The 10 Best Tours of Bangkok
These tours in Bangkok will help to maximise your time while offering an easy way to explore the best the city has to offer. From longtail canal boats to intimate dinner cruises along the river, these professional local guides will ensure you’ll cover the gamut of the unique sights and sounds that make up Asia’s most vibrant city.
1. Flexi Walking Temple Tour: Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun
Buddhist Temple
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.
2. Bangkok Instagram Day Adventure Off The Tourist Track
Natural Feature
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.
3. Thai Cooking Class in Bangkok's esteemed Silom Cooking School
Restaurant, Thai
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.
4. Urban Adventures Chinatown Sights and Bites
Market
5. Bangkok Canal Boat and Bike Tour
Buddhist Temple, Natural Feature
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.
6. Go Snoop
Amusement Park
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.
7. Bangkok Tuk Tuk Experience
Market
8. Bangkok: 9 Modes of Transportation Tour
Architectural Landmark
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.
9. Supanniga Cruise : Chao Phraya River Cruise, Bangkok
Cocktail Bar, Restaurant, Thai
10. Best Of Bangkok: Temples and Longtail Boat Tour with Lunch
Buddhist Temple, Architectural Landmark, Historical Landmark
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.
This article is an updated version of a story created by Kelly Iverson.
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