Top Free Activities
in Bangkok
If you’re traveling on a tight budget, enjoy some of the
best Bangkok has to offer for free. Free museums, free activities, free sights
– all great things to do that won’t cost you a Baht!
1. Visit Temples
Bangkok has dozens of amazing temples and many of them are
free to visit. in Chinatown, Wat Indraviharn in Dusit, and Wat Patum Wanaran in
central Bangkok (nestled in between Paragon and Central World Plaza shopping
malls) are just three beautiful and interesting temples that don’t charge any
admission fee.
2. Lumphini Park
Bangkok’s most popular public park offers fun and
interesting activities any time of the day. If you’re up early, head over by 6
a.m. to watch folks fan dancing, practicing Tai Chi and running. At 6 p.m.,
there are free outdoor aerobics classes anyone can participate in.
3. The Bangkok Art & Culture Center
The modern art center across the street from MBK mega mall
has revolving art exhibits on eleven floors and funky outdoor art
installations, too. The modern, airy building itself is worth a visit.
4. Bangkok
Butterfly Garden & Insectarium
Visit the enclosed butterfly garden inside Rot Fai Park to
see hundreds of butterflies and plenty of other insects, too. The park is just
adjacent to Chatuchak Market and if you’re not into bugs, the surrounding Queen
Sirikit Park offer plenty of pretty flowers to look at.
5. Tour the City’s Many Markets
A visit to Thailand would not be complete without visiting
one of the country’s bustling outdoor markets. The wet Market and Khlong Toey
Market are both old-fashioned Thai vegetable and produce markets and offer a
fascinating peek at normal life.
6. Art Galleries
Visit one of the city’s many art galleries to see what
modern Thai art is all about. The Queen’s Gallery showcases talented young
artists from all over Thailand. Other galleries in the city have revolving
exhibits featuring Thai and Southeast Asia art.
7. Silpa
Bhirasri Memorial & Museum
This small museum exhibits the work of Silpa Bhirasri, the
father of modern Thai art, and the work of some of his well-known pupils. The
space was formerly the artist’s office and studio and is just a few minutes on
foot from Sanam Luang.
8. The Bangkokian Museum
One of Bangkok’s coolest museums is the Bangkokian Museum
(sometimes called the Bangkok Folk Museum), with exhibits depicting typical
middle-class life in Bangkok during the mid-twentieth century. The museum is
tucked away on a side street off of busy Charoen Krung Road.
9. Royal
Elephant Museum
These former royal stables have become a museum dedicated to
one of the country’s most honored animals, the elephant. See ornate palanquins
(seating platforms set atop elephants) and elephant armor and learn about why
elephants are so important to Thai culture.
10. The
Corrections Museum
On the edge of Rommani Nart Park near the Old City is this
prison turned museum. Curators have put together a handful of exhibits to
demonstrate the different types of punishment meted out over the course of the
country’s history. Be warned that the life-size wax figures in various
terrifying situations and photos of past executions are quite grisly.