Explore Thailand

Bangkok's Attractions That Are Lesser-Known Hidden Gems

These lesser-known attractions in Bangkok include secret cafés, local temples, and riverside spots.

Bangkok is full of famous sights, but the real charm shows up when you wander off the main roads. Away from the tourist-heavy spots are quiet temples, floating homes, local art spaces, and canalside neighborhoods that feel like a time warp. If you're looking for a side of the city that most people miss, these lesser-known hidden gems will give you a completely different experience in Bangkok then the average visitors.

Kudi Chin Community

Kudi Chin Community is a riverside neighborhood, and one of the oldest in Bangkok. The neighborhood feels more like a sleepy Portuguese village than a capital city, with narrow alleys that are lined with colorful houses, local bakeries, and a small Catholic church dating back to the 1700s.

Kudi Chin Community Highlights

Home to Bangkok’s last Portuguese-Thai community
Freshly baked kanom farang (Portuguese cupcakes)
Quiet streets with no tourist buses

Artist’s House (Baan Silapin)

Evening view of longtail boats navigating a narrow canal lined with traditional wooden houses and local shops at the Artist’s House (Baan Silapin) area in Bangkok, Thailand, under a purple sunset sky.

The Artist's Houst (Baan Silapin) is located along the Thonburi canal system, this 200-year-old teakwood house is an art gallery, coffee shop, and performance space. It’s best known for its traditional Thai puppet shows, but the peaceful vibe is what really makes it special.

Artist’s House (Baan Silapin) Highlights

Traditional puppetry with canal views
Great escape from busy downtown Bangkok
Tiny café with cheap Thai iced coffee

Nang Loeng Market

Close-up of freshly caught fish being washed with water in woven baskets at the lively Saphan Pla Fish Market near Mahachai Pier in Thailand.

Nang Loeng Market is a sleepy little market that’s been open for over 100 years. The market is packed with old-school food stalls and local characters, and is located right next to it is Thailand’s first movie theater, now mostly abandoned but still standing.

Nang Loeng Market & Theater Highlights

One of Bangkok’s oldest food markets
Historic vibe with almost no tourists
Known for crispy pork, old-style Thai desserts

Wat Prayoon and Turtle Mountain

Twilight view of Wat Prayoon's main white chedi glowing under colorful sunset skies in Bangkok, Thailand, surrounded by smaller golden spires and colonial-style temple buildings.

Wat Prayoon is a quiet temple with a peaceful turtle pond and hill made from old Buddha statues and melted candles, located across the river from Wat Arun. Locals enjoy visiting to release turtles and fish for good luck.

Wat Prayoon and Turtle Mountain Highlights

Beautiful white chedi with zero crowds
Turtle pond surrounded by ancient relics
Feels like a countryside temple in the city

Saphan Pla Fish Market (Mahachai Pier)

Fish being sorted and put into baskets at Saphan Pla FIsh Market in Bangkok, Thailand.

Saphan Pla Fish Market is a gritty market located at Mahachai Pier on the Chao Phraya River, where much of the city’s seafood arrives each morning. It's chaotic, smelly, and 100% local. Come early if you want to catch the action — or just grab some super fresh grilled shrimp. There are plenty of food vendors serving all kinds of dishes, or you can pick up fresh seafood to take back to your lodging and cook.

Saphan Pla Fish Market (Mahachai Pier) Highlights

No tourists, just real Bangkok
Open early morning when boats come in
Street food stalls nearby with dirt-cheap seafood

Siriraj Medical Museum

The Siriraj Medical Museum in Bangkok — often called the “Museum of Death” — is actually a collection of six distinct museums housed inside Thailand’s oldest hospital. It’s one of the most unusual and memorable museum experiences in the country. Here's what you’ll find inside:

1. Ellis Pathological Museum

This is where it gets real — and real graphic. You’ll see preserved organs, body parts, and organs affected by disease. The goal? To educate medical students and the public about how different illnesses affect the human body. It's shocking, but deeply informative.

2. Songkran Niyomsane Forensic Medicine Museum

Think of this as CSI: Bangkok. This section dives into forensic pathology and criminal cases, including displays of murder victims, autopsy photos, and even the mummified corpse of Si Quey, a convicted cannibal and serial killer. It’s intense, but if you’re into true crime, it’s fascinating.

3. Congdon Anatomical Museum

This area focuses on human anatomy with a massive collection of dissected human bodies, skeletons, and preserved specimens. It’s educational, if a bit eerie — showing in graphic detail how the body is built and functions.

