Historical Ayutthaya with the Grand Pearl
3.8
Historical Ayutthaya with the Grand Pearl
By Asian Trails Thailand
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
About
Journey to the ancient capital of Siam on a full-day tour to Ayutthaya from Bangkok. Follow in the footsteps of kings, as you explore the UNESCO World Heritage Site, ruins of mighty temples, and the Bang Pa-In Royal Palace with a guide. Instead of driving back to Bangkok like most tours, take the scenic route to the capital on a Chao Phraya River cruise, including a delicious buffet lunch onboard.
Ages 0-80, max of 999 per group
Duration: 10h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
More
Highlights
- Visit the former Siamese capital on a guided tour of Ayutthaya
- See the UNESCO-listed ruins of ancient temples built over 400 years of rule
- Tour the well-preserved Bang Pa-In Royal Palace
- Return to Bangkok via a cruise on the Chao Phraya River with buffet lunch
- One way river cruise on board from Ayutthaya to Bangkok on board the Grand Pearl
- All entrance and donation fees for visits as mentioned in the description.
- All applicable taxes and service charges
- Buffet lunch on board is included (food only)
- Entry/Admission - Bang Pa-in
What's not included- Tours, inclusions of any kind and other services that are not outlined in the tour description
- Personal expenses such as meals, drinks, shopping, portage fees.
- Gratuities
- Supplement for transfers for customers arriving or departing from any airport or resorts in far area
- Compulsory Christmas, country-specific festival and/or New Year dinner at included hotels
- Any airline tickets, visa fees, additional transportation cost from and to the general meeting point
- Transfer between cruise jetty and your accommodation.
- After early morning pickup at your Bangkok hotel, ride in air-conditioned comfort north to Ayutthaya, the reigning capital of Siam for more than 400 years until it was sacked by the Burmese army. Learn about the fascinating history of the site and see examples of Thai, Chinese, Italian, and even Victorian architecture, as you tour the sprawling complex of crumbling temples and well-preserved palaces. A highlight is a visit to the Bang Pa-In Royal Palace, the ornate lakeside summer retreat of Thai King Rama V. When it's time to head back to Bangkok, take the slow and scenic way on a cruise along the Chao Phraya River. Watch the Thai countryside give way to the sprawling metropolis while enjoying a delicious buffet lunch. When the boat docks in the late afternoon, a driver waits to transfer you back to your hotel.
- Start:Multiple pickup locations offered.Pickup details
- We pick-up from your centrally-located hotel in Bangkok only. Specific conditions apply for transfers outside the city center and properties along the river.
Hotel pickup offeredDuring checkout you will be able to select from the list of included hotels.End:This activity ends back at the meeting point. - Not wheelchair accessible
- Infants must sit on laps
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 8084P322- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- This tour is operated both on private basis as well as on joint / Seat-In-Coach basis.
- Customers who book the private tour option: a private guide and vehicle will be assigned for the Bangkok – Ayutthaya overland portion, yet will join other customers on the downstream river cruise back to Bangkok.
- Transfers are only operated within the downtown Bangkok areas and restricted to main hotels only. Regions outside the central business district such as Khao San Road, Rattanakosin, Nonthaburi, Thonburi, Minburi, both International Airports, Ratchadapisek and upper Sukhumvit (Soi 55 and further) are excluded and supplementary charges apply.
- Tour with Spanish-speaking guide available Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday only
- Tour with Italian-speaking guide available Monday and Wednesday only
- For all riverside excursions (river cruises, lunch and dinner cruises, long tail boat tours and other water-based tour options), restrictions on transfers from and to booked riverside accommodation along the Chao Phraya River are applicable. Customers are requested to make it to their nearest pick-up point in the downtown Bangkok area.
- Most travellers can participate
- We regret that are unable to provide pick-up and drop-off transfer services from and to apartment complexes, local guest houses or private apartments.
- We always will make efforts to confirm the exact pick-up time upon reservation. For any operational issues in which are not able to confirm the exact pick-up time in advance, we reserve the right to inform you the day before the departure of the tour.
- Please note pickup and drop-off services may not be confirmed for customers staying at private residences, apartment complexes, or other non-registered tourism accommodations. Customers may be asked to meet at a nearby hotel for pick-up and drop off.
- Natural elements of any kind have a destructive effect on electronic equipment. It the customer’s own responsibility to ensure that any camera, mobile telephone or other device is properly wrapped and protected against these elements. We cannot be held responsible in any way for negligence and/or not following suggestions for any damage related to this.
- It is the responsibility of the customer to provide us with the correct hotel information, should pick-up and drop-off services be included in the package. Any changes in accommodation outside 24 hours will be handled accordingly: changes within 24 hours may be on request.
