10 Best Things to Do In Bangkok with Kids
Bangkok might not look like your typical “kid‑friendly” city at first glance, but after spending a full week there with my pre‑teen son (our start and finish point on our Thailand trip), I can tell you it truly is.
From temple rooftops to tuk tuks, bike rides to shaded malls, this city offers surprises, excitement and genuine family‑friendly fun.
In this post you’ll find 10 of the best things to do in Bangkok with kids, curated from our own experience and chosen for families who value fun and ease.
I’ll also share insights into how to beat the heat, handle the crowds and stay safe so you can focus on exploring without the stress.
Ready to explore Bangkok as a family. The city where mango sticky‑rice, river boat rides, and rooftop views become memories together? Let’s dive in.
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1. The Grand Palace
The Grand Palace is probably Bangkok’s most famous landmark. It’s known as the spiritual heart of Thailand and was the official Royal Palace until 1925.
Even though kids probably won’t grasp the religious and cultural relevance of this enormous and gorgeous temple complex, they will absolutely enjoy seeing the golden and glittery roofs, the giant monkey gods, all the other mystical figures and the soldiers walking around on site.
Although the picture might make you think otherwise, my son loved imitating the poses of the figures he saw everywhere he looked.
Top tip: on the upper terrace you will find an impressive replica of Cambodia’s Angkor Wat temple complex. Take your kids there and let them look very closely. Small kittens usually hide inside of this model. It took us a few minutes and we found two really cute kittens.
2. The Reclining Buddha
Don’t skip a visit to the Wat Pho, the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. In the temple you’ll find a very relaxed 46 meter long golden buddha. Kids and their parents will be amazed by the sight of so much gold.
You’ll find the reclining buddha about 700 meters south of the Grand Palace, so you can visit them both in one afternoon.
3. Dining in a family friendly rooftop restaurant
What could be more magical than visiting a rooftop restaurant in the early evening and showing your kids all the lights of this metropolitan city. There are lots of family friendly options.
We choose the Baiyoke Tower II. Once the largest hotel in Southeast Asia, but surpassed by the largest hotel in the world in Malaysia.
It is still the third tallest building in Bangkok so worth a visit. On the 78th floor you can eat seafood and international cuisine. They also offer entertainment aimed at families.
Having dinner here means you also have free access to the observation deck on the 77th floor and the revolving view point on the 84th floor. I highly recommend this restaurant and the views you get.
4. Damnoen Saduak Floating Market
Years ago daily commerce was mostly conducted along the khlongs (canals) and rivers. Nowadays they still re-enact the recent history. But I have to say, most of what’s on offer is solely meant for the hordes of tourists. Still: what child doesn’t want to board a long-tail boat and check out all the hustle and bustle in the khlongs.
If you’re looking for souvenirs, you’ll find lots of local handmade items, asides from all the factory made ones. And you can stop at a fruit stall and buy some fruits that you won’t find in your local supermarket, like rambutan, durian (extremely smelly, but delicious) and mangosteen.
The only negative thing I can say about this place is that they still offer elephant rides. Look in their eyes and you’ll immediately spot the sadness. I strongly believe that, while traveling, we should be extra cautious when someone offers you a “genuine” experience with a wild animal. Most of the times, animals suffer from abuse. It’s important to always respect animals while traveling as well as at home.
5. Bike Tour through the city
A great way to see a city is by bike. And there are multiple tour operators that offer bike tours through the city. Most tours will show you Chinatown, off the beaten track local areas (as far as that’s possible in Bangkok), local markets and hidden temples.
In this case we choose the classical bike tour through Get Your Guide. This tour takes you through Chinatown and along the Chao Praya river. The guide was friendly and made jokes with the kids. They offer child seats and because of safety reasons they don’t allow kids under 6 to ride a bike themselves. They have to ride with one of their parents.
We thoroughly enjoyed the 3 hour bike tour and highly recommend this business.
6. Eating street food
Have you really been to Bangkok if you skipped the thousands of street food stalls without ordering a delicious meal or two? There’s a saying in Bangkok that translates to where there are people, there will be food.
That’s why a list of things to do in Bangkok isn’t complete without a shout-out to all the street food on offer in Bangkok. It goes without saying that food is important to the Thai. Lonely Planet even called Bangkok the best city to visit if you’re a food lover.
You’ll find street food on every corner of the city. Of course, some streets offer better quality food than others. The kids will definitely find something to their liking, my guess is that they’ll love sticky rice with mango and satay gai. We enjoyed the street food we got in the Rangnam and Chinatown areas the most. And of course you can also find street food on Khao San Road.
Talking about Khao San Road, you’ll find lots of tourist traps here. Watch me eat scorpio on a stick lick a crazy person. Our Thai guide told us Thai don’t eat scorpio, but only after we had some 😄.
7. Tuk Tuk over taxi
You’ll find taxis on every corner of the city and apps like Grab will make it really easy for you to get transportation fast. Add the skytrain to the large list of option, kids will want to hop on that one as well. the thing is you can quickly conclude that you’ll get everywhere you want in Bangkok in no time with all the different mode of transportations.
But the best mode of transportation is definitely also a kid favorite: the tuktuk!
They are colorful, beautifully decorated by their owners and you won’t find them easily outside of Asia. But the most important thing: they go fast.
