There are many, many travel agents in Bangkok offering tours of the sights in
Bangkok and surrounding provinces. The Khao San road travel agents tend to be
the cheapest, but have a reputation for routinely selling more tickets than
there are seats in the minibus. This is obviously not particularly comfortable.
Many of the bigger hotels will have a travel agent of some sort which will be
more expensive, though should be of better quality. Prices can vary a lot, so
it's worth shopping around - make sure to check whether entrance fees are included
in the price as this can make a big difference. Prices are generally around
500B per person for a half day tour, and go up to over 1000B per person for
longer trips. Full day tours should include lunch in the price.
Some tours will just basically involve driving you from one sight to another,
while others will have knowledgeable guides which can add a lot - try and
check this before booking. Recommendations from others are the best way of
deciding which company to go for, as things can change quickly. Please let
us know if there's a particular company you can recommend.
The following is a guide to the most popular and widely available tours on
offer:
Grand Palace and
Wat Phra Kaew
(half day)
|
This can be easily visited
by simply taking a taxi here, a tour will be expensive and have no real
benefit over going independently. Detailed free guidebooks are given at
the entrance, and multi-lingual guides are always available for hire if
you need them. More details are on the Wat
Phra Kaew and Grand Palace
pages. |
City and Temples tour
(half day)
|
Tours such as this will generally involve visiting
Chinatown and Wat Traimit,
the Pak Klong flower market, Wat Pho and perhaps some some other sights
in the Banglamphu and
Dusit districts. Again, this
could be done cheaper and more flexibily by hiring a taxi but a tour is
less hassle and could be reasonable value if you have a good guide. |
Samut Prakan Crocodile
Farm / Ancient City
(half day)
|
These are fairly close
together and can both be visited in a whole day tour. They're both quite
a hassle to get to using public transport, so a tour really is the way
to go if you want to visit these. More details are on the day
trips page. |
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market / Rose Garden
/ Nakhon Pathom
(full day)
|
This is one of the best tours available, as
reaching all of these in a single day otherwise would be very difficult.
Details on all of these are on the day
trips page. |
Damnoen Saduak Floating
Market / Kanchanaburi / Nakhon Pathom
(full day)
|
This another good trip,
though it's worth spending more time in Kanchanburi if only to see the
Erawan waterfalls nearby. This trip will basically only go to the Bridge
Over The River Kwai, the cemetery and a museum in Kanchanaburi. |
Jim Thompson's House and Suan Pakkard Palace
(half day)
|
These are located close to each other, not
far from Siam Square. They're easy to see independently, and a tour is
a bit of a waste of money. More information on both is on the other
attractions page. |
Vimanmek Palace and
Abhisek Dusit Museum
(half day) |
This is best visited
simply by taking a taxi to Vimanmek, and the Abhisek museum is in the
grounds. A tour is completely unnecessary really. Information on Vimanmek
is in the Dusit section.
|
Ayuthaya
(full day)
|
The one day tours provide an excellent introduction
to Ayuthaya, though it is so large that they will not cover all of the
highlights there. Some include elephant riding and a longtail boat trip
in the price, and some will include a 4 hour river trip to/from Bangkok
and a stop at Bang Pa-In. Check to see what you are paying for, as the
different tours can vary a lot in what they offer. |
Thai Dinner and Classical
Dancing
(evening)
|
This is an entirely
touristy show, but is okay if you just want to see some traditional Thai
dancing. |
River and Khlongs tour
(half day)
|
These go around the canals in Thonburi
with a stop at Wat Arun,
but vary in what other sights they offer. It's easier than hiring a boat
yourself, but not as cheap or as flexible. |
Safari World
(full day)
|
This is best visited
on a tour, as some sections of the park require private transport to visit.
More details about it are on the Day
trips page. |
Pattaya
(full day) |
These generally go to an island off Pattaya,
Ko Larn, for swimming and snorkeling. It's best going for more than a
day if you can though, as these can be a bit rushed. |
