ROYAL GRAND PALACE & EMERALD BUDDHA TEMPLE

WAT PHO (THE RECLINING BUDHA TEMPLE)

WAT ARUN (THE TEMPLE OF DAWN

WAT TRIMIT (TEMPLE OF THE GOLDEN BUDDHA)

WAT BENCHAMABNOPHIT (THE MARBLE TEMPLE)

BANGKOK CITY PILLAR SHRINE (SAN LAK MUANG)

This is the most famous place that is a must for all tourists. It is a largecompound located near Sanam Luang in the very heart of Bangkok. The GrandPalace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha were built after King Rama Iascended the throne as the founder of the Chakri Dynasty on 6 April 1782 andhave undergone several repairs and renovations.

The Grand Palace consists of several buildings with different styles ofarchitecture. Wat Phra Kaeo is renowned as the most beautiful and importantBuddhist temple in Thailand. It houses Phra Kaeo Morakot (the EmeraldBuddha), the most highly revered Buddha image carved from a single block offine jade.

Open Daily : 08.30 - 15.30 hrs.

Admission fee : 350 baht to Wat Phra Kaeo and the Grand Palace Compound.The fee includes entry to the Royal Thai Decorations & Coins Pavilion (in theGrand Palace Compound) and to Vimanmek Mansion and Apisek Dusit ThroneHall (Ratchawithi Road).

For taxi : พระบรมมหาราชวังและวัดพระแก้ว

Please Note that; *** Proper dress is required. Women visitors must wear longpants or long skirts. Men in short pants are not allowed to enter the temple.Photography inside the main temple is forbidden. ***

Located next to the Grand Palace on the south side, this is the oldest andbiggest temple with the largest number of pagodas (95 in all) in the city. WatPho is well known for its huge Reclining Buddha, 46 m long and 15 m high.Besides, it was the first open university of Thailand which used to offer coursesin several branches of knowledge like literature, archaeology, astrology andmedicine.

Nowadays Wat Pho is famous among foreign visitors for its Thai TraditionalMassage School which offers three kinds of massage services namely, bodymassage, body massage with herbs and foot massage. The massage serviceopens daily from 8 a.m. till 5 p.m. For learning courses, there are three courses,i.e. general Thai massage, therapeutic and healing massage and foot massage.

For more information about the massage services and courses,please call 0 2211 2974

Information : Tel. 0 2225 9595

Open Daily : 08:00 to 17:00 hrs.

For taxi : วัดโพธ์ิ ถนนเชตุพน ใกล้สนามหลวงและวัดพระแก้ว

Wat Pho located on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River with Arun AmarinRoad at its back, it can be reached by boat from Tha Chang Pier near Wat PhraKaew or Tha Tian Pier near Wat Pho. Constructed in the 17th century, it isattractive in its striking prangs (a kind of pagoda) which are decorated withmillions of pieces of Chinese porcelain.

Its central prang, at a height of 82 meters (20-storey building) is the tallestprang of Thailand. Visitors can climb up to a high level to have a good view ofthe Chao Phraya River and the nearby surroundings. Anyway, the most beautifulview of it is from the east bank of the river at sunset.

Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, is one of Bangkok's best know landmark. Itstands on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River in Thon Buri. Wat Arun is bestseen from the opposite bank of the river; it glistens in the sunlight during theday and stands dark and noble at dawn or dusk. A visit to the beautiful, peacefulmonastery complex surrounding the familiar towers is very worth-while. Thesetowers, the "Phra Prang," although best known, the only part of Wat Arun. Italso contains narrow lanes; elegant, old white buildings; shrines, pools of turtles

Open Daily : 08:00-17:00 hrs

For taxi : วัดอรุณ ริมแม่น้้าเจ้าพระยา ใกล้หอประชุมกองทัพเรือ

History of the Golden Buddha at Wat Traimit Named Phra SukhothaiTraimit, this statue is placed in Wat Traimit near Chinatown in Bangkok. In thetraditional sitting poster, it measures 3.10 m. across the lap from knee to kneeand 3.91m. from base to top. A peculiarity of the statue is that it can be taken to9 pieces. The purity of gold is 40 % from the base up to the neck, 80 % fromthe chin to the forehead, and 99 % for the hair and the topknot, weighing 45kg. It was estimated that the gold Buddha was built in the Sukhothai period(1238-1438). But there are no written records of its origin.

