Jarring architectural contrasts are common enough in Bangkok, but even so Phaya Thai Palace, with its elegant Sino-Portuguese-style frontage and gothic turret surrounded by drab hospital buildings, is a shock to the system. A fading expression of stately European design in an area seemingly little concerned with history, the natural response is “what, when, why… [more]

Take an hour’s drive out from the city and explore this 70-acre property located beside the Ta Chine River, which includes a hotel resort, golf course, spa, organic farm and botanical gardens. The cultural shows here are about as the gardens. โรสการ์เด้น ริเวอร์ไซด์ สวนสามพราน ถ.เพชรเกษม WHERE 32 Phet Kasem Road, Yai-Cha, Sampran, Nakhon Pathom, 034-322-544;… [more]

This white Italian Carrara marble wat dates from the 19th century. Alms are brought here by generous Buddhist families in the early mornings. วัดเบญจมบพิตร ถ.พระราม 5 WHERE 69 Rama V Rd, Dusit | 02-628-7947 | 8am-6pm | B20

Housed safely in this unassuming Chinatown temple is the world’s largest solid gold Buddha. Weighing over five tonnes and standing over three metres high, its worth has been estimated at over US$10 million. วัดไตรมิตร หัวลำโพง (เยาวราช) WHERE 661 Hua Lamphong, Charoen Krung Rd | 02-623-1226 | 8am-5pm | B20

Have you ever looked up at one of Bangkok’s regal monuments and wondered who made it? For the answer you need to go back eighty-nine years, to 1923, when a farang (western) artist arrived in Thailand and shook up the local art scene forever. Corrado Feroci, to give him his real Italian name, arrived here… [more]

This temple, a centre for buying amulets, features the bizarre multitiered Loh Prasat. Collecting amulets is popular in Thailand and many believe these miniature images of Buddha possess spiritual powers, protecting the wearer and bringing good fortune. วัดราชนัดดา ถ.มหาชัย พระนคร WHERE Mahachai Rd, Phra Nakhorn | 02-224-8807 | 9am-5pm | free

The city’s main zoo, situated to the north of Rattanakosin, is home to a large selection of mammals, reptiles and other animals. There’s also a lake with paddle boats for rent. สวนสัตว์ดุสิต 71 ถ.พระราม 5 WHERE 71 Rama V Road, opposite Chitralada Palace, Dusit, 02-281-2000. Daily 8am-6pm. Adults B100, children B50

An amulet market is situated near this 18th-century centre of the Mahanikai monastic sect and an important university of Buddhist teaching. On weekends, market stalls are set up on the grounds to complement the daily vendors of traditional medicines and herbal potions. Wat Mahathat is one temple in Bangkok where courses on Buddhism are given… [more]

Referred to as the Golden Mount, this wat on a small hillock is worth the hike up 318 steps for the views of Chinatown to the south and the Old City to the north. The hill is all that is left of the fortifications for a large chedi that Rama III planned to construct on… [more]

Surrounded by perhaps the greatest concentration of Buddhist supply shops in Bangkok, Wat Suthat is one of the most important Buddhist centres in the kingdom and home to some excellent examples of bronze sculpture, a blend of Thai and Chinese-style mural art and a 14th-century Sukhothai period statue. The wat used to be the site… [more]

Only have a day to see the whole country? Fear not: Samut Prakan province’s Ancient Siam crams reproductions of over a hundred of its most venerable palaces, temples, stupas, stone sanctuaries and traditional houses into a lush, map-of-Siam shaped plot of land only an hour’s drive from the capital. Don’t come expecting a shoddy theme-park… [more]

Kukrit Pramoj was one of Thailand’s most-loved statesmen of the 20th century. A natural all-rounder, he was a poet, a writer and even served as prime minister in the 1970s. His peaceful abode with its lovely gardens, now on show to the public and off the tourist trail is a terrific example of traditional Thai… [more]

The Temple of the Reclining Buddha is the oldest and largest wat in Bangkok. Originating in the 16th century, it houses the largest reclining Buddha statue in Thailand as well as the greatest number of Buddha images. Wat Po is also the centre for traditional Thai medicine and a learning centre for Thai massage, where… [more]

This 200-acre park features a small museum dedicated to the king, set amongst pleasant botanical gardens with soothing water features. สวนหลวง ร.9 ถ.สุขุมวิท 103 (หลังพาราไดส์ พาร์ค) ประเวศ WHERE Sukhumvit 103 Road, behind Seri Center, Pravet, 02-328-1972. Daily 5.30am-7pm. B10