Bangkok for The Romantics: a Friday-to-Monday weekend

Cross on the five-baht ferry from Tha Tien and climb the central prang's steep steps while the porcelain mosaics catch the low sun; leave shoes at the bottom.

Take the orange-flag boat upriver for a handful of baht; sit at the stern, with the temple spires going gold and the city's lights coming up on both banks.

Eastern Thai home cooking by the river: crab in yellow curry, grilled river prawns and a salad of cured pork. Ask for a table upstairs by the window.

Six teak houses of central and northern Thailand on a lotus-pond garden, assembled by the American silk king who vanished in 1967; the guided tour is compulsory and short.

Tiered silver stands in the colonial wing where Somerset Maugham and Graham Greene stayed, with a river view and a pianist; reserve a table by the window.

Ian Kittichai's tasting menu in a 1920s garden villa: crab with green mango, a chilli-balanced curry, lemongrass in the dessert. This is the weekend's one splurge.

Three 1930s teak houses kept as a family home, with the original furniture, a record player and a garden; free, quiet and open Wednesday to Sunday only.

A white 1783 bastion on the river with a breeze and a lawn; watch the sun drop behind Thonburi and the long-tail boats wake the water.

A courtyard of old shophouses and antiques, where you eat green curry with crab and steamed fish under the leaves; book a courtyard table and go early.

The 46-metre gilded reclining Buddha with mother-of-pearl feet, and four courtyards of stupas that are cooler than they look; go at opening, before the tour buses.

The temple's own school of traditional medicine gives a thirty-minute foot or neck massage by trained masseuses; book at the pavilion and choose side by side.

The crab omelette, thick as a pillow, and green curry with fish balls; the dining room is a calm place for a farewell lunch before the airport.