Later, Wat Phraya Krai became dilapidated and was ordered closed by King RamaV(1868-1910). And this statue was moved to Wat Traimit. The abbot of thetemple then asked other monasteries for a possible transfer. But nobody wasinterested because of its huge size and plain look. So the abbot decided to keepthe statue in his own temple and built a special vihara to house it.

On the eve of its scheduled removal, a heavy rain soaked the stucco covering.In the act of moving, the statue was accidentally dropped and the stuccocracked, revealing the shining gold inside.

Nobody knows the true reason for the cover-up of the gold Buddha. It waspresumed that the statue was covered up just before the invasion of theBurmese in the mid-18 century, so as to conceal its true value from the enemy.

Open Daily : 08:00-16:00 hrs

For taxi : วัดไตรมิตร วงเวียนโอเดียน เยาวราช

Wat Benchamabophit or the Marble Temple is one of the most beautifultemples of Thailand. Built by the order of King Rama V in 1899, its ordinationhall was built of white Carara Italian marble. The engineer and architect wereItalians namely Carlo Allegri and Mario Tamagno in that order. Standing infront of the ordination hall, you will enjoy an impressive view of thelight-coloured marble building with a graceful multi-tiered roof covered withyellow glazed tiles, and a pair of white marble lions standing guard at its frontdoor.

The visit to the temple cannot be ended in a short time for it offers several otherthings of great interest to tourists. Along the veranda are placed 52 Buddhastatues in different postures representing classical styles of Thailand, India, SriLanka and Japan, including two stone images of the Dvaravati Period (7th-11thcentury).

Opening Hours : 08:00 - 17:00

Location : 69 Rama V Road, Dusit

For taxi : วัดเบญจมบพิตร ถนนศรีอยุธยา เลขที่ 69 พระราม 5 เขตดุสิต

Many towns in Thailand have a city pillar shrine (Thai: หลักเมือง Romanized as Lak

Mueang or Lak Muang), which marks the center of the town. It is considered tobe the home of the guardian spirit of the town and highly revered by the town’speople.

According to an old Thai tradition, a city pillar had to be built upon theestablishment of a new city. King Rama I had the Bangkok city pillar erectednear the Temple of the Emerald Buddha on Sunday, 21 April, 1782, with thecity’s horoscope inside.

The original pillar was made of cassia wood known as Chaiyaphruek, measuring75 cm. in diameter and 27 cm. high. In the reign of King Rama IV, the olddilapidated pillar was replaced by a new one made of the same kind of wood,measuring 270 cm. high and standing on a base of 175 cm. wide, sheltered by aPrang-shaped shrine as it appears today. The shrine also houses images ofprotective deities including Thepharak ( or angle), Chaopho Ho Klong, Phra SueaMueang, Phra Song Mueang, Chaopho Chetakhup and Phra Kan Chai Si.

Location : at opposite of Royal Grand Palace

Open Daily

For taxi: ศาลหลักเมืองกรุงเทพมหานคร

DAMNOENSADUAK FLOATING MARKET

ROSE GARDEN (THAI VILLAGE SHOW)

TIGER TEMPLE

SRIRACHA TIGER ZOO

SNAKE FARM

BOAT TRIP TO KOH KRET)

Floating Market at Domnern Saduak, the best program tour for one day tripfrom Bangkok Thailand is here to see the original floating market; all the peoplewill do their activities in the paddle boat on the canal. The main transport forlocal people here is by boat; long-tail boat or paddle boat.Their house was surrounded by the canal, so this makes the charm forall to visit to see their culture the water of lives.

