Bangkok Night Tuk Tuk Tour You Have To Take

There are tuk-tuks-a-plenty in Thailand, especially in Bangkok. It’s easy to barter with a driver and enjoy a ride in these small, three-wheeled transportation vehicles. But wouldn’t it be cool to zip around at night through various areas of the city, eating delicious food and getting to know more about the culture? This is the Bangkok night tuk tuk tour your have to take.

I absolutely adore night photography though I wouldn’t necessarily venture out on my own. Combine that with a fun way to buzz about the area and we were immediately drawn to Expique’s Bangkok Night Lights tour option. I am so glad we did this; it was certainly a highlight of our trip.

Great things about the Bangkok Night Tuk Tuk Tour

• Our guide, Net, not only spoke fluent English but was peppy and personable the entire time – from start to finish. And good energy is contagious!
• The tour is about four hours, approximately from 7:00pm to 11:00pm (19:00 to 23:00). It’s the perfect amount of time to visit and commute between each of the sites. We never felt rushed.
• We got to see landmarks in a totally different light from daytime (quite literally) and population density (more on this later).
• The group was small. It consisted of four sets of two couples. The max tour size is 12 people. This keeps it manageable and affords each guest more attention.
• It was EFFICIENT. We covered about 14km, or just under 9mi with stops in between, in a matter of hours. Imagine trying to coordinate that on your own throughout the day versus just hopping in a personal tuk-tuk with a driver who knows their way around and is already aware of your logical route. Yes, please!

If you don’t have time at night to do a tour, perhaps because you only have 5 hours in Bangkok, you can still cover a lot of ground in the city. (If you need airport transfers in Bangkok they’re super affordable and easy to book.)

Evening Tours in Bangkok

The great thing about the option for evening tours is that you can really make the most of your day in the city. Here’s the tours that appeal to us, that we want to recommend to you:

• This one, of course – the Bangkok Night Tuk Tuk Tour including the Flower Market
• Bangkok Dinner Cruise on the Chao Phraya River
• Midnight Food Tour in Bangkok by Tuk Tuk

What to Bring on a Bangkok Night time Tuk Tuk Tour

• Comfortable shoes. Some walking is involved.
• Temple-appropriate attire. You will be going to sacred temples and need to dress accordingly. I suggest simply wearing a t-shirt and pants, or having a shawl to wrap around your waste if you’re a woman to cover your knees.
• Camera! There’s so many great photo ops everywhere you turns.
• Cash to tip your guide and driver at the end of the tour.

There’s no need to bring the following:

• Water. They provide bottles of water for you!
• Sunscreen and sunglasses. This is a night tour, folks. 😉

Itinerary for Our Bangkok Tuk Tuk Tour at Night

• Start/meet at BTS train station, Krung Thonburi
• Walk around a local Klong San Market
• Visit Wat Prayoon (wat = temple)
• Stop at the Giant {red} Swing
• Drive alone Ratchadamnoen Avenue
• Visit Wat Pho
• End at the famed Flower Market

Exact tour stops may vary due to operating hours of restaurants, for instance, outside of the tour company’s control.

Learning about Bangkok, Thai Culture and Thailand on the Night Tuk Tuk Tour

Dan and I wouldn’t have known several things about Bangkok, the country and Thai culture without this tour. That’s part of what makes it a must.

Things we learned included:

• How to say Bangkok’s REAL name (your guide can say it to you! It’s a mouthful!)
• All about a green colored dessert that was oh-so-delicious (read on…)
• You can dash about the temples in the evening (who knew?)
• Why Pad Thai was invented

After meeting at the train station we were introduced to our tuk tuk drivers and divided into the vehicles to be transported to our first stop: the Klong San Market.

We were given our first snack: pork on skewers. I didn’t eat much meat at the time, and our guide was very accommodating. It’s recommend you tell them about dietary restrictions ahead of time (which you’re probably accustomed to already if you’re a vegetarian, pescatarian or vegan).

We learned so much on this walk around the market, including what school uniforms are for different ages, from grade school through university.

There’s also a shrine to a famous monk named Somdet Toh, pictured below, that you’d never be able to find without a guide. It’s a statue about 10-15′ tall (imagine each of those wood panels is about one-foot tall) that you can pray to for prosperity and such.

Visiting Wat Prayoon

Next we dashed off to Wat Prayoon where we learned about funeral rituals in the Thai Buddhist culture, which was very interesting. You don’t find many cemeteries around the country because it’s a Buddhist nation by a large majority, and Buddhists cremate dead bodies. Our guide went into funeral customs in more depth and she was able to answer all our questions. Seeing the white temple illuminated at night was truly special.

