วัดซางตาครู้ส
The Santa Cruz Church is an interesting Catholic church right at the banks of the Chao Phraya River. After the fall of Ayutthaya by a Burmese invasion, King Taksin commanded that the peoples who escaped had to settle down in Thonburi, the new capital of Siam. The King dictated that the Chinese group had to settle down around the area of Wat Kalayanamit, while the Portuguese people would have their houses built along the bank of the Chao Phraya River. The Portuguese had given military support to King Taksin to help him drive out the Burmese from Siam. In recognition of their support, King Taksin granted the Portuguese a plot of land for the building of a church. The first Santa Cruz Church was a wooden church built in 1770. When that church got into a state of decay, a new Chinese-style church was built here, as it was nearby the Chinese community that stayed at Wat Kalayanamit. That church was called "Kudichin church" (Chinese church), and the Portuguese who settled here were called "Farang Kudichin", which means "Westerners at the Chinese shrine". In 1916, the third and current Santa Cruz Church was built during the reign of King Rama IV. The church has a magnificent Italian-style architecture. The community around it still feels authentic, and is the birthplace of a famous kind of cupcake, the "Khanom Farang Kudichin".
วัดประยุรวงศ์
This temple is close to the banks of the Chao Phraya River. The first thing you see is its large white chedi in Ayutthayan style; it is the only chedi of this style in Bangkok. King Rama II tried to create a similar chedi at the Golden Mount, but the ground could not support it and it collapsed. If you want a nice nightly picture of the chedi, walk on the Memorial Bridge at dusk when it is beautifully illuminated. However, most visitors come for the Khao Mor Cemetery, a large mound at the entrance of the temple. The mound is covered with many different shrines, chedis, spirit houses and even a doll house. There's a lot to take in, but it's certainly a fun walk. The shallow pool has some turtles swimming around, which you can feed with food bought from the stalls outside. Another attraction is the small two-room museum with Khon masks, papier-mache pigs and other cultural objects.
09:00-16:30 daily·30 baht
Tourist flock to the rooftop bar Amorosa for its spectacular sunset views of Wat Arun. Get there early, as there are only 20 seats in the house and you can forget a seat after 18:00. The view comes at a price, expect to pay Western rates for alcoholic drinks. Downstairs is The Deck, a restaurant serving Thai and European food, also with a view of the temple. It is recommended to make a reservation if you want to have dinner here.
Amorosa 17:30-01:00 daily, The Deck Mon-Thu 11:00-22:00, Fri-Sun 11:00-23:00·Mains 200-500 baht
มิวเซียมสยาม
The renovated European-style mansion of the Ministry of Commerce of Thailand has been turned in good use. It now is the Museum of Siam, a permanent exhibition about the history of the Thai nation, its culture and its interaction with other nations and cultures. As with all the new museums in town, it's a so-called "discovery museum", in which visitors can play and interact with the objects shown. It is a lot fun, for children and adults alike, and informative at a superficial level. First you watch a subtitled short film about Thai-foreign interaction, with some Thai inside jokes about foreigners. Then you'll walk through several historically-themed rooms, starting in prehistory and ending in the modern age. Make sure your camera is charged and its memory unit empty, as there are many photo opportunities. You can sit in a tuk-tuk, prepare fake Thai food, bomb medieval armies, wear colonial-age clothing, present a news programme and sit in a 50s-style diner.
Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00·300 baht for foreigners, free entry 16:00-18:00