Things to do in Bangkok with Kids or Without – update for 2020

Bangkok is one of the world’s top ten tourist destinations ranked by the number of visitors. The Thai capital has snowballed over the past century from an ancient settlement five centuries older than that.

My kids and I love it because it oozes with life and interest, and there are lots of contrasting things to see and do there. Every day in Bangkok feels like a bit of an adventure, whether getting about by riverboat, sampling street food or finding big lizards roaming free in a city park.

Famous for a haphazard tangle of eastern charm mixed with lush modernity, Bangkok has a fascinating history, much of which can be seen and explored in its streets and buildings. But it has reputations for congestion, pollution and prostitution, so is Bangkok dangerous? Is Bangkok safe for families? We have visited it both as a family and as a mother travelling with young children several times over the past few years and we will be going again, so read on to learn about how to get the most from your stay in Bangkok with Kids.

Planning to visit Bangkok with kids - read our guide about things to do in Bangkok with kids, Temples, Safari, Kidzania - eveything to keep your child and you happy
Bangkok with kids – Pin it for later

About this Article

We give advice on what to see and do, with links to official websites and information about locations and costs. We also give tips and wrinkles to improve your experience.

We give some indicative prices in both local currencies and rounded to the nearest US dollar. At the time of writing, 30 Thai Bhat is just under one US Dollar, or there are about 40 Thai Bhat to one GB Pound Sterling.

 It is usually cheaper to book attractions in advance on official websites rather than turning up at the door. We give the website links for each attraction so you can check this.

Better still, in case we found that booking through an agency can give significantly bigger discounts as well as added value such as better flexibility. Then we also give a link to such an agency so you can see what the benefits are for yourself.

Please also read our general disclaimers at the foot of the article.

things to do in Bangkok with children
kids in Bangkok

Overview of Bangkok for Travellers

We have usually flown both internationally and also when touring Thailand except once when we took a train from Bangkok to Cambodia. For further information on travel to and from Bangkok see the section How to get to Bangkok at the end of the article.

Rapid growth in the twentieth century from its ancient roots gave Bangkok a reputation for traffic jams and air pollution by the turn of the millennium. It is still polluted by western standards, now ranking 474th for air pollution worldwide (link) This puts it as much better than many cities in India China and the Far East. It is comparable with several in Central Europe but worse than any city in the US or the UK. We found blue skies and sunshine and the place doesn’t feel dirty, though it is pretty congested with traffic and obviously there is room for improvement. The city has been investing in new infrastructure with the Skytrain overhead metro as the most obvious example. See Below for How to Get about in Bangkok

One thing I am always asked is how many days is enough for Bangkok? and of course, the answer is as long as a piece of string. You could spend three days there and get an overview of the city and its the river, Thai culture and see some dazzling temples, or spend a month to gain some feeling for the impact that the political economic and technical changes of the twentieth century have made on the ancient and romantic kingdom of Siam. But for an introduction to Bangkok with kids, I would suggest taking a week to explore and enjoy a reasonable catalogue of what the city has to offer.

Bangkok every year is located in the top 3 most visited cities in the world, mostly because there is so many things to do Here is my list of the best sites and attractions in Bangkok

Parks and Zoos in Bangkok

OK: for my girls if a place has animals and space to run around then it deserves a spot on the map, so parks and zoos come at the top of any list for us.

Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World

Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World is one of our great favourites.  It includes the largest Aquarium in South East Asia – with five million litres of water and four hundred different animal species. There is a transparent underwater tunnel, an “Open Ocean” with sharks and a petting pond where you can reach in and feel starfish and sea cucumbers.  Not your taste?  My kids loved this – it was their favourite place of all.

bangkok for kids

We spent a happy five hours at Sea Life. and this still left the girls begging for more – but there just wasn’t the time to do everything.