The Floating Market is routinely crowded with hundreds of vendors andpurchasers floating in their small rowing boats selling and buying agriculturalproducts and local food, which are mostly brought from their own nearbyorchards. Therefore, it is a very attractive place for tourists to see this old styleand traditional way of selling and buying goods.

Around this area, boat trip services are available for sightseeing along smallercanals branching off from the Damnoen Saduak canal. Visitors can observe Thaitraditional houses and the way they live as well as tasting exotic fruits, localfood and refreshing drinks along the waterway.There are bus services to Damnoen Saduak from the Southern Bus Terminal onBorommarat Chachonnani Road starting at 6 a.m.

Duration of visit : About 2-3 hrs.Open Early morning daily from 06:00 till noon time.

Most boats will be there up to about mid-morning.AccessibilityRecommended to contact tour agent

Covering an area of over 20 hectares, it is a beautiful flower garden resort,noted for its scenic riverside landscape. At the resort, there are a Thai culturalvillage and a restaurant. It also stages cultural shows, Thai Boxingdemonstration, folk dances and martial arts at 14.30 every day.

Information : Tel. 0 2295 3261 to 4

Duration of visit : Half day - Full day

Open Daily : 08.00 - 18.00 hrs.

AccessibilityBy road on Phetkasem Highway about 40 min. drive. Daily coach service fromthe Southern Bus Terminal (Pin Klao).

For taxi : สวนสามพราน ถนนเพชรเกษม กม. 30 นครปฐม

Wat Pa Luangta Bua or generally known as the Tiger Temple becomes anothermust visit attraction for tourists. Apart from giving a home to the savage beastslike tigers, the monks nurture wild pigs, deer, antelopes, water buffalos, apesand a handful of other animals, so the temple is now recognized as a wildlifesanctuary.

Every afternoon, tigers will be taken to the canyon and tourists can get nose tonose and have photographs taken with them. The wildlife rescue project herewas started in 1999 when an orphaned female Indochinese cub was given to thetemple. Her mother was killed by poachers and the baby itself was to be stuffed.But, the poor little cub was miraculously survived from the injection ofpreservative formalin. Though frail and terrified, the animal was cured andrecovered. Since then more orphaned and injured tigers have been sent to thetemple.

The best visiting time is from 12.00 to 15.30 hrs. Getting to the Tiger Templefrom Bangkok takes about two and a half hours’ drive. Visitors can catch a busfrom Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal.

Duration of Visit : One day trip

AccessibilityRecommended to contact tour agents*Note: Please do not wear bright colored clothes, especially red and ladiesshould dress properly.*

Just 30 minutes' drive from Pattaya, this grand tiger zoo, located on an over-100-acre piece of land, boasts not only over 200 Bengal tigers, 100,000crocodiles, and various kinds of animals in the natural atmosphere, but it alsooffers you many amusing activities and amazing shows.

Taking memorable photos with the tiger cub, baby crocodile, and various otherkinds of animal, Experience the "Crocodile Hatching Festival", the unique eventheld every day from May to August.First in Thailand!

Learn more about elephants by strolling through the “Elephant Museum”

Location : 341 Moo 3, Nongkham, Sriracha, Chonburi 20110.Tel: +66 (0) 3829 6556 to 8 Fax: +66 (0) 3829 6559

Open Daily : 08:00-18:00 hrs.

Admission fee : Adult 300 Baht, child 150 Baht

Located at the corner of Henri Dunant Road and Rama IV Road, the Snake Farmis the second oldest in the world. A foreigner who realized the dangers ofsnakes’ venom established it in 1923. Since imported serum was no match forserum produced by Thai poisonous snakes, this snake farm was purposely builtto extract serum from their venom

At present, the farm is also used for providing knowledge about venom forinterested people and medical students, as well as raising non-poisonoussnakes, which are beneficial to our ecosystem like the Indochinese rat snake,and the copperhead racer, which is kept for educational purposes.

