Buddhist Temple Tours from Bangkok

Written by Viator, December 2010

RECOMMENDATION Keywords:

Cultural Experience, Must-Do Experience, Religious Experience, Monument - Historical, Temple

Like much of the Far East, Thailand is predominantly a Buddhist country, with around 95% of Thais practicing Buddhism. This has been the case for centuries, and if you are going to Bangkok you have to make sure that you get to see some of the magnificent temples (called wats), of which there are over 26,000. Religion is a large part of Thai society and it is not unusual to see monks walking down the street. There are several tours that take you inside the temples to see where the monks are ordained.

If you take the Ayutthaya Temple tour and boat cruise, then you get to see the old site of a once thriving Siamese kingdom, 53 mi (85 km) out of Bangkok. The Ayutthaya Temples are a UNESCO World Heritage site and is renowned for its temples, many of which are still intact, including Wat Phra Sanphet, Wat Mongkhon Bophit, Wat Panangcherng and Wat Chai Mongkol, which is known for its large bronze statue of the Reclining Buddha. The tour also includes a trip to the summer palace of King Rama IV, which has been preserved as a museum to take you back in time to Siam. Finally, the tour ends with a boat trip that will enable you to see many other temples along the river.

If you have less time to spend looking at the temples, then local tour guides also offer half day tours. Expect to see the Temple of the Golden Buddha, which has a 3 meter (9 feet) tall gold statue of Buddha, weighing five tons. Once again, the tour takes in the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, swinging by Chinatown on the way. The tour finishes at the Wat Benchamabophit, a monastery that was built out of Italian marble in the 19th century. These tours run in both the morning and the afternoon and are a great opportunity to get some great pictures.

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Reply by William S, May 2012

Doing what: Thailand's Ayutthaya Temples and River Cruise from Bangkok

Ayuttaya temples were full of Thailand's history on which our guide was very knowledgeable. He was also amenable to taking photos of couples which was nice. Our lunch on the river cruise back to Bangkok was enjoyable - sitting with people from other countries is always a pleasant experience. Would strongly recommend this tour as we learnt much about Thailand's history - Ayutthaya was once the country's capital!