The Charming Talat Phlu Area

For today, we are all off to the Talat Phlu area to check out the train market area and the Big Buddha. R and I have been to this area before, but we got there too late to see the market (and to try out the famous old coffee shop), and we never got to see the Big Buddha! I know, I know – we are total muppets, but we are slowly learning!

The area of Talat Phlu is sort of in the middle area of both a BTS station and an MRT station, so it’s six of one and half a dozen of the other, which mode of transport you use to get there. We decide to go by BTS, even though it means we need to swap lines at Siam station. We had all agreed to leave the apartment by about 08.00 hours, so that we would be there when it was all still open, and all of us were ready apart from S, who had slept in because she forgot to set her alarm! However, we managed to leave by about 8.30 am and arrived there around 9.30 am.

R and I have this saying about ‘happy accidents’ and by that we mean, we often come across something unexpectedly and totally by accident, which makes us happy. Well, whilst we were on the BTS, I noticed a YouTuber that we follow. I tried to point this out to R, but he’s a bit dense sometimes to my eye movements, so I told him as we got off (I also sneaked a photo of R with the chap in the background, as I didn’t think he would believe me). Anyway, we happened to be next to him at the Siam station, and R started to talk to him. What a lovely man he was! He chatted to us until he got off at his station, told us to send him a message online, and he’d give us some recommendations for our next place, and he also told us that we were the first of his subscribers to recognise him! So whilst we were chuffed at this little ‘happy accident’, S was very quick to point out that we would not have bumped into him if it wasn’t for her – the cheeky little madam!

Then once we got off the BTS train at Talat Phlu, we had about a 15-minute walk to the market area.

Talat Phlu Market

Talat Phlu is one of the city’s oldest and most charming neighbourhoods. It's a place where time seems to stand still, filled with historic restaurants, quaint local shops, and a welcoming community atmosphere. This area is also famous for being a filming location for the beloved movie “How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (Lan Ma),” making it a must-visit spot for fans of Thai culture and cinema.  It has subtitles, and we watched it before we came to Bangkok.  It was sad, but charming.

This vibrant area offers not only amazing food but also a nostalgic vibe that transports you back in time.  Everything was still going, although some sellers were starting to pack up. I guess they pack up as soon as they sell out of their goods. Anyway, we headed to the little coffee shop for our coffees.

Suriya Coffee

The most famous "old coffee house" at Talat Phlu is Suriya Coffee, a traditional, century-old kopitiam-style spot known for classic Thai coffee (oliang) and pa thong ko (fried dough sticks), offering a nostalgic glimpse into Bangkok's local culture right near the Talat Phlu Market and canal, providing a contrast to newer cafes in the area. We ordered our drinks and some fried dough sticks, but sadly, they were already out of the dough sticks, so we ended up with just our drinks. They were very good, very reasonably priced, and the best bit of all was the view from the canal. Although we didn’t manage to get a seat there, as the place was far too busy.

After our drinks, we set off to find the spots that are popular for taking photos of the ‘Big Buddha’ temple.  The area is a kind of maze of little alleyways, and there are usually several tourists about, as everyone comes to see the same sights and also to take a canal ride on the boats in this area.

Wat Khun Chan

Wat Khun Chan is about glitter and colour, dragons, tigers, lions, other colourful creatures, and more dragons. Several Buddha images, sitting on three elephants, lying, standing, a mixture of various architectures, Thai, Burmese, Chinese, and Indian. Worth a visit.

Wat Paknam (Big Buddha at Paknam Temple)

Wat Paknam is a royal temple situated in Phasi Charoen District, located on the Chao Phraya River. It is a large and popular temple, supported by prosperous community members. The temple was established in 1610, during the Ayutthaya period, and received support from Thai kings until the late nineteenth century.  By the beginning of the twentieth century, the temple had become nearly abandoned and had fallen into disrepair and underwent a major revival.

Wat Paknam has an international presence and has a long history of activities and contact with Buddhists from other countries. In 2021, a large bronze Buddha image was constructed and placed in front of the stupa. These have made the temple a popular attraction for international tourists.

After we had visited the temple areas, we made our way to The Mall Lifestore. Yes – yet another mall, but we needed to cool off for a bit, get something to eat, and S just loves to shop! We split up with A&A in the mall, and we traipsed around with S. Again, we have covered this mall previously, but it was new to S, and even though this was the last full day in Bangkok for the three of them, S still managed to buy some items!

We then met up for a late lunch with A&A, and afterwards, we still had a few floors to cover before we all got the BTS back home to recover and for everyone to start packing up.

This getting up early two days in a row is exhausting….

Today's route:

Day 40: 3 January 2026

Bangkok, Thailand