Let’s get straight to the point: Bangkok is not the easiest city to travel with kids, especially the little ones. It can be really hot, it can be hard to move around considering traffic and stairs everywhere, it can be tricky to find non-spicy food because even if the menu says ‘not spicy’ it can be a bit spicy after all.
But this doesn’t mean that there is nothing to do with kids here! See my list of activities I bet your kids will absolutely love in Bangkok!
1. Visit Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew
The majestic architecture of the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, or the Temple of Emerald Buddha, won’t leave anyone unimpressed, even the kids! Tell your kids to follow the stories depicted on the gallery walls, or count Garuda birds and Yaksha, the demons guarding the royal treasures. They’ll be excited!
The Grand palace has been an official residence of the Kings of Siam (now the Kings of Thailand) since 1782. Since 1925, the kings have resided in Dusit Palace; however, the Grand Palace still holds the primary importance.
Wat Phra Kaew is located on the same grounds – you even get the combined tickets for two – and is one of the most important Buddhist temples in Thailand. Its central hall – Phra Ubosot – houses the statue of the Emerald Buddha. The building itself is amazing, all covered in traditional Thai symbols and gold as well as porcelain tiles, and you can find a large golden stupa there as well.
The 15th-century statue is actually not very big (it’s only 66cm tall) and is made from green jasper, and ’emerald’ describes only its colour. This Buddha has three sets of golden raiment—clothing—decorated with precious stones that are changed by the king himself a few times during a year.
2. Have a tuk-tuk ride
Tuk-tuk, or a motorised version of a rickshaw, is probably the most recognisable transport of Bangkok. It might not be the safest one but in many ways it can get you faster from one point to another than a car, and believe what? Kids adore it!
3. Shop in large malls
Bangkok is definitely not short of one thing; shopping malls. SiamParagon, which opened in 2005, is one of the largest shopping malls in Bangkok, and CentralWorld is one of the largest malls in the world with many activities going on.
Not only do they have a large shop section where you can finds toys and kids clothes, but the food court here is fantastic: you can find lots of cute cafes as well as Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Western cuisine.
4. Explore Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World
Go to SiamParagon not only for shopping but also to visit the Sea Life Bangkok opened in 2005. It’s the largest aquarium in Southeast Asia!
Sea Life Bangkok is divided into different zones and features literally hundreds of species of marine animals including penguins, otters, insects, reptiles, amphibians, sharks, and rays.
One of the most fun activities you can participate in for a small fee is a glass floor boat ride with sharks over a pool with sharks!
At the end of the route, you can shop at the lovely shop and watch a 15-minute 4D cartoon – in our case, it was a short movie about the friendship of a squirrel and a bear.
5. Have a long-tail boat ride
Longtail boat is a type of large narrow canoe-like boat with an engine on a pole at the rear side looking like a tail, with people sitting on small benches under a canopy. Actually, although this is a popular transport in Southeastern Asia, it originates from Thailand! Did you know that long-tail boats were invented here about a century ago?
Although this type of transport, again, doesn’t feel the safest however it’s a cool and quick way to explore many landmarks of Bangkok. and kids will love it for sure. For instance, you can have a ride along the river and canals from Chang Pier seeing Way Arun and many other sites.
Just make sure you ask if they have kids-sized lifejackets (you know, just in case) and prepare to get a bit wet!
6. Have a look at Bangkok forts
There are a few ancient forts to see in Bangkok which made it to our time such as Phra Sumen Fort or Mahakan Fort – in the past there were 14 of them built during the reign of King Rama!
Add to this more modern forts as well such as Wichaiprasit Fort. And those look fun like the castles – at least have a look at those from the outside!
7. See Big Buddha of Wat Paknam
Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen is an ancient royal temple located on the Chao Phraya River and established in the 17th century and it only recently became a hot tourist spot: the giant gold Buddha was finished only in 2021. See it together with Wat Khun Chan nearby.
The best way to observe this 69-metre-high statue is from the water: a small boat ride from the local pier along Bangkok Yai Canal lasts about 20 min, and you can also observe temples nearby and feed the fish in the river.
We were given some fish food by the boat owners. Those fish are really enormous! And besides that, watch out for the huge Asian water monitors hunting in the water.
8. Climb King Power Mahanakhon Skywalk
King Power Mahanakhon Skywalk is the highest observation deck in Thailand – and it’s definitely a fun destination to visit with a kid (don’t forget to book tickets in advance).
This skyscraper opened in 2016 has a very unusual helix shape (just look at the ice cream in the shape of it). First, you get to a desk with shops and a cafe, and then you can take an elevator/ escalator to an open space on the very top.
We booked the tickets to attend a sunset slot – Bangkok looks absolutely spectacular from this desk! After your visit, you can explore more of the shopping floors of the tower.
9. Eat lots of fruits and desserts
There is no surprise that Thai cuisine is spicy. But just think of all the fruits and desserts you can try here, and Thailand will immediately become a very tempting destination for all kids with sweet tooth! Our go-to choices are undoubtedly mangoes, jackfruits, coconuts and Marian plums.
In terms of deserts, look for Thai cubed jellies, everything with pandan – that’s a tropical pant that provides a deserts with a gentle green colour – and sticky rice, and don’t forget about other sweet Asian delicacies from other asian countries.
You might also like my other posts about Asia.
Hope you liked my blog!
Yours,
Anna xxx