After refurbishing, the Farm now features multimedia facilities that offerexhibitions such as snakes’ life cycle and their evolution. On weekdays, theextraction of venom is demonstrated at 11.00 hrs. To feel a shiver ofexcitement, let’s watch a daily show between an experienced handler anddeadly reptiles at 14.30 hrs. On weekends and extra holidays, the snakehandling show is scheduled at 11.00 hrs.

Information :Tel. 0 2252 0161 to 4

Open :Weekdays, 08.30-16.30 hrs.Weekends, 09.30-13.00 hrs.

Admission fees : Adults 200 baht / Children 50 baht

For taxi : สวนงู สภากาชาดไทย มุมถนนอังรีดูนังต์ตัดถนนพระราม 4 ใกล ้ร.พ. จุฬา

KOH KRET is home of a Mon community that emigrated from their homeland inBurma more than 300 years ago.

The islet is well known as a centre of earthenware production -- the Mons'inherited art, and a market of authentic Mon-style pottery. An exhibit of localpottery and a demonstration of its making can be seen at the Ceramics Centre.Apart from earthenware, here is also a centre of Thai desserts, many of whichare of traditional kinds and rare to find elsewhere.

Another major attraction of Ko Kret is its ancient temples of the Ayutthayaperiod (1350 - 1767), e.g. Wat Paramaiyikawat, Wat Klang Kret and WatChimplee.

Duration of visit : Half day - Full dayOpen : Daytime

Accessibility :

1) By boat: Take an express boat from Tha Chang Pier to Pak Kret pier at Sanam NuaTemple. Then take a ferry to Ko Kret. The whole trip takes about an hour.

2) By bus: Take a No. 33 bus at Sanam Luang to Pak Kret and take a boat to the islet.

For taxi : เกาะเกร็ด ทา่น้้าปากเกร็ด

ANCIENT RUINS OF AYUTTHAYA

ANCIENT CITY (MUANG BORAN)

BANG PA-IN SUMMER PALACE

KING RAMA II MEMORIAL PARK

RIVER KWAI BRIDGE & THE WAR CEMETARY

SI SATCHANALAI HISTORICAL PARK

KING NARAI’S PALACE

PIMAI HISTORICAL PARK

PHNOM RUNG & MUANGTAM HISTORICAL PARK

Attractions worth visiting in the Ayutthaya Historical Park, a UNESCO WorldHeritage Site, are many, such as Wat Mahathat, Wat Naphramane, WatLokayasutharam, Wat Phanan Choeng, Wat Mongkhol Bophit, Wat PhraSisanphet, Wat Chai Watthanaram and Wat Rat Burana. All of them used to besignificant temples in the old days. There are many ways to explore the gloriouspast of Ayutthaya--by foot, rental bicycles or long-tail boats (to enjoy a riverineperspective).

Wat Mahathat or rather its ruins, built over 600 years ago. Constructedaccording to the ancient values that there should be great temples around thegrand palace.

Wat Phra Sisanphet is the largest and most significant temple in the RoyalPalace’s compound since it was used as the royal temple and palace for severalAyutthaya kings.

Wat Phanan Choeng is a Mahayana temple situated to the Southeast of theAyutthaya Muang Island. It is presumed to be built before the establishment ofthe Ayutthaya kingdom.

Wat Lokayasutharam( where the largest reclining Buddha image (32m long,8m high) in Ayutthaya, Phra Buddha Saiyat, is enshrined.

Wat Naphramane is the only temple in Ayutthaya that is not destroyed

because it used to be the headquarters of the Burmese invaders.

Ancient City, it's like you are visiting all the important places in Thailand in onego to see all of the famous buildings, monuments and temples to be found in allparts of Thailand. Ancient City, covering about 320 acres, is the world's largestoutdoor museum, and presents about 100 scaled-down replicas of Thailand'shistoric monuments and works of art. The structures are sited orderly inaccordance with their geographical locations from the northern to the southernparts.

Though it takes an entire day to cover the area, it's worth a visit, especially forthose who don't have enough time to tour the real places.The outdoor museum is 280 acres and is the same shape as Thailand.

