Flights from the UK & Ireland tend to arrive in the early afternoon and it’s about an hour’s drive from Bangkok Airport to the city centre. Especially if it’s your first time, I recommend staying at one of the hotels on the Chao Phraya River, in a room with a river view. 

We stayed at the excellent Anantara Riverside, which like most of these river hotels has a lovely peaceful pool to give respite from the busy city.

Hotels in Bangkok offer great value and with some help from the hotel's concierge desk it’s easy to get about the city. Don’t be daunted by the capital city of the 'Land of Smiles', it’s a very friendly place.

Freshen up, then head out to a rooftop bar for colourful cocktails, a lovely temperature and fabulous views of the city as night falls and the skyline lights up. We went to the Moon Bar at the Banyan Tree hotel, currently rated the No.1 rooftop bar in the world and an Instagram hotspot, but there are dozens to choose from.

In Bangkok, you are spoilt for choice of places to eat, from the street food stalls in Yaowarat Road night market in Chinatown, through to Michelin starred restaurants. On local advice we booked a restaurant called Charmkrung which offers a modern take on Thai food and is one of the best meals I have ever had – and at a very reasonable price. 

If you have the energy there are no shortage of options for a nightcap; from sophisticated live jazz bars like Brown Sugar, to street stalls charging £1.50 for a local Chang beer. For old times’ sake we got tuk-tuks to the Rambuttri/Khao San Road area, which still looks much as it did in the 90’s when it was 'the' backpacker crossroads in Asia. The kids loved it almost as much as we did.

Enjoy a lovely breakfast overlooking the river. There is so much you could do today in Bangkok, but my suggestion would be to get a taxi to Hua Lamphong station and take the 2.5 hour airconditioned train to Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Siam dating from 1350. On arrival have lunch at one of the floating restaurants on the river and then hire pushbikes or take a tuk-tuk to explore the incredible temple complexes which cover many miles.

Once you have seen sufficient Buddhas, stupas and temples, get the train back and have a well-earned traditional Thai massage at your hotel or one of the many massage parlours around Bangkok.

After some dinner get a taxi to the Rajadamnern Stadium to see a couple of bouts of the Thai national sport – Muay Thai Boxing. It’s more ritualistic than regular boxing but it can be brutal as fighters are allowed to use their knees, elbows, feet and fists.

The joy of travelling is as much about the journey as the destination (to misquote Mark Twain) and no trip to Bangkok would be complete without taking a longtail river bus up the Chao Phraya River. There is so much to see as you head up the river, but also plenty to stop for.

Disembark to wander through the Pat Klong Talat flower market for a riot of colour and plenty of the orchids which Thailand is famous for.

Then pick up the next river bus to the Grand Palace dating back nearly 250 years. If you wish to go inside you need to be covered up – albeit you can rent a sarong there if you have gone in shorts.

Enjoy a trip back along the river back to your hotel taking in the sights and smells at the heart of this fascinating city.

Your 48 hours are up and it’s time to move on to the next stop on your adventure. That being said, you still haven’t seen the famous floating market, the Bridge over the River Kwai, had a Thai boxing or Thai cooking lesson, or been shopping at the crazy MBK centre – so you’ll need to come back again.

For more inspiration take a look at our Thailand Holidays pages.