Bangkok’s Hidden Treasures Walking Tour

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. Begin your walking tour with your guide from the meeting point to the Elephant Head Bridge to board a boat on the Saen Saeb canal. You’ll travel to the old city area that’s known as Pom Pra Satru Pai. The canal was constructed in 1837 by the order of King Rama III for military transport during the war over Cambodia. Today it serves as a fast and inexpensive way for Bangkokians to travel through the city, avoiding the traffic jams.

   Passes by

2. Next you’ll head to the Golden Mount and Wat Saket, a pagoda situated on an artificial hill, and another creation of King Rama III. It wasn't completed until the reign of King Rama V however, due to land subsidence causing the original structure to collapse. Today the pagoda commands a panoramic view over Bangkok.

   1 hAdmission included

3. Stop is at the stunning Silver Pagoda, built during the reign of King Rama III, in 1846, for the princess granddaughter. The temple is best known for it's 37 metal spires, signifying the 37 virtues. Also known as the Silver Pagoda, the design almost appears Burmese, but in fact this is a copy of old Buddhist design found in Sri Lanka.

   30 minAdmission included

4. Continue walking to Bamrung Muang, Bangkok's first shopping street. Today it caters to temple supplies where you will find monk robes, candles, incense sticks, books, and many golden statues of the Buddha.

   15 min

5. Down a small side street you’ll find Baan Bat, where a small group of locals have, for centuries, made their living producing hand-made alms bowls to be purchased by the faithful and donated to monks.

   10 min

6. At the end of the road you’ll arrive at the Giant Swing, constructed in 1784. It was originally used in an ceremony where Brahmins would swing, trying to grab a bag of coins placed on one of the pillars. In 1935 the ceremony was discontinued after several fatal accidents.

   10 min

7. Take a walk through Wat Suthat, a royal temple constructed during the reign of King Rama I, but not completed until the reign of King Rama III.

   1 hAdmission included

8. Give your feet a rest and take a tuk tuk ride through the small streets of old Bangkok to Wat Pho, home of the first school of medicine in Bangkok. The temple is the oldest and largest monastery in Bangkok, and it was the first university in Bangkok teaching students in the fields of religion, science, and literature through murals and sculptures.

   1 hAdmission included

9. After all this walking you’ll be rewarded with a 30-minute foot massage (strictly not for pregnant women) at a nearby Thai massage school. According to ancient medicine, the sensory nerves of the internal organs that spread throughout the body are mainly gathered around the soles of the feet, making massage an effective means of stimulating the functions of the organs.

   30 minAdmission included

10. Once you’re relaxed and ready to head out again, it will be time to take a river boat down the Chao Phraya River, connecting to a skytrain that will take you back to the meeting point.

    Passes by

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 6 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

How it compares in Bangkok

• Its from-price is close to the median of the 526 city tours we list in Bangkok.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• By number of reviews it ranks 156 of 526.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Bangkok

Bangkok is Thailand's exuberant capital, where gilded temples and royal palaces line the river amid street-food stalls, markets and skyscrapers.

The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, home of the revered Emerald Buddha, glitter on the old royal island of Rattanakosin. Next door, Wat Pho shelters a giant reclining Buddha and a famous school of Thai massage, and across the Chao Phraya River the porcelain-studded spires of Wat Arun glow at sunset.

Top-ranked sights in Bangkok: Temple of the Dawn (Wat Arun), Bangkok Chinatown (Yaowarat), Grand Palace.

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