Bangkok
A river city of hotels along the Chao Phraya, two three-star kitchens, nineteen hotels with MICHELIN Keys, and a private jet terminal of its own at Don Mueang.
- Arrival
- Suvarnabhumi · BKK
- To the city
- About 30 to 45 minutes by car, or the rail link to Phaya Thai
- Private jets
- MJets terminal at Don Mueang (DMK)
- Best time
- November to April
The city
The river, the sois and the dry season.
The Mandarin Oriental has stood on the bank of the Chao Phraya for almost 150 years, Capella and the Four Seasons line the same water further south, and The Siam keeps a century-old teak house by the river at Dusit. Inland, the city works by soi: the side streets of Sukhumvit hold Sorn and R-Haan, Lang Suan holds INDDEE, and Lumpini Park is ten minutes on foot from the Sukhothai.
Come between November and April. The dry season brings highs of 31 to 35 °C and almost no rain in December and January; the monsoon returns in May and peaks in September at close to 300 mm.
Arriving
Long-haul to the east, private to the north.
Suvarnabhumi, about 30 km east of the centre, takes the long-haul flights; the Airport Rail Link reaches Phaya Thai in 30 to 40 minutes and a car takes 30 to 45 minutes outside the rush. Don Mueang, about 22 km to the north, is where private jets land.
- Ho Chi Minh City 1 h 20
- Kuala Lumpur 1 h 55
- Seoul 5 h 05
- Riyadh 7 h 45 long-range jet
- Nice 12 h 10 long-range jet
When to go
November to April.
Bangkok never cools off: 31 °C in December, 35 °C in April, humidity most of the year. The cool, dry months run from November to April, when rainfall drops below 70 mm and December and January are nearly rainless. From May to October the monsoon brings 160 to nearly 300 mm a month.
- 32° J 8
- 33° F 20
- 34° M 31
- 35° A 69
- 34° M 183
- 33° J 160
- 33° J 168
- 32° A 206
- 32° S 292
- 32° O 198
- 32° N 48
- 31° D 10
What to see and do
Days in and around Bangkok.
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Landmark
The Chao Phraya
The river that the great hotels face, from Dusit down to Sathorn and Charoen Krung.
-
Landmark
Lumpini Park
The green centre of the city, a short walk from the hotels of Sathorn and Pathumwan.
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Landmark
The sois of Sukhumvit
Side streets where some of the best Thai kitchens in the country keep their doors, Sorn on Soi 26 among them.
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Culture
Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew
Established by King Rama I in 1782, the palace complex holds the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and a strict dress code applies.
Official site -
Wellness
Wat Pho Thai Traditional Medical and Massage School
Within the temple of the 46 metre reclining Buddha, the school still teaches and practises traditional Thai massage.
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Culture
Jim Thompson House
Six teak houses assembled by the American silk merchant who vanished in Malaysia in 1967 now hold his collection of Thai art.
Official site -
Racing & sport
Rajadamnern Stadium
Muay Thai has been fought here since the first bout on 23 December 1945, with fight nights through the year.
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Food & wine
Or Tor Kor Market
Run by the Marketing Organization for Farmers since 1974, this fresh market by Kamphaeng Phet station is known for premium mango and durian.
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Nature
Si Nakhon Khuean Khan Park
Opened in 2003 in the river loop of Bang Krachao, the park has ponds, boardwalks and a bird watching tower, and many visitors arrive by bicycle.
Where to stay
From the river to Sukhumvit.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok Almost 150 years on the riverbank, twelve restaurants, and Anne-Sophie Pic’s two-star Le Normandie on the fifth floor.
- Capella Bangkok Suites and villas along the river, a Presidential Villa with its own plunge pool, and Côte by Mauro Colagreco with two stars.
- The Peninsula Bangkok On the Thonburi side of the river, with one Key and a Forbes Five-Star rating.
- The Okura Prestige Bangkok Two hundred and forty rooms, a 25-metre infinity pool cantilevered out from the 25th floor, and Elements with one MICHELIN star.
- Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok One MICHELIN Key in 2026; 360 rooms, 97 of them serviced residences, set around gardens and an elevated infinity pool.
- 137 Pillars Suites & Residences Bangkok An all-suite house where the pool and the Nimitr restaurant share the 27th floor.
- COMO Metropolitan Bangkok On South Sathorn Road with 137 rooms, COMO Shambhala hydropools, and nahm for Thai cooking.
- The St. Regis Bangkok Butlers for every room, views across the Royal Bangkok Sports Club, and IGNIV Bangkok on site.
- The Athenee Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Bangkok Built on the grounds of Kandhavas, once the palace of Princess Valaya Alongkorn; 374 rooms and suites.
- Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok A resort-style hotel in the shopping heart of the city, with ALATi, Rotunda and the 1897 Lounge.
- Sindhorn Kempinski Hotel Bangkok Part of the Sindhorn Village development, with Flourish for all-day dining and Ki Izakaya for Japanese food.
- Shangri-La Bangkok Its 802 rooms fill two towers on the Chao Phraya, the Shangri-La Wing and the Krungthep Wing.
- Banyan Tree Bangkok Vertigo and the Moon Bar on the 61st floor, a pool on the 21st, and Lumphini station a short walk away.
- The Siam Thai antiques and Art Deco by the river, with Connie’s Cottage, a century-old teak house with a private pool.
- Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River Riverside grounds with several infinity pools and Yu Ting Yuan for Cantonese cooking.
- The Sukhothai Bangkok Two wings, Club and Main, a hammam and an infinity pool, ten minutes on foot from Lumpini Park.
- Rosewood Bangkok Two MICHELIN Keys in 2026 and a Forbes Four-Star rating in Pathumwan.
- Aman Nai Lert Bangkok Aman in the city, holding two Keys in the 2026 selection.
- Park Hyatt Bangkok Two Keys and a Forbes Four-Star rating, in the same district as Rosewood and Aman.
- Dusit Thani Bangkok The Thai name among the two-Key hotels, in Bang Rak near the river.
Where to dine
Two three-star tables and eight with two.
From the MICHELIN Guide 2026, shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these restaurants.
- Sorn Three Michelin stars Southern Thai ฿฿฿฿ Soi Sukhumvit 26, Khlong Toei
- Sühring Three Michelin stars German contemporary ฿฿฿฿ Soi Yen Akat 3, Yan Nawa
- Anne-Sophie Pic at Le Normandie Two Michelin stars French contemporary ฿฿฿฿ Mandarin Oriental, Bang Rak
- Côte by Mauro Colagreco Two Michelin stars Modern ฿฿฿฿ Capella Bangkok, Sathorn
- Mezzaluna Two Michelin stars French contemporary ฿฿฿฿ Tower Club at lebua, 65th floor, Silom
- R-Haan Two Michelin stars Thai contemporary ฿฿฿฿ Soi Sukhumvit 53, Vadhana
- Baan Tepa Two Michelin stars Thai contemporary ฿฿฿฿ Ramkhamhaeng Road, Bang Kapi
- INDDEE Two Michelin stars Indian contemporary ฿฿฿฿ Soi Lang Suan, Pathum Wan
Elsewhere in Thailand
More reasons to come.
- Phuket The largest island, and the gateway to the Andaman Sea.
- Koh Samui Coconut groves and beach villas on the Gulf.
- Krabi Limestone cliffs over the sea, and the islands beyond.
- Chiang Mai The old walled city of the north, and the hills around it.
- Hua Hin The royal seaside town, three hours south of Bangkok.
Flying to Bangkok?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.