Try to start early to avoid the crowds and head straight to the Grand Palace, which opens daily at 08:30. The palace was built by King Rama I when he became king in 1782, and resembles in almost identical detail the Royal Palace in the former capital Ayutthaya. On completion of the Palace King Rama I moved the centre of his administration to the location of the Grand Place, so for about 150 years, Bangkok’s Grand Palace was not only the home of the King and his court but the entire administrative government. The Thai Kings stopped living in the complex at the start of the 20th Century but the complex remains the spiritual heart of the Thai Kingdom.

After spending the morning at the Palace see Wat Pho one of Bangkok’s oldest and largest temples housing a gigantic gold plated reclining Buddha with beautifully in laid mother-of-pearl soles. Wat Pho is also regarded as the first centre of public education and is sometimes called Thailand’s first University. Mural paintings, inscriptions, and statues found in the temple educate people on varied subjects; such as, literature, warfare, astronomy, meditation, and Thai traditional massage.

Take a short walk down to the Chao Phraya River where you will have lunch by the river before taking a scenic boat trip. After lunch head to the house of Jim Thomson an American who stayed in Thailand after the war and set up the Jim Thompson Thai Silk company revitalising the whole Silk industry. Jim Thompson stayed in Thailand for 22 years after the war and became one of the most popular post-war legends of Thailand and Asia. Unfortunately he disappeared without a trace in 1967 whilst on holiday in Malaysia.

Jim Thompson’s House is one of the best preserved examples of the traditional Thai house and architecture in the city showing a remarkable display of antiques and artworks from all over the Southeast Asian region.

That is already a pretty full day and one might expect you would want to relax but if you still full of energy or need a shopping fix, Bangkok is just the place. So why not try to squeeze in a trip to one of the shopping malls such as MBK, Pantip Plaza or CentrealWorld are just a few of the well known names.

If you are after electronics or anything computer related such as DVDs, Laptops or ever repairs Pantip Plaza is the place to go, MBK or Mah Boon Krong, is one of Bangkok’s most famous malls for both tourists and locals, 8 floors packed with 2,000 shops with everything on offer. For the title though CentralWorld wins, newly launched with 550.000 square metres of retail space and officially the largest lifestyle shopping complex in Southeast Asia.

After all that you must try a traditional Thai massage to help relax your body and mind from the action-packed day. Thai massage involves using not just the masseuse’s hands but in fact fingers, elbows, forearms and feet are also to put pressure on your tissues to help relieve tension. A great experience to finish of a great day.