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Bangkok Canals and Temples Tour: Explore Grand Palace, Wat Arun, and the Venice of the East
4.1
74 Ratings
Bangkok
Embark on a captivating tour of Bangkok’s canals and temples, including the iconic Grand Palace and Wat Arun. Discover the Venice of the East and witness the bustling waterways that serve as a lifeline for the locals.
Embark on a captivating tour of Bangkok’s canals and temples, including the iconic Grand Palace and Wat Arun. Discover the Venice of the East and witness the bustling waterways that serve as a lifeline for the locals.
Duration:
3 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Temple Of Dawn (Wat Arun) - Wat Arun extemdash stately & iridescent Khmer-style temple
- The Grand Palace - A trip to the majestic Grand Palace & Emerald Buddha
- Chao Phraya River - Peaceful cruise along the serene Chao Phraya River into Thonburi
- The Upper Terrace - Visit the Upper Terrace grand palace
- Tour East - Finish tour
- Temple Of Dawn (Wat Arun) - Wat Arun extemdash stately & iridescent Khmer-style temple
- The Grand Palace - A trip to the majestic Grand Palace & Emerald Buddha
- Chao Phraya River - Peaceful cruise along the serene Chao Phraya River into Thonburi
- The Upper Terrace - Visit the Upper Terrace grand palace
- Tour East - Finish tour
What's Included
- Hotel pickup and drop off (selected hotels only)
- Local guide
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Hotel pickup and drop off (selected hotels only)
- Local guide
- In-vehicle air conditioning
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks
- Hotel drop-off
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks
- Hotel drop-off
Additional Information
On this sightseeing tour of Bangkok’s canals (or khlongs, as they are known locally) you will travel by a motorized boat on the Chao Phraya River to see the serene family homes and temples dotted along the waterways which inspired Bangkok’s reference as the ‘Venice of the East’. The canals around Bangkok serve as a natural highway for many local Thai…
On this sightseeing tour of Bangkok’s canals (or khlongs, as they are known locally) you will travel by a motorized boat on the Chao Phraya River to see the serene family homes and temples dotted along the waterways which inspired Bangkok’s reference as the ‘Venice of the East’. The canals around Bangkok serve as a natural highway for many local Thai people going about their everyday business, such as transporting their merchandise, in particular rice, to and from the rice fields.
- Restroom facilities available
- Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the unlikely event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund.
- You must provide your hotel details at time of booking, failure to do so may result in cancellation
- Dress Code: There are strict dress codes for visiting the Grand Palace. The Temple of the Emerald Buddha is Thailand’s most sacred site. Visitors must be properly dressed before being allowed entry to the temple. Men must wear long pants and shirts with sleeves - no sleeveless tops. If you’re wearing sandals or flip-flops you must wear socks (in other words, no bare feet.) Women must be similarly modestly dressed. No see-through clothes, bare shoulders, etc.
Location
Temple Of Dawn (Wat Arun)
158 Thanon Wang Doem, Wat Arun, Bangkok Yai
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.1
(74 Ratings)
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David_s
Sep 2, 2023
Spectacular tour of the Chao Phraya River, the Grand Palace/Emerald Buddha and Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun) - This morning tour to the Grand Palace/Emerald Buddha and Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn) included a long-tail boat journey through the Chao Phraya River as well. Our guide was Sophie who was one of the most professional and easy to understand guides we have ever had in Thailand. We had a tight schedule as we had to join a second afternoon tour with a different company in order to see the other 3 main temples in Bangkok. Without any request, Sophie was calling the other tour company to give them our ETA back at our hotel. Typical Tour East professionalism (first time we toured with them in Thailand was back in 1976 and again in 1994). Tour East is always highly recommended for its quality of guides and tour content. You get what you pay for!
Review provided by Viator
C11ffc
Jul 11, 2018
Great introduction to Bangkok - We were a family of 4 with 2 teenagers. Pick up from our hotel was on time in a comfortable minivan with AC. Taken to the boat dock where we met up with another family of 4 and our guide Pui.
