3 neighborhoods you don’t want to miss in Bangkok

My first trip to Thailand was in 2003 with four, fresh-out-of-college friends. As backpackers, our adventures included temples, bars, and beaches across the country. But it was Bangkok that really spoke to me. I was smitten by its opposing personalities—its mix of glitzy rooftops and fetid alleyways; its dedication to fine dining, but equally to curbside endeavors; its calming spiritual outposts and sleek malls.

Bangkok kept luring me back: For the past 20 years, I have spent at least a month each year here. Over our two-decade love affair, I’ve watched the city evolve, but also remain remarkably bygone. Something that hasn’t evolved? The traffic. This is no small town, but a metropolis of 11 million residents. Thai hospitality is extended to the 20 million tourists who arrive annually.

Don’t be intimidated, but also plan properly. Pick one neighborhood per day. Grab a tuk-tuk. Hire a longtail boat or wander on foot. Even getting lost results in dreamy discoveries, like surprising meals, hidden art galleries, and century-old shophouses.

Chinatown is best at night. No, scratch that. I like mornings best. Oh, I cannot decide. Do both! Yaowarat Road is the vital artery through this neighborhood, and the wide street comes alive at dusk, as four-story neon signs wink on, bathing the pavement in every color. Beneath the signs, street carts open for business at sunset, too, and some of the city’s best chefs are curbside, calling out orders for oyster omelets and banana pancakes, flipping eggs in hot oil and ladling noodles into herbaceous broths.

The Shanghai Mansion is a perfect evening starting point. Snag a curbside table at the open-air Red Rose lobby bar for live jazz. This building has cool history, originally an opera house and then a stock exchange, in the early 1900s.

Next, step out into the delicious chaos. Line up for Michelin-recognized rolled-noodle soup at Guay Jub Ouan Pochana, find a random cart for fried rice or fried chicken, or sample sweet Pa Tong Go. It’s a Thai fried bread, drizzled in condensed milk. A great stall for this is Pa Tong Go Savoey.

Belly bursting, wander a few blocks to the laneway of Soi Nana. This short street is famous for craft cocktail bars, housed in weathered, colonial shophouses. At Tep Bar, you can try Thailand’s “moonshine” spirit, Yadong. Steps away, behind thick, studded wooden doors, the crammed, pink-lit Teens of Thailand offers a menu that’s won global cocktail awards. My ideal end bar-hopping on Soi Nana is to visit Ba Hao last. At rickety wooden tables, you dig into Cantonese appetizer plates and try tea-based cocktails. Pro Tip: You can stay above Ba Hao. They have The Residence, two stylish Airbnb suites with private roof terraces.

I must advise you to set an early alarm when exploring Chinatown, too. The Buddhist monks begin their daily processions at first light. They move barefoot through the streets, collecting breakfast and alms from the faithful.

The Buddhist, Wat Traimit temple is striking in the morning sun, with its thousands of glittering, golden tiles on a white facade; as is the smaller, wooden, Leng Buai Eia Shrine. It’s one of the neighborhood’s oldest Chinese shrines, dating to the 1600s. It’s decorated in painted wooden dragons, winding around rice pillars.

Sampeng Lane opens around 8 a.m. Chinatown’s largest market is a connected (convoluted) series of covered lanes packed rafter-high with retail, from sunglasses to shoes, colorful dresses to paper lanterns, Thai silks, leather purses, fruit juice carts, and dim sum cases. You could spend hours here.

This is Bangkok’s royal quarter, and while the name might take practice to pronounce (Rah-tan-a-ko-sin), it’s a prime place to settle yourself on your first–or 40th–trip to the city.

The neighborhood is shell-shaped and is technically an island, bordered by canals on one side and the Chao Phraya river on the other.

Pale yellow, garage-styled buildings were once government offices, but now showcase independent art galleries, coffee roasters, quaint cafes and bookshops.

Wat Pho is a must-visit, to see Bangkok’s largest, reclining Buddha. Covered in gold leaf, with pearls inlaid in the feet, the statue stretches 150 feet long and 30 feet high. The opulent Grand Palace comprises 100 buildings, manicured grounds, and a mix of Thai architecture and Italian Renaissance. It’s a mind-boggling array of color and texture, but beware of a potential scam. If someone tells you the Grand Palace is closed and then offers to sell you a different, ticketed tour, politely decline. This scam has been foisted upon tourists for decades.

One of my favorite walks is to follow the canals on the northeastern edge of the neighborhood. I love the robin’s egg hues and beautiful patina of the Sino-Portuguese architecture along Atsadang Road, and if you follow the canal road south towards the river, you’ll hit the Pak Khlong Flower Market. This massive market is not technically in Rattanakosin, but just beyond the border. Open 24 hours, the warehouses here process millions of flowers every day. In the far back, there’s an authentic and interesting traditional food market, too.

In recent years, Rattanakosin has seen a boom of design-driven boutique hotel openings. I start many mornings at Sala Rattanakosin. The hotel’s back wall is all glass, lending uninterrupted views of Wat Arun across the river. It’s one of the best places to sample a haute version of Jok–Thailand’s breakfast rice porridge, served with a spicy, vinegary pork salad and a wok-fried duck egg. Pro Tip: The rooftop bar here is also an ideal location for photographing Wat Arun, lit at night.

During hot days, don’t just look at the river. Get out on it. From the Tah Tien pier, you can catch a public water ferry for a dollar–or buy an all-day pass for about $4. Want something more intimate and Instagram-able? The longtail boats are a traditional way to see the century-old stilt houses and tinier canals off the Chao Phraya. I advise good-natured haggling with the captains on a price before boarding. Around 1500 baht should get you the whole boat (roughly $40). Longtail boat rides are about an hour and can be sought at almost every pier along the river.

There are a number of interesting, mid-city neighborhoods, with various personalities and appeals. Siam is a great district for shopping mall adventures, and Khlong Toei offers verdant, green spaces like Benchakitti and Lumphini parks.

Thonglor (also spelled ThongLo) is one of my favorites, a trendy, largely local neighborhood. Occasionally, it’s referred to as Bangkok’s Brooklyn. That’s thanks to a hipster vibe, from tattoo parlors to full-service barber shops. This is a vintage-lover’s playground, from buying antiques (Hawaii Five-O) to throwback bar design (Shade of Retro) to purchasing purses and heels (Again & Again). And, it’s a neighborhood that sets the cocktail trends in Thailand.

During the day, Thonglor is also one of the best neighborhoods for custom suit creation, and Thailand’s spas live up to their reputation for luxe affordability here, too. I like Divana Divine, for the organic products, private rooms and ultrasonic massage therapies, all in a peaceful, Thai-house setting.

Around the corner, The Commons is a multi-story, industrial-styled community space with a food hall, market, salon, pet boutique, regular film nights and a Japanese highball bar. Speaking of Japan, Thonglor is also where you’ll find the city’s best Japanese food, from izakayas to sushi. This neighborhood is home to Bangkok’s largest expat Japanese population.