- In the event of no-show or change of accommodation without prior consent and confirmation from us within 24 hours may result in the applicable cancellation charges as outlined in the terms and conditions.
- Cruises are not available during the following dates / periods - Loy Krathong Festival (November) | Christmas Eve (24 December) | Christmas Day (25 December) | New Year’s Eve (31 December) |New Year’s Day (1 January) | Valentine’s Day (14 February) | Mother’s Day (12 August)
- Cruise operation will also seize during the annual dry-docking period; exact dates will be advised by the cruise company and are subject to change. We reserve the right to cancel requests during this/these period(s)
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 999 travellers
- All sales are final and incur 100% cancellation penalties.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 8084P322
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Similar experiences
Itinerary
- 1
- 2
- 3
Top rated
About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- A6441NImaryd0 contributionsAmazing and deliciousOur tour guide was amazing. They picked us up and dropped us off at our hotel seamlessly. We got little facts as we cruised down the river then visited a local farm. We got to smell multiple herbs and the food served was delicious.Written 10 March 2025
- Terence K0 contributionsA Beautiful place.The palace sums up the Kings of Thailand's taste through out their rule, it has many Court yards with statues of Budda's on display and ornamental gateways at each entrance, there are waterfalls that stand alone in several locations locations. The main attraction is the Gold lying Budda which is very popular and shoes must be covered. There are a variety of colourful stucca's as well well as a temple on the site. If you are a single traveller a tour is your best option as the whole complex will be explained. There are refreshments available and souvenirs, best time to visit early morning for solo visitor or late in afternoon when heat of the day has passed.Written 18 January 2025
- lyndamG2382PH0 contributionsA must do if visiting Chang Rai !Booked through Viatour while we were staying in Chang Rai. We had an amazing guide ‘Angie’ and lovely driver. It was a private tour which allowed us to spend more time at each stop . Angie’s English was very good, she was knowledgeable and very interesting to talk to, particularly about Laos and the Chinese investment there. We had several stops and the highlight was a short boat trip down the Mekong with Laos on one side, Thailand on the other and Myanmar behind us. The temple stops were stunning, thoroughly recommend this trip .Written 9 January 2025
- Charltonath0 contributionsA relaxing experienceVery pleasant cruise up the river. The guide was very informative. It was a relaxing experience. Highly recommend. Leave every hour on the hourWritten 25 November 2024
- karyn4300 contributionsUnique AdventureAmazing experience from start to finish! I went with my husband and we had an incredible time. Very unique experience for those who prefer something a bit different.Written 25 November 2024
- jasonwV8317GX0 contributionsDisappointing Bang RakThe tour we experienced did not match the description given. There were no hidden alleyways, secrets or cultural hotspots, just visits to a few local restaurants. We did not venture off a small part of Charoen Krung Road, a tiny part of Bang Rak, and went nowhere near Silom Road or Patpong as was advertised. There were supposed to be opportunities to shop for local goods in those areas but that didn’t happen. The whole tour lasted barely 2 hours instead of the 3.5 hours scheduled. The whole thing was very disappointing.Written 19 November 2024
- Travel6986750 contributionsThe Grand Palace is a must see if your visiting BangkokThe Grand Palace Bangkok is a must see if your visiting Bangkok. We had a very knowledge guide who shared her vast amount of knowledge with us. Highlight of our stay in Bangkok . Awe inspiring the detail, history connected to the grand palace design both in its exterior and interior appearance is breathtaking. The array of stones and the colours arranged adorning and laid carefully into the architecture and the statues which are abundant throughout the grounds are beautiful in appearance. The grounds also are well cared for and maintained throughout the site. Best time of day to visit is early am as it gets very hot and extremely busy if you go later. We booked on an individual tour and visited early in the morning just prior to the rush of the larger group tours arrived.Written 26 October 2024
- davidgQ8197VW0 contributionsThis journey along the Kwai fulfilled all our expectations, and more. Thoroughly relaxing and informative in all respectWhen I first viewed this trip I was concerned at the lack of feedback from travellers so felt we were travelling into the unknown. This was back in early 2024 so apologies for the late review having enjoyed the trip so determined to write a review. My partner has already submitted her report so I will just add on my additional views; firstly Saint Krista, a wonderful German lady who was the cruise manager..no words can fully compliment this outstanding lady for the care she provided during my partners (tummy) illness. I remained on board during the day to provide comfort etc whilst the other folks went off on a day tour. Sitting upstairs on a shady deck during the day, enjoying the Kwai flowing past, whilst both myself and Krista had pleasant chats over coffee or Ricard (good for a poorly tummy) the chef enquiring what sort of a lunch I would like prepared, was five star. I can add that the food prepared for us was outstanding; the chef was quick to adapt her menu to our individual idiosyncrasies - not too many fortunately. Krista was always to hand and passed all our compliments and requests to Chef. Meal timings were fluid, as some of the trip timings changed due to traffic and tides. Breakfast was superb with individual choices freshly prepared. Readers may be interested in the bar, I certainly was! All bottled but containing a Catholic reasonably priced selection of liquor. I certainly needed a few stiff Ricards for medicinal reasons. Beer was local and wine imported, slightly pricy until the friendly barman pointed out a wine bargain. A bottle, purchased, can have your name on it for the next evening etc. A tab is run, payment on the final evening. To sum up, a marvellous mini cruise on a fascinating historic and interesting river, in excellent hands on board a quirky ship and and cabin. I would like to experience it again, if just for the care and comfort we experienced at the hands of Krista and her crew! Happy to answer any questions you have. DavidWritten 3 September 2024
