Discover the iconic landmarks where tradition meets wow: Bangkok’s best in one go.
Discover the cultural heart of Bangkok on this half-day tour, where you’ll explore the Grand Palace and the city’s most iconic temples in the company of a local guide. Along the way, you’ll hear fascinating stories about these historic sites, the Thai monarchy, and the role of Buddhism in daily life.
At the centre of the city stands the magnificent Grand Palace, the former royal residence from the reign of King Rama I to King Rama V of the Rattanakosin Kingdom. Today, this architectural masterpiece is still used for royal ceremonies and to receive state guests and foreign dignitaries.
Within the palace grounds lies Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. Here you’ll find Phra Kaew Morakot, the highly revered Emerald Buddha, a single piece of jade carved with extraordinary skill.
Next, you’ll visit Wat Pho, home to the famous Reclining Buddha. This vast temple complex covers 20 acres, making it the largest in Bangkok, and is considered one of the city’s oldest, built around 200 years before Bangkok became the capital. The reclining Buddha, measuring 46 metres in length and 15 metres in height, symbolises the Buddha’s passing into nirvana. Wat Pho also houses more than 1000 Buddha images, many brought from the ancient capitals of Ayutthaya and Sukhothai.
From here, a short ferry ride will take you across the Chao Phraya River to the Thonburi side, where Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, awaits. Dedicated to the Indian god Aruna, its central prang (spire) rises over 70 metres and represents Mount Meru, the mythical home of the gods. Adorned with delicate pieces of coloured glass and Chinese porcelain once used as ballast on trading ships, Wat Arun is one of Bangkok’s most recognisable landmarks.
No trip to Bangkok is complete without visiting these treasures of Thai heritage.
Important notes:
- The Grand Palace and temples are sacred sites. Shoulders and ankles must be covered for both men and women. Scarves over sleeveless tops are not permitted. No shorts, leggings, ripped jeans, tight pants, slippers (flip-flops), or revealing tops. Entry will be refused if you are not dressed appropriately.
- Entrance fees (THB 1000 per person) are not included in the tour price and must be paid in cash on the day of the tour.
Meeting point:
Your guide will wait for you in front of Tha Chang Ferry Pier, located at the Chao Phraya River, opposite the Grand Palace.
For the location of the Tha Chang ferry pier on Google Maps, please click HERE.
+5
158 Comments
3
Cancelled with less than 12 hours notice despite being booked and paid for. Incredibly disappointing.
Sadly this tour was cancelled less than 12 hours before it was due to start, despite being booked and paid for. In fact I was booked on the 10am tour and it was cancelled overnight so I didn’t find out until I awoke at 8am that my whole day plans were ruined. I was offered a spot on the 1.30pm tour instead but I had another activity booked at this time.
Really disappointed, given that customers are only permitted 24 hour cancellation, I would have hoped that the company would respect their customers enough to offer them the same courtesy. This would have allowed me to have made other arrangements. Cannot recommend.
5
Busy but worth seeing! Best tour guide
I think the Grand Palace was the busiest place I’ve been too in Thailand but still worth to see. My tour guide Nikki was the best tour guide I have had to date. She was extremely personable, helpful, and had good English. She was knowledgeable about facts, and was great at helping take pictures!
4.5
A Solid Addition to Viewing the Temples
During my previous visit to Bangkok, I viewed these temples without the benefit of a guide. While a wonderful experience, I do believe taking the tour this time around enhanced my knowledge of the places we visited. Our guide (I can’t recall his name) was competent, however, I think he could have shared even more information than he did. All in all, the tour is reasonably priced and worth taking.
5
Best experience!
What a fantastic half day tour! Our tour guide, Tack, was so kind, knowledgeable, and easy to walk around with. Ourselves and another couple were treated with such a wonderful experience to the grand palace and two temples. Tack ushered us into the right places, informed us of everything, and handled all the transportation between sites. If I tried this on my own, I would have been overwhelmed. Thoroughly recommend this tour. It is very humid and hot, so bring a fan and a hat. Give yourself plenty of time to reach the starting point. The humidity made it hard for me to think logically when trying to find where I’m going, so make sure you leave early. Thank you, Tack, for making our tour something we will remember forever.
5
An amazing tour
The tour was very worthwhile to see highlights of the Grand Palace and its surrounding temples. 0ur guide Pai made it more interesting as she was knowledgeable, professional and funny. We recommend to go to the Grand Palace with a guide to hear the background history. A definite attraction to visit in Bangkok.