Can I still bike through Bangkok?

Early morning in Bang Rak

The first thing we did on our first day in Bangkok—well, after the inevitable rip-off by a taxi driver—was go on a bike tour through town. We booked the red tour with GoBangkokbiketours, through our travel agency. The tour started at 9 AM in a small side street in the heart of old-town Bangkok. It was only our second day in the city, and we were still bleary-eyed and jet-lagged, so we gratefully accepted the cups of coffee handed to us. That would be the last coffee we had before switching to gallons of water.
The owner cheerfully told us we were lucky to start the tour while it was still “nice and cool”. It was 30°C at the time.

About fifteen minutes later, once everyone had gathered, we met our guide, Oyl. She explained her hand signals, which essentially boiled down to “follow me,” “slow down,” “turn left/right” and “stop.” She reminded us to keep an eye on one another in case we lost anyone, then led us outside to pick out our bikes.

Now, Marc and I admittedly have an unfair advantage here—we’re Dutch. We learn to ride a bike almost as soon as we can walk, and cycling is a default mode of transportation for young and old. If you’re not quite as confident, choose a bike you can mount and dismount easily. Make sure you can keep one foot on the ground while seated, and it’s worth checking the brakes as well. It’s always worth checking the brakes. Wear a helmet even if the Dutch people on the tour make fun of you. Falling and hitting your head is no joke. Not even if you’re Dutch.

Chinatown and flower market

We’d barely been on our way for ten minutes when Oyl signaled us to stop for the first time, to tell us something about the history of Bangkok and China Town. Much to my surprise, Bangkok hasn’t been the bustling metropolis it is now for very long. It was a small town on the Chao Praya river for a long time. After the king moved his headquarters to Bangkok after the fall of Ayutthaya to the Birmese in 1767, the city grew into what it is now. Its name in Thai is Krung Thep Maha Nakhon so I think we can be forgiven for calling it Bangkok. Oyl fired this information at us before guiding us to the next stop: a Chinese temple in the heart of China Town. Modestly decorated it was not, but very pretty!

After some cycling through narrow (very narrow!) alleyways we reached the first main road, where we just cycled on the pavement. This made me feel right at home. A woman behind me did not see the decoration hanging over the pavement and hit her head. She was okay, but watch your surroundings! We stopped at the flower market, or Pak Khlong Market. We left our bicycles chained to a fence (once again making me feel right at home) and stopped at a stall. Oyl bought all the women small bracelets made of jasmine flowers. They had me smelling my wrist all day long and well into the evening. So lovely! After that we entered the market, admiring the colours and savouring the scents. Oyl bought mango sticky rice for later for later and on we went. I would become really, really fond of mango sticky rice.

Across the river: turtles and a temple

After our stop at the flower market it was time to cross the Chao Phraya river. We took one of the bridges. A high bridge, so it took some effort, but it wasn’t far until the next stop: the garden near Wat Prayurawongsawas Worawihan (I swear I’m not making these names up). Oyl bought us all papaya and bamboo sticks, not to eat but to feed to the resident turtles. The turtles seemed to enjoy it. I was in two minds about how I felt about such a large number of turtles in what is basically a concrete moat. A concrete moat around a pretty artificial island, but still a moat. Luckily, it wasn’t long until Oyl showed up with the sticky rice mango she’d bought earlier. Great stuff, do recommend!

Our first temple visit

After my new favourite snack and another bottle of water it was time to visit our first temple, the one with the difficult name I mentioned above. We first got a lesson in how to fold lotus flowers. I didn’t know this was a thing either, but apparently this is how offering to the Buddha is done. Bare shoulders and knees aren’t allowed either when entering temples. Nor are shoes, so barefoot and outfitted in wraparound scarves and elephant pants we entered the temple itself.

First we had to cross the artificial lawn or brave the marble tiles. Both were scorching hot, so running seemed like the best idea. We climbed a few narrow flights of stairs along the side of the dome-shaped stupa before entering the temple itself. Inside, Oyl encouraged us to carefully place some gold leaf underneath the Buddha statue representing the day of the week we were born on. I had to look this up. A Tuesday, apparently. We crawled out of the temple through a side exit, on our hands and knees, sprinted across the molten lava in the yard again and went back to our bikes.

This was the last stop on our tour; Oyl guided us back to the Chao Phraya, where we took a ferry (Yay, no bridge) across the river and cycled back through charming little streets. A little after 1 PM we were back where the tour had started.

So, is this doable for travellers with a bit more mileage?

Yes, this tour is suitable for anyone who can comfortably ride a bike without wobbling every few meters. If you can’t ride a bike, I wouldn’t recommend it. The streets are narrow and require decent steering, plus some speeding up and slowing down. You’ll also need to keep an eye on the busy surroundings and the guide while cycling. If that doesn’t feel manageable, it’s best to give this one a miss.

Physically, it’s not very demanding. However, it gets hot—even early in the morning—so I wouldn’t attempt it in the middle of the afternoon. The guide provides bottled water (lots of it), which helps, but you’ll still want to stay sun-smart.

Wear light, breathable clothing, and bring sunscreen. It’s also a good idea to carry a wraparound scarf or a pair of elephant pants for visiting temples, as you’ll need to cover your shoulders and knees.

One last bit of advice

One last bit of advice—totally unrelated to the bike tour itself: don’t book a guided temple tour immediately afterward. We did, because we were short on time in Bangkok, and the combination of cycling plus hours of walking in the heat was just too much. The Grand Palace was absolutely stunning, but by the time we got there I already felt miserable. I’d downed more than a gallon of water and had basically stopped sweating, so I must’ve been seriously dehydrated. I ended up skipping Wat Arun entirely and could barely drag myself to Wat Pho to see the (very!) huge reclining Buddha. When our guide suggested taking public transport back to the hotel, I practically begged her to call a taxi.
It was a shame—I would’ve enjoyed those incredible sights so much more after a good night’s sleep and some air-conditioning. But again, this wasn’t the bike tour’s fault. The bike tour was fantastic; what came after was my own poor planning. Learn from my mistake!