The Artist's House and a pad Thai food shop are among free or cheap attractions in Bangkok singled out by the Lonely Planet for tourists to visit.
The travel media firm, which is a bible for travellers, has largely left behind mainstream attractions and selected 18 places from markets to food shops with money-saving trips for visitors to the capital in its latest book, The Best Things in Life are Free.
They are the Artist's House, Pak Khlong Talat, boat noodles at the Victory Monument, the Bangkokian Museum, Wat Arun Rajwararam, aerobics at Saranrom Park, Ban Baat, the Chao Phraya Express ferry and the Golden Mount at Wast Saket
Other places wrapping up its list are Koh Kret, Lumpini Park, fight night at MBK Center, Wat Mahathat meditation classes, street food in Yaowarat, the amulet market at Tha Phrachan, the Chatuchak weekend market, Rot Fai market and even Thipsamai -- a pad Thai shop.
Koh Kret in Pak Kret district in Nonthaburi is the only place outside Bangkok in the book.
Some like Wat Arun -- the Temple of Dawn -- and Chatuchak are already well-known among tourists visiting the capital. But picks like the Artist's House, better known as Ban Silapin, on Khlong Bang Luang and Thipsamai on Mahachai road come as a surprise as they are not popular among foreigners.
The Golden Mount at Wat Saket is included in a must-visit place in the latest book of the Lonely Planet. (Photo by Krit Promsaka na Sakolnakorn)
Lonely Planet does not give details on the reasons to pick the places in the book in a statement released on Wednesday. But it has described the Artist's House on the website as worth visiting. The place is "a beautifully restored old home on the canal that a local artist renovated, in part to preserve the traditional structure and in part to open a gallery and art centre", it said.
The website also calls Thipsamai "home to some of the most legendary fried noodles in town."
Bangkok is among more than 60 cities across the globe including in the money-saving travel guide published this month.
"All that glitters is gold in Bangkok, where every turn reveals another shimmering chedi (shrine) or gleaming Buddha," the book says. "The good news is that you don't have to be rich to see these treasures; in Thailand's City of Angels, you can eat like a king and see the sights on a shoestring," it adds.