Iconic Landmarks in Bangkok
A visual guide from the Bangkok travel guide — see all posters in Visual Guides.
Mahanakhon's pixelated tower looks as though it is being dismantled from the outside in, and from the open deck at 314 metres the city runs to the horizon in every direction with the river cutting a brown curve through the middle. Bangkok's landmark list is unusually varied. A spired riverside temple that photographs better than almost anything in Southeast Asia, a 1980s office block shaped like a robot, a shopping complex built as a riverfront destination, and an abandoned high-rise that became a local legend.
Modern icons
King Power Mahanakhon at BTS Chong Nonsi has the highest open-air deck in the city, complete with a glass floor panel, and is best timed for late afternoon running into dusk. ICONSIAM on the Thonburi bank pairs luxury retail with Sook Siam, an indoor recreation of a Thai market, plus a fountain show on the river; the Gold Line reaches it in minutes. One Bangkok, the large mixed-use district beside Lumphini, is the newest arrival. The Robot Building on Sathorn, finished in 1986, remains the city's best piece of architectural humour.
The older skyline
Wat Arun's porcelain-encrusted prang is the single most recognisable structure on the river, and the view back at it from the Tha Tien side around sunset costs no more than a ferry ticket. The Grand Palace complex rewards an early start and reads best as architecture: gilded roof tiers, mirror-glass mosaic and a long gallery of Ramakien murals, with modest dress required at the gate. The Golden Mount offers a spiral stair climb and a full circle of views over an old town that very few tall buildings interrupt.