Classic Thailand - Small Group

Arrive in Bangkok, the gateway to Thailand, where royal landmarks, Buddhist temples and fast-paced city life come together in one of Asia’s most distinctive capitals. On arrival, you’ll be greeted and transferred to your hotel, with time to settle in before joining your Travel Director and your small group for dinner at a local rooftop restaurant overlooking the city skyline.

Spend the morning discovering Thailand’s capital, Bangkok. At Pak Khlong Talat, the city’s main flower market, you’ll make a traditional floral garland with local vendors. Then visit Wat Pho, where you’ll present your handmade garland as an offering to the monks, meet a monk and receive a blessing. Continue by tuk tuk to the Grand Palace and explore the royal complex before visiting Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Later, return to your hotel and enjoy time at leisure. You could explore local markets, sample Bangkok’s street food or head out for rooftop city views. This evening, perhaps join an Optional Experience dinner cruise aboard the Manohra.

Begin the day in Bangkok with the chance to join morning tai chi in Lumpini Park, where locals gather at first light. Perhaps visit Jim Thompson House on an Optional Experience and see the former home of the American silk entrepreneur, now known for its collection of Thai art. Later, explore Bangkok from the water as you cruise along the Chao Phraya River and into the canals of Thonburi, passing waterside communities along the way. Visit the Royal Barge Museum to see the ornate vessels used for royal processions, then continue to Wat Arun for sunset before returning to your hotel.

Travel to Kanchanaburi and visit the world-famous Bridge over the River Kwai. Later, board a local train for a scenic ride along the historic Death Railway, crossing the Wang Po Viaduct, one of its best-known surviving sections, built by prisoners of war during the Second World War. Continue to the Thailand-Burma Railway Museum and the War Cemetery, where more than 6,000 Allied prisoners of war are laid to rest. Then transfer to a local pier and take a longtail boat to FloatHouse River Kwai Resort, where you’ll stay in a floating villa on the river and end the day with dinner at the hotel.

Today brings a deeper look at Kanchanaburi, from the history of the Thailand-Burma Railway to the natural landscape along the River Kwai. Travel to Hellfire Pass and learn about one of the most difficult sections of the Thailand-Burma Railway, cut by hand through the rock during the Second World War. Visit the Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum, where photographs and personal accounts record the experiences of the prisoners of war and Asian labourers who worked on the line. Later, return to your hotel and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure. You may wish to join an Optional Experience to Sai Yok Yai Waterfall, one of the best-known sights in the national park, before continuing to Lawa Cave, known for its limestone formations and underground chambers.

From the temple ruins of Old Siam to the northern landscapes of Chiang Rai, this day brings together two very different sides of Thailand. This morning, visit Ayutthaya, the UNESCO-listed former capital founded in 1350, where monasteries and royal temples reveal the scale of one of the region’s most important historic cities. At Wat Mahathat, you’ll see the Buddha head held within the roots of a Bodhi tree, one of Ayutthaya’s most recognised sights. Later, head to Bangkok Airport for your flight to Chiang Rai, before settling into your hotel and enjoying dinner together.

Begin your day in Chiang Rai’s tea country, where plantation landscapes and local production shape another side of northern Thailand. Visit a tea estate to learn about the history of Thai tea, the ingredients and growing conditions behind it, and the way production supports local communities. You’ll see how green tea and first flush black tea are processed, compare tea brewed with mineral and RO water, and try brewing your own with expert guidance. Forest honey, tea tastings and homemade pastries add to the experience before a late lunch at a local restaurant. Return to your hotel afterwards, or choose an Optional Experience to the Golden Triangle and the House of Opium, a museum opened in 1989 that traces the region’s opium history.

Continue to Chiang Mai, stopping first at the White Temple, Chiang Rai’s best-known contemporary temple, recognised for its all-white exterior and mirrored decoration. On arrival in Chiang Mai, once the capital of the Lanna Kingdom, sit down to a traditional khao soi lunch at a local restaurant. Then explore with Insight Choice. Walk along the old town walls and through the surrounding streets for a feel of the Old City, or visit the Lanna Folklife Museum to discover the history and traditions of the former Lanna Kingdom. Later, rejoin your group with a Local Expert to Wat Chedi Luang, one of Chiang Mai’s most important Old City temples, best known for its vast 15th-century chedi, before enjoying a free evening.

Discover local life beyond Chiang Mai in Hang Dong, where village hospitality, home cooking and family traditions shape the day. You’ll meet Mr Prapat and his family at their village home, where you’ll be welcomed in the traditional Lanna way and receive a local mohom scarf before walking through the family gardens to see the herbs and ingredients used in northern Thai cooking. Then join a hands-on cooking session and sit down to the Farm-to-Table lunch you’ve prepared, sharing the meal with the family as your host talks about village life. Return to Chiang Mai later for time at leisure. You could browse the night market, visit the handicraft shops and coffee spots around Nimmanhaemin, or perhaps join an Optional Experience spa massage.

Set out early to experience two different sides of Chiang Mai. This morning, visit Elephant Nature Park, a rescue and rehabilitation centre with a no-riding policy, for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. You’ll observe elephants in a more natural setting, learn about their individual stories and understand how the sanctuary supports their care and habitat. After lunch at the sanctuary, return to the hotel for an afternoon at leisure; relax by the pool or head into the Old City. As evening approaches, ride the cable car to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, where the golden pagoda looks out across Chiang Mai from the mountainside. Later, come together for dinner at 137 Pillars House, a restored teak residence in the Wat Ket district, marking the final night of your journey through Thailand with your small group.

Fly to Phuket today, where you’ll be met on arrival by your Local Host. Then begin exploring Phuket Old Town, where Sino-Portuguese shop-houses, temples and shrines reflect the island’s trading history and mixed cultural heritage. After time to discover this historic quarter, continue to your hotel and settle in. The rest of the day is at leisure. You could spend more time in Phuket Old Town, head to Promthep Cape for wide sea views or make your way to the west coast for time on beaches such as Kata or Karon.

Spend the day as you please in Phuket, whether that means staying close to your resort or seeing more of the island’s cultural side. You could visit the Big Buddha for wide views across the island, explore Wat Chalong, Phuket’s most important Buddhist temple, or head south to Promthep Cape, one of the island’s best-known coastal viewpoints. There is also the chance to join an Optional Experience to Phang Nga Bay, where long-tail boats, limestone islands, sea caves and waterside communities reveal a very different side of southern Thailand.

Spend your final full day in Phuket at leisure, with time to enjoy the island at your own pace or pick up a few last souvenirs before your journey comes to a close. You might visit local boutiques for handicrafts, silk, spa products or Thai pantry staples to take home. Later, there is the chance to join an Optional Experience aboard a catamaran, sailing across the Andaman Sea to Coral Beach Club on Koh Hey before continuing along the coast to Promthep Cape in time for sunset.

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your onward flight, marking the end of your journey through Thailand.