Bangkok, the city of angels, one that never sleeps is one of the most popular destinations int he world. More than 2.6 million foreign visitors arrived in Thailand in July 2015, according to Bangkok Post. Of which, Bangkok makes up the largest bulk of the visitors, dubbing it the 2nd most visited city in the world by CNN this year.

So what makes Bangkok so amazing? Well the short answer: so, so much! People marvel at its culture, the temples, beautiful skyline, and the hustle and bustle of the streets. Travelers come from all over the world to go see the major tourist sites, which is all good and dandy but if you’re looking for a different experience, we’re going to share with you 10 places or things to do that will make you feel more like a local or an expat who has lived here for years.

1. Roam the Streets

The best way to explore a city and find new places is to simply walk in them. Pick a point – perhaps somewhere along the river, China Town or the outskirts of Bangkok and start walking. You’ll discover some amazing finds and definitely some Instagram/blog-worthy stories to post about. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been driving around (getting lost) and found some sites where I wish I could ditch my car and walk.

Sure, the heat of the city can be excruciating (and a reason why we don’t walk enough) but there are plenty of places along the way to relax and cool down such as at cafes, community malls and other air-conditioned shops. 

The best thing about walking the streets is that you’ll also come across hundreds of street food stalls in case you’re hungry. Hey, two birds with stone – adventure and food!

2. Discover Street Shops, Food & Markets

Speaking of streets, Bangkok is a haven for shoppers with some of the largest outdoor markets available such as Chatuchak weekend market or Rot Fai (train) market. Although they can be highly touristy, it beats going to the malls. The street shops are a great way to get immersed into Thai culture, history and not to mention, lets you experience a vast array of authentic Thai food.

When it comes to markets, be on the lookout for other pop-up, container-style markets that add a unique blend of artisanal and vintage shopping, which are offered by local and international vendors. Some good markets to try are Artbox, Bangkok Farmers Market and other cool night markets.

Alternatively, a very experiential and non-touristy thing you can do is to take a Thai cooking class. This will surely take you deep into the roots of the culinary culture of the country and gives you the opportunity to learn about local ingredients and meet interesting people. Instead of just consuming food at a restaurant and being a passive tourist, you’re actually involved in their culture by doing this. Some of these classes can actually take place at a local’s home in the city or out in their village.

For amazing local food expleriences, check out Cookly or Bangkok Food Tours.

If you want to do more than just food tours, there are plenty of walking/cycling tours as well that really immerse you in true authentical Thai culture.

Try Hivesters, Take Me Tour, Co Van Kessel or Very Local Trip. They are really revolutionalizing responsible and sustainable tourism in Thailand.

3. Ride bicycles in the Green Lung of Bangkok

We’re not big on riding bicycles in the city. In fact it can be pretty dangerous and we don’t really recommend it. I used to ride them all the time back in Pakistan and when I used to live in the Asian Institute of Technology campus but Bangkok is a different story.

That is until we found out about Bang Krachao or the green lung of Bangkok – an oasis of pure nature. You can read all about our Bang Krachao trip experience. Here you feel like you’re not even in Bangkok (but you sort of are) as you are free to bike your way on spacious roads or elevated pathways through forest areas. You’ll also come across gardens and national parks that are worth a day visit.

There are also lots of other parks in and around the city where you can go ride a bike or enjoy the greenery – we’re still exploring them ourselves. Our 3 favorite parks are Rama IX park, Chatuchak park and Lumpini Park. There’s even a bicycle track/park around the Suvarnabhumi Airport!

Photo credit: BK Asia Magazine

If you’re looking for other biking adventures, the best and easiest thing to do is to search Google for “bicycle tour in bangkok” and you’ll see a dozen listings (interestingly mostly run by foreigners) of tours and packages.

4. Take a Day trip out of Bangkok

You don’t have to go too far from Bangkok to experience some breathtaking sites. If you have the time during you stay, try some of these places:

Asian Institute of Technology – I may sound biased here but trust me, I’m not. Just a 45 minute drive from Bangkok towards Pathumthani lies a quaint campus that exudes natural beauty. It is a completely green campus in all sense of the word and can be a great place to relax and meet a friendly international community of students.

Samut Prakan – About 30 km south of Bangkok, the province is known to have loads of historic, cultural and beautiful sites – from temples and museums to seaside resorts to even a crocodile farm.

Nakhon Pathom – Another small province about 56 km from Bangkok also offers many ancient religious sites and cultural diversity. The most famous landmark to visit is  “Phra Pathom Chedi”, which is known to be the symbol of influx of Buddhism into Thailand.

We also recently found out that you can go whale watching in the Phetchaburi province, just a few hours away from Bangkok. Imagine that?!

5. Go to Unique Museums

Bangkok has many museums, each representative of something different. You can learn about culture and history or see some really interesting things.

