Bangkok

Bangkok, known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, is the capital and largest city of Thailand. It lies in the delta of the Chao Phraya River in central Thailand and had an estimated 9.1 million inhabitants in 2024, with more than 17 million in the wider metropolitan region. The city is the centre of the country's politics, economy and media.

Condé Nast Traveller (UK) readers voted Bangkok the No. 1 city in the world in the Readers' Choice Awards 2026, with a score of 97.68, although it had not been in the top 20 the year before; the magazine praises its markets, palaces and religious sites. Time Out ranked it No. 2 in its 50 Best Cities in the World to Visit in 2025 and No. 8 in Best Cities in the World 2026, describing a city that "thrives on beautiful chaos" and highlighting its friendliness, street food and expanded Skytrain and metro lines. Travel + Leisure readers placed it No. 4 in 2025, with one calling it "the most fascinating, beautiful, and exciting city", and No. 6 in 2026.

Bangkok grew from a small trading post of the Ayutthaya era in the 15th century and became the site of two capitals, Thonburi in 1767 and Rattanakosin in 1782. It was at the heart of Siam's modernisation in the late 19th century and of the country's political struggles in the 20th. Its best-known landmarks include the Grand Palace and the temples Wat Arun and Wat Pho, and Time Out notes the recent legalisation of same-sex marriage in Thailand and Bangkok's first international contemporary art gallery, opened at the end of 2025.

Sources of this text: Wikipedia · Condé Nast Traveller (UK) · Travel + Leisure · Time Out