We got into a race between some drivers. I have to say that as a mom I didn’t enjoy that to much, but my son was screaming from excitement and laughing out loud. And in the end, we were never in danger. They often do it on the long stretches of Sukhumvit Road.
Who needs a taxi, when you can ride a tuk tuk?
8. A khlong tour in a long-tail boat
If you skip a long-tail boat tour through the khlongs, or canals in English, than it can very well be that you’ll never know that Bangkok is very green and can be calm and relaxing.
The west bank of Chao Phraya River is called Thonburi and it’s the only area that hasn’t been developing much yet. In fact, it’s still like it used to be with wooden houses built on the water. A great way to show your kids the real Bangkok. And to escape the honking of horns.
You’ll also spot Wat Arun from the water, a lovely sight to see. Bring food for the catfish and feed them. They’re huge and impressive and your children will love feeding them.
We ended our tour in Chinatown. That gave us a the opportunity to have another great meal straight from a street food stall.
9. Shop ’till you drop at a shopping mall
Bangkok is an absolute paradise for everyone who loves to shop ’till they drop. Thus, Bangkok’s many shopping malls attract shopaholics from all over the world. But even when you’re not a shopaholic, you and your kids will probably enjoy the experience.
Most of the malls are larger than life and make your jaw drop. With lots of floors filled with electronica, toys, clothes, make-up and jewellery and lots and lots of food. Not just local cuisine, but also western options like pizza, fries and burgers.
Another reason to go to a mall is the AC. We went to Bangkok in August and it was extremely hot, with not an ounce of wind. The airconditioning in the mall was a life saver at a moment when emotions were running high and tears were flowing rapidly. A little airconditioning, fries and a coke later and all was forgotten.
We went to the MBK Center. One of the older shopping malls in Bangkok and huge. After a few Thai meals our teen was craving western junk food. So it was KFC or McDonalds, the pic gives our choice away ;).
Nine tips down and one to go to complete the list of 10 things to do in Bangkok with kids. I promised to close with a list of activities aimed at kids. So here we go.
10. (Theme) Parks to visit with kids
There are so many family friendly venues that you could fill an entire vacation without anyone in the family ever getting bored. Check out this list with (theme) parks to visit in Bangkok, or near the city, with kids.
- Siam Amazing Park – an amusement and water park in one
- KidZania – an interactive city made for children 4-14
- Siam Park City – the largest theme park in Bangkok
- Children’s Discovery Museum Bangkok – an interactive museum
- Dreamworld – a great theme park with over 50 rides for all age groups.
- Madame Tussauds – get a pic with your favorite celeb (in wax)
- Harbor Land – Bangkok’s largest indoor playground
- Siangpure Bike Park – various courses ranging from challenging paths to beginner-friendly
- Lumphini park – a park with an outdoor playground, hire a pedal boat and spot huge monitor lizards near the water
Bangkok and animal cruelty
You may have noticed that I didn’t add any activities involving animals. That is because, sadly, Thailand isn’t exactly known for treating animals in a respectful manner. In most zoos you can pet animals like elephants, tigers and monkeys. There are live shows where all kinds of animals have to perform circus acts, some even with clothes on. And of course we all know about riding and/or bathing elephants.
Of course I can’t tell you what to do, but I can offer you my opinion. This is animal abuse and nobody should be able to get this close to animals, pet them, ride them or treat them like clowns. Clowns choose to perform for a living, an animal is forced to do so. This is why I won’t promote any activities involving animals.
I am far from perfect. In fact: the first time I visited Thailand in 2013 I made a huge mistake and rode an elephant and put a (probably drugged) python around my neck. Shortly after I saw a documentary about animal cruelty in Asia and did some research. I learned my lesson, taught my children the same lesson and wrote a blog post about animal cruelty in the tourism industry. I write about the horrors these poor animals go through behind the scenes and in front of our camera’s. If you read only one other blog post from my hand, I hope it will be that one. Together we can put a stop to this cruelness, by not participating or paying for any of the mentioned activities.
How to get there
If you’re flying into Thailand internationally then I recommend you to use a site like Expedia to check which airline offers the best price for your flight to Bangkok. Expedia is an online travel agency where you can not only book your flights, but also hotels, rent cars or even excursions.
If you are taking a domestic flight or if you want to travel to Bangkok by train, I recommend 12Go. We used them to book the sleeper train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. It’s a user-friendly website that will show you all the different price options and comparisons as well as reviews from fellow travelers.
Best tours in Bangkok for families
Best hotels in Bangkok
Bangkok explored? Planning to see more of Thailand?
Bangkok was both the beginning and the end of my solo family adventure through Thailand with my 9 year old son. And what a vibrant, chaotic, and fascinating place to bookend a trip! A must city to visit with kids in Thailand.
Despite Bangkok’s reputation for nightlife and noise, I found Bangkok to be an incredible family destination with culture, color, and kid-friendly surprises around every corner. It’s also a great gateway to visiting tropical islands like Koh Larn, Koh Si Chang, Koh Kood, Koh Chang and family favorite Koh Samet.
If you’re planning your own family trip through Thailand, make sure to read our Thailand Family Trip Itinerary first. It’s the perfect way to map out your adventure and see how Bangkok fits into the bigger picture.
👉 Read the Ultimate Thailand Family Road Trip Itinerary and start building your Thailand dream itinerary today.
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