Bangkok

Rattanakosin Island's centrepiece and the symbolic heart of the kingdom, the Grand Palace was built in 1782 when King Rama I moved the capital across the river, and it served as the royal residence for around 150 years. Within the same walls stands Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, home to a revered jade image whose seasonal robes are changed by the King three times a year. Expect glittering chedis, towering mythical guardians, murals of the Ramakien epic, and the Chakri Maha Prasat throne hall that fuses Thai roofs onto a European body. The dress code is strict and enforced for everyone: shoulders and knees fully covered, no sheer fabric, and cover-ups can be borrowed near the gate. Arrive by Chao Phraya express boat to Tha Chang pier, go at opening time, and ignore any friendly stranger who says the palace is shut for a holiday, it is a well-worn scam.

The Temple of Dawn rises straight off the west bank of the Chao Phraya, its central prang climbing around 70 metres and named for Aruna, the Indian god of the dawn. Look closely at the tower and you see it is entirely encrusted with broken Chinese porcelain and seashells, ballast from old trading ships pressed into flowers and mythical figures, so the whole spire shimmers in changing light. You can climb the steep interior stairways partway up the prang for a closer view and a look back across the river to the old town. Despite the name, the magic here is at the other end of the day: from the eastern bank the temple glows orange at sunset and lights up gold after dark. Cross on the small cross-river ferry from Tha Tien pier for a few baht, or grab a table at one of the riverside bars opposite for the classic photograph.

Just south of the Grand Palace and easily combined with it on foot, Wat Pho is older than the city itself and home to the colossal Reclining Buddha, 46 metres long and covered in gold leaf, its soles inlaid with mother-of-pearl showing the 108 auspicious signs of the Buddha. Buy a small bowl of coins and drop one into each of the 108 bronze pots along the wall for luck, a soothing metallic ritual that echoes through the hall. Beyond the big statue, the grounds hold Thailand's largest collection of Buddha images and a forest of colourful chedis, and this is considered the birthplace of traditional Thai massage. The respected massage school still operates on site, so you can round off the visit with a genuine hour of Thai or foot massage. It is calmer and more contemplative than the palace next door, and just as rewarding.

Known locally as JJ, Chatuchak is one of the largest markets on earth, roughly 15,000 stalls packed into 27 numbered sections and sprawling across the north of the city. Trading runs mainly on Saturday and Sunday, and you could lose a whole day among vintage clothing, handicrafts, ceramics, art, antiques, home decor, plants, and street food, with a livelier plant-and-flower trade midweek and a wholesale buzz on Friday nights. It is a maze, so grab or screenshot a section map, note a landmark like the clock tower, and simply wander. Go early to shop in the relative cool, carry cash and smaller notes for bargaining, and dress light because the interior aisles get steamy by midday. When you need a break, the adjacent Or Tor Kor market offers excellent, cleaner air-conditioned food. Reach it directly by MRT Kamphaeng Phet or BTS Mo Chit, both of which drop you at the gates.

The Chao Phraya, the River of Kings, is Bangkok's original highway and still the most atmospheric way to move between the big riverside temples. The orange-flag Chao Phraya Express Boat is cheap and fast, while a dedicated blue tourist boat hops the main sights, and a hired longtail can peel off into the quiet Thonburi canals (khlongs) where wooden houses, temples, and monitor lizards line the water. For the classic floating-market experience you head out of town: Damnoen Saduak in Ratchaburi is the famous, photogenic one, best reached before 9am to beat the tour buses, while Amphawa in Samut Songkhram is more of a local weekend affair that comes alive in the late afternoon and adds evening longtail trips to see fireflies in the mangroves. Both work well as a guided half or full-day trip, and combine easily with the Maeklong railway market where stalls fold away as the train passes.