Things to do in Bangkok, Thailand with kids

Bangkok with kids: what actually works

Bangkok is spread out and traffic decides your day, so plan around transport before you plan around sights. Staying within a few minutes of a BTS Skytrain or MRT station — Siam and the Sukhumvit corridor are the easiest — turns a 45-minute taxi crawl into a 10-minute ride, and the trains are air-conditioned, which matters more than it sounds with a tired toddler. Sidewalks are uneven and often crowded, so a carrier usually beats a stroller for anyone still small enough to be carried.

For the old city, the Grand Palace and Wat Pho sit together in Rattanakosin and are best at opening time, before the heat and the tour groups arrive; adults need shoulders and knees covered. Get there by Chao Phraya express boat rather than by road if you can — kids tend to remember the river crossing more than the temples, and the piers connect to the Skytrain at Saphan Taksin.

Build the afternoon around the heat rather than fighting it: the Siam malls (Siam Paragon, Siam Discovery and their neighbors) are a legitimate mid-day plan with indoor attractions and enormous food halls, and Lumphini Park is best early morning or late afternoon. Chatuchak Weekend Market is genuinely huge, hot and packed — worth it for older kids at opening, worth skipping entirely with a stroller in tow. Street food is fine for children; pick the busy stalls with high turnover.