Shows included in the ticket price:  Feeding – jackass and gentoo penguins,  freshwater fish, sharks, eagle rays, and also a demonstration of diver communications. There are lots of other payable activities too (prices below)

Eating: Sea Life is located in the big Siam Paragon shopping mall. There are several cafeterias inside it, but my recommendation is to go out into the mall.  There is a great food court and restaurants, all located one floor above the Sea Life entrance.  We ate very well there.

Sea Life Bangkok – useful information

Safari World

Safari world in Bangkok

Safari World was another one of our favourite things to do with children in Bangkok.

We thought the best of the best were the elephant and dolphin shows. Another favourite activity for the girls was feeding giraffes with bananas. We spent the whole day there.  The time flew and we didn’t have enough of it to see everything. We didn’t check the Marine Park at all for example.

Family Friendly Feeding Giraffes

Plan your visit: Safari World has lots of shows so plan your day beforehand and it’s worth arriving early.

Safari World useful information

Snake Farm in Bangkok

Located in the Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute and managed by the Thai Red Cross, Bangkok Snake Farm is a scientific research facility, but that doesnt stop it being a great place to visit as a tourist and spectator.

Our girls love Bangkok’s Snake Farm so much that we have been there three times.

Timed Shows: It is worth timing your visit to include the shows. Venom Extraction is shown daily at 11:00 except holidays, and the Snake-Handling Show is every day at 14:30, except weekends and holidays, when it is at 11:00

kids in Bangkok – fun in the Snake Farm

Snake Farm useful information

Lumpini Park

This is a great place for little ones to run free and play on the swings.  But even more, for us, it was the perfect place to spot enormous Monitor Lizards who run free in the grounds. 

Food – Lumpini Park is a 400m walk from the Snake Farm, so combine a visit. Neither has great places to eat, so take a picnic to eat in the park.

Lumphini Park useful info

Saranrom Park

Saranrom Park is an ideal escape from the sun in the shade of trees, while children can play or feed fishes in the pond. You can buy fish food from the lady at the gate.  A big bag costs 10 Baht. This kept the kids entertained for long enough for me to relax away from the everyday Bangkok chaos.

Combine your visit with the Grand Palace or Wat Pho. take the weight off your feet in Saranrom after all the intensive sightseeing.

Saranrom Park useful information

 

Enjoy the City

Part of the fun of visiting Bangkok is just wallowing in the character of the place. Unfortunately, you will have to spend a proportion of your time on the roads getting from place to place, so here are a couple of suggestions to take your mind off the traffic – enjoy the water or explore street night markets

Floating Markets

There are a few floating markets around Bangkok. The closest one to the city centre, Khlong Lad Mayom Floating Market (here on Google Maps) is open only at the weekend. 
Our advice is to try different ones.  Our favourite floating market was Damnoen Saduak which is farther away (Googe Map Location), though the long ride to get there worth the time.

things to do in Bangkok - visiting floating market

Rent a boat – To get the most of the floating market experience, it’s best to come early and rent a boat with driver for about ฿1,000 ($30)  Then you can explore endless opportunities to try fresh fruit and other local food by buying it straight from the vendor’s boat.

You can as well either book private tour with the guide or organized Floating Market tour with the guide, where you would share the cost – we did such a trip with Klook in Vietnam and it was great

Streetfood – There are generally good places to try street food around floating markets so stay for lunch and be brave.

Look for Graffiti and Murals

We didn’t plan to look for graffiti in Bangkok but when we found a few cool ones, we started to collect them. They are all over the place. Many are very big, and after a while we started to recognise several artists.

Random Mural art seen in Bangkok

For the connoisseur, there is even a park dedicated to graffiti and known as Chalermla Park or even Graffiti Park. It is close to Siam Paragon and the Jim Thompson House. Here on Google maps.

Bangkok Weekend Market

Bangkok Chatuchak Weekend Market is one of the biggest open markets in the world.  Despite its name, some parts are open every day except Monday. 

Generally, it closes at 6 pm except for Fridays when it opens only in the evening until midnight.  At the weekend it’s very busy with up to 15,000 stalls and an estimated 200,000 visitors a day.  Different parts of the market are zoned for different types of goods, and it’s said that everything s available to buy somewhere here.

