Bangkok City Tour Full Day Private

Our English Speaking guide will meet you at your Bangkok City Area Hotel at 9am.

At one end of Chinatown, in what was once an otherwise unremarkable temple of Wat Traimit, sits the world's largest solid gold Buddha image. Made of about 83% pure gold and weighing in at five and a half tons, the 15-foot tall seated image is worth millions of dollars at today's gold prices. The image has a colorful history, which is recounted in a free pamphlet distributed with your paid admission. The Golden Buddha was cast sometime in the 13th century and is an excellent example of the gracious Sukhothai style that is still very much in favor to this day. At some point, it was covered in plaster and lacquer, most likely in an attempt to hide the valuable icon from thieves or looters. The disguise was so good that everyone apparently forgot about what was hidden beneath. A member of King Rama III's court had the statue moved to Bangkok and installed in a temple near where the Oriental Hotel is today. That temple fell into disuse and was completely abandoned around 1931.

Located at the heart of Bangkok, Thailand, the Grand Palace was a 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. It is also a place where remains of kings and high-ranked members of the royal family were situated before cremation. The Grand Palace is divided into two main zones, which are the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and the royal residence. The latter is divided into three major areas: the Outer Court, the Middle Court, and the Inner Court. The Outer Court starts from Wiset Chai Si Gate to Phiman Chai Si Gate and includes the inner walls of the Grand Palace. It is now the location of several state offices such as the Bureau of the Royal Household, Office of His Majesty’s Principal Private Secretary, and the Office of the Royal Institute. The Middle Court starts from Phiman Chai Si Gate to Sanam Ratchakit Gate. The area is where significant royal ceremonies are held such as the Royal Coronation and the Royal Ceremony of Coronation Day. Situated in the Middle Court area are the Phra Maha Monthien Buildings, the Chakri Maha Prasat Buildings, the Phra Maha Prasat Buildings, and the Siwalai Gardens quarter. The Inner Court starts from Sanam Ratchakit Gate to Thaew Teng, the row houses which were formerly palace walls during the reign of King Rama I. The southern area of the Inner Court was then a female-only zone; no man except for the king was allowed to get into the area, where the queens, consorts, consort mothers, and daughters of the king lived together with many ladies-in-waiting and servants. The area no longer served as a residence nowadays.

The Temple of Emerald Buddha or the Wat Phra Kaew is considered as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. The temple houses the statue of Emerald Buddha made of green jadeite and the beautiful, glittering structure of the temple is sure to leave you in awe. Protocol expects visitors to cover their knees and shoulders and also take their shoes off before entering.

In Thai these are called wat. One of these, the Wat Arun or the Temple of Dawn, is named after Aruna, the Indian God of Dawn. Sitting majestically on the Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya River, the legendary Wat Arun is one of the most striking riverside landmarks of Thailand. Despite the name, the most spectacular view of the glittering monument can be seen from the east side of the river at sunset, when the spires of Wat Arun make an impressive silhouette against the skyline. This Wat or Buddhist temple is an architectural representation of Mount Meru, the center of the world in Buddhist cosmology. In the mythology of Tibetan Buddhism, Mount Meru is a place that simultaneously represents the center of the universe and the single-pointedness of mind sought by adepts. Thousands of miles in height, Meru is located somewhere beyond the physical plane of reality, in a realm of perfection and transcendence. The four-corner prang of Wat Arun, which house images of the guardian gods of the four directions, reinforces this mystical symbolism.

Bangkok Flower Market (Pak Klong Talad) is the biggest wholesale and retail fresh flower market in Bangkok. The market has all kinds of popular flowers and flora-related items, including roses, forget me nots, orchids, lilies and more. Most of them sold in packs of 50 or 100 flowers in each, and prices are amazingly cheap. Part of the Old City, Bangkok Flower market is located on Chak Phet Road near Saphan Phut or the Memorial Bridge. Shops and vendors are housed inside two to three-storey shop-houses on both sides of the main road. The market lies just south of Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha) and has access to a river pier, so it makes for a great one-day trip when combined with other historical attractions in the Old City.

Bangkok’s Chinatown is a popular tourist attraction and a food haven for new generation gourmands who flock here after sunset to explore the vibrant street-side cuisine. At day time, it’s no less busy, as hordes of shoppers descend upon this 1-km strip and adjacent Charoenkrung Road to get a day’s worth of staple, trade gold, or pay a visit to one of the Chinese temples.

The Wat Pho or “Temple of the Reclining Buddha” is one of Bangkok’s most attractive temples. It is a much visited temple complex due to its location immediately South of the Grand Palace and the huge Reclining Buddha image it houses. The temple that is officially named Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimonmangkhalaram is one of the six temples in Thailand that are of the highest grade of the first class Royal temples. Finally, it's a perfect chance to return. Besides, drop off you at your Bangkok City Hotel around 5 pm.