Thailand

Thailand: The Essentials, from Bangkok to the Golden Triangle

Floating markets, royal cities, the Golden Triangle and Chiang Mai, with a beach extension of your choice

Thailand

Thailand: The Essentials, from Bangkok to the Golden Triangle

The tour for discovering Thailand in ten days, in a group of 24 at most with a French-speaking guide: the markets of Mae Klong and Damnoen Saduak, UNESCO-listed Ayutthaya and Sukhothai, Lopburi, the Golden Triangle, the White Temple of Chiang Rai, Doi Suthep and Chiang Mai, then the night train back to Bangkok. The trip extends easily to the beach: Cha Am, Khao Lak, Krabi, Phuket, Koh Samet, Koh Chang or Koh Samui (from €1,571 per person). Private version from €2,101.

When

Nov to April

Price

From 1 273€ excl. flights

(based on 2 people sharing)

How long

7 nights

Ideal length

Departure

Day 1

Flight to Bangkok.

Day 1

Flight to Thailand

Flight to Thailand. Dinner and night on board.

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Bangkok and old Siam

Days 2-5

The markets on the water and on the rails around Bangkok, then the historic capitals of Ayutthaya and Sukhothai.

Day 2

Arrival in Bangkok

Welcome at Bangkok airport by your French-speaking guide, with the traditional flower garland, and transfer to the hotel. Dinner and overnight.

Day 3

The railway market and the floating market

An early start for Mae Klong market, laid out on a railway line that the train crosses eight times a day. Then the floating market of Damnoen Saduak, reached by boat along the canals, with its stalls of fruit, vegetables and fish.

Day 4

Ayutthaya and Lopburi – Phitsanulok

Ayutthaya, the former capital of the kingdom of Siam and a UNESCO site: the temples of Wat Yai Chaimongkol and Wat Mongkol Bophit. Lunch, then Lopburi, 'the monkey city', and the Prang Sam Yod shrine. Drive to Phitsanulok, on the Nan River (about 350 km).

Day 5

Sukhothai – Chiang Rai

In Phitsanulok, Wat Phra Buddha Chinnarat and its 13th-century statue, said to be the finest in the country. Then Sukhothai, capital of the first Siamese kingdom and a UNESCO site: Wat Mahathat and Wat Sra Sri. Drive to Chiang Rai.

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The North: the Golden Triangle and Chiang Mai

Days 6-8

The northern mountains, the hill peoples, the White Temple, then Chiang Mai and its craftspeople, before the night train.

Day 6

The Golden Triangle and the White Temple – Chiang Mai

Meet the Yao and Akha peoples in Mae Chan, then Chiang Saen and the Golden Triangle, where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet. On the way to Chiang Mai, a stop at Wat Rong Khun, the White Temple.

Day 7

Doi Suthep and the craft villages

Visit Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, one of the most revered temples in the country, nearly a thousand metres up, with the view over Chiang Mai. In the afternoon, the craft villages: lacquer, silk, parasols, wood carving.

Day 8

Elephants, orchids and the night train

Visit an elephant camp, where you watch and feed the elephants, then an orchid farm. A free afternoon. Late in the day, board the night train to Bangkok, in an air-conditioned 2nd-class sleeper.

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Back via Bangkok

Days 9-10

An early-morning arrival in Bangkok and the flight home, with an optional visit to the Grand Palace depending on the time.

Day 9

Bangkok – flight home

An early arrival in Bangkok, breakfast at a nearby hotel to freshen up, then transfer to the airport. Optional: a river taxi to the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.

Day 10

Arrival in France

Arrival in France during the day.

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