- hazeyhay0 contributionsBeautiful Historical Sites and ScenaryThe sites were beautiful and our guide was full of knowledge, answering all of our questions. We got a lot of pictures of the stunning scenery. Travelling the river between Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand was extraordinary. A must-do when in Chiang Rai!!Written 27 July 2024
- Demons110 contributionsRelax at Hua Hin.Hau Hin was a very relaxing. Plenty of eateries. cheap of course. beach about 50 meters away. Stayed for a month and that wasn't long enough. Anyone thinking of going... "go"...Written 10 July 2024
- 104micky0 contributionsGreat morning on the riverGreat communication, picked up on time in an air-conditioned van. Boat driver had good English with good knowledge of the area and great traditional Khao Soi. Would highly recommend.Written 22 June 2024
- Batti660 contributionsA unique experience not to be missed!Beautiful boat and although small, with single beds, the cabins are cleverly designed and have aircon. The shower and bathroom all work perfectly and there was never any hint of running out of water, power, etc. There were only 9 of us on board when we travelled; I believe the maximum guest number is 20. Krista, the cruise manager, is excellent and looked after me when I unfortunately wasn’t well (nothing to do with the boat or their food), providing me with medicine and reassurance, and also making sure the bed was made more comfortable for me as I personally found it too hard. I sadly missed out on the trips but was content to stay in my air conditioned cabin and watch the world float by. The boat anchors in the middle of the river at night and tows a small tender at all times to transport people to the bank for trips, etc. The staff are all excellent and attentive, led by Krista, with entertainment put on by the staff on the last night. My partner stated that the food was lovely and lots of it (I wasn’t eating at this point!). I was sorry not to have experienced it more but would happily recommend.Written 23 March 2024
- T5271SWandreww0 contributionsFloating market for TOURISTSWe ventured out to see the floating market, upon arriving and boarding a paddle boat it became very apparent that this only run for tourists. Souvenirs shops abound every inch of the water ways . The worst feature I. Our view is the use of long tail motorized boats' they are noisy if uou like to be in an srea with diesel and gas fumes its eonderful. VERY POLLUTING IN MY OPINION GET RID OF THE MOTORIZED BOATS. OVERALL I would give this a very very poor rating however if you like things created only for tourists go for it.Written 21 February 2024
- guy_paenen0 contributionsGood deal - one time experience.Civilized dinnercruise. Well organized. Food served at the table on a nice boat. Relaxing background music. "Nouvelle cuisine" food OK. Not "Waaauuw", but certainly not "Pfff" either. We opted for "free flow wine, beer". Good quality wine available (Prosecco / Rioja). Does not come exactly cheap (100€ pp), but all in all a good deal if you don't like the disco-boats with buffet-food.Written 18 February 2024
- Kikka19310 contributionsAVOID!AVOID! I just want also to let you know that - I have 30 years of tours/traveling so this is not my first experience - This is a private tour (but, honestly, 80% of what I am going to write would be bad for a group trip too….) and the price isn’t cheap - After this excursion we had very good tours, so, yes, we were unlucky You can just read title of each point or read the whole thing if you want to know more. 1) English tour guide and no English 😳 ? The guide (Mark) speaks little to no English. To the extent that when we were asking questions slowly, the broken English answers he gave were unrelated to the topic. 2) A real tour guide? - During our car trip to the different attractions Mark didn’t give us any context: we didn’t know we were going, what we would see, and the location’s basic history. Zil, none, zero, nada… we tried multiple times in different ways to let him know we wanted to know more. It always fell on deaf ears. The trip was him either talking to the driver or on his phone. - All the information he gave us was a game of true or false. We would get out of the car and all he would say was “we are at X/Y/Z”. As afore mentioned, he gave very basic information: when asking other guides afterwards, we discovered what he said to be mostly wrong. Since he was checking Google most of the time to answer at our basic questions, I am wondering why he didn’t get the info right? - For Thai people the Royal family has an immense value. This guide wasn’t able to even distinguish one king from another (not even to say if the figure portrayed was a king or not 👀 ) , even in front of photos. This left us wondering whether he even is a real tour guide. 3) Let’s keep up with the pace! Mark would quickly walk ahead, neither waiting for us nor checking where we were, leaving us slightly lost at times. 4) History and math test time! I think this is less important but was a kind of the cherry on top of the pie. - His answers assumed we were already aware of every step in Thai history and that what he was saying was common knowledge. - When we were asking for dates on events/buildings, Mark replied using the Thai calendar. When asking for clarification, he would always say either 100 or 250 years ago, which we later discovered was also not true for most information. To sum up, RUN away from this tour!Written 17 February 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
3.8
10 reviews
Excellent
4
Very good
4
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
2
Stevo21
Airlie Beach, Australia26 contributions
Nov 2016 • Couples
A excellent day out. The guide (Pan) was knowledgeable and funny. The visits to the palaces and older temples were fascinating and there was plenty of time to just wander about at our own pace. The river trip back down to the city was awesome. The food provided (buffet lunch) was really good and my wife who is both gluten free and a vegetarian had plenty to eat. This is a great day out.
