Bangkok & Pattaya — Temples, River and the Gulf Coast

A long-running stage show on Pattaya Second Road, known for its costumes, lighting and lip-synced song and dance routines. The theatre is air-conditioned and seats are numbered, so there is no queuing once you are in.

• Watch the full show
• Photograph the cast in the foyer afterwards
• Walk the beach road on the way back

A small island off Pattaya reached in roughly fifteen minutes by speedboat. Tawaen is the main beach and the busiest; the boats also run to quieter stretches such as Samae and Nual if you ask. Lunch is served at a beachside restaurant.

• Swim from Tawaen beach
• Try parasailing or a banana-boat ride
• Seafood lunch on the sand

An enormous all-timber temple on the shore at Naklua, begun in 1981 and still being carved. Every surface is worked into figures from Thai, Hindu, Chinese and Khmer belief, and there is no metal in the structure. Hard hats are handed out because carving continues overhead.

• Walk the four carved halls
• Watch the woodcarvers at work
• See the building from the sea wall

A very large landscaped garden covering several square kilometres, with a French-style parterre, a cactus house, a stone garden and one of the biggest cycad collections anywhere. A cultural show and an elephant display run at set times, and a shuttle takes you between the far-apart sections.

• Ride the garden shuttle
• See the Thai cultural show
• Walk the French garden and the orchid houses

Two hours on the river with a buffet dinner and live music on deck. The route runs past the Grand Palace, Wat Arun and the older riverside warehouses, all floodlit after dark. Boarding is at a central pier and boats leave on time.

• See Wat Arun lit up from the water
• Buffet dinner on deck
• Photograph the bridges at night

The royal complex begun in 1782, a walled compound of gilded halls, mirrored spires and guardian figures. Inside it stands Wat Phra Kaew, which houses the Emerald Buddha — a small jade image on a tall gilded throne, whose robes are changed by the King three times a year. Photography is not allowed inside the ordination hall.

• See the Emerald Buddha
• Walk the painted Ramakien gallery
• Look at the Chakri throne hall from the courtyard

A ten-minute walk south of the palace, and older than it. The hall holds a reclining Buddha some 46 metres long and 15 metres high, gilded all over, with mother-of-pearl inlay on the soles of the feet. The temple is also the home of traditional Thai massage and still runs a teaching school in the grounds.

• Walk the length of the reclining Buddha
• Drop coins in the 108 bronze bowls
• Book a short massage at the school

The Temple of Dawn, on the Thonburi bank and reached by a short cross-river ferry. Its central spire rises about 70 metres and is faced with broken Chinese porcelain set into the plaster, which catches the light from a distance. The lower terraces can be climbed for the view back across the river.

• Take the cross-river ferry
• Climb to the first terrace
• Look closely at the porcelain inlay

Two parks on one site. The safari half is driven through in your own vehicle, past zebra, giraffe, rhino and a fenced predator section. The marine half is walked, and runs a fixed timetable of dolphin, sea lion, orangutan and bird shows. Pick up the show schedule at the gate and plan the day around it.

• Drive the open-range safari loop
• Catch the dolphin show
• Feed the giraffes at the viewing deck

One of the largest markets in Asia, with thousands of stalls laid out in numbered sections — clothing, ceramics, plants, antiques and food. It is hot and crowded by midday, so go with a section in mind and use the map boards at the entrances. Only open at the weekend.

• Work through the handicraft sections
• Bargain politely on the marked prices
• Stop for coconut ice cream