During our 3 days/2 nights Amazing Bangkok Starter Package you’ll stay 2 nights in a basic, but convenient and centrally located hotel in the city.
You'll discover the Thai capital Bangkok and the ancient capital of Siam, Ayutthaya!
On day 1 private transfer from the airport to the hotel in the center of Bangkok.
On day 2 explore the famous Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, visit the large Reclining Buddha in Wat Pho and admire the stunning Temple of Dawn.
Board a long-tail boat and get an impression of local life away from the tourist areas.
On day 3 you travel back in time during our full day tour to Ayutthaya and explore ancient buddhas and some of the country's most stunning temple ruins.
Pick up from Suvarnabhumi Airport or Don Mueang Airport on day 1. The exact meeting point on the airport will be informed after booking.
Upon arrival in Bangkok private transfer to your hotel in the center of Bangkok. On the way to the hotel you will get your first impressions of the immense metropolis of Bangkok. Once the vast suburbs give way to the crackling of many tuk-tuks, colorful food stalls everywhere and smiling Thai people you will feel like in another world. After check-in the day is free at leisure.
In the morning (approx. 07:30-07:45 hrs) our driver will pick you up at the hotel and bring you to the meeting point of the Grand Palace & Temples of Bangkok tour, start at 08:30 hrs. Located at the heart of Bangkok, the Grand Palace was the former residence for King Rama I to King Rama V of the Rattanakosin Kingdom. Today, the place is used for hosting royal ceremonies and welcoming the king's guests, state guests, and other foreign dignitaries. Wat Phra Kaew (known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha or locally as Wat Phra Sri Rattana Satsadaram) is located within the grounds of the Grand Palace and one of the most important Buddhist temples in Thailand. The temple enshrines Phra Kaew Morakot (the Emerald Buddha), the highly revered Buddha image meticulously carved from a single block of jade.
From the Grand Palace we walk to nearby Wat Pho, or Wat Phra Chetuphon as it is generally known to the Thai people. Wat Pho is mainly famous for the huge Reclining Buddha statue it houses. At 20 acres large, it is the largest temple in Bangkok, and technically the oldest too, as it was built around 200 years before Bangkok became Thailand's capital. It holds the dual honors of having both Thailand's largest reclining Buddha image and the most number of Buddha images in Thailand. The highly impressive reclining Buddha is 46 meters long and 15 meters high, and illustrates the passing of the Buddha into nirvana. The large grounds of Wat Pho contain more than 1000 Buddha images in total, most from the ruins of the former capitals Ayutthaya and Sukhothai.
We walk to a nearby pier and take a ferry to the Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya river. Here you'll find one of the most outstanding temples of Thailand, named after the Indian god of Dawn Aruna: Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn). The imposing prang (spire) of Wat Arun, which is over 70 meters high, is one of Bangkok's world-famous landmarks, and is surrounded by four smaller satellite prangs. The prangs are beautifully decorated with tiny pieces of coloured glass and Chinese porcelain which had previously been used as ballast by boats coming to Bangkok from China. After we visited Wat Arun we take the ferry back to the Bangkok side where you say goodbye to your guide. The Grand Palace & Temples of Bangkok tour ends around 12:30 hrs. You have about 1 hour to grab some lunch before your 2-hour long-tail boat tour starts; meeting point near the Wat Pho.
At 13:30 hrs you will board a long-tail boat for a 2-hour trip through the klongs (canals) in Thonburi. This long-tail boat ride gives participants the chance to experience a local part of Bangkok, far away from the crowded and well-known tourist areas. Get to see a part of Bangkok where you would never come on your own and experience life in Bangkok like it was 50 years ago! We will make a stop at Baan Silapin (The Artist’s House), located on the banks of Klong Bang Luang (Bang Luang Canal) on the Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya River, a hidden gem devoted to preserving Thai culture. Here you'll experience what life in Bangkok was like before the concrete jungle took hold. The wooden house, over 200 years old and lovingly restored by its owner, sits at the heart of a small community of rustic shophouses which are connected by a wooden walkway that follows the edge of the klong (canal).
We pass Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen (but not get off the boat), built in the mid-Ayutthaya period in the Phasi Charoen District in Thonburi. The boat driver will stop the boat so that you can take a good photo of the huge Buddha statue at this temple. The Buddha statue is towering nearly 70 meters above the ground, the height of a 20-story building, and it is Bangkok's tallest Buddha, with a width of 40 meters in its cross-legged meditation posture. When we arrive back at the pier, you can further explore Bangkok by yourself (for example, walk to nearby Pak Khlong Talat, Bangkok’s flower market), or you can take a taxi/metro back to your hotel (not included). The rest of the day is free at leisure.
Today we set off on a journey to the former capital Ayutthaya and explore ancient buddhas and some of the country's most beautiful temple ruins. Our first stop of the day is Bang Pa-In, 20 km south of the ancient capital, the Summer Palace used by King Chulalongkorn, Rama V, to retreat. He admired European architecture and the buildings are a mix of European and Oriental architectural styles.
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon is a beautiful temple off the historical island. Highlights are its 60 meter tall bell shaped chedi and a Reclining Buddha.
Wat Mahathat was one of Ayutthaya's most important temples. Nowadays Ayutthaya is well-known because of the famous Buddha head entwined in the roots of an old Banyan tree.
Wat Phra Si Sanphet was the royal temple of Ayutthaya where the most important ceremonies were held. The distinctive three stupas in the centre of Wat Phra Si Sanphet make this one of the most iconic temples of Ayutthaya.
Short visit to Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit where the main feature is the large bronze (gilded) Buddha image, named Phra Mongkhon Bophit.
Wat Chaiwatthanaram, one of Ayutthaya's most impressive temples, was built following the concepts of the Khmer mountain temples of Angkor to symbolize the universe in Buddhist and Hindu cosmology. After our exploration of Ayutthaya we can drop you off at your hotel in Ayutthaya (not included in this package) or train station in Ayutthaya. Or we drive back to Bangkok where we can drop you off at your hotel (not included in package) or train station in Bangkok.
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If you cancel at least 6 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel between 2 and 6 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a 50% refund.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.
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