Wat Suwannaram

This museum is about the history of Bangkok Noi and of the village of "Bangkok" that used to be located here. Bangkok Noi was an important trading centre in the Ayutthaya Period, and briefly the capital of Siam in the Thonburi Period. The Rattanakosin Period has also been covered, when most of Bangkok Noi consisted of fruit orchards. Many people worked as craftsmen, including those making bronze bowls. These fruits and bowls are on display in the museum. Over time, Thonburi became more urbanised, but here you can still see what it used to be like.

On the mouth of the Bangkok Noi canal, this museum displays several Royal Barges used for state ceremonies on the Chao Phraya River. The ornately carved barges take the form of famous mythical creatures from the Ramayana epic. The most impressive is the Suphannahongse (or Golden Swan), which was built in 1911 during the reign of King Rama IV. This 46-metre craft was carved from a single piece of teakwood. The bow resembles a mythical swan and is adorned with gold lacquer and glass jewels. Most visit this museum as part of a canal tour, but it can also be visited on foot.

These museums are old and dusty with many of them missing English signs. Most of the visitors are Thai students, who have to visit them for their studies, but some foreigners like to see them as well. The Forensic Medicine Museum is the most popular one for its collection of medical oddities similar to the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia. There are many other museums inside the complex, including the Congdon Anatomical Museum, Sood Sangvichien Prehistoric Museum, Songkran Niyomsane Forensic Medicine Museum, Parasitology Museum, Ellis Pathological Museum and the Veekit Veeranuvati Museum on traditional Thai medicine. While much of the collection is not for individuals with a weak stomach or a faint heart, there's a lot to learn or at least be emotionally affected by.

This temple was built during the Ayutthaya Period, later it was reconstructed and upgraded as a royal temple by King Taksin. The temple was named the "Temple of the Bells" due to the discovery of a huge bell at this temple in the reign of King Rama I. This significant temple was the residence of many supreme patriarchs of the Rattankosin Period, including Somdej Toah, a highly respected monk in the reign of King Rama V. Things of note are the beautiful mural paintings in the ordination hall, the image hall and the bell tower. Outside is a row of bells lined up. It is believed that ringing all of them in a row will bring good luck. The front of the building is right at the banks of the Chao Phraya River, and it is beautifully lit at nighttime.

A large and luxurious cinema, and compared to Western standards, an absolute bargain to watch a film here. All the newest Hollywood releases are on show, as are Thai films (most of which are subtitled in English). If you have to wait about one or two hours before the film starts, you can do some shopping or have some food in the attached shopping mall.

Situated on the mouth of Bangkok Yai canal at the west bank of the Chao Phraya, this massive temple is popular among the Thai-Chinese community. It was founded in 1825 by a Chinese nobleman who donated his own residence and bought a piece of land to build a temple. This was during the reign of King Rama III, when trade with China was flourishing. The viharn is in a typical Thai style, but the two flanking buildings look Chinese. Inside the viharn is a large Buddha image named Phraputtatrirattananayok, which is 15.44 metres tall and 11.75 metres wide. It is so large that it almost entirely filled the interior of the hall. The image is called Sampokong by worshippers of Thai-Chinese descent. The inner courtyard is decorated with statues and gates imported from China. Every day during the Chinese New Year festival, this temple is crowded with thousands of Thai-Chinese visitors.