Chatuchak Weekend Market visit with kids and try different food
Tania trying to stick her finger in a dead pig’s nostril

This is all good for a random browse to soak up the atmosphere, however, if you really want to shop here for mementoes or gifts, then you should allow several hours to cover a reasonable proportion of the vast variety on offer.

Combine your Visit – We visited the Friday evening market after our time in the Children’s Discovery Museum. This was a good time – not too busy.  If visiting during the day, it’s best to avoid the heat and the crowds by coming in the mornings. 

Chatuchak Market useful information

Museums and Galleries in Bangkok

Get out of the heat and into some great museums and galleries. I am fortunate that my kids have always loved exhibitions so I never have to drag them around these places. Though come to think of it, everyone else’s children seemed to be having a great time in them too.

Madame Tussaud’s Museum

Madame Tussaud’s is located in Siam Discovery Mall – a five-minute walk from Siam Paragon.  Known for its waxworks of famous people, what makes this place great fun for us is the way it encourages you to have mock-up interactions with the stars.  Or you can enter a scene playing sports with real-life sportsmen and women.  There are lots of Madame Tussauds worldwide and they each have different characters on display.  Here in Bangkok, you can sing a duet with Taylor Swift or Katy Perry, meet the Queen of the United Kingdom or take a selfie with Brad Pitt.  Our kids (and my husband) love hamming it up and making silly expressions for the camera in these kinds of scenes.

Madame Tussaud’s Museum Bangkok – useful information

Children’s Discovery Museum

The Children’s Discovery Museum is designed around the concept of learning by finding out for yourself, so you can design, build and demolish parts of a city or excavate a dinosaur fossil.  Some parts feel a bit worn and in need of maintenance, but still, my kids loved it.  The dinosaur displays and the outdoor playgrounds are awesome.

Excavating dinosaur fossils – and making sandcastles of course!

We only found this place on our fourth visit to Bangkok. The Children’s Discovery Museum is located very close to Chatuchak Market so you can combine both visits. We visited the Museum on Friday afternoon, and then we went on to explore the night market in the evening.

Take a dip: There is also a small water park here, so if it’s hot, bring a towel and swimming costumes (or a change of dry clothes) for the kids.

Children’s Discovery Museum useful information

 

The Jim Thompson House

The Jim Thompson House is one of our favourite places in Bangkok, both for the adults and the kids in our family.  There is a beautiful building filled with treasures to explore, a wonderful garden to run around in, a silk shop, demonstrations on the craft of making, spinning and dyeing silk, and the fascinating mysterious tale of the man himself.

visit Jim Thompson house
My girls watch a demonstration about silk making in the courtyard.

The place is a 15-minute walk from the Siam Paragon Mall (Sea Life, Kidzania, Kinokuniya) Access to the property is only by guided tour.  Shoes and cameras are left at the counter in the open yard as you enter the house proper.

Food – There is a nice restaurant cafeteria here, so come on a day when you want to treat yourself to a good sit down lunch in beautiful surroundings.

Jim Thompson House – useful information

Art In Paradise

Art in Paradise is a gallery of awesome 3D trompe l’oeil paintings. Again like Madame Tussauds, it is designed for the selfie/Instagram age.  Here you can take pictures of yourself and your family suspended in space, or floating underwater, looking like giants and midgets in a false perspective room or interacting with monsters.

Art-in-paradise
they were lucky to escape this one . . .

It is great fun and amusement for both adults and kids.  And the visit will leave you with a phone-full of great images.  There are several of these galleries in the Far East and they always raise a laugh mixed with admiration for the imagination of the geometrical design of the pictures.

Art in Paradise – useful information

Commercial Entertainment in Bangkok

Like any large city, there are some enterprises where you can simply go and pay for entertainment or activity. I have included a bookshop here because this is one commercial space where we always have a great time, but like any shops, it’s free to browse, then buy if and whatever you want.

