Full Day Ayutthaya with Upriver Lunch Cruise: Diethelm Standard

Early morning, pick up from your Bangkok city hotel and transfer to Si Praya pier to board the White Orchid River Cruise. Relax and glide along the picturesque scenes of Thai river life, the uninterrupted lines of buildings, markets, warehouses, shops and magnificent temples as well as the continuous flow of boats going about their daily routines. A sumptuous buffet lunch will be presented with a variety of Thai delights and Western cuisines.

In Nonthaburi, disembark and continue overland to Chan Kasem National Museum (closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, substituted with Bang Pa Inn summer palace) - located in the ground of the former "Front Palace". In the Siamese royal tradition, there was a post of "Second King" that acted as a sort of Prime Minister and was usually the designated successor. The Second King may have been a son of the current king but was just as often a brother or uncle (Thailand has no tradition of succession as in Europe). A few years after the revolution ending the absolute monarchy, the palace and its collections were designated a National Museum under the management of the Fine Arts Department.

Afterwards visit the Ayutthaya Historical Park. Ayutthaya once was the capital of the Siamese kingdom, until it was occupied by the Burmese army in 1767 army and practically leveled to the ground. Located on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, the restored ruins of the Wat Chai Wattanaram is one of Ayutthaya's most photographed sites. Further sightseeing visits include Wat Phra Sri Sanphet - the prototypes of the famous Grand Palace in Bangkok, and Wat Mahathat - to have a look at the famous Buddha Head in the banyan tree.