The 10 Best Tours of Bangkok

Take in all of Bangkok’s most sacred sites in one fell swoop with this half-day walking tour. Meet the guides at the Maharaj ferry pier and then walk between sights. The knowledgeable local guides will immerse you in the history of the Grand Palace and its iconic Emerald Buddha, along with the nearby Wat Pho and its giant Reclining Buddha, as well as the mesmerising Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn). The tour also includes a stop at the bustling Tha Tien food market, the unique Amulet Market, and comes with lunch as an added plus.

This tour is perfect for amateur photographers, Instagrammers or solo travellers who need someone who can capture their best side. Your local photographer and guide will take shots of you in off-the-beaten-path temples, along the river, above the city and with other Instagram-worthy locations. The tour even includes photo editing of your favourite images, and you can bring a variety of outfits to change into. You don’t even need a fancy camera for this either, as smartphones will do.

Thailand’s delicious cuisine is the reason why many come here. And if that’s the case for you, then knowing how to cook a few famous dishes may be the perfect souvenir. This class will give you an overview of the kingdom’s culinary traditions, take you to a local market to buy fresh produce and introduce you to key ingredients in Thai cooking. A professional chef will then teach you how to make popular favourites such as tom yum goong and pad thai. The price tag won’t break the bank, and you can choose between morning, afternoon, and evening classes to fit your schedule.

Urban Adventures runs day tours led by passionate locals around the world. In Bangkok, the Chinatown walking tour takes you through the labyrinthine alleyways that make up the city’s most historic spots. Come with an empty belly, as you’ll be eating your way around street carts, market stalls, and old-school cafés along the way. The tour runs for five hours, and the price tag includes food and drinks.

Get away from Bangkok’s notorious traffic and check out the Old City and scenic canals on two wheels. Grasshopper has been running bicycle adventures in Southeast Asia since 2004, and they combine local expertise with plenty of focus on safety. You’ll take a small boat and then navigate a maze of canals by bike and check out a traditional Thai puppet show on this family-friendly tour. There are also night tours of Chinatown that get rave reviews, and the tour price is great value.

Go Snoop is a sightseeing tour and mystery puzzle in one. Starting from the historic Old City, participants are given a map and a bag of clues before being pitted against the clock in a detective game. Players get a game guidebook with historical facts and interesting tidbits about the various places visited, which are used to help solve the crime. This tour is a very family-friendly way to see a lesser-visited side of Bangkok, and the price tag makes this one of the more affordable options on this list.

Three-wheeled tuk tuks are Bangkok icons, and no visit is complete without a ride. On this Urban Adventures tour, you’ll be driven around for 4-5 hours, stopping off at some of the most scenic spots in the city – all from the vantage point of your own private tuk tuk. Highlights include panoramic views from the Golden Mount, the Amulet Market, the Pak Klong Talat Flower Market, the small soi (alleyways) of Little India as well as the more famed sights like the Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho.

A big part of any visit to Bangkok is dealing with its massive gridlock and endless traffic. This alternative tour utilises nine different forms of public transport to educate visitors about the city and its inhabitants, and will show you the sights while at the same time teaching you how residents get around. You’ll go from tuk tuks to ferry boats to the skytrain, motorbike taxis, and more. By the end you’ll be navigating the city like a local. The tour price includes lunch.

Sunset dinner cruises on the Chao Phraya River are a romantic way to spend an evening with your beau. But the lion’s share tend to fall short when it comes to the cuisine, serving rather bland Thai buffets. Instead, opt for the intimate Supanniga cruise, run by the folks behind the land-based Supanniga Eating Room restaurants, a chain that specialises in hard-to-find dishes from Thailand’s eastern seaboard. The Supanniga boat only accommodates 40 people, so the whole experience is far more personalised.

If you’re looking for the “classic” Bangkok tour, this covers all the top draws, including the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, plus exploring the old canals responsible for giving Bangkok the moniker of ‘Venice of the East’. Additionally, for the asking price, you get to tour the rarely visited Royal Barge Museum, hit up some local street food joints for lunch, and ride a private longtail boat through the canals of Thonburi with a professionally licensed English-speaking guide.