before it closes at 18:00.
- Day 2: Jim Thompson House and the riverReach the house by BTS National Stadium exit 1, join a guided tour, then use the tourist boat River Pass for THB 150.
- Day 3: Chatuchak on a weekendTake the BTS to Mo Chit and leave by Exit 1 on Saturday or Sunday.
- Add two day tripsAdd Ayutthaya by train from Krung Thep Aphiwat, then Kanchanaburi or the Maeklong railway market.
Not confirmed: Ferry fare: no official fare was found for the cross-river ferry from Tha Tien to Wat Arun. Closure days: the palace stays shut on ceremony days, so check its calendar before you go. Kanchanaburi line: a report of 28 September 2026 described a closure after floodwater, so call SRT on 1690.
Common questions
Is 3 days enough for Bangkok?
Three days cover the Old City on day 1, Jim Thompson House and the river on day 2 and Chatuchak on day 3. The four ticketed sights add up to THB 1,250 for one foreign adult. Chatuchak is free.
How much do the main Bangkok sights cost for foreigners?
The Grand Palace costs THB 500, Wat Pho THB 300, Wat Arun THB 200 and Jim Thompson House THB 250. Chatuchak entry is free.
Which day should I go to Chatuchak?
Go on Saturday or Sunday: the opening hours are 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, with some zones open on Friday afternoon. General goods are closed Monday to Wednesday.
Do the Chao Phraya boats run at the weekend?
The yellow midday boat runs every day. The orange line runs Monday to Friday at a flat fare of THB 19.
How do I get from Wat Pho to Wat Arun?
Take the cross-river ferry from Tha Tien pier. The orange-flag and gold-flag express boats stop at Tha Tien instead of Wat Arun pier.
When does the Grand Palace stop selling tickets?
Ticket sales stop at 15:30, and visits run until 16:30. On a day with a royal ceremony or official function, visits are suspended.
What do I wear for the temples?
The Grand Palace bans sleeveless shirts, vests, see-through tops and short pants. Wat Arun asks for no shorts, sleeveless tops, open shoulders or flip-flops.
How do I reach Jim Thompson House?
Take the BTS to National Stadium station and leave by exit 1. Nobody enters the main house without a guide.
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