The corrections museum and Siriraj medical museum are two must-visit if you’re into creepy things. The corrections museum was once a prison and highlights what prison life was like for inmates. The Siriraj museum, equally disturbing, showcases medical equipments, tools, artifacts but most interestingly, highlights specimens of body parts, bodies and strange deaths – all preserved.

Photos are not allowed at either of these two places so unfortunately we don’t have any but you can Google the place and it is definitely an experience.

If your stomach churns at the thought of it, you can visit historical museums such as the National Museum of Bangkok and Jim Thompson House or the Erawan museum and Ancient city, which are located just outside of Bangkok in Samut Prakan province.

Too boring for you? There are also plenty of other quirky museums in the city to choose from according to Bangkok.com such as one made just for seashells, one for toys and even a House of Museums that houses private collections of memorabilia that date back to the 60’s.

Recently we also discovered an abandoned airplane lot, which travelers and locals call the Airplane Graveyard. This is definitely not on any Bangkok guidebook or magazine and is worth checking out.

6. Watch Learn Muay Thai

Thailand is well known for its Muay Thai as it is the country’s national sport and cultural form of martial arts. Although watching a fight has increasingly become a touristy thing to do, many can’t imagine learning it. Sure people take up classes for health and fitness reasons but to learn the true art is a rare thing.

So next time you’re in Bangkok, head to one of Bangkok’s many Muay Thai training gyms and learn this truly awesome figthing art.

7. Attend Local or Expat Events

Most tourist guides or websites won’t tell you about the events that go on almost everyday of the week. I can’t tell you how many invitations I get per day on Facebook and I’m overwhelmed by it because I want to go to them all but I can’t.

To keep a pulse of what is going on in town, there are several Facebook groups to keep an eye on such as:

Desperately Seeking Bangkok Active – A group for those who wish to gather and enjoy some fun social fitness activities

Everything Bangkok – Anything and everything to do with Thailand with over 25,0000 members!

Bangkok Day n Night – A platform for you to ask questions and get some answers about Bangkok.

Word of caution, sometimes you get really strange responses and then people start bantering or attacking each other so don’t get sucked into it. Basically, you just have to do a bit of search and find your niche interest – whether it is art, nightlife, sport activities – whatever it is, there’s a chance someone has created a group for it.

Another way to keep track of events that happen in Bangkok is through a bunch of websites that I have subscribed to and probably you should too:

BK Magazine – a go-to website for everyone in Bangkok when it comes to restaurant reviews, events and guides.

One Place Bangkok – has a great listing of events in a timeline format. It’s comprehensive and covers a wide range of interests, which might give BK Magazine a run for its money in the near future.

Siam2nite – they mostly cover nightlife events where they also take photos and feature other great content

Meetup.com and couchsurfing are also great resources to meet expats and locals who can show you around the city in a unique way. No matter what you’re looking for, there’s always something going on or will happen. You just have to ask and get involved in the discussions.

8. Explore Chao Phraya River and Canals

In the old days, people in Bangkok traveled by boats along the river that connected to a series of canals (khlongs) that run through the city. One of the most exciting things to do is to take a day trip and explore them. You can do this by going to one of the many piers around Bangkok such as the Sathorn pier (in front of Saphin Taksin BTS station) where you can catch a ferry or purchase river cruises that go up and down the Chao Phraya river. Thaizer does a good job explaining the different ferry routes.

Take the long-tail boats through Bangkok canals and notice the interesting way locals live their life in traditional Thai houses built on stilts. It’s definitely a sight to see.

Bangkok.com has a very impressive, comprehensive guide on exploring Bangkok by river and canals that you should check out if you’re interested for more details.

9. Go for an Authentic Temple Experience

Although a lot temples in Bangkok would be the ideal tourist trap, there are many that go unseen. Sure you can (and must) visit the temples in and around Grand Palace but there are many, many more. Just go in the outskirts of Bangkok such as Thonburi or Wutthakat where you’ll get to see more local temples and way of life. 

It’s probably not possible to hit all these temples in one day so space up the visits across a few days while also enjoying the sights and sounds around the temple areas.

If venturing out on your own sounds too adventerous, you can opt for a non-touristy guided tour with Viator as you take part in a Buddhist alms-giving activity. Here you will have to wake up early in the morning and give money or food to monks for blessings.

10. Go for the Extreme

Believe it or not, Bangkok has a lot of options for extreme sports, adventure and other physically-intensive activites. Apart from bicycling at the parks, we also came across a recently-opened urban park that is sure to send urban cyclists running biking there. The Peppermint Bike Park is a really exciting, man-made park that imitates mountain biking with ramps, steep slopes and hairpin bends.

Looking to do more sporty, adventurous things while in the city? Why not go for an urban rock climbing session at Rock Domain, take a Parkour class with Asia Parkour Asia, throw-down some sick free-running moves with locals at the park, or even go surfing in the heart of Bangkok. There’s just so much to do in this awesome city, you can never get bored…ever!

Actually, see, most of Bangkok is “off the tourist track”- you just have to get lost and explore it yourself to have a truly amazing experience.