One night in Bangkok and the world’s indeed your oyster. Lauren Shantall spent a freewheeling 24 hours in the Buddhist metropolis in search of the intriguing highlights of this fascinating oriental destination. Here's what to do during the day...

9am – 11am
Don’t linger over breakfast. Instead, beat the noise and mid-morning hordes that descend on the world’s biggest weekend market, known as Chatuchak or Jatujak, depending on how your guidebook transcribes it. Here, you can acquire anything from a live Pomeranian puppy to a pair of trendy slip-slops. You’ll need cash and stamina to bargain for gifts and souvenirs.

All that shopping is thirsty work, so fend off the sensory overload by refuelling with fresh green coconut juice sipped straight from the husk. Be warned, this market is mammoth and unless you spend the whole day you will not be able to see it all. As the market is conveniently divided into themed sectors, grab a map from one of the many info booths at the various entrance-exit points and head straight for your area of interest.

11am – 11.45am
From Chatuchak Park, it’s a 30-minute, air-conditioned subway ride to Hua Lamphong, the central railway station (see www.bangkokmetro.co.th for info on the underground system). Before you leave Hua Lamphong take a few moments to look around. The train station was opened in 1916 and is a typical, and very beautiful, example of the Italian-influenced Thai Art Deco style you’ll see in the city’s earlier buildings. From here, a quick, air-conditioned (Bangkok can be 40 degrees in the shade) taxi ride will take you to the Grand Palace, which deserves its superlative title. Make sure the driver uses his meter.

11.45am – 12.45pm
Formerly the residence of the king (Thais venerate their royal family), the palace sits alongside the even more impressive Wat Phrasriratanasasadaram (a wat is a Thai Buddhist temple or monastery). More commonly known as Wat Phra Kaew, it is the current home of the Emerald Buddha, one of the oldest and most sacred Buddha images in the land.

You’ll also find gilt chedis (domed spires built to house sacred relics or the remains of important monks and leaders), a cloister covered in spectacular religious paintings and mythical creatures set in stone and gold leaf, along with a complete to-scale model of the Khmer-style Angkhor Wat in Cambodia. And just for their sheer idiosyncrasy and somewhat comic aspect, take in the so-called ‘poodle’ bushes that decorate the palace grounds. Said to be a blend of bonsai and topiary, you’re unlikely to see such outlandish plants elsewhere in the world.

12.45pm – 1.30pm
A short walk from the main entrance to the palace you’ll find the bustling Tha Chang Pier. Lunch at one of the many upmarket riverside restaurants in view of the endless stream of ferries and long-tailed boats (rua hang yao) that churn up the mighty Chao Phraya River and its tributaries and canals. It’s not for nothing that Bangkok has been described as the Venice of the East. You will have another chance to interact with the water later in the day, so if your palate is adventurous and you’re drawn by the atmosphere of the open-air food market that lines Ta Chang, grab a seat at a street stall and bite into some fire. The stuffed squid is highly recommended.

1.30pm – 2.30pm
After lunch, hop across the road to the less grandiose but charming Wat Pho to gaze at the famous Reclining Buddha, a gentle giant spanning a good 46m. A strange clattering noise fills the hall where this masterpiece resides. You’ll discover its source, and can add to the hubbub as you exit. The Wat Pho grounds are also the location of one of Thailand’s most renowned and respected massage schools. In fact, murals on the temple walls depict the ancient healing art. Yes, you should most definitely have a massage here. Your feet will need it by now.

2.30pm – 3.15pm
From Wat Pho it’s a 400m walk down Maharat Road, across a khlong (canal) to the flower market, which bustles with blooms and heady, heavenly scents. It’s here that you can observe skilled artisans creating ornate Thai floral arrangements and watch how exquisite votive garlands are strung together from marigolds, roses and pungent jasmine, quick as you please. Surprisingly intricate for something so transient, these floral bands are offerings to Buddha, which are slung daily on statues, spirit houses (each home honours its guardian spirit with a miniature house), the prows of boats and the dashboards of cars. Their fragrance permeates Bangkok, mixing with the traffic fumes and the spice of street food.

3.15pm – 3.35pm

Where the flowers fade, wind down to the river and catch the express ferry from Memorial Bridge all the way to Tha Sa Thon. A boat ride is one of the most pleasurable ways of traversing Bangkok. The river is free from the time-consuming grind of jammed traffic and pollution, and boasts heat-beating breezes that whip past the boat (watch out for the spray, however, as the water is less than clean) and a plethora of sights. The wide Chao Phraya affords views of either bank, where the spires of venerable Wat Arunratchawararam, the Temple of Dawn, compete for attention with impossibly high concrete edifices of hotels and elite residential addresses.

3.35pm – 4pm
At Tha Sa Thon the river intersects with the Bangkok Transit System. Board the Skytrain (known to locals as the Rot Fai Fah, which translates as ‘car with fire up in the air’) bound for the National Stadium. The Skytrain runs along a monorail track several storeys above ground level and gives a bird’s-eye view of modern Bangkok’s innumerable skyscrapers. Remarkably different from the old world architecture of Ratchadamnoen, the area in which the palace is situated, the business districts of Silom, Patpong, Samyan and Siam Square are thrilling in their own right.

4pm - 5pm
It’s a very short walk from Bangkok’s National Stadium to The Jim Thompson House. Collector of anti¬quities, international silk magnate and one-time CIA spy who disappeared mysteriously, Jim Thompson is something of a riddle. His exquisitely decorated traditional teak home and jungle-like garden is now open to the public as a museum. Peaceful, refined and beautiful.

5pm – 6.30pm
Contrast the grace of The Thompson House with the craziness of Bangkok rush-hour (none of the cars is really able to rush anywhere) by heading down Phloenchit Road towards Siam Square. Take refuge in the massive Ma Boon Krong, or MBK, shopping centre. The 5th-floor food hall is a classy affair, with helpful boards explaining Thai dishes in English. You’ll probably be desperate for a pitstop by now and this is just the place.

Hopefully the live music will be er, live, when you’re there. Across the way, rival complex the Siam Paragon flashes labels, labels, labels: genuine Chanel, Mulberry, Chloé, Versace… all the names are here. Even more interesting is the underage (everything is Asian-size) paradise of Siam Square itself. A warren of trendy stores, movie houses and international franchises, it’s here that you’re likely to see the latest girlie band sensation welcomed by gangs of screaming teens in school uniforms, with the phenoms mirrored on a stadium-size LED screen. Sanuk — or 'fun' — as they say in Thai.

Article courtesy of Horizons, BA/Comair's in-flight magazine published by Touchline Media.