Pui was very friendly and knowledgeable and did a great job of looking after both families throughout the tour.
Make sure that you take water with you, although you will get chances to buy bottles during the tour, as none are provided.
We boarded a long tail boat for the tour of the river and Khlongs canals. This was great fun racing along the river on these traditional Thai boats. If it had been raining you would have needed a waterproof jacket of some kind. After the canals, we docked at the Temple of Dawn. This was one of our favourite of all the ones we saw. Because it was still early we were able to walk around leisurely without the crowds.
Then we took the boat on to the Grand Palace. In contrast the Grand Palace was very hectic and crowded, not really suitable for younger children I would say. Thankfully Pui negotiated her way around sorting out our entry tickets for us etc. She then provided us with a very informative tour of the Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha ( where she watched our shoes whilst we went inside!). With regards to clothes you must ensure that shoulders and knees are covered & no jeans with holes in to enter these places.
We were all pretty hot and tired by the end, so were glad we had arranged for the transport back to our hotel.
We particularly enjoyed the first part of the trip on the boat, and found having a guide around the Palace and temple was vital. Pui was excellent throughout and made it all the more enjoyable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jennifer_n
Dec 30, 2016
Great trip with a fantastic tour... - <p>Great trip with a fantastic tour guide. Khun Yelly was very knowledgable and incredibly sweet. She knew all of the good spots for photos, and even took time to teach our kids about everything, to include folding the lotus flowers for offerings. This tour included all of the highlights, and Yelly's expertise helped us navigate the temple entrances with ease. So much better than trying to do it ourselves. And glad we went in the morning, before it got too hot.</p>
Review provided by Viator
Michael
Dec 5, 2016
This was a great tour. Was picked up... - <p>This was a great tour. Was picked up on time and taken to the dock for boat cruise. The cruise was interesting in the sense that it showed me the reality of the day-to-day lives that people in Bangkok live. My tour guide was nice and I saw the Temple of the Emerald Buddha as well as the most important rooms in the Grand Palace. Wat Arun was a little steep to climb especially for a person with size 13 shoes going up was fine, but coming down I had to slide down on my butt since that was the most effective way. The tour guide was great at relaying to me the history of Bangkok and the cultural significance of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Overall, not to be missed!</p>
Review provided by Viator
Charles
Jun 2, 2016
Have taken the tours with Viator... - <p>Have taken the tours with Viator while in Italy and this one was as expected, great guide and pickup and dropoff was easy. It was nice to have a personal guide going through the Grand Palace. He stood in line to purchase both tickets to each venue and was very informative. The canal cruise was a nice added touch to arriving at each of the venues. I would definitely recommend this tour. For the Grand Palace, check to make sure that there is no holiday the day after your tour, because they close the palace where the Emerald Buddha is located and we missed seeing it,</p>
Review provided by Viator
Ken
May 30, 2016
This tour was fantastic the canal... - <p>This tour was fantastic the canal trip was great our guide was very knowledgeable, about <br/>
bangkok and the palace. A must if it is your first time in Bangkok</p>
Review provided by Viator
Kenneth
Jan 24, 2016
An exhilarating trip on the canal... - <p>An exhilarating trip on the canal with some interesting sights. The temples were wonderful, but very crowded although our guide did exceptionally well</p>
Review provided by Viator
Patrickwaynes2017
Jan 30, 2018
good dayb trip - good day ,make sure you have a hat and sit well back in the boat. when the driver open up the motor you fly through the water
Review provided by Tripadvisor
David
Mar 22, 2016
The palace was great, but we had a... - <p>The palace was great, but we had a real problem understanding our guide's English. The canal cruise part of the tour was OK, but nothing special.</p>
Review provided by Viator
Karthikeyan
Feb 6, 2016
The guide made us all to wait for... - <p>The guide made us all to wait for half an hour in the Palace before taking the entry tickets which he could have arranged earlier to avoid the waiting.</p>
Review provided by Viator
