03Places

The capital

Bangkok

Bangkok is the country’s largest city, with about 9.1 million people in the 2024 estimate, spread across 1,568.737 square kilometres of low ground. It became the capital on 21 April 1782 beside the Chao Phraya. The Grand Palace is a roughly rectangular compound with four walls on the Rattanakosin bank. Work began on 6 May 1782, and the grounds cover 218,400 square metres together. The court remained based there until 1925. Inside the walls, Wat Phra Kaew was begun in 1783: ornamented halls, one of them holding a small green stone figure. Immediately south, Rama I rebuilt Wat Pho on an older site, and Rama III enlarged it. A reclining figure 46 metres long fills one hall. The complex has a school of Thai medicine, and traditional massage is still taught on the grounds. The drawings and inscriptions made for public instruction are recognised in the Memory of the World programme. Across the river in Thonburi, Wat Arun has stood since at least the seventeenth century, and its main prang was constructed in 1851. Reported heights run from 66.8 to 86 metres. Shells and porcelain cover the tower, four smaller prangs stand at the corners, and six Chinese-style pavilions of green granite line the water, with landing bridges. Suvarnabhumi Airport opened on 28 September 2006 and handled 62,902,183 passengers in 2025. Don Mueang first opened on 27 March 1914 and returned on 24 March 2007 as a low-cost hub, with 31,650,816 passengers in 2025. Give the two banks at least three days on foot.

About 9.1 million

Population

0.737 km²

City area

0 km

Chao Phraya length