For all the cultural and culinary treats the city offers, a few days in Bangkok is liable to leave you feeling frazzled. So it’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with some of the more peaceful destinations that lie nearby, says Lee Cobaj in National Geographic Traveller.
Stay if you can at Roukh Kiri Khao Yai, where the 12 villas have “pared-back” cream-and-teak interiors and private pools. Visit the excellent 129 Art Museum, and the GranMonte Vineyard, one of a handful of wineries defying the area’s intense tropical climate; and venture into the rainforest of Khao Yai itself, where rangers will help you spot a host of rare creatures, including wild Asian elephants, flying lorises, and oriental pied hornbills, with their enormous banana-like beaks.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
On the way back to Bangkok, make a detour to Ayutthaya, one of Asia’s most spectacular archaeological sites. The capital of Siam between the 14th and 18th centuries, it was home to a million people at its height, and its “resplendent” ruins – including palaces, temples (above) and gargantuan statues – stretch across a square mile around the Chao Phraya River.
Nearby is the 19th century palace of King Rama V, a “fairytale” sight. Stay at Sala Bang Pa-In, a pleasant riverside hotel, and eat out in the town around the ruins; its restaurants were showered with more Bib Gourmand awards than Bangkok in the 2022 Michelin Guide.
InsideAsia (insideasiatours.com) has a seven-night trip from £1,272pp, incl. flights.
-
A lemon-shaped exoplanet is squeezing what we know about planet formationUnder the radar It may be made from a former star
-
Political cartoons for January 4Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include a resolution to learn a new language, and new names in Hades and on battleships
-
The ultimate films of 2025 by genreThe Week Recommends From comedies to thrillers, documentaries to animations, 2025 featured some unforgettable film moments
-
The ultimate films of 2025 by genre
The Week Recommends From comedies to thrillers, documentaries to animations, 2025 featured some unforgettable film moments
-
Into the Woods: a ‘hypnotic’ productionThe Week Recommends Jordan Fein’s revival of the much-loved Stephen Sondheim musical is ‘sharp, propulsive and often very funny’
-
The best food books of 2025The Week Recommends From mouthwatering recipes to insightful essays, these colourful books will both inspire and entertain
-
Art that made the news in 2025The Explainer From a short-lived Banksy mural to an Egyptian statue dating back three millennia
-
Nine best TV shows of the yearThe Week Recommends From Adolescence to Amandaland
-
Winter holidays in the snow and sunThe Week Recommends Escape the dark, cold days with the perfect getaway
-
The best homes of the yearFeature Featuring a former helicopter engine repair workshop in Washington, D.C. and high-rise living in San Francisco
-
Critics’ choice: The year’s top 10 moviesFeature ‘One Battle After Another’ and ‘It Was Just an Accident’ stand out
