Fun activities for the kids in Bangkok, Thailand
Lively Bangkok with its sights, smells, colours and wide-smiling locals can be a true wonderland for kids, it can also be a terrifying concrete jungle, depending on where you take them. Bangkok has a reputation as a place enjoyed by young people and single adventurers, however the excellent and well-established tourism infrastructure in the city makes it an enjoyable place for families of whatever size.
Thai people in general love kids and if you decide to bring your children along with you on a trip to Bangkok you’re likely to have more than one local happily fawn over your little ones and tell you how cute the little tyke is. The city is fairly safe for children, with remarkable low violent crime or kidnapping and the like considering its size, but there are other hazards to worry about, such as traffic pollution and fear of getting lost.
Showing the kids a great time in Bangkok is easy, with most larger hotels catering to families with playgrounds etc, and smaller budget-venues most of the time making up a lack of kid-oriented facilities with a caring and attentive staff keen to provide you and your family with personal recommendations on what to explore in the city.
Fun everyday activities for kids in Bangkok
Sightseeing: although this is something adults come to Thailand for, there are some fascinating and exotic sites which will certainly leave an impression on your kids and we recommend you take them to see some of these. Highlights that will impress your kids include the Grand Palace temple complex, the giant reclining Buddha of Wat Po, The Ancient City historic themed park in Samut Prakarn, the Dusit Zoo and even the Royal Barges Museum. See our attractions list for more details.
Go skating: Central World Trade Centre located 15 minutes away from the Siam Square Skytrain Station has a massive professional ice-skating rink perfect for an afternoon of chilly family fun out of the hot glare of the city’s sun. Entrance to the rink for one day is 130 Baht per person and lessons can be arranged as well for 500 baht for 45 minutes.
Video games!: Take your video-game loving kids to the Bangkok Pantip Plaza, located a short distance from the World Trade Centre near the Pratunam shopping district, and they may never want to return. Thousands of games for all platforms as well as DVD movies are for sale here – both in their original form and the highly preferred pirated copies that sell for peanuts. There are also plenty of shops with Sony Playstation available for use.
Boat rides: Most kids love a bit of an adventure, and a trip on a longtail boat touring the city’s canals will certainly seem like one. A longtail boat, often with a guide able to explain some sights of passing interest, can be hired from the Tha Chang pier on the Chao Phraya river and taken into the klongs of Thonburi. Kids will enjoy feeding the large catfish that gather near canal-side temples as well as seeing local kids having fun cooling off on the water’s banks.
Malls: Bangkok’s malls are air-conditioned, ultra-modern and often feature whole areas of fun for kids, including playgrounds for toddlers. For older kids in Bangkok many malls have huge video game arcades, cinemas, and private karaoke booths. While the songs in these booths are mainly Thai, the words are spelt out phonetically and you can have a good time trying to sing along to popular Thai songs. Nearly all malls feature the big franchised outlets popular with kids such as McDonald’s and KFC as well. The Mall Bangkapi has one of the largest and best child-playgrounds in the city.
Amusement parks: Bangkok has plenty of these, some are out of town and tricky to get to, others are found in shopping mall complexes. If entertaining the kids is an important part of your stay in Bangkok we suggest you look at our listing of amusements parks in Bangkok .
Travelling with children in Bangkok
Taking children to a foreign destination can be daunting, and it is essential to search out the sights and activities that will appeal to the whole family. Fortunately, there are activities in Bangkok to amuse the millions of kids who live here. Thais love children and if you are feeling overwhelmed, you will find plenty of people willing to hold your baby for a spell. The Thai really admire foreign-looking children and you're more likely to find volunteers for baby-sitting or amusing your children than people grumbling over noise.
Getting around with children is pretty painless, and travelling with children in tow in Thailand isn't a financial burden. You can take them with you to most places, and there are usually impromtu activities for the kids, though don't expect Disneyland. Chiang Mai, Bangkok and Phuket all have attractions perfect for kids, such as the Zoo and animal shows, Safariworld and water parks and Phuket Fantasea.
Bangkok can be a big and overwhelming city, with hectic traffic, some unsavoury sights and unbearable heat, fortunately it’s practical and affordable to get about by taxi. Keep young children within your sight or with a trusted adult. Fair-skinned children (or any children for that matter) can become a target for kidnappers; it is rare, but you wouldn't want it to happen to you. Thailand is considered extremely safe for children.
There are a number of stray dogs in the city, and children should be told not to touch these dogs as they have not been vaccinated and have led rough lives, making them unpredictable at times. Additionally, mosquitoes can be relentless here and can carry dengue fever, so children should be kept indoors at dusk and wear a repellent. Fortunately there is no risk of malaria infection in Bangkok.
While adults might be quite tolerant of hot Thai food, some of the more spicy dishes can be irritating to a child's stomach. The sun here is even hotter than the food, and delicate skin can burn easily. That said, there are exciting new choices for those with a sweet tooth, and Thailand has a fantastic selection of unique sweets and strange fruits, they have also taken to baking with zest.
Make sure the little ones wear sunscreen and hats, and drink plenty of water. Hospitals in the city are very good and if your child gets sick, don't hesitate to him or her to a doctor. Diarrhoea does occur fairly frequently here among tourists, usually due to their lower tolerance to spicy food or market food they may not have been prepared to the up most standards of hygiene, but dysentery is rare.
Childcare: Because of the Thai extended family system, there is little or no childcare available. If parents cannot care for their children, a grandmother, aunt, or even the housekeeper may do so. Many of the largest hotels may offer a babysitting service though, and most of the shopping malls have a reliable childcare centre. Hiring a child carer or arranging a baby sitter isn't difficult, though you have to depend on word of mouth. The good news is that they are very affordable (about 50 baht an hour).
Some points to keep in mind
Here are a few points to consider before you bring your kids to Bangkok for a holiday. Keeping these in mind will help ensure that you and your kids get the most out of your time in Thailand’s bustling capital.
Remember the heat: temperatures in Bangkok can rise to extremely high levels, especially during the hot season and it is important for caution to be exercised in exposing a child to this kind of heat. Hats are advisable throughout the year as is a strong sun-block.
Reconsider taking that stroller: the average stretch of sidewalk in Bangkok is improperly laid out, blocked by any number of obstacles from a large street vendor’s stand to a utility pole, crooked and full of enough potholes and cracks to keep litigation going for centuries if it was located in a western country. You’d be far better off to keep your stroller or pram limited to short stretches within a tourist site and use taxis to get around the city rather than walk.
Adult-oriented areas: Bangkok has a rich culture and a long tourist history, however part of that is undeniably wrapped up with the city’s sex industry and evidence of this is quite obvious in some areas, especially in the foreigner-heavy areas of Sukhumvit and Silom Roads. While Silom is a major ex-pat and tourist centre of Thailand and certainly an enjoyable place to visit, the popular Patpong tourist market located there is in the midst of one of Bangkok’s legendary red-light districts with pole-dancing visible from many open windows and several sex-workers and their touts aggressively working in the area. For parents of teenagers, exercise caution when letting your children out to ‘explore’ the city at night time as identification checks at some bars, while the law, are laxly enforced.
