The capital of Thailand, the city of Bangkok in Thai is called Krung Tep, which means "City of Angels". Founded a little over two centuries ago, Bangkok quickly became the largest and most populous city in Thailand. You can get to this or that attraction not only by taxi or rickshaw, but also by boat along the canals that surround some areas of the city. For the presence of canals and fast boats gliding along them, Bangkok is often called the Asian Venice. There are many tourists in the Thai capital. What to see in Bangkok, where to go to feel its atmosphere, you will learn from this article.
TOP 10 attractions in Bangkok
Grand Palace
Royal Palace
The Royal Palace is one of the most famous landmarks in Bangkok. It is a complex of buildings located on the eastern bank of the Chao Phraya River and surrounded by a high wall. The Royal Palace served as the official residence of the kings of Thailand from the 18th century to the mid-20th century. After the unexpected death of King Ananda Mahidol in the Grand Palace in 1946, his brother, the new ruler Bhumibol Adulyadej, moved to Chitralada Palace.
The complex of the Royal Palace with an area of over 218 thousand square meters. used for celebrations and meetings of foreign delegations. The rest of the time, tourists are welcomed here, who are shown the most interesting buildings of this architectural ensemble. In addition to the Grand Palace, these include the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, where the customer and the first owner of the Royal Palace Rama I was crowned, and the Chakri Mahaprasad Hall building, built in the Italian Renaissance style.
Temple Wat Phrakeu
Temple Wat Phrakeu
Temple Wat Phrakeu, which is also called the sanctuary of the Emerald Buddha, is located in the architectural complex of the Royal Palace. Its main treasure is the image of the Emerald Buddha, created from jadeite and installed on a pedestal of gold. The statue was found in the first half of the 15th century in a stupa that was struck by lightning. They say that it was originally covered with clay, which hid the precious image. The emerald Buddha with a height of 66 centimeters awaited a difficult fate: he was transported from country to country until in 1778 he ended up in Thailand, where he is still. The Wat Phrakeu Temple was built specifically to house this Buddha figure. Only the king and queen can enter through the central gate of the temple. The rest of the visitors enter the middle through a side entrance. Around the temple are stupas, a library and numerous statues of gods, demons and mythological animals.
Wat Pho temple
Wat Pho temple
Wat Pho is the oldest and largest temple in Bangkok. It was erected in the XII century and is famous for the fact that it houses a massive image of the reclining Buddha, whose length is 46 meters. On his giant feet, 108 drawings can be seen illustrating the qualities of the Buddha. All of them are covered with a layer of mother-of-pearl. In addition to this statue, more than a thousand images of Buddha are installed on the territory of the temple.
Wat Pho has played a significant role in the history of Thailand. This is the place where the current dynasty of kings of Thailand began, when the famous military leader Chakri declared himself king at the end of the 18th century. By his order, the ancient temple was expanded. Here, one after another, 4 stupas and a hall were erected where doctors received patients. In the second half of the 20th century, the first Thai massage school in the country was opened at this temple.
Temple of Wat Ratchanadda
Temple of Wat Ratchanadda
The construction of the Wat Ratchanadda temple began in the first half of the 19th century and lasted for several decades. The last buildings of the sanctuary appeared already in the XX century.
Temple Wat Ratchanadda, whose name translates as "Granddaughter of the ruler", was built in honor of one of the princesses of the Thai royal dynasty. This temple complex is famous for the fact that on its territory there is the only sacred structure in Thailand, built of metal. It is called Loha Prasad, which means "Iron Castle" or "Iron Monastery". The temple building is 36 meters high and consists of 4 floors, the roofs of which are topped with 37 large black iron spiers. Their number is equal to the number of virtues that a Buddhist must possess in order to attain enlightenment. There are a number of prayer rooms in the building.
Temple of Wat Arun
Temple of Wat Arun
The beautiful temple of Wat Arun is named after the deity of the morning dawn - Arun. As many tourists assure, its 79-meter pagoda looks especially impressive in the rays of the rising sun. It is decorated with multi-colored porcelain tiles that were used as ballast on Chinese boats. They were raised from the bottom of the river and used to decorate the temple.