4. Prehistoric Museum

A little breather from the heavier themes — this section explores prehistoric artifacts and fossils. You’ll see ancient tools, early human skulls, and a timeline of human evolution. It’s less creepy, more curious.

5. Parasitology Museum

Ever wonder what parasites really look like? This room showcases worms and parasites that can infect the human body — along with the horrifying ways they operate. Gross? Absolutely. But also oddly compelling.

6. Thai Traditional Medicine Museum

This part of the museum explores Thailand’s centuries-old herbal medicine traditions, ancient healing practices, and massage techniques. It’s a nice contrast to all the modern medical science — and gives insight into how Thai culture has approached wellness over time.

If you’re a fan of the weird, the medical, or the morbid — Siriraj Medical Museum should definitely be on your Bangkok itinerary.

Bangkok Forensic Museum Highlights

One of the weirdest museums in Thailand
Often missed even though it’s near major ferry stops
No sugarcoating — this one’s real

Tha Din Daeng

Tha Din Daeng is located on the western side of the river is full of Chinese-Thai food stalls, open-air markets, and historic shophouses. It's like Bangkok 40 years ago — few chain stores, no big hotels, and not a souvenir stand in sight.

Tha Din Daeng Neighborhood Highlights

Authentic local market vibe
Dirt-cheap street food
Walkable riverside area most tourists never see

Wat Ratcha Orasaram

Wat Ratcha Orasaram is one of the quietest and most beautiful temples in the city, with unique Chinese-style architecture and zero crowds. The artwork inside is unlike any other temple in Bangkok, with bold red and green tones and rare frescoes.

Wat Ratcha Orasaram Highlights

Rare temple that blends Thai and Chinese design
Almost always empty
Very close to Wat Arun, but never mentioned

Soi Nana (Not Sukhumvit)

Night view of Soi Nana in Bangkok’s Chinatown featuring a colonial-style shophouse with open windows, potted plants, rooftop string lights, and people socializing near a cozy cafe.

Soi Nana in Bangkok’s Chinatown is one of the city’s most underrated creative hubs — a narrow, atmospheric street lined with century-old shophouses that have been transformed into speakeasy bars, art galleries, indie cafés, and vinyl record stores. Tucked just off Yaowarat Road, this version of Soi Nana has nothing to do with Bangkok’s red-light scene — don’t confuse it with Soi Nana in Sukhumvit, which is the well-known adult nightlife area.

This Soi Nana is all about slow exploration, hidden doors, and vintage vibes. Locals and travelers come here to sip handcrafted cocktails in dimly lit bars like Teens of Thailand or Ba Hao, check out rotating art exhibitions, and soak in the street’s moody charm that blends Thai-Chinese heritage with a gritty, urban cool. It’s not a place packed with tourists or flashing signs — it’s where you go when you’re looking for something more interesting than another rooftop bar.

Soi Nana (Not Sukhumvit) Highlights

Secret bars tucked into old shophouses
Local crowd, artsy feel
Grit meets creativity

Fort Phra Sumen & Santichaiprakarn Park

Historic white-walled Fort Phra Sumen with a central octagonal tower and battlements, located in a green park area in Bangkok, Thailand.

When nearby Khao San Road, visit Phra Sumen Fort and Santichaipraarn Park, which is a fortress and riverside park is one of the best places to relax and watch the sunset. Locals come here to chill, do tai chi, or have snacks by the water.

Phra Sumen Fort & Santichaiprakarn Park Highlights

Quiet park with a view of the Chao Phraya
Historical site almost no tourists visit
Great photo spot at sunset

Wat Samphran (Dragon Temple)

Aerial view of Wat Samphran, a tall pink cylindrical temple with a giant green dragon sculpture spiraling around it, surrounded by lush greenery and traditional Thai architecture in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand.

Wat Samphran (Dragon Temple), which is technically just outside Bangkok (in Nakhon Pathom), but close enough for a day trip, this temple is a 17-story pink tower with a giant dragon wrapped around it. You can walk inside the dragon all the way to the top.

Wat Samphran (Dragon Temple) Highlights

Wild architecture you won’t find anywhere else
Hardly any tourists go
Unique photo opportunity that’s worth the trip

These Bangkok hidden gems are lesser-known attractions that offer a completely different side of the city—one filled with quiet temples, offbeat neighborhoods, and places where locals still outnumber tourists.

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