Bangkok, then and now

Bangkok's modern shape is younger than most visitors think. The capital moved across the river from Thonburi in 1782, and the old island of Rattanakosin, where the Grand Palace stands, is still the place to start.

The rail map is newer still. The BTS Skytrain opened in December 1999, the first MRT subway line in 2004 and the Airport Rail Link in 2010. The Skytrain first crossed the Chao Phraya in 2009, and the MRT tunnel under it opened in 2019. Whole districts, from Thonglor to the riverside around ICONSIAM, were remade around those stations.

To see the city that came before, go by water. By day, the blue-flag tourist boat (40 baht a trip, 150 for a day pass) stops at the piers for Wat Arun, the Grand Palace and Chinatown; the 19-baht orange-flag boat runs only at weekday peaks. The canals of Thonburi still run past wooden houses on stilts. Old Town lanes around Phra Athit, Bang Lamphu and Talat Noi reward an unplanned afternoon on foot.

The old city doesn't announce itself, and many of the street stalls that defined Sukhumvit didn't reopen after Covid. Ask before you photograph anyone at home. Go soon, and go early: the shophouses come down without notice.