No city injects you with energy quite like Bangkok. On a recent visit, I was whirled into the Chinatown district, alongside the busy Chao Phraya River, with my friend Mink Yongsakul, who runs social media for the city’s exquisite Four Seasons hotel. She raced us over to Tuang Dim Sum for fried lava buns, both of us laughing as their yolky custard dripped onto our fingers. Then we ducked down a small street and stuffed ourselves with dark-broth boat noodles, thick with pork blood and packed with fresh vegetables.

Moments later, Mink plonked us down on plastic stools where we shovelled in the most delicious smoky congee. We could have kept eating for days – we barely scraped the surface. Everywhere small shops were selling fragrant roast duck and pork, rich coconut ice-cream studded with red jelly jewels and bowls of freshly wok’d pad Thai that filled the air with the scent of lime, tamarind and char. I wish I carried an extra stomach in my bag that I could swap in for emergencies.

And that’s just the food. Even a Bangkok day out that looks sedate on paper – such as visiting a gallery or a temple – is full of spirit and spark. The day before my Chinatown food fest I took a riverboat down the Chao Phraya to one of the nearby temples where our guides showed us how to light incense to prepare ourselves to pray.

Inside, groups of young Thai women were going through their rituals – raising their hands in prayer, touching their foreheads lightly to the ground – while chatting animatedly in Thai, presumably about their boyfriends or something cool they’d seen on YouTube. Thai people make everything feel fun (and, as an aside, I walked out of there and found my back pain had disappeared, so thank you, Buddha – you must have been smiling right along with me that day).

If you think Bangkok is little more than a stopover between island hops or an onward journey to Europe, think again. Give it a chance and this lively, likeable city will grab you by the heart (and the tastebuds) and never let you go.

1. Stay at the world’s best hotel

This year, Capella Bangkok was voted number one on the prestigious World’s 50 Best Hotels list. When you think about how many luxurious stays in New York, London, Tokyo and Dubai it needed to beat to get that gong, that’s one hell of an achievement. But when you check in, you’ll find out exactly why it tops the list. Every one of the 101 serenely decorated rooms and suites has views of the river, which bustles with barges and long boats. The hotel’s Capella Culturists are there to give you first-class access to anything you want to experience from galleries to shopping to Michelin-studded street food tours. And if you’re lucky enough to score a riverside villa or veranda suite, a day spent dipping your toes into your private plunge pool as the sun dances off the river is one of those ultra-luxury moments that will go straight to the grid.

If “World’s Best Hotel” prices are beyond your budget, Public House in Sukhumvit is a colour-splashed and creative alternative, and its breakfast XO eggs are delicious.

2. Eat till you can eat no more

Bangkok street food is rarely sold from carts these days outside of markets, but most districts are packed with small shops that specialise in one type of food and you’ll want to try it all.

Sydney food writer Matty Hirsch recommends Nai Ek Roll Noodles in Yaowarat. “They specialise in guay jub, rolled rice noodles that are slippery and chewy, in a grunty broth fuelled by white pepper,” he says. Add chopped crisp-fried pork belly for maximum deliciousness.

On Charoen Krung Road in Chinatown, the smoky pork congee from the Michelin Bib Gourmand Jok Prince – topped with a lattice of fresh slivered ginger and spring onion – is a full piano scale of flavours playing on your tongue.

And Perth food writer Jessica Rigg is obsessed with the pungent Laotian som tam – green papaya salad – at Som Tam Jay So in Silom (best served, she says, with sticky chicken wings).

But don’t sleep on Bangkok’s high-end food either. At Potong, guests are led through an exploration of chef Pichaya “Pam” Soontornyanakij’s Chinese-Thai heritage inside an old apothecary shop, while Sorn (pictured above) – which holds two Michelin stars and the number 11 ranking on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list – is the place to try fiery southern Thai cuisine that uses the freshest small-farm ingredients.

