Ayutthaya Highlights Tour with Scenic Grand Pearl River Cruise
Description
Discover the rich history, fascinating architecture, and iconic buildings of Ayutthaya, an ancient royal capital. Visit the former royal residence at Bang Pa-In Palace, marvel at the Wat Mahathat and Wat Phra Sri Sanphet temples, and cruise the waters of Chao Phraya River while enjoying a delicious lunch. - Full day exploring UNESCO-listed former capital of Ayutthaya - Ancient Buddha statue encased in a tree at Wat Mahathat - Former Thai royal summer residence at Bang Pa-In Palace - Visit to the historic ancient temple of Wat Phra Sri Sanphet - Delicious buffet lunch on a river cruise along Chao Phraya River
Tour Options
Itinerary
After hotel pickup, your vehicle makes the journey north from Bangkok to Ayutthaya Historical Park, located 53 miles (85 km) away. The old capital of Thailand (aka the Kingdom of Siam) from 1350 until 1767, Ayutthaya was largely destroyed by the Burmese and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site full of intact temples, monasteries, palace ruins and beheaded Buddhist statues. 06:00 – 07:15 hrs. Pick up from hotel and transfer to the river city shopping complex, Siphraya, next to Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel. Morning By bus: 08:00 hrs. Departure from Bangkok by Grand Pearl luxury air–conditioned coach with English speaking guide.
09:30 hrs. Arrival at Ayutthaya, a World Heritage City and historic capital of Thailand in the period of 1350-1767 A.D. The most interesting historical sites in the country, to visit a few famous Buddhist Temples.
Visit Wat Mahatad, the royal monastery, served as the residence of supreme monk
Wat Phrasrisanphet, the largest and most important temple. Its was used as a residential palace
Wihan Phramongkhon Bophit, the large bronze Buddha image was originally enshrined in the open area outside the grand palace and later covered by a building called Wihan.
This temple has the largest reclining Buddha image in the island of Ayutthaya. Enshrined in an outdoor brick building with a length of 42 meters and 8 meters high. The head turns north. His face turned to the west. Phrabath turned south.
Afternoon By cruise: 13:15 hrs. Welcome aboard the Grand Pearl Cruise Liner at Wat Chong-lom Pier (Nonthaburi). Sumptuous buffet lunch with a choice of a variety of oriental and western cuisines will be served, while you may relax and enjoy the fascinating scenery on the River of Kings. The cruiser will then head towards Nontaburi, past Koh Kred, The monn community before reaching Bangkok city.
15:00 hrs. Coffee will be served while you enjoy the enchanting sights along the River banks such as the colorful Royal Barges House, Thammasart University, Siriraj hospital, The Royal Grand Palace and the graceful Temple Of Dawn, with its magnificent 79 M. spire, Wat Kallayanamitr, one of the most renowed temples.
Royal Barges National Museum
Thammasart University
Siriraj hospital
cruise passing by the beautiful Grand Palace
cruise passing by The Graceful Temple of Dawn
Wat Kalayanamit Woramahawihan
16:00 hrs. Arrival and disembark at the River City Shopping Complex Pier. Transfer back to hotel by air-conditioned van. Child Policy : Child over than 120 cm we will charge as adult rate Child 4-10 years old
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Free of charge Door to Door Pick up for CITY CENTER BANGKOK DISTRICT AREA (3 KM radius area) with namely Sukhumvit Soi (Lane) -1 to 33, Sukhumvit area Soi 1 to 33 (odd) and Soi 2 to 24 (even), Pratunam, Silom, Langsuan, Wireless Road, Sathorn, Surawongse, Siam, MBK, Yawarat (China Town), Khao San Road (Excluded City Tour) can pick up only in our meeting Royal Rattanakosin Hotel You can also join our tours at BANGKOK MEETING POINTS - Our office, Sun Leisure World Corporation, 23rd Floor, Athenee Tower 63 Witthayu Rd, Lumphini, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand An additional surcharge for hotel pickup outside 3 miles (5 km) radius from the city center is applicable and payable on the day of your activity
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- We are SHA Plus certified. A certificate awarded to an organisation proving that they have approved Covid-19 health and preventative protocols in place and that 70% or more of all employees have been fully vaccinated.