The Ancient City’s GalleryAdmission fee for Individuals (Foreigner)Adults 350 Baht/each, Children 150 Baht/each

Private guide in English 1500 Baht (for 2 hours)

Personal Vehicle or Van Entry 300 Baht/eachBicycle Rental (exclude admission fee) Single 50 Baht/each, Duo 100 Baht/each and 150Baht/each

For enquiry contact : 02-709-1644-8, 02-709-1648 or 02-709-1644

Open Daily : 08:00-17:00 hrs

*The Ancient City allow private car enter and travel in Ancient Siam only an weekendexcluding on public holiday.

This summer palace was first built in the reign of King Prasat Thong (1629-1656) in the Ayutthaya period. It was frequented by the king and his successorsuntil the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767.

Later on, the palace was restored by King Rama IV (1851-1868). But it was notuntil the reign of King Rama V (1868-1910) that Bang Pa-in Palace was fullydeveloped and took its present shape. During his reign, several magnificentbuildings in the Western style were constructed, such as Utthayan Phumisathianand Warophat Phiman Mansions. Also, the two-storey Chinese-style palace,Wehat Chamrun, was built and presented to the King in 1889 by Chinesemerchants as a token of the long-lasting brotherly relationship between the Thaiand Chinese peoples.

Plenty of lush trees, beautifully arranged gardens and cool breeze made thesurroundings ideal for a stroll. But for those who do not want to walk, carts forrent are available.

Open Daily : 08.00-15.30 hrs.

For taxi : พระราชวังบางปะอิน อยุธยา

King Rama II, posthumously named Buddha Loetla Nabhalai, was the secondKing of the Chakri dynasty, the royal dynasty still ruling in Thailand today. Hewas born on February 24 1767 in Amphawa, next to the temple Wat AmphawanChetiyaram. To commemorate the place, a park was established at that placeadjoining the temple, built on land donated from the temple.

King Rama II Memorial Park & Museum built to honor King Rama II who wasThailand’s “Poet King” the site is believed to be his royal birthplace. The mainattraction is a traditional Thai-style teak mansion used as King Rama II Museumto house an exhibition of his works.

In addition, there are an outdoor theatre, botanical garden with various speciesof flowers mentioned in Thai literatures and souvenir shops selling local productsand fruits at the parking and riverside areas.

Information : Tel. 0 3475 1367

Open Daily : 09.00-18.00 hrs.

For taxi : อุทยาน ร.2 (ติดกับวัดอัมพวันเจติยาราม) อ.อัมพวา จ. สมุทรสงคราม

River Kwai Bridge (Death Railway), the tragic Thailand-Burma rail routethat claimed the lives of thousands of Allied Prisoners of War (POWs) as well aseven greater numbers of civilians forced to work on the project. The 415-kmlong track traverses steep hills and deep valleys. Part of it is known as theBridge over the River Kwai.

The Death Railway ran all the way from the Kwai river valley up to the ThreePagadas Pass. Today only the lowest part of the railway to Nan Tok is still in use.In Kanchanaburi city, there is a war museum and a large cemetery of prisonersof war who died during construction of the Death Railway.

This War Cemetery is also known as the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery. It islocated opposite Kanchanaburi's Railway Station on Saengchootoe Road. Itcontains the remains of 6,982 Australian, Dutch and British war prisoners wholost their lives during the construction of the Death Railway.

The Kanchanaburi War Cemetery is the main POW cemetery associated withvictims of the Burma Railway 6,982 POWs are buried there, mostly British, Dutchand Australian.

All Americans that died were repatriated.

Si Satchanalai Historical Park is located on the bank of the Yom River atTambon Muang Kao, Si Satchanalai county, only 55 km. from the town ofSukhothai. The ancient town, formerly call "Muang Chaliang", was named "SiSatchanalai" during the Phra Ruang Dynasty when a new administrative centrewas established to replace Chaliang. This ancient town occupied more than 320hectares (800 acres) of land. Of this, the 91-hectare (288 acres) area within theold laterite ramparts and the city moat is the focus of sightseeing in thehistorical park and can be covered on a day trip from Sukhothai.

