#1: Grand Palace
Sunday, December 7 • 8:30 a.m. to noon • Cost: $30
Visit the Wat Phra Kaew with many beautiful buildings and structures. The temple’s main chapel houses the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred image for Buddhists in Thailand. The Buddha is carved from a single block of fine jade. The tour continues to the magnificent grand palace, formerly the residence of the kings of Thailand. Some of the majestic buildings are still used for state and royal functions.
Note: Proper attire is required. Shorts are not acceptable attire in Buddhist temples. Men should wear pants, and women should wear pants or long skirts.
#2: City and Temples Tour
Monday, December 8 • 8:30 a.m. to noon • Cost: $25
Visit two of the most interesting Buddhist temples in Bangkok. Wat Trimitr houses the world’s biggest gold Buddha image and the most valuable, according to the Guinness World Records. This solid gold figure weighs 5.5 tons. Wat Bejamaborphit, also called the marble temple, is one of the most modern works of Thai religious architecture, graceful and tranquil. The temple is famous for its main chapel built in white carara Italian marble to house a replica of Thailand’s most beautiful Buddha image, Phra Phuttachinarat. This tour also provides a picturesque introduction to the city, especially China Town.
#3: Vimarnmek Palace
Sunday, December 7 • 1 to 4:30 p.m. • Cost: $27
Visit the palace built of golden teak wood reputed to be the largest in the world. The Vimarnmek was built by King Rama V at the turn of the century. It now serves as a museum where visitors can admire the display of objects presented to the kings by foreign envoys and heads of state.
#4: Canal Tour
Monday, December 8 • 1 to 4:30 p.m. • Cost: $25
From the pier, take a motor-launch trip along the bustling Chao Phraya River and quiet klongs (canals), passing the picturesque life on the Thai River. Visit Wat Arun, the famed Temple of Dawn and the royal ceremonial barges.
#5: Dinner Cruise
Daily • 6:30 to 9:45 p.m. • Cost: $40
Beginning at the River City Pier, enjoy your dinner on board a river cruise with the scenery of Bangkok by night. Spend the evening with live music, light wind, cool air and the scenery of the Grand Palace and Temple of Dawn.
#6: Dinner and Show
Daily • 6 to 10 p.m. • Cost: $46
Enjoy dinner and a three-act show at Siam Niramit that exemplifies the diverse cultures, the religious principles, and merit-making festivals of Siam. Act 1: Journey Back to History; Act 2: Journey Beyond Imagination; Act 3: Journey Through Joyous Festivals
Note: Show time is 8 p.m. and the length of the show is 80 minutes.
#7: Floating Market and Rose Garden
Tuesday, December 9 • 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. • Cost: $50
Tour the Damnern Saduak Floating Market where farmers and orchard gardeners meet and barter their products every morning in this age-old trading spot on the canals. You will enjoy a boat trip for sightseeing along the canal and then have lunch at the restaurant in Rose Garden. After lunch, the Thai Village Amphitheater provides Thai folk dances and cultural shows such as Thai boxing, sword fighting, fingernails dancing, hill tribe dancing, and marriage ceremonies.
#8: Ayutthaya by Boat and Bus
Wednesday, December 10 • 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. • Cost: $52
Take a relaxing morning cruise along the River of Kings with lunch served as you travel to the royal summer palace at Bang Pa In. This palace was used by the Siamese kings in the old days and is now a museum. You then travel by bus to visit ancient ruins at the former capital of Ayutthaya. Ayutthaya was partially restored after destruction from attack in 1767.
