Bangkok is a huge city that offers endless options to the visitor. If you love large cities in Southeast Asia, even during its hottest months -April and May, in the case of Bangkok-, when you get drenched in sweat the moment you step on the street, and if you don’t mind sitting in a plastic chair in an alley to devour a noodle soup, then Bangkok will fascinate you.
You can spend endless days discovering its corners, as every corner in Bangkok hides a whole world full of stories.
Here you can find:
But despite so many things to discover in Bangkok, there are also several interesting destinations in its surroundings that can be easily visited on day trips.
Here I bring you a list of my Top day trips from Bangkok to make the most of your time in the capital of Thailand.
Why do we recommend a day trip to Ayutthaya?
Kanchanaburi is a Thai town about 130 kilometers west of Bangkok, which can be visited as a day trip combined with Damnoen Saduak floating market or, even better, stay a few nights in Kanchanaburi to explore the area and visit other nearby places such as the Erawan National Park or Elephant’s World.
If you look at Bangkok on Google Maps you will see that there is a large area of the city, on the river and somewhat secluded, which is almost completely green. That is Bang Krachao. It is a forest area with only a few roads and several paths, with a very popular weekend market and a large park. This entire area is ideal for cycling and is a good, very alternative and little-known excursion for those looking unique, non-tourist experiences.
Koh Kred is a small man-made island in the Chao Phraya River, north of Bangkok. The island has a narrow circular road which is ideal for cycling, and has traditionally been inhabited by people of the Mon ethnic group.
Pattaya is famous for being the main sex tourism destination in Thailand. Its ‘Walking Street’ is lined with gogo bars, with hundreds of girls who dance half naked and approach the costumers for a drink -from which they receive commission-, or to get them involved in more expensive deals.
Hua Hin is the main beach destination where people from Bangkok go to on weekends. It is a fairly large town with a wide range of hotels and excellent restaurants mainly specialized in seafood. Hua Hin is somewhat far away, about 3-4 hours from Bangkok, so it is advisable to spend at least one night there. A return trip in one day is possible, but you will have to leave very early. If you spend more than one day there, you may consider visiting Sam Rot Yod National Park.
Elephant’s World elephant camp is an elephant rescue and recovery center. An NGO that can be visited in one or several days (they accept volunteers, although paying). In the one-day visit, you will prepare the elephants’ food, feed and bathe them in the river, as well as learn a lot about them and their needs.
Bang Saen is a beach town relatively close to Bangkok. The truth is that its beach is not particularly pretty, and that’s the reason why you will hardly find foreign tourists. The town is basically a destination for Thais who want to eat seafood with friends and family, sit under an umbrella on a lounger on the sand and enjoy the sea views. Again, Bang Saen is recommended for those who already know the main destinations, or really want to experience the more local Thailand.
This option is somewhat different from the rest. Thai Wake Park is a wakeboarding park, a place to practice water skiing pulled by a cable. The park has 3 lakes, and one of them is for beginners, so you can enjoy it even if you have never practiced this sport before. The park is an hour from Bangkok and is somewhat difficult to reach, so better check your GPS.
Khao Yai National Park is one of the largest and most impressive in the country. We recommend that you spend at least one night there, ideally in one of the bungalows within the park, but if you don’t have that much time it is also possible to visit it on a day trip from Bangkok.