Bangkok's River District

Although Thailand was never colonized, the colonial powers did maintain a presence in the country. Their embassies and trading companies were granted land along the river between what is now Chinatown and the Taksin Bridge. This is one of the few places in Bangkok where you can see something resembling colonial architecture.

Wat Suan Plu: Not far from the huge riverside Shangri-La Hotel is the small community temple of Wat Suan Plu. Unlike many of Bangkok's temples which have been "improved" in recent years, Suan Plu temple has been well maintained, but retains its charming wooden kuti (monk's quarters) and other ornaments.
Assumption Cathedral: Built in 1910, primarily by the French community, Assumption Cathedral sits in a small square isolated from the main streets. The outside is a rather simple Romanesque facade which reveals a very rich rococo interior.
East Asiatic Company: Between the cathedral and the river are the buildings of the Dutch East Asiatic Company (EAC). Founded in 1897, EAC is still one of the world's leading trading companies. These beautiful Venetian-styled buildings were built in 1901. There's talk of turning them into an up-scale shopping arcade.
Oriental Plaza: On the other side of Soi Oriental from the EAC is the world-renowned Oriental Hotel. The hotel was originally built in 1876, but its place in history is largely due to the Sarkies Brothers who acquired it and rebuilt the hotel in 1887 to bring it up to the standard of their other hotel properties -- the E&O in Penang and Raffles in Singapore. Two towers were added in the 20^th century, which unfortunately detract a lot from the hotel's charm, but apparently not enough to stop it being voted the world's best hotel year after year. The Oriental Plaza shopping arcade lies north of the hotel's parking garage. It's of the same era as the hotel and the EAC buildings, and is worth a look.
French Embassy: The French Embassy faces the river right next to the Oriental Hotel. The Embassy is the second oldest in Bangkok, after the Portuguese. The French sent their first ambassador to Siam in the 17^th century. The embassy has been expanded many times over the years, but has recently been restored to something close to its original form. However, it's generally not open to the public.
Old Customs House: The 1880 Customs House next to the French Embassy is in a very sorry state. It was turned over to the harbor fire brigade when larger ships necessitated a move down river and apparently hasn't even been painted in over 30 years. The building apparently once rivaled the EAC offices. It's been listed and plans are underway for the fire services to move out so the building can be renovated and turned into a riverside hotel, but this has been stalled for many years because the fire service doesn't want to move.
Haroon Mosque: Between the customs house and Charoen Krung Road is a small Muslim community. At its center is the Haroon Mosque. The mosque, as well as the surrounding wooden houses, are beautifully decorated with intricate wooden grillwork.
General Post Office: Up on Charoen Krung Road is Bangkok's main post office. It's not very pretty, but on Sundays there is a popular stamp and coin market.
Portuguese Chancellery: The Portuguese were the first Europeans to have formal ties with Siam. The plot of land on which the current Chancellery stands was granted by King Rama II in 1820. It was replaced later in that century by the current structure.
River City: Next to the Portuguese Chancellery is the Sheraton Royal Orchid hotel, and north of that is the River City shopping center. The center specializes in "antiques" -- which in Thailand means things made in an old style, even if they were made yesterday. It can definitely be worth a look around.
Oriental Place: This small colonial-styled mini-mall next to the Oriental Hotel is full of art shops and tailors. Next door, is a newer open-air area with a few nice restaurants.

In this section

Bangkok Riverside Hotels

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel on Bangkok's riverside. The riverside is a great location. Most major tourist sites in Bangkok are just a few steps away from the river, and after spending a hot day tramping around temples, the river really cools you off in the evening. Click the links to see the rates offered by our suppliers, or search Agoda for the best available rates on Bangkok hotels. Mandarin Oriental Hotel The grand old dame of Bangkok, and Southeast Asian, hotels.

Bangkokian Museum

The Bangkokian Museum is a small collection of structures and artifacts that seeks to preserve a bit of pre-WWII Bangkok. The collection is all the work of a single family with a remarkable history. The old style kitchen in one of the buildings. The various exhibits are displayed throughout three buildings. The first structure is a home built in 1937. The style is very western, as was popular at the time.

Wat Suan Plu

It's really not all that hidden. Wat Suan Plu is a small temple located on the side street which leads to one of the bigger tourist hotels - the Shangri-La - but it seems to be passed over by most of the tourists who stay there. The temple has also been passed over by the generally unsympathetic modernization that have made many of Bangkok's temples much less attractive than they once were.

Wat Yannawa

A very short distance south of Taksin Bridge is the rather urbanized temple of Wat Yannawa. The temple was built early in the nineteenth century. It was quite popular with the Chinese who settled the neighborhood after Chinatown began to fill up. This is still a predominately Chinese neighborhood, which is why the information plaque is in Thai, English and Chinese. The distinctive boat-shaped prayer hall of wat Yannawa The temple's singular attraction is its very unusual wiharn in the shape of a Chinese junk.