Bangkok sightseeing tours, temples, palaces, city

The Landmark of Bangkok Tour
This is one of the most fascinating tours of Bangkok. You will visit the main attractions of this city in one single day.
Wat Trimitr - world's largest Golden Buddha.
Wat Arun - the Temple of Dawn
Wat Pho - the Reclining Buddha, oldest and biggest temple
Royal Grand Palace
Wat Phra Keow - The Emerald Buddha
Vimanmek Mansion - world's largest Teakwood Palace
Wat Benchamabopit - the white Carara Marble Temple

This comprehensive tour takes you through some of the most interesting parts of Bangkok and drive pass different commercial and residential areas, Passing through Chinatown your frist stop is Wat Trimitr, the temple of the Golden Buddha which is the largest and oldest in Bangkok.

Wat Trimitr - Temple of the Golden Buddha
Located at the end of Chinatown’s Yaowarat Road near the Bangkok Railway Station, this temple is known for its famous Golden Buddha. The beautiful image of solid gold is three meters high and weighs five and a half tons. It really is something worth seeing. Many years ago it was covered with a sort of cement to hide it from the invading Burmese. When it was moved the cement started cracking and it was discovered to be made out of solid gold! There are two pictures hanging near it. One is a "before" photo showing the cement covering, and one is the "after" photo, showing how it looks today. It is very beautiful and is well worth a visit.

Wat Arun - the Temple of the Dawn

The famous Wat Arun, perhaps better known as the Temple of the Dawn, is one of the best known landmarks and one of the most published images of Bangkok. The temple is an architectural reproduction of Mount Meru, the center of the world in Buddhist cosmology. The towering prang with its four smaller siblings was started by Rama II in the early part of the 19^th century, and completed by his successor Rama III. The prang is a blend of Khmer and Thai styles, over the brick core, a layer of plaster was applied and then decorated with bits of Chinese porcelain and glazed ceramic tiles. It is possible to walk a limited way up the very steep stairs of the main prang, which gives a reasonable view of the Chao Phraya river.

Wat Pho - Temple of the Reclining Buddha

Wat Pho is mainly famous for the huge reclining Buddha statue it houses. At 20 acres large, Wat Pho is the largest Wat in Bangkok, and is technically the oldest too as it was built around 200 years before Bangkok became Thailand's capital. It holds the dual honors of having both the largest reclining Buddha image and the most number of Buddha images in Thailand. The impressive gold-plated reclining Buddha is 46 meters long and 15 meters high, and is designed to illustrate the passing of the Buddha into nirvana. The feet and the eyes are engraved with mother-of-pearl decoration. The feet also show the 108 auspicious characteristics of the true Buddha.
The large grounds of Wat Pho contain more than 1000 Buddha images in total, most came from the ruins of the former capitals in Ayuthaya and Sukhothai The Wat grounds are split in two sections by a road.

The northern section, where most people visit, includes a large bot (temple hall) enclosed by 394 bronze Buddha images. Outside the bot, there are 152 marble slabs depicting the second half of the epic Ramakian story.
Also near here are four chedis, constructed to honor the first three Chakri kings (two for King Rama III), and an impressive 91 other Chedis of varying sizes around the grounds. There are also chapels, rock gardens, an array of statuary, bell towers, and a library decorated with figures and pagodas made of porcelain, reminiscent of Wat Arun across the river.
However, Wat Po has more to offer. It is also the national headquarters for the teaching and preservation of traditional Thai medicine, including Thai massage. This is where all the masseurs have learnt their trade. Wat Po provides Thai massage tuition and courses are available in English. A massage school convenes in the afternoons at the eastern end of the compound; You can also get a medicinal massage for around 200 Baht per hour Wat Pho is a must for your itinerary.

The Royal Grand Palace

The Royal Grand Palace once a royal residence is a huge compound on Na Phra Lan Road with proud golden domes, inspirational spires, exotic wall mural and breathtaking ceramic decorations, is surrounded by high white walls and occupies an area of about a square mile. The palace, begun in 1782, consists of several buildings with highly decorated architectural details.

The Royal Chapel or Wat Phra Kaew famously known as Temple of Emerald Buddha is situated in the same compound, it houses the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred Buddha image in Thailand.

The Grand Palace or Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang for Thai is today used by the king only for certain ceremonial occasions such as Coronation Day

Borombiman Hall : a french inspired structure that served as a residence for King Rama VI, is occasionally used to house visiting foreign dignitaries.

Amarindra Hall : was originally a hall of justice, but is used today for coronation ceremonies.
Chakri Mahaprasat : the largest triple-winged of the palace buildings, literally Great Holy Hall of Chakri, but usually translated as Grand Palace Hall. Built by King Rama V and completed in 1882, there was some controversy during the construction phase which resulted in this unusual design. Rama V had wanted an entirely western look to his new home, but others in the court felt that the king's residence and throne hall should reflect Siamese motifs. So the original domed roof in the design was replaced by a Thai-styled roof. It is interesting to note that the Thai nickname for the building is the 'westerner with a Thai hat'. The tallest of the Mondops, in the centre, contains the ashes of each Chakri King who passed away; the flanking Mondops enshrine the ashes of Chakri princes who never inherited the throne.
Dusit Hall : initially served as a venue for royal audiences and later as a royal funerary hall.

