Three days in Bangkok aren't enough to see it all — three weeks wouldn't be either. But they're enough to understand it, if you spend them in the right order instead of chasing the endless "must-see" list.
This is roughly the tour I take friends through when they come to visit. It's not the guide that has you sprinting from one temple to the next, out of breath. It's a rhythm that alternates old Bangkok and modern Bangkok, day and night, so that at the end of the three days you remember the city — it doesn't just feel like you passed through it.
Day 1 — old Bangkok
Start early, while it's still cool and the temples are empty. The old town, Rattanakosin, is where Bangkok was born: the Grand Palace, the Reclining Buddha, the river. Get around on foot and by boat, not by taxi — the traffic here is worse than elsewhere and the river is the right way to see this part. Close the afternoon by crossing to the other side of the Chao Phraya. The first day is for getting the measure of the historic city, without overdoing it.
Day 2 — the Bangkok that's changing
The second day changes register: markets and street life. You understand Bangkok in its markets more than in its monuments — that's where you see how people actually live. Give the day to getting lost among stalls, street food and neighbourhoods that never make the postcards. Towards evening, gain some altitude: it's the right moment for your first rooftop, to see the city from above after walking it from below. The contrast is the whole point of this city.
Day 3 — your Bangkok
The third day is the one the guides usually don't give you: time to go back where you felt good. By now you've got the rhythm of the city, you know how to move around, you've got a couple of areas you liked. Use it to go deeper, not to tick off more sights. A neighbourhood that intrigued you, a market to return to, a spot you want to see again. It's the day that turns "I've been to Bangkok" into "I loved Bangkok".
The secret of the three days isn't seeing more. It's seeing in the right order — old, then modern, then the part that became yours.
If you've got more than three days
Even better: use the extra time to slow down, not to add more. Bangkok rewards those who stop. A fourth day spent well in a single area is worth more than four extra sights rushed through. And if you've got a week, a couple of days out of town — towards the river, the countryside, the real floating markets — will teach you more about Thailand than any extra temple.