Written 27 October 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Keith
Epsom, UK5 contributions
Feb 2018 • Couples
Very good day out. Despite being 20 - 30 minutes late leaving because one couple were late, the visits to the Royal Palace and the two temples in Ayutthaya did not feel rushed. Be aware though that the Chinese house at the Royal Palace is undergoing major restoration and is covered by what looks like a hangar. Meal on the cruise was excellent - much better than we were expecting from a buffet. Not sure if we were just lucky but there was lots of room on the boat which was less than half-full. Lovely cruise back to Bangkok.
Written 9 February 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kristine D
Sharon, Canada8 contributions
Nov 2017 • Couples
Our tour guide was First and I have absolutely no complaints about him. There is something comforting about knowing your tour guide grew up in the town he's about to show you. The tour starts early in the morning. Once you are on the main bus there's a little bit of a intro and then you can sleep until you get to your destination, which makes up for the early start. I enjoyed all the sites that they brought us too and felt that I was able to see a lot of what Autthaya has to offer. I also learned a lot of Thailand history thanks to our tour guide. The buffet was very good. I made sure to try a little bit of everything that they served.
Written 22 December 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Janet Z
Austin, TX35 contributions
Tour was exhausting- several temples- first was beautiful and peaceful, 2 Nd was a ruins, 3rd was so filthy with tortured elephants to ride. Biggest issue was it was so incredibly hot and the bus’s air conditioning broke 10 minutes into trip and didn’t get fixed till last stop- 4 hours in a sweat box was miserable. The bus driver hit a sign and shattered the window by my legs. Said it is ok.., omg!
Boat was peaceful and food plentiful but zero food from 6:30 am to 1;30 pm- stops had sugary drinks but no real food for purchase.
I would not recommend!
Boat was peaceful and food plentiful but zero food from 6:30 am to 1;30 pm- stops had sugary drinks but no real food for purchase.
I would not recommend!
Written 18 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ivan F
San Pedro Garza Garcia, Mexico3 contributions
We booked the tour for our honeymoon and we were notified the day before that they won't be able to make the tour so we had to make another reservation through someone else. I haven't been refunded as of today!! Horrible service... Not trustworthy, stay away from this company!
Written 6 March 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
eccode
UK75 contributions
Nov 2018 • Friends
Excellent day out and with a good guide with a good sense of humour. The first stop at the Bang Pa - Royal Palace was an absolute treat, we arrived before most tourists and the grounds filled with lakes, waterfall, temples was a sight to behold, pure magic. Then onto Ayuttthaya to visit Wat Mahathat to see the Buddha head enshrined in tree roots and other stupas and temples, a very different and interesting place. Finally to another temple Wat Phanan Choeng to see the very large golden Buddha . Then we drove back towards Bangkok and then boarded the cruise ship down to Bangkok and enjoy the variety of sites of accommodation along the Chao Phraya river. An excellent full day out but not too long - highly recommended.
Written 26 November 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I have been waiting for a ride since 7
Written 7 February 2019
What would the price for a private day trip for 4 be?
is there any possibility to see the floating market on this trio and cut something else short?
Written 31 January 2019
Do you pick up at Sheraton or Weston near Asok on Sukhumvit?
Written 12 January 2019
Is it possible to be picked up at the Sheraton or Weston on Sukhumvit on Monday January 21 to take this shared tour? There are 2 adults.
Written 12 January 2019
what is the maximun numbe of guests with the "shared tour" option? Thanks!
Written 10 January 2019
Greetings! what is the maximun number of guests if the shared tour option is chosen?
Written 10 January 2019
Do you pick up at the Chatrium Residence Sathon Hotel?
Written 5 January 2019
Showing results 1-10 of 17
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.