The Wat Arun Temple was built on the site of the more ancient Wat Makok complex. After the city of Bangkok became the capital of Thailand, Wat Arun turned into a royal temple, where for some time until 1785 the statue of the Emerald Buddha was kept, which can now be seen in the temple of Wat Phrakeu.
In the central tower (pranga), surrounded by four lower ones, there are prayer halls decorated with frescoes. Until recently, it was possible to climb the steps to the top of the tower, but now visitors are not allowed upstairs.
Planetarium
Planetarium
The oldest planetarium in Thailand and throughout Southeast Asia is located in Bangkok. It was founded in 1962-1964 at the Science Museum, which occupies a large six-story building. The central hall of the planetarium, where the Mark IV and Christie Boxer 4K30 projectors are installed, can simultaneously accommodate 450 people. In 2016, the equipment of the planetarium was updated: now interesting lectures held here are accompanied by visual effects and surround sound. Babies and their parents are invited to view a series of slides and observe the heavenly bodies through a telescope. The most exciting new Horizons program offers real-time tracking of the New Horizons space probe, which has already passed the Pluto system and is approaching a new object in the Kuiper Belt. A lecture in English takes place once a week - on Tuesday - and costs a little more than one in Thai.
Bangkok Art and Cultural Center
Bangkok Arts and Culture Center
Bangkok Arts and Culture Center is located opposite the MBK Shopping Complex, close to the National Stadium. It is designed for musical and theatrical performances, art exhibitions, film screenings, etc. The center houses cafes, shopping galleries, bookstores, craft shops and a library.
Construction of the new museum, where it was planned to house artwork by contemporary Thai artists, began in 1995. After 6 years, construction was halted as the new governor of Bangkok decided to convert this seven-story building with semicircular facades into a commercial retail space. Everyone rebelled against this: artists, students, university professors. In 2004, the construction of the art center continued. It was opened 5 years later and is now one of the most visited sites in the Thai capital.
Bank of Thailand Museum
Bank of Thailand Museum
The luxurious baroque palace Bang Khun Phrom, erected in 1901-1906 for one of the Thai princes, has occupied the collection of the Museum of the Bank of Thailand since 1992, which tells about the history of the development of the monetary system in this country. Until 1945, the mansion was a private residence, and then became the office of the Thai Central Bank.
The museum consists of 14 exhibition halls. The following exhibits are most interesting:
- collection of ancient coins. There are primitive monetary units (beautiful mother-of-pearl shells, bright beads) and coins that were in circulation on the territory of present-day Thailand in the distant past and were discovered during archaeological excavations;
- old devices for minting coins;
- a machine presented to Thailand by the British queen in the second half of the 19th century to issue its own currency;
- banknotes and modern commemorative coins.
Throne room of Ananda-Samakhom
Throne room of Ananda-Samakhom
A luxurious palace made of snow-white Carrara marble in the Italian neo-Renaissance style looks a little strange and out of place in the center of Bangkok. The Ananda-Samakhom Throne Hall is part of the Dusit Royal Complex and is used by the government for exclusive purposes only: to celebrate the coronation of a new ruler or to celebrate the birth of a prince or princess. The two-story throne room, crowned with a large dome, which is decorated with murals on the history of the Thai royal family, has now been turned into a museum.
The permanent exhibition is called "The Art of the Kingdom", which features handicrafts created under the patronage of the Queen Sirikit Institute. Here are collected works of local artisans: clothes made of silk and cotton, figurines made of wood, jewelry made of gold and silver, including those belonging to Queen Sikirit.
Lumpini Park
Lumpini Park
Lumpini Park is a favorite vacation spot for Bangkok residents, which is also visited with pleasure by numerous guests of the Thai capital. Spreading on an area of 57 hectares, at the time of its foundation, the park was located on the outskirts of the city, where it was difficult to get to. Now it is located in a trendy commercial district - next to numerous hotels, offices, restaurants.
People come here to ride on boats that resemble swans on artificial lakes. The lakes are home to harmless water monitor lizards and turtles that can be fed. Many visitors watch birds and go in for sports. The park has tennis courts, sports grounds, jogging tracks. People do gymnastics on the lawns. One of the attractions of this green area is the palm grove, where dance evenings are held to music performed by a symphony orchestra in late winter and early spring.
