I spent two days and three nights in Bangkok during my visit, and I felt like this amount of time was perfect for seeing the city of Bangkok. I had just the right amount of time to walk around the city and see the temples during the day, and then relax and have great meals (and drinks!) at night.
During my time in Bangkok I went to:
- The National Museum
- Wat Phra Kaew (aka. Temple of the Emerald Buddha)
- Wat Arun (aka. Temple of the Dawn)
- The Grand Palace
- Khao San Road
- Siam Square (and surrounding) malls
These things were all worth seeing, especially Wat Phra Kaew and The Grand Palace. They were breathtakingly ornate and impressive--I felt like I understood more about thai culture after visiting those locations than I did after going to the National Museum. Words can't adequately describe them (nor can pictures for that matter, but at least pictures do a slightly better job), so make sure you look at the photos.
Khao San Road--Khaosanroad.com calls it "The Gateway to Southeast Asia"--is great if you like to be around a dense crowd of backpacking foreigners that love to party in the evening. They have everything from street vendors to restaurants and bars to ping-pong shows (Note: ping-pong is one of Thailand's most popular sports, but I wouldn't recommend you bring children to see a "ping-pong show" in that area). Visit the area for fun in the evenings (or stay at a cheap hostel there like I did), but don't expect to learn anything about Thailand or Thai culture. I felt like Khao San Road would be pretty much the same anywhere in Southeast Asia, it just happens to exist in Bangkok. It was definitely worth a visit for some evening fun, just make sure you know what to expect.
I don't think I missed anything too spectacular, but feel free to leave recommendations/let me know if I did in the comments. I'll get there next time ;)