It was here we had a DELICIOUS dessert, that I never would have looked at and ordered if we were solo. But man, was it good! I haven’t had anything quite like it. Called Pandan Leaf Custard, it’s a sweet green liquid you dip piece of sweet bread in. I loved it.

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Bangkok’s Giant Red Swing

Before we knew it we were on our way to the giant red swing. It reminded me of a Tori gate in Japan (those symbolic red gates you see as iconically Japanese) but this icon is was actually a functional swing! It was constructed in the late 18th century. We stopped for a little bit to take photos and for Net to tell us the lengthy name of Bangkok! I’ll leave that as a little surprise for you, should you take the tour.

Getting Classic Pad Thai at Thipsami

We arrived at Thipsamai Restaurant with hungry bellies! Time to eat again? Okay, if I must! This restaurant is legendary as it was one of the first to begin serving Pad Thai after it was invented. What keeps its popularity up and people returning for more is how delicious their style of the dish is.

We learned “pad Thai,” literally translated, means “stir fry” by Thai people. The King wanted to differentiate Thai culture from the Chinese culture around mid-twentieth century. Thus, instead of placing noodles in a broth, as the Chinese did, they stir fried them separately. The dish was popular around WWII and has become a staple of Thai cuisine.

The line at Thipsami is long, extending down the street. The place was packed – but a perk of the tour? They had someone waiting in line for us! Thus, we were seated immediately. You have several options at the restaurant but of course I ordered the Pad Thai.

I wanted the option where it’s wrapped in an egg omelet, being certain I hadn’t seen it like that before and wasn’t sure I’d have the opportunity to get it that way again. The noodles are inside the egg like a balloon with confetti inside. It was a wonder to watch the staff at work doing an assembly line of sorts to meet the high demands of the guests at the restaurant.

Arriving to Wat Pho via Ratchadamnoen Avenue

The next stop was spectacular, which we arrived at via Ratchadamnoen Avenue, a regal tree-lined street (which is why I liken it to Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles, California) that leads to the King’s palace if you travel in the right direction. We felt an almost immediate sense of astonishment because we had Wat Pho to ourselves!

Dan and I visited the day before during peak time and it was loaded with tourists. Conversely, it was empty in the evening. What a treat! If you think it’s incredible in these photos imagine what it was like in person. We had ample time to walk around and Net educated us on its significance and architecture.

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The Final Stop on the Bangkok Night Tuk Tuk Tour: the Famous Bangkok Flower Market

Our final stop was the anxiously awaited Flower Market.

The flower market is impressive.

Having a local with us was invaluable as it seemed most of the vendors barely spoke English; we wouldn’t have been able to have our questions answered without her.

The market is open 24 hours a day and workers rotate on two shifts. The thousands (perhaps millions) of marigolds and orchids there, among a few other flower and plant varieties, is awe-inspiring.

The prices made our jaws drop. You can get a huge bag of marigold heads for just $2.00 USD. (Whaaaat?)

It was special not just seeing some workers creating jasmine garlands but understanding the process thanks to our guide, Net’s, explanation.

Thai people buy a lot of flowers to add to religious Spirit Houses as offerings to the gods. Street vendors will buy product from the larger markets to sell to the people in their towns, which residents buy on their way to work or to run errands, and offer it to a Spirit House with a prayer for prosperity and health.

A Sweet Ending to our Evening Bangkok Tuk Tuk Tour with a View of the Market

As a final send off, we had the loveliest dessert set up on a private upper level of the market with this unique aerial view. We were given sticky rice and mango (a popular Thai dessert) and the Thai fruit called Lonken.

Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, we were offered a ride back to our hotel in our tuk tuk.

Thoughts on our Tuk Tuk Tour at Night

Thailand is so hot during the day (hot even in cooler seasons) and two of the nice things about this tour was it’s cooler at night (you don’t need a jacket, unless it’s rainy season – it’s not cold at night light a desert climate – but it is a few degrees cooler) and it got us out and about “after hours.”

When Dan and I travel we usually go to bed right after dinner between 9:00pm to 10:00pm and rise early around 7:00am to site-see. This was a welcomed change of schedule for us.

It’s great to shake things up from your norm! For more information on this tour and their additional offerings, check out Expique’s website and be sure to look at “The Market Experience” too!

Please note: We thank Expique for generously hosting our tour. We also may make a small commission from affiliate links in this post but all opinions are ours and we bring you genuine content with real facts, photos, thoughts and recommendations. Always.

Heading to Thailand? Also check out:

• Affordable VIP Treatment at Le Meridien Chiang Mai, Thailand
• The Best Excursion We Did in Phuket and Railay Beach Thailand
• Vital FAQs Answered About Patara Elephant Farm in Chiang Mai

What’s your favorite aspect of the Bangkok Tuk Tuk Tour at Night?