Asia · Thailand
Bangkok with a private guide, six days by car through Ayutthaya, Sukhothai, Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, then three nights by the sea at Khao Lak, on the Andaman.
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€1,499
per person
This itinerary is a starting point: we'll adapt it with you in your tailor-made proposal.
Request informationA trip in three parts. It starts in Bangkok, with a day among the great temples alongside a private Italian-speaking guide.
From the fourth to the ninth day you drive, in a rental car. You head north through the ancient capitals of Ayutthaya and Sukhothai, the White Temple of Chiang Rai, the Golden Triangle on the Mekong and Chiang Mai, where you have a free day. In Thailand you drive on the left and an international driving permit is required.
From Chiang Mai you fly to Phuket and end with three nights at Khao Lak, on the Andaman Sea, among long and quiet beaches.
The package includes flights from Italy and the domestic flight, 10 nights in hotels with breakfast, private transfers, the guided visit of Bangkok and the car for six days.
13 days in the programme
Departure from Italy on a scheduled flight to Bangkok, with a stopover in Doha. Meals and overnight on board.
Arrival at Bangkok airport, entry formalities and private transfer to the hotel. The rest of the day is free to rest after the flight. For those with energy left, an idea. A boat along the Chao Phraya, the river that crosses the city and links many of the main sights, and in the evening Chinatown, with Yaowarat Road full of neon signs and street food stalls. Bangkok is big and congested, so it is best to get around by boat or on the elevated metro.
Breakfast and a visit of the city with a private Italian-speaking guide. It starts at Wat Traimit, home to a solid gold Buddha that stayed hidden under a layer of stucco until 1955. Then Wat Pho, with the great reclining Buddha, 46 metres long and covered in gold leaf, and the Grand Palace, the former residence of the kings, with Wat Phra Kaeo and the Emerald Buddha. In temples, shoulders and knees must be covered. Free afternoon. An idea. The river ferry to Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, and a Thai massage at the Wat Pho school.
Breakfast and pick-up of the rental car. From here the self-drive part of the trip begins. You leave Bangkok heading west, into the province of Nakhon Pathom. From the Wat Suwannaram pier you can take a long-tail boat along the Mahasawat canal, among lotus fields and orchards, with a tasting of tropical fruit. Then north to Ayutthaya. On the way, the Bang Pa-In Summer Palace is worth a stop, a royal residence among ponds and pavilions in different styles. Overnight in Ayutthaya.
Breakfast and a morning in the Ayutthaya historical park, capital of the Kingdom of Siam from 1350 to 1767 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The main stops are Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon, with its great chedi and row of seated Buddhas, Wat Mahathat, where a stone Buddha head is wrapped in the roots of a tree, and Wat Phra Si Sanphet, with its three chedis in a row. You continue for about an hour and a half to Lopburi, for Phra Prang Sam Yod, the Khmer temple inhabited by macaques. Then about three hours on the road to Phitsanulok.
Breakfast and departure for Sukhothai, about an hour's drive away. The historical park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, preserves the ruins of the first capital of the Thai kingdom, founded in the 13th century, among ponds and lawns. It is easy to explore by bicycle, rented near the entrance. Not to be missed is Wat Si Chum, with its great seated Buddha enclosed by high walls. In the afternoon, about four hours on the road heading north, with a break on the lakeside at Phayao. Arrival in Chiang Rai in the evening.
Breakfast and a morning among the temples of Chiang Rai. Wat Rong Khun, the White Temple, is a contemporary work by a Thai artist, entirely white and decorated with fragments of mirror. Wat Rong Suea Ten, the Blue Temple, has deep blue and gold interiors. You then head up to the Golden Triangle, where the Ruak flows into the Mekong and Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet, with the House of Opium, a small museum on the history of opium. About three and a half hours on the road to Chiang Mai. In the evening you can go up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, on the mountain above the city.
A free day in Chiang Mai, with the car at your disposal. To be booked separately, a visit to Elephant Nature Park, a sanctuary where rescued elephants live freely and are not ridden, or to Araksa Tea Garden, a tea plantation in the hills outside the city. On your own, the old city inside the moat, with Wat Chedi Luang, the great brick chedi partly collapsed, and Wat Phra Singh. In the evening, dinner along the Ping river. The dish to try is khao soi, a curry noodle soup typical of the north.
Breakfast. A morning still free with the car, for a market or one last temple. In the afternoon, return of the car at Chiang Mai airport by 6 pm and a direct flight to Phuket. On arrival, private transfer to Khao Lak, a little over an hour's drive north along the Andaman coast. Check-in to a Deluxe room. Khao Lak is quieter than the beaches of Phuket, with long stretches of sand and the forest behind.
A free day by the sea, with breakfast. The beaches of Khao Lak are long and quiet, good for walks on the sand and sunsets over the Andaman Sea. To be booked separately, a speedboat trip to the Similan Islands, a marine national park about an hour and a half away by boat, with clear water, granite boulders and snorkelling among tropical fish and turtles. The park is usually open from mid-October to mid-May.
A free day, with breakfast. To be booked separately, Phang Nga Bay, with limestone islands rising sheer from the water, caves to explore by canoe and the village of Koh Panyee built on stilts. If you prefer to stay on land, you can visit Khao Lak national park, with forest trails and small waterfalls, or the old town of Takua Pa, with its old Sino-Portuguese houses. Alternatively, a slow day between the beach, the pool and a massage.
Breakfast and, depending on the flight time, time for a last swim. Private transfer to Phuket airport and flight to Italy, with a stopover in Doha. Meals and overnight on board.
Arrival in Italy and end of the trip.