Kidzania

Kidzania is an indoor amusement playground themed as a city run by kids, where children from 4 to 14 can roleplay in one of 80 different jobs and earn (and spend) a salary in the local currency of KidZos.  For example, kids can be a pilot, policeman, fireman, doctor, or they can work in a ketchup factory.

Our kids love role-playing games and wanted to stay there the whole day.  It is also a real learning opportunity – Zoe chose to be a pilot and Tania a flight attendant for part of their time there.  They discovered that the pilot had a shorter shift but earned more money.

visit Kidzania, bangkok for kids

Kidzania – useful information

Kinokuniya Bangkok – Officially “The Best Bookshop Ever”

We were familiar with the Kinokuniya chain from when we used to live in Dubai – it’s one of the biggest bookshops in the world – we all love books and they have everything there. Within moments, the girls will be rediscovering old familiar favourites and then snuggling down on the carpet immersed in kids travel books.

I prefer to collect a few titles and then browse through them over a coffee. It’s a really family friendly place with a great selection of Thai and English books.

they love rediscovering old favourites and finding new ones

Escape – The Bangkok Kinokuniya bookshop is in the same shopping mall as Kidzania so escape here for a coffee and a browse while your children are earning their Kidzos. The same mall has lots of great shops and restaurants.

Kinokuniya – useful information

 

Trampoline Park

Our girls discovered trampolines on holiday in Poland when they were three.  They instantly loved them then and the thrill hasn’t gone away yet. All of us were jumping for an hour solid. which was enough to wear us out – but if you want more, then the second hour is discounted.

There are two locations for “Bounce Thailand” in Bangkok and both also have climbing walls – there are (of course ) combo tickets available.

Footwear – Check the websites for requirements for footwear before you leave your hotel.

Bounce Thailand Trampoline Park – useful information

Siam Park City – Adventure Water Park.

Fancy playing in the biggest water park in Asia?  Then visit Siam Park City with the tallest artificial wave and wave pool in the world.

The Water Park has a range of amusement zones and attractions for everyone including even a Spa for mums whose idea of heaven is not speeding down a crazy water slide.

The Adventure Park has 4 zones

Family Friendly Zone One of the most family-friendly amusement places is the Siam Lagoon – a complex of different slides and pools for all ages.

Siam Park City Water Park – useful information

Fantasia Lagoon Water Park

Fantasia Lagoon Water Park is located on top of the shopping center in Bang Khea. Park is small – it fits on the roof top of The Mall” but it’s perfect to visit with children as you has lots of easy rides and its small enough to can spot your kids easily.

Fantasia Lagoon is a great place to escape Bangkok heat

Additional plus is that you can always go to Bangkea Mall to shop or eat at the food court or visit one of the various kids play area. Mall is really big and have various attractions like indoor waterfall etc.

Siam Niramit Show

Siam Niramit theather show is not only the historic show in three acts telling the story about Thailand but the whole experience. The gate open at 5pm and if you bought option with buffet you can have dinner or feed baby elephant with banana which will greet you at the entrance.

Pre-show cultural program gives you opportunity to see some extra dance show and photos opportunity.

If the kids what manage to follow the show from historical point of view they still will enjoy the performance of flying Dancing Damsels or sword fight.

Siam Niramit Show Useful Info

 

Temples and Palaces to visit in Bangkok

There’s no place like Bangkok for temple-cruising, so make a couple of days of your visit to see for yourself the wonders which grace so many travel center posters.

temples to visit with Children in Bangkok

Dress Codes – Remember you may have to follow dress codes.  The basic minimum is for both sexes to cover your shoulders and knees, but out of respect even for those sites which don’t demand strict adherence, it is best for men to wear a long sleeve shirt and long trousers and for women to cover their arms and carry a sarong in case it is required to cover your ankles.  Dress code rules don’t apply to children.

Other cultural considerations – Don’t wear torn, ripped or transparent clothing, don’t wear skin-tight (eg lycra) clothing, and remember not to sit down on the raised thresholds of doorways. 

