An octagonal white fort built in 1783 by King Rama I to defend his new island capital of Rattanakosin; one of only two of the original fourteen forts still standing.

A lively street whose name means 'milled rice', recalling its 19th-century past as a rice market; today it is Bangkok's famous backpacker hub of shops, food stalls and nightlife.

A landmark traffic-circle monument commemorating the 1932 revolution that ended absolute monarchy; its four 24-metre wings encode the date, June 24.

A towering red teak swing frame in front of Wat Suthat, once the stage for a daring Brahmin ceremony honouring Shiva until the ritual was ended in 1935.

A former royal garden turned tranquil public park, dotted with memorials, historic pavilions and shady tree-lined paths beside Saranrom Palace.

The fortified royal palace complex begun in 1782, its long white crenellated walls enclosing Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.

Better known as Wat Pho, Thailand's first public university and home to the giant Reclining Buddha, ringed by ochre walls and stone guardians that arrived as ship ballast.

A riverside pier and market on the site of Bangkok's original Chinatown, long a bustling hub of Chao Phraya river trade and the crossing point to Wat Arun.

The Temple of Dawn, its towering prang encrusted with millions of pieces of Chinese porcelain, seen glowing across the Chao Phraya from Wat Pho Pier as the tour's grand finale.