During this half day tour you will visit the Grand Palace and the most well-known and important Buddhist temples in the Thai capital. One of our knowledgeable guides will tell you everything about these famous sights, the history and Buddhism in general.
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. The temple enshrines Phra Kaew Morakot (the Emerald Buddha), the highly revered Buddha image meticulously carved from a single block of jade.
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.
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.
From a nearby pier, we'll 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 is one of Bangkok's world-famous landmarks. It is over 70 meters high and represents Mount Meru, home of the gods. The corners are 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.
A visit to Bangkok is not complete without visiting these famous landmarks!
Meeting point:
In front of the Tha Chang ferry pier, located next to the Grand Palace
Highlights
- Visit the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha)
- Visit Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn)
- Visit Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha)
Important
- Remember that the Grand Palace and temples are sacred places and you must dress appropriately. Shoulders and ankles need to be covered (for both men and women; sleeveless shirt with a scarf covering is also not allowed). No shorts, leggings, ripped jeans, tight pants, slippers (flip-flops), or revealing tops, otherwise you won't be allowed in.
- Bangkok's traffic is notorious. Since our tours are on a group basis, we would like to emphasize that you should arrive at the meeting point on time. If you cannot make it in time, please inform us before start of the tour. If possible, we will always do our best to reschedule you to the first available day/start time, but a change fee will apply.
- The guide can only wait for a MAXIMUM of 10 minutes after the set meeting time. After the 10 minutes grace period, the guide will start with the tour.
- Private tour rates are on request.
+5
158 Comments
5
Great tour and good way to know about the history of country l
Very good and complete tour. Our guide, Waan, was very knowledgable and kind. She is very passionate about her job and explained in great detail.
5
Getting to know the temples
The tour was fun I got lots of pictures. The tour guid had lots of information. I had loads of time to see and learn everything.
5
Excellent Service
5 out of 5. Our guide was excellent, very in depth & spiritual tour. Temples were some of the most beautiful buildings ever built. Highly recommend whilst staying in Bangkok
5
Grand Palace and Bangkok temples
The tour guide related his name to “Taxi”, he was so good and very considerate to how our small the group of 6 would manage the heat on the 4hr tour starting at 1 pm in 37C heat.
He explained where to walk and where not to, he also gave us detailed explanations of each temple, the history and religious backgrounds”before” we went into those areas. This way we were able to marvel at the beauty of them and he gave us little top-up stories/facts and picture tips as we went along. This way he didn’t have to shout above the other tour guides during our viewing pleasures but he still kept us engaged whilst we were taking it all in with pictures. He kept giving us cooling breaks in shade, breezy areas or where there were fans or AC.
Overall, his tour guiding skills were exceptional and we would 100% recommend him and his tour company for anybody looking to do this tour.
Tips: wear loose clothing that will cover you, that way you respect the temples and the heat! Hat or umbrella recommended. Travel light as carrying a bag causes extra heat and sweating where it touches you. After this 4 hrs tour you’ll feel “templed-out” – phrase quoted by another member of our group:-)
5
Brilliant experience.
Excellent tour. The guide was very knowledgeable. We had a great time. The guide also knew excellent spots for photographs. We got some good photos on a crowded day.