Wat Arun

Temple of the Dawn – Wat Arun is different from the other temples in Bangkok.  It is white with colourful decorations and its defining characteristics are all the steep steps surrounding the main stupa.  You can climb these, and they aren’t as steep as they look.

Wat Arun is located on the river bank – opposite Wat Pho. You can get to it by ferry (shuttle boat) which is fun too.  The ferry costs just ฿3 (ten cents/pence)

In the evening you can admire the temple with its beautiful lights from the water.

Wat Arun – useful information

Wat Pho

Wat Pho - enormous Buddha - must see temples in Bangkok

The temple of reclining Buddha.  Wat Pho Temple is famous for its 42m long very impressive reclining Buddha. The corridor around the Buddha has 108 bronze bowls representing his auspicious characteristics.  People believe that putting donations to the bowls brings wealth and prosperity. Our girls enjoyed putting my money in and then asked if they could take some out for themselves(!)

Wat Pho Location

More Temples in Bangkok

There are other temples too.  The nice thing about Bangkok temples is they are all quite different with their individual characteristics.  Probably our next favourite was the Golden Buddah temple.  The Golden Buddha Temple Location It’s one of the most impressive temple in Thailand.

Bangkok Grand Palace

The Grand Palace was an official residence of Kings of Siam from 1782 until 1925 and part of the Grand Palace is still working as the Royal Office.  The other two million square feet of the complex are open to the public.

The Grand Palace is a network of buildings, beautiful courtyards and gardens. You can easily spend a day here and still not see everything.

We loved it even though it was very hot and busy when we visited in April, so depending on the season it’s a good idea to take lots of water with you.  Dress code is strict so cover your arms and ankles (or you can rent sarongs at the gate)

How to Get About in Bangkok

Tourist boats (blue flag on the boat) – stopping at piers at request  – price ฿ 40 ($1) the trip or ฿100 ($3) for a day pass.

Shuttle boats – like boat crossing to Wat Arun

Hotel shuttle boats – some hotels have their own shuttle boat which can get you across the river.

Have a Ride in a Tuk-tuk

Tuk-tuks are more expensive than Taxis, especially if you are a foreigner. They don’t have meters, so the price depends on your haggling skills. Even, so they are fun and you should take a tuk-tuk ride for the experience.

boat on the canal is the best way to travel with kids in Bangkok - no traffic and lots of fun

Food to Try in Bangkok with Kids

Bangkok is such a good place to try different yummy food. Street food is the best. Just don’t hesitate and try everything. Most of the stuff which doesn’t look like baking is both gluten free and dairy free so if you have such issues you don’t have to worry about it and can order without hesitation, though be careful with Soy sauce – it’s generally with gluten but you can opt for food without. If you have a Peanut allergy – be careful there are lots of peanuts in Thai food. The best place to try different Thai food are night markets.

Sticky Rice and Meat Skewers

Sticky Rice is the staple of Thai diet and the cheapest thing to buy – one of my girls favourite food. It cost only ฿5  a skewer and it is sold everywhere.   A couple of these for ฿10 (30 cents/pence) and you have a cheap meal for a happy child. If you want to get crazy and spend a bit more order traditional Thai food – the Pad Thai – it’s my favourite.

Mango Rice

A bit of a treat – rice cooked in coconut milk with ripe mango pieces and with extra coconut milk and sugar sauce. All extremely delicious and yummy  – Price on average from ฿ 60 ($2). It’s our favourite Thai dessert.

Mango sticky rice best food to try in Bangkok

Fresh Coconut

Our favourite – Coconuts are sold everywhere they are cut open right in front of you – This really is the best way to quench your thirst. I feel guilty every time I use disposable plastic straws, so we carry our own reusable bamboo straws which we bought in Pho Quoc.

Where to stay in Bangkok with children

Bangkok is a very big city so if you plan for some special activities look for accommodation close to them it will save you lots of time which you would spend otherwise in traffic. We were several times in Bangkok and each time we stayed in a different part of Bangkok. We stayed in hotels, apartments, and Airbnbs below some of them – sorted by area and price – read our article about Family accommodation in Bangkok.