Si Satchanalai Historical Park is open daily from 08.00-17.00 hours andadmission is 40 Baht. Bicycles are provided for rent at 30 Baht a day,and elephant rides around the park are available at 100 Baht per person per 30minutes. Tram service is also available in the historical park.

The King Narai's Palace in Lopburi was built by King Narai the Great, the kingwho ruled Ayuthaya from 1656 to 1688. He ordered to build the palace in 1666in the same area of King Ramesuan's Palace. King Narai stayed here for about 8-9 months a year, except rainy season. He set Lopburi as the 2nd Capital ofAyutthaya Kingdom thus the palace was the place for relaxation, hunting,administering the country's affairs, and welcoming official visitors. When he diedin 1688, Lopburi and the palace were abandoned.

Until King Mongkut (Rama IV) of Rattanakosin ordered the restoration of KingNarai's Palace. He built a new throne hall complex (Phiman Monkut Pavilion) forhis stay in 1856, the palace Phra Narai Rajanivet. In the King Chulalongkorn(Rama V) reign, Phiman Mongkut Pavilion, which had been King Mongkut'saccommodations, was given to the government to use as the Lopburi City Hall.On October 11th 1924, Prince Damrong Rajanubhab and Prince NarisaraNuvadtivongs opened the Chantarapisarn Pavilion in King Narai's palace as amuseum, calling it the Lopburi Museum. Later, in 1961 the name of the museumwas changed to Somdet Phra Narai National Museum. To present, the museumhas exhibited more than 1,864 items of the collection of ancient artifacts indifferent pavilions and buildings of the palace.

Prasat Him Phimai which is the largest sandstone sanctuary in Thailand. Itsrectangular shape is 655 meters wide and 1,033 meters long. Nowadays, theSanctuary looks magnificently restored and renovated. This fascinating ancientKhmer architecture has been preserved as the National Historical Park. Themonument itself is surrounded with two red sandstone walls.The external wall and the gallery are punctuated by gate towers (Gopura) atfour cardinal points, North, South, East and West.

These buildings built of brick, and sandstone, or a combination of the bothmaterials. The basic structure is built from three to five-story surmounted byBuddhist statues, have a low base and their spires are not so tall. Phimai is themost spectacular and the most important among all.

It was built in the 12th century and some years before Angkor Wat.Monsieur H. Parmentier, the Angkorean expert, after a detail study at Phimaicame to the conclusion that the temple was built in the reign of KingSuriyavoraman (A.D. 1002-1049).

Location : About 60 km from Korat city.From the Highway No. 2, turn right to Road No.206.

Passing a bridge, the Museum is on the left and the Sanctuary on the right.Open Daily : 06:00-18:00 hrs

This place is similar to Phimai to be kept well as a Historical Park.

Phimai, Phanom Rung, Muang Tam.

You can feel actually a characteristic of Khmer culture, a common thing of threesanctuaries, so as to take a round of these three sanctuaries. And eachsanctuary has an original architecture from using skillfully geographical features,so can guess an imaginative power of Khmer people.

Location : Buriram, about 120 km from Korat city.Go straight the Highway No. 24, and turn right at a sign ofPhanom Rung Historical Park.

Open Daily : 06:00-16:00 hrs .

Muang Tam Historical Park; known as the Lower City of Phanom Rung HistoricalPark.

Various styles of carving on the lintels, pediments are kept very well. Mostcarvings are a combination of Kleang and Baphuon Styles.

This place is made as a park similar to Phanom Rung.

There is a big pond on the side of this park, and main sanctuary has ponds too.We can consider that, when Khmer people made a sanctuary, they made aoriginal characteristic of sanctuary to use the geographical features efficiently.

Location : About 120 km from Korat city, about 8 km from Phanom Rung,Buriram Province.

Open Daily : 09:00-16:00 hrs.

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