Damnoen Saduak is Thailand’s most famous floating market, about 80 km southwest of Bangkok. Vendors in wooden boats sell fruit, snacks, and noodles along the canal, while stalls on the banks push souvenirs and crafts. It’s lively, colourful, and very touristy, but it’s still a classic day trip. Most people go with an organised tour, though you can also catch a bus from the Southern Bus Terminal and hire a boat on arrival. Go early in the morning to avoid the thickest crowds and heat.

Once owned by Richard II of England, the castle is the city’s foremost landmark and oldest monument. The structure boasts more than 1,700 years of history and still serves as a military fortress today. Don't miss the Navy Museum inside!

Jim Thompson was an American entrepreneur who helped revive Thailand’s silk industry in the 1950s and 60s. His home, a cluster of traditional teak houses moved from around the country and reassembled here, is now a museum filled with his collection of Asian art, antiques, and textiles. The guided tour is the only way to see inside, and it’s worth it for the stories about Thompson’s life and mysterious disappearance in 1967, which still hasn’t been solved. The garden café and small silk shop round out your visit.

Bangkok’s tallest skyscraper, the iconic 78-floor King Power MahaNakhon, is famous for its striking pixelated design dominating the skyline of the Thai capital. Its SkyWalk observation deck, sitting 1,030 feet above the city, offers some of the best panoramic views around—especially stunning at sunset, with a thrilling glass-floored platform for an extra rush.