Bangkok & Surroundings

Bangkok is a starting point as much as a destination, and this five-day private journey treats it as both. Two days cover the capital's river, canals and great temples, then the route heads out to a railway market, a floating market, the wartime sites of Kanchanaburi and the ruins of the old capital at Ayutthaya. It suits travellers wanting Thailand's headline sights and history in one unhurried four-night loop.

WHAT TO EXPECT

The Chao Phraya And Its Interior Canals

You are met on your morning arrival in Bangkok and transferred to your hotel, where standard check-in is from 2pm. The afternoon is spent on the water: a private long tail boat carries you along the Chao Phraya River and into the bustling interior canals branching off it, where daily life goes on at the water's edge. The boat stops at Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn. The rest of the day is at your own pleasure, and the first night is in Bangkok. More routes sit on our Thailand tours page.

The Grand Palace And Jim Thompson's Teak House

The second day is the capital's. After breakfast comes the Grand Royal Palace, used for the ceremonies of the Thai royal family, and in the same compound Wat Phra Kaew and its Emerald Buddha, then Wat Pho and its giant reclining Buddha. The afternoon moves to the Jim Thompson House: the American who made it his life's work to bring Thai silks to the world's fashion houses, the teak home assembled from historic houses shipped in from around the country, and what remains a mystery about his 1967 disappearance. The city alone is our three-day Bangkok Highlights itinerary.

Railway Market, Floating Market And Kanchanaburi

An early start takes you southwest of Bangkok to the Maeklong railway market, with time for photographs and a local snack, then on to Damnoen Saduak, a rural floating market reached by private motor boat along the waterway. Kanchanaburi follows, with the Second World War memorial, the JEATH War Museum and the cemetery, a 30-minute ride on the surviving Death Railway for the views from the train along the river, and a transfer into town to see the bridge over the River Kwai. The night is in Kanchanaburi.

Ayutthaya, Bang Pa-In And Departure

A little over an hour brings you to the ruins of the former capital, Ayutthaya: Wat Phu Khao Thong, the Monastery of the Golden Mount; Wat Mahathat, with its Buddha face emerging from a tree; the ancient palace and Wat Phra Si Sanphet; Viharn Phra Mongkol Bopit, holding one of Thailand's largest bronze Buddhas; and, after lunch by your own account, Wat Lokaya Sutha. The last morning is the Bang Pa-In Summer Palace, blending European, Khmer, Thai and Chinese styles, before the drive back to Bangkok around noon and the airport transfer. A shorter pairing is our four-day Bangkok and Ayutthaya itinerary; the north is our ten-day Truly Northern Thailand itinerary.

GOOD TO KNOW

This is a private tour. Included are accommodation on a double or twin sharing basis with daily breakfast, all transfers by private air-conditioned car, both boat cruises, the 30-minute train from Wang Pho, entrance fees, and an English-speaking guide for guided time rather than throughout the day. Lunch on day four is by your own account. Flights, drinks, unlisted meals, early check-in or late check-out and gratuities are excluded, and personal travel insurance is compulsory. Hotel check-out is at noon. Low season runs April to October, high season November to December, with surcharges for Loy Krathong, Songkran, Christmas and New Year, and a compulsory gala dinner on 24 and 31 December where applicable. Quoted on request, with our other holiday packages.