Wat Phra Keow - Emerald Buddha
Also known as temple of The Emerald Buddha - the temple dates back to 1782 when Bangkok was founded. Regarded as the most significant of all Thai temples, the 945,000 square-meter temple compound, which occupies one corner of the Grand Palace complex, encompasses over 100 buildings that represent 200 years of royal history and architectural experimentation.
The temple was built to house a green Buddha image that King Rama I had brought from Vientiane when he captured the city in 1778. He built the temple and enshrined the 'Emerald' Buddha there as a symbol of Siam's regained nationhood. The "Emerald Buddha" was carved from one piece of emerald green jade. The Buddha figure sits high up on an altar of gold designed to represent the traditional aerial chariot attributed to Hindu gods on the murals of this country.

Today, thousands of worshippers pay their respects in front of the statue.

Two seasonal costumes were made for the Emerald Buddha by King Rama 1, one for the summer season and one for the rainy season. King Rama III had another costume made for winter season. The ceremonial changing of costumes takes place three times a year and is done by his Majesty the King.

Despite it's national importance, Wat Phra Kaew is the only temple in Thailand that doesn't have any resident monks, therefore it is not a seat of Buddhist learning in the same way that most other Wats are in Thailand. It is basically the personal chapel for the royal family.

On the upper terrace, next to the Chapel Royal are three other very sacred buildings: the Royal Pantheon, surrounded by gilded male and female Kinaree, half-human figures, which hold the Tripitaka, the sacred Buddhist sculptures; and the impressive golden Phra si Rattana Chedi which houses ashes of Buddha.

Vimanmek Mansion - World's Largest Golden Teakwood Mansion

In 1897 King Rama V purchased the orchards and paddy fields between Padung Krungkasem Canal and Samsen Canal for the construction of a royal garden which he naned "

The Dusit Garden" The first permanent residence in the Dusit Garden was Vimanmek Mansion, built in

1900 by royal command of king Rama V. He then moved his residence from The Grand Palace to stay permanently at Vimanmek Mansion for five years until the completion of Amporn Satarn Residence in 1906 where he lived until his death in 1910. Vimanmek Mansion was then closed down and members of the royal family moved back to the Grand Palace,

In 1982, Her Majesty Queen Sirikit (the present Queen) who had discovered that Vimanmek Mansion, with

its elaborate architectural style was still intact, asked permission of His Majesty King Rama IX to renovate the Mansion for use as a museum to commemorate King Rama V by displaying his photographs, personal art and handi-crafts, and to serve as a showcase of the Thai national heritage for future generation. Vimanmek Mansion is the world's largest golden teakwood mansion with its elaborate architectural style refecting a western influence. The building has two right-angled wings, each wing 60 meters long and meters high, and is three-storied except for the part where King Rama V resided, which is octagonal and four-storied. Although the ground floor is brick and cement, the upper floors are built of beautiful golden teakwood. All together there are 31 rooms, with the bedrooms, the throne room and the bathrooms maintaining the atmosphere of the Thai past. Some display rooms house exhibitions of Thai art including silverware, ceramics, crystal ware, and ivory

Your last stop is at Wat Benchamabopit or the marble temple. This magnificent monastery was built with white Italian marble from Carrara

Wat Benchamabophit - The Marble Temple
This teple is on Sri Ayutthaya Road near the Ch

itralada Palace is made of white Carrana marble so hence its tourist name is Marble Temple;

this most recent of royal Wats was built at the turn of the century under King Rama V as the source of religious heritage for the future generations of Thais. It employs European ecclesiastic details, such as stained glass windows, and contains a superb cloister collection of bronze Buddha images. The main shrine was originally intended to house a highly sacred and revered Budddha image known as Phra Buddha Shinaraja, which at the time was located in the province of Phitsanulok (approximately 300 km north of Bangkok). But when construction of the Marble Temple was complete, a replicate of the Phra Buddha Shinaraja was created and enshrined in the temple instead, due to that the people of Phitsanulok and northern Thailand were unwilling to part with their Buddha image, the main source of their religious inspiration. The principal Buddha image inside the temple is also the country's most beautiful piece of sculpture. The facial expression radiates the serenity of inner peace that the Buddha had obtained after having attained enlightenment.
Unlike most other temples, monks don't go out seeking alms but are instead visited by merit-makers between 06:00 and 07:00 hours

    Internet Sales and Reservation Bangkok office
     e-mail : tourdesk@ash-hotel.com website : http://www.ash-hotel.com

   147/58 Pinklao Nakhorn Chaisri Road
    New Southern Bus Terminal - Bangkok 10700 Thailand
    Tel: (662) 435 7514, 423 2263 ( 5 lines auto )      Fax: (662) 435 7515