3. Bar hop till you drop

Bars can be fun because of their atmosphere. Or their decor. Or the service. BKK Social Club (pictured) inside the Four Seasons Hotel – ranked 12th on the just-announced World’s 50 Best Bars – is all those things, but just wait until you taste the cocktails. Designed by award-winning Berlin-born bartender Philip Bischoff, they are balanced and layered, especially those from the brand-new Mexican-influenced menu. The Lucha Libre, a clarified version of a Michelada, elevates vodka, tomato water and beer with chilli and spices.

While you’re in the area, Bischoff says you must visit KU Bar in Chinatown. “It’s a hidden gem with a minimalist, industrial vibe,” he says. “It’s lit by candlelight with no clutter and the cocktails are topnotch.”

He’s also a fan of Asia Today, again in Chinatown, which is ranked number 90 on the Asia’s Best Bars this year and specialises in Thai honey. “Every drink has a little bit of honey in it and the team works closely with local honey farms,” Bischoff says. The Penicillin and Bee’s Knees are the must-orders.

4. Shop for elegant silks in a history-filled house

The late Jim Thompson, known as the Thai Silk King, was a former American army officer who helped bring the beauty of Thai silk to the world (the actual Thai king even granted him a special honour for services to the Thai people). His multi-pavilion home, Jim Thompson House, surrounded by lush gardens filled with lilies, bananas and mango trees, is a serene slice of beauty in the heart of the city.

“It’s a place of history that shows how Bangkok was – you can see the real life of those in the past,” says celebrated local chef Thitid “Ton” Tassanakajohn from Le Du and Nusara, who loves to take visitors to this antique-filled home. The gift shop is Disneyland for fabric fanatics, and you’ll fill your suitcase with colourful tableware, cushions and clothing printed with tropical flowers, tigers and temples.

5. Breathe deep in green space in the city centre

Benjakitti Park is a 42ha oasis of tropical trees and lakes, smack-bang in the middle of the city. Completed in 2022, many are calling it Bangkok’s answer to New York’s Central Park. “It’s a nature heaven in the middle of a Blade Runner city,” says Fábio Costa, head chef of the boundary-obliterating fine-diner Gaggan.

Built on the grounds of a former tobacco factory that was once owned by the Thai royal family, it has skywalks that tower over the treetops, kayaks and paddleboats, and a 10km running track. “It’s a great place to escape the traffic and the skyscrapers,” says Costa.

6. Meet a ghost at an unusual temple

Bangkok has hundreds of breathtaking temples to explore – 887 to be exact. The big names include Wat Phra Kaew, or the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, in the grounds of the Royal Palace, and Wat Arun, the Temple of the Dawn.

But for a temple experience with a twist, head to Wat Mahabut (pictured), which is famous for its shrine to a ghost, a woman called Mae Nak, who died while her husband was away at war. When he returned, her ghost convinced him she was still his real, living wife. The story doesn’t have the happiest of endings but Thai people still visit this temple to celebrate Mae Nak’s undying (literally) love for her husband.

Another notable shrine is Yannawa Temple. “It’s only 10 minutes’ walk from the hotel,” says Capella Bangkok culturalist Khun Nook, who explains that the “viharn” – or the main building – is built in the shape of a Chinese junk, which is unusual and beautiful to admire.

7.  Hunt for local art and treasures

Charoenkrung, Bangkok’s creative district, is one of the oldest parts of the city. Even a day spent wandering its alleyways is an artistic adventure – the streets are dotted with cartoonish murals, including the cute-faced bird Pukruk by Meubon and the chiselled masterpiece from Portuguese artist Vhils on the front of the Portuguese embassy.

Khun Beer, the concierge at the Four Seasons, also recommends visiting Atta Gallery, which was founded by Thai jewellery collector Atinuj Tantivit and specialises in cool contemporary jewellery from Thailand and abroad, or the vintage military collectable store Horse Unit & Woot Woot, which is like stepping inside an episode of Mash mixed with a daytime rave.

See also: 

I ate raw rat's brain in Thailand, but it's not what it seems

5 best destinations in Thailand for every traveller

I stayed at Capella Bangkok, the world's best hotel