Top 10 Free Things to Do in Bangkok (That Won’t Suck)

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Bangkok is an experience as mind-blowing as the city’s world-famous massage parlors (and they definitely blow your mind—or something like that). Compared to other places, Bangkok is fairly cheap. But if you’re splitting sandwiches in 6 for future meals and repeatedly checking for change in your hidden backpack pockets, cheap may not be an option. For those times, OTP brings you the Top 10 Free Things to Do in Bangkok.

Erawan Shrine

Housing one of Thailand’s most revered images, four-faced Phra Phrom, the Erawan Shrine is a great place to start your day. Located in the heart of the Ratchaprasong intersection, the shrine is surrounded by malls, hotels, and tons of other cool stuff. There are classical Thai musicians and dancers performing for Phra Phrom throughout the day and thousands of people leave garlands of flowers, incense, and wooden elephants at the feet of the golden deity. A great place to get some soul in the concrete jungle.

Markets

The city’s markets are the best places to go for cheap everything and are hubs of activity, buzzing with ideas for your next potential activity… underground Muay Thai perhaps? Full of locals, tourists and the occasional endangered species, it’s easy to get lost in the corridors of the Chatuchak market.  The floating markets let you see the way business was conducted in the good old days; with merchants on boats and ferries roaming the network of canals that branch from the Chao Phraya River. Lucky for your broke ass, markets aren’t strictly a daytime activity . Night markets throughout Bangkok are often open until dawn and perfect for fulfilling a rampant case of the munchies.  Local fruit, vegetables and drugs are all readily available from smiling merchants. For a market with a bit of vodoo witchery on the side, the Wat Mahatat Amulet market, dedicated to the art of ju-ju, is an essential stop.

Khaosan Road

Wake up and smell the crickets.  Don’t be the only backpacker in history to not visit the fabled Khaosan Road.  Aside from the numerous dive-bars and venues, there are thousands of people just hanging out in the street and having a good time.  Street vendors sell everything from the latest in pirated music to freshly-fried insects (now you can put the stuff you kill on your walls into your mouth for a small price).  On Thursdays, be sure to find the local Johnny Cash impersonator, rocking just as hard as the legend himself.

Temples

Catch some karma at any of the temples scattered along the Chao Phraya.  They’re all relatively close to each other and a couple-buck ferry pass will get you around easily. Want it free? Walk. The most popular temples are Wat Arun and the Dawn Temple. At Wat Po (for a fee) a monk will happily give you a sacred massage (with a happy-ending, of the spiritual kind, for a change).   The temple grounds are open for relaxing, feeding the temple fish and contemplating some of the amazing Stupas and idols, such as Wat Po’s famous Reclining Buddha.

Penis Shrine

Located behind the Nai Lert Park Hotel, the Tuptim Shrine remains from the times when Thailand was a hub for India’s Tantric culture. The Tuptim Shrine displays phallic members of all shapes and sizes draped with cloths, flower garlands and other offerings to the spirit who lives in the little shrine at the middle of the cock-ophony.

Sex Districts

Whether you’re into boys, girls, or boy-girl girl-boys, Bangkok has got it in the bag.  Get off the Skytrain at Sala Daeng and make your way to the Patpong and Silom districts, where we promise you’ll feel like the most coveted piece of ass in the city.  Simply making your rounds through the sex shops, bars and brothel window-scenes will keep your eyes occupied for as long as you can go before needing a cold shower.  Be sure to visit both the girl and boy districts. They each have their own distinct “flavors”.

Sukhumvit

You can’t go to Bangkok without indulging in a little urbanity. The Skytrain (the rapid above-ground transit system) is scenic and gets you to Sukhumvit quick. Each soi (street) that splits off the traffic-jammed Sukhumvit, has its own attitude waiting to be discovered.  Many of the best hostels in the city are located near the Sukhumvit.  Soi 3 is known as Little Arabia, full of Middle-Eastern shops and restaurants bustling with kabobs and Hookahs.  If you play your cards right, you could end up with more than tobacco in your bowl.

Corrections Museum

An excursion for all you kinksters, the Bangkok Corrections Museum is loaded with life-size wax statues undergoing the tortures that prisoners at this former compound, once called the ‘Bangkok Hilton,’ endured.  Cell Block 9 houses a rattan ball—embedded with some nasty nails—that was stuffed with a convict and subjected to the relentless kicks of house elephants.  World Cup our ass, now that’s entertainment!  Be sure to call in advance; they’re only open by appointment.

Chinatown

There’s nothing quite like a good bowl of South Asian opium.  Finding it is up to you, but we can get you as far as Chinatown.  Be aware that the brothels here hang green lanterns as indicators (and not the more traditional red lights). This spot has yet to be overrun by tourists, so English might be difficult to come by.  The Thieves Market on Charoen Krung Road once used to house all the city’s contraband, and gold vendors can be found everywhere.  Chinatown is conveniently close to Hualamphong, the city’s main train station, so stopping by on your way out of town might be wise.

OTP Tip: We are in no way advising you to try opium in Bangkok…It’s a powerful narcotic that can leave you with a pretty bad habit. It’s also SUPER illegal in Bangkok.

Phra Artit Road

Located just around the corner from Khaosan Road, the fresh Phra Artit is something of an anomaly (and perhaps a necessity) in a place as rockin’ as Bangkok.  The cool, airy cafes and sidewalk pleasures will give you the space you need to take off your backpack and relax. Grab a Thai coffee or a beer and hop on the web (the internet is great here) to overload your facebook with all the craziness you’ve seen in Bangkok on the cheap.

Bangkok, in itself, is a sight to see (even if all you can afford is free). If you can spare a few bucks, eat some fried bugs, pick up a little something from the windows of the sex district and get a monk to rub your swollen feet.

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