Bangkok City & Temple Tour with Grand Palace
Bangkok has hundreds of temples, each with thousands of reflective surfaces that dazzle. So what makes this temple-orientated tour the number one? Is it because it introduces you to three of Bangkok’s most dazzling, Wat Trimitr, Wat Po and Wat Benjabophit?
Well, only partly. It also takes you to Thailand’s foremost religious site, The Grand Palace; wowing at the Emerald Buddha at Wat Phra Kaew, a tiny green jade icon that, though only 18 inches tall, towers above all others in its holiness. Everyone should, no, MUST experience it.
Ayutthaya Tour by River Sun Cruise
Some tours are jam-packed full of facts, sights and history – so much, in fact, you barely have a moment to yourself. This day trip to Ayutthaya, Siam’s war-ravaged former capital, sails straight in at number two because it has plenty of substance but doesn’t test your staying power.
A morning spent exploring temple ruins is followed by an afternoon on board a luxury cruiser. The hard work well and truly over, all that’s left to do is laze happily on deck, only the memories, river breezes and Bangkok’s bristling skyline for company. Wonderful.
Manohra Dinner Cruise
Bangkok has plenty of dinner cruises. But only Manohra has the three ‘R’s: the river, the romance, and, most uniquely, a 50-year-old rice barge. Made of delicate restored teak wood, it’s easily one of the most distinctive boats plying the water, and hands-down the best for a one-of-a-kind supper.
Guests glide up-river, past seminal city sights like Wat Arun and the Grand Palace. No windows, no air-conditioning, just the cooling breeze and a candlelit table spread with an appetizing selection of classic Thai dishes, all beautifully arranged and presented.
Bangkok Floating Market
Ok, so the Floating Market is hardly authentic. It’s a cultural show, staged so tourists can see how Thais used to buy and sell fresh produce at river markets. However, for its colours and chaos alone it remains a sight no one should miss.
Small thin canals teem with longboats piled high with fresh produce, each one jockeying for position, and paddled by a lady ready to stop and bargain at a moment’s notice. This visual vibrancy, as well as its popularity and iconic status, helped it barge effortlessly into our number four spot.
River Kwai Tours
There’s more to the River Kwai than elegiac WWII sights. And this tour around Kanchanaburi, a lush unspoilt province bordering Burma, proves it. Visits to the Death Railway, the Bridge over the River Kwai and the memorial museum, are tastefully juxtaposed with thrilling doses of back-to-nature: undulating mountains, rugged landscapes, as well as activities like elephant rides and tiger temples.
Very few tours manage such a gratifying combo, both thought-provoking and adventurous - a well deserved winner of our number five spot.
Siam Niramit
Packing all the splendour of the Land of Smiles into an 80-minute stage show is no easy task. But Siam Niramit succeeds – and spectacularly. How so? Try the world’s biggest stage, a cast of hundreds, and bags of Thai finesse. For these joy-bringing efforts, we happily award it sixth place.
The first act describes how Siam became a cross-roads where civilizations met, the second how karma binds the Thai people, the last how religious ceremony earns Thais merit in this life. Spellbinding stuff.
Khlong Tour
Bangkok’s ‘khlongs’ (canals) aren’t mere remnants of the past. Many are still functioning transport arteries that play a significant role in city life. Rather than the noise and smell of central Bangkok’s famous Khlong Saen Saeb, this morning tour focuses on the more scenic waterways of Thonburi.
A long-tailed speedboat glides you past floating kitchens, mobile shops and all kinds of colourful river scenery, before stopping at the enchanting Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun). The trip ends with the Royal Barges Museum; for most, the impressions last a lot longer.
Bai Pai Cooking School
Ever wished you could cook your favourite authentic Thai dish at home? Our eighth favourite tour equips you with the know-how to do just that. At the Bai Pai Cooking School, qualified Thai chefs impart their culinary wisdom in an easily digestible fashion.
Classes are hands-on and never more than ten people. Instructors emphasise the importance of seasonality, fresh ingredients and presentation. Pad Thai? Your favourite curry? These are the dishes you perfect and get to devour. No wonder everyone leaves smiling.
Jim Thompson House
One for silk, antiques and culture lovers. Jim Thompson, an American ex-military officer, almost single-handedly revived the craft of Thai silk-weaving. But he disappeared mysteriously in 1967, leaving behind not only a flourishing industry, but also some lovingly restored teak houses.
This popular tour begins amidst his collection of rare Asian art and antiques, before you are then whisked to nearby Suan Pakkad Palace, a complex of impressive teak houses once belonging to Princess Chumbot. A tour guide explains the mysteries of what is an enriching excursion.
Floating Market Cycling Tour
A cycle tour is the best way to explore corners of Bangkok that most tourists never know exists, let alone discover. With little more than the clank of your bicycle gears, a cool breeze and the waves of locals for company, there’s nothing jaded or cynical about a two-wheeled adventure.
Take our tenth top tour, for example. After the floating market, you peddle past fruit orchards, old temples and ancient army garrisons, heading further back in history and culture with each forward turn of the wheel. Where most tours our somewhat limiting, this one is a true revelation.