Beautiful Bangkok Photos -- National Geographic's Ultimate City Guides

Wat Pho Buddhist Temple
Photograph by Paul Souders/Getty Images
A royal statue stands on the grounds of Wat Pho temple, Bangkok’s largest and oldest wat.
Stall in Pak Khlong Market
Photograph by Dieter Telemans/Panos
Flowers surround a young Bangkok girl at around-the-clock Pak Khlong market, where you can also pick up fruits and vegetables.
Pak Khlong Market
Photograph by Dieter Telemans/Panos
Vendors set up early to sell roses and other flowers as well as fresh produce at Pak Khlong market, in central Bangkok.
Chao Phraya River
Photograph by Dieter Telemans/Panos
Diners cruise Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River while feasting on seafood and a sunset view on this luxe boat restaurant.
The Temple of Dawn
Photograph by Dieter Telemans/Panos
Buddha’s head is covered with gold leaves glued on by worshippers at a temple.
Chinatown
Photograph by Angelo Cavalli/Getty Images
Bangkok’s buzzing Chinatown is packed with restaurants, markets, gold vendors, and some of the city’s best street food.
Wat Intharavihara
Photograph by Alison Wright/Getty Images
A devotee prays at the 25-foot-tall (7.62-meter) gilded Buddha statue at Bangkok’s Wat Intharavihara.
Tuk-Tuk
Photograph by Stephen Studd/Getty Images
The archetypal Bangkok journey is by the loud, three-wheeled tuk-tuk, available anywhere tourists go.
Wat Benchamabophit
Photograph by Paul Souders/Getty Images
Saffron-robed monks enter Wat Benchamabophit, the Marble Temple, one of Bangkok’s less touristed wats.
Cityscape
Photograph by Trey Ratcliff aka StuckInCustoms/Getty Images
Bangkok’s expressways, seen here by night. Bangkok was once known as the “Venice of the East” because it was criss-crossed by canals.