- Please note: Sleeveless shirt, short top, see-through, short pants, tight pants and mini skirt are not allowed to enter Grand Palace & all Temples in Thailand.
Reviews(88)
Our tour was cancelled less than 24 hours before it was due to commence. We had travelled to Ayutthaya specifically to go on this tour so paid for transport and accomidation only to have the tour cancelled and now weeks later we have not received a refund despite the company saying they have completed things their end. My bank has seen nothing and its very hard to get a reply from the company
Don't trust this operator. They accepted a booking, sent a confirmation number, for Friday 10 April, then went a note the day before saying we don't go on Fridays, take Saturday. With a previous commitment we could not do that. We wrote to say that we could not and asked for a refund. Now we hear xrickets, absolutely nothing. No refund, no apology no acknowsgemt of our reply, absolutely nothing. They breached a contract they confirmed, took the fee and went silent. Scuzzy behaviour. Drive right by these guys and don't look back.
Excellent tour. Timely pickup at hotel. Guide was very knowledgeable and informative. Tour was not rushed, we had personal time to explore on our own. Cruise and the lunch were excellent and relaxing.
Well organized tour from start to end. Great tour guide, First. He explained all the important points at the temples and along our river cruise. The lunch and Cruise were great.
It is a bit of a drive from Bangkok but interesting to see the first capital of Thailand. Would recommend this historical tour.
It’s the best way to get to know Ayuttaya. Loved Donna’s energy and dedication. Great dining on the boat down the river to Bangkok
A very good day out. Picked up promptly from hotel in a very plush mini-van. Short wait at River City for whole party to assemble. Comfortable coach. Made 3 stops in Ayutthaya - given brief tour with guide then given some time to explore on our own. Our guide Donna was interesting and enthusiastic though she could be a bit tricky to understand. It is an hour by road to the boat dock where we joined an older but comfortable boat for the trip back to Bangkok. The buffet lunch was excellent - a varied and plentiful selection of delicious food. Our driver from the morning was waiting when we got back to River City and returned us to our hotel in good time. Overall, a very well organised day
The tour was very informative, and in my view good value for money. The tour guide Donna was excellent, friendly, informative and willing to help people out with any issues.
We liked the temples very much, despite that it was very busy it was also very impressive. However, wished we could have stayed longer there, versus spending the other half of the sightseeing on a cruise with a short dance which was very touristy and not so special.
Last minute cancellation due to overbooking by operator despite booking 3 months in advance. Not very professional. I had a full itenerary, so could not move to another day. I do appreciate the rapid full refund after contacting viator.
Hi Margriet O, Thank you for sharing your experience regarding the Ayutthaya Temples Tour with Grand Pearl River Cruise on Aug 21, 2025. I sincerely apologize for the last-minute cancellation you faced — especially after having booked three months in advance and planning a full itinerary. Unfortunately, on rare occasions, overbookings occur due to system sync issues between multiple booking platforms. While this is not an excuse, it is a gap in our operations that directly impacted your plans, and we recognize how frustrating and unprofessional this feels from your side. I’m glad to hear that you received a full refund quickly through Viator, but I understand that this doesn’t make up for the lost experience and inconvenience caused. Please know we are already taking steps to prevent this in the future by: Upgrading our booking system to provide real-time availability sync across all platforms. Introducing a buffer quota so overbookings cannot occur, even during peak demand. Assigning a dedicated reservations manager to cross-verify advance bookings. We value your trust and regret that we couldn’t host you this time. Should you return to Bangkok in the future, we’d love to personally welcome you on this or another experience — and as a gesture of apology, we’d be happy to offer you a special discount or complimentary upgrade. Please reach us at support@sunleisureworld.com if you plan to visit again. Thank you once again for your feedback — it helps us ensure that cancellations like this do not happen again. —Customer Care Sun Leisure World
