Five Stops To Make On The Bangkok BTS Skytrain
Add these five spots to the itinerary of your next trip to Thailand.
In an age of infinite shopping malls, one comes out equally air-conditioned but with an up above design. Terminal 21 looks like an actual airport terminal, and each floor borrows decor, uniforms, and signage from famous locations around the world. Guests shop for the latest fashion in Rome, dine in Fisherman’s Wharf, and catch a film in Hollywood. And before you ask, the toilets follow the themes top to bottom.
Asoke is home to many budget hotels along Sukhumvit road. Red Planet Bangkok Asoke on Sukhumvit 14 is a short walk away from Terminal 21 and the BTS station. If Asoke just doesn’t cut it for you, you can reach Terminal 21 almost as fast from Red Planet Bangkok Surawong. Just hop the train from Chong Nonsi BTS station.
What’s a weekend market, you ask? Think of it as the largest shopping extravaganza open only on three days of the week. Jatujak, or JJ market for friends and family, has more than 5,000 small shops selling a wide variety of goods. Take the parkside exits 1 and 3, and you’ll begin to discover fashion, furniture, plants, food, Thai silk and handicraft, and even exotic pets that will keep you busy until the dark hours. If you are not ready to drop after the day at Chatuchak, be sure to stop by at the nearby Or Tor Kor (OTK) Market for some of the most pristine fruits and vegetables.
If not for this man, you would have difficulties finding the popular souvenir to bring back home. The beautiful, curated teak house of the silk tycoon, Jim Thompson, now serves as a museum full of antiques and historic treasures tucked away in the middle of the city. A guided tour takes you through the history, and near extinction, of Thai silk and Mr Thompson before his own mysterious disappearance.
Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes? All reptile enthusiasts get their money’s worth at the snake farm located in Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute. Slither out from Sala Daeng BTS exit 3 and get rid of your herpetophobia. Enjoy live shows of snake venom extraction and antivenom production where none of the snakes are abused.
Asiatique is a large warehouse complex and an open-air night market on the bank of the Chao Phraya river. Eat your way through dozens of restaurants, experience Muay Thai boxing on the ringside, or soar 60 metres over Bangkok in the city’s tallest ferris wheel. Frame the evening in an Instagram story on the free shuttle boat from BTS Saphan Taksin pier to Asiatique pier from 4pm until 11.30pm.