Wang Lang Market

Wang Lang occupies the lanes between Siriraj Hospital and the river on the Thonburi bank, and its customers are hospital staff, medical students and local residents, which sets both the prices and the standard - stalls that cannot feed a nurse well and cheaply do not survive here. The food skews southern Thai, with khao mok gai, southern curries, roti, grilled fish and pork, and a substantial run of dessert and snack stalls, alongside clothing and general goods. It is dense, covered in places, hot, and busy through the day rather than only at meal times. The cross-river ferries from Tha Chang and Tha Phra Chan take a few minutes and cost a few baht, which is part of the appeal - you leave the Grand Palace crowds and are somewhere entirely different in five minutes. Siriraj is Thailand's oldest hospital and its medical museum, including forensic exhibits, is on the same site.

What you actually see

• The southern food - khao mok gai, southern curries, roti and grilled fish.
• The local pricing - set by hospital staff and students, not visitors.
• The lanes - dense, covered and busy through the day.
• The ferry crossing - a few minutes from the Grand Palace side.

When to go

November to February. Busy through the day rather than only at meal times; lunchtime is the peak. Two hours covers it.

Honest expectations

Crowded, hot and narrow, with little English. It is a working local market, not a food destination laid on for visitors. The Siriraj forensic museum nearby holds preserved human remains and is not for everyone.

Nearby

Siriraj Hospital and its museums are adjacent; the Grand Palace is across the river.