Family Friendly Accommodation around Siam

Siam is a perfect location to visit lots of fun family activities in Bangkok like Aquarium, Kidzania, Madame Tussauds 

Family 5-star hotel in Bangkok

Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok – High end hotel in Siam – perfect to find a peace and quiet in the middle of Bangkok. Hotel is located close to Siam Paragon.

Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel is probably the most family friendly hotel in Bamgkok. Impeccable service, spacious swimming pools and always smily service offers perfect oasis from Bangkok chaos.

Budget Family Accommodation in Bangkok

Ibis Styles Bangkok Khaosan Viengtai it’s a perfect 3* hotel to stay as family as it doesn’t have modern family room (bunkbeds etc). Its located close to Khaosan Road area, but room are quiet.

Hotels in Viengtai Hotel Bangkok

When is the best time to visit Bangkok with family

Bangkok has a tropical monsoon climate which means it has 3 seasons (cool – read less hot, hot and wet 😉

Which airport is better in Bangkok

Bangkok has two airports – Suvarnabhumi Airport and Don Muang Airport.

Suvarnabhumi Airport

Suvarnabhumi Airport is approximately 30 kilometers from Bangkok city center Its a newer and bigger and serves most of the international flights. If you plan to use BTS skyline to get to the center of Bangkok airport in Suvarnabhumi is perfect. BTS skyline is connected with airport via.

Cost of getting to the Suvarnabhumi Airport

If you wonder how to pronounce “Suvarnabhumi” – for me it’s a real tongue twister, but I did ask local and now I know that it’s pronounced “soo wan na poom”.

Don Muang Airport

Don Muang Airport is an older and smaller airport, which currently serves the low cost airlines and domestic routes. It’s closer to the heart of Bangkok then Suvarnabhumi airport and easier access by taxi.

Cost of getting to the Don Muang Airport

How long to spend in Bangkok ?

As long as you can I would say. you cannot see all the site we wrote about in less then two weeks. we saw them on our several vist to Bangkok with family. I would say minimum what you need is 3 days in Bangkok. To enjoy it with kids you should at least spend a week.

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11 responses

  1. I went to Bangkok nearly a decade ago but if I were to go back with my kids this is the post I would refer back to! Brilliant

  2. Wow, there is a lot here for kids! Great resource. Its been awhile since we were last in Bangkok and wouldn’t have imagined there to be so much. Art in Paradise sounds like great fun no matter your age! And the temples and markets are amazing as well.

  3. I have been to Bangkok so many times and I recognise only a few of these attractions, but then I don’t travel with kids. You have certainly found more than enough to keep them busy and amused.

  4. Wow, there are so many fun family things to do in Bangkok! All the things you recommend looks so much fun I’d have a great day myself being the big kid that I am. Trampoline park, giraffes and mango rice – yes, please!

  5. What an interesting post! We’ve never been to Bangkok and didn’t know that it’s also a city that offers so many things to do to kids. I have to tell my sister about this, since she loves visiting Thailand and usually stays on an island.

  7. I’m travelling by myself – so it’s so nice and inspiring to read what people do who travel in a totally different way. There are things I wouldn’t think of as an adult but finally, they are not only cool for kids.

  9. What a great list! KidZania’s always a fun place to visit. We’ve been to the one in Mumbai, and the one in Mexico City. I’m sure the Bangkok one is great too. We’re going to have to keep this list handy for when we ever visit Bangkok.

  10. Your pictures from Madame Tussaud’s Museum and Art In Paradise are so cute. Your family does know how to pose – The expression of your kids in the mouth of the shark – absolutely adorable 🙂

    We have been to Madame Tussauds wax museum in Amsterdam and Delhi. We have Kidzania in India too and my kids enjoy going there.

    Looks like you all had an awesome time in Bangkok and I am saving this post for my future trip to Bangkok 🙂