10 days 9 nights
Specific Tour
14 people
English
Quick answer
A private 10-day road journey from Bangkok to Chiang Rai through Kanchanaburi, Ayutthaya, Sukhothai and Chiang Mai. It combines the old Thai capitals with the mountains, temples and Golden Triangle of the north, with your own guide and driver throughout.
From US$1,480 per person for the whole tour, based on 4 travellers sharing double rooms in 4★ hotels as listed (couples travelling alone pay a little more). It changes with hotel level, season and group size, and is confirmed in your tailor-made quote.
| Day | Route and highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrive in Bangkok and dinner on the river | Bangkok |
| 2 | Grand Palace and Damnoen Saduak floating market | Bangkok |
| 3 | Kanchanaburi and the Death Railway | Kanchanaburi |
| 4 | Ayutthaya, Ang Thong and on to Phitsanulok | Phitsanulok |
| 5 | Sukhothai and the drive to Chiang Mai | Chiang Mai |
| 6 | Chiang Mai temples, Doi Suthep and a khantoke dinner | Chiang Mai |
| 7 | Doi Inthanon National Park | Chiang Mai |
| 8 | To Chiang Rai: Blue Temple, Black House and White Temple | Chiang Rai |
| 9 | Mae Sai, the Golden Triangle and Chiang Saen | Chiang Rai |
| 10 | Fly from Chiang Rai and depart | — |
Private tour with your own English-speaking guide · 10 days / 9 nights · Bangkok – Kanchanaburi – Ayutthaya – Ang Thong – Phitsanulok – Sukhothai – Chiang Mai – Doi Inthanon – Chiang Rai – Golden Triangle
This north Thailand private tour travels the way the old kingdoms grew, from the river plains around Bangkok up into the cool hills of Lanna. After a welcome dinner cruise on the Chao Phraya River and a day at the Grand Palace and Damnoen Saduak floating market, you head to Kanchanaburi for the Bridge on the River Kwai and a ride on the Death Railway. From there the road leads north through Ayutthaya, the giant seated Buddha of Ang Thong and the green countryside of Phitsanulok.
Sukhothai, the first Thai capital and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the highlight of the drive. You then spend three nights in Chiang Mai for its old city temples, Doi Suthep, a khantoke dinner and a full day on Doi Inthanon. Chiang Rai brings the White Temple, the Blue Temple and the Black House, and a long-tail boat on the Mekong at the Golden Triangle.
Everything is private: your own guide, your own vehicle and a pace that suits you. A short flight from Chiang Rai connects you to your journey home.
Easy to moderate. Days 4 and 5 include longer drives of five to six hours, broken by sightseeing and lunch stops. Walking is mostly on flat temple grounds, with 306 steps at Doi Suthep (a cable car is available) and a short nature trail on Doi Inthanon. Good for couples, older travelers and families with children over 10.
Comfortable 4-star hotels: Nouvo City Hotel in Bangkok, Felix River Kwai Resort in Kanchanaburi, The Grand Riverside Hotel in Phitsanulok, Mercure Chiang Mai and Laluna Hotel and Resort in Chiang Rai, or similar. Upgrades to 5-star hotels are available on request.
The best months are November to February, when the north is dry and sunny with cool mornings and evenings. March to May is hot, and smoke from field burning can haze the mountains in late March and April. The rainy months from June to October bring lush rice fields, short showers and quieter sites.
Your guide and driver are yours alone for the whole trip, so the pace, the stops and the start time each morning follow you. The standard version has an English-speaking guide; guides who speak French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese or Vietnamese can be arranged on request.
More ideas: All private tours in Thailand · Royal Echoes of Siam: Ayutthaya, Sukhothai and the North in 10 Days · Thailand Discovery: Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket in 10 Days · Bangkok, Krabi and Khao Sok: Islands and Rainforest in 10 Days
Photos: This Photo was taken by Supanut Arunoprayote. Feel free to use any of my images, but please mention me as the author an, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Grendelkhan, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Bjørn Erik Pedersen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; PumpkinSky, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; ผู้สร้างสรรค์ผลงาน/ส่งข้อมูลเก็บในคลังข้อมูลเสรีวิกิมีเดียคอมมอนส์ – เทวประภาส มากคล้าย, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Chainwit., CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Slleong, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons; Ddalbiez, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Discovery North of Thailand: Bangkok, Sukhothai, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai in 10 Days is a starting point. Our Hanoi travel designers adjust every day to your pace, interests and hotel style, then run the trip with your own guide and driver.
Your private guide and driver meet you at Bangkok airport and take you to your hotel to settle in. In the evening, board a dinner cruise on the Chao Phraya River for an international buffet from about 19:30 to 21:30. The boat glides past the Grand Palace, Wat Arun and old riverside shophouses as the city lights come on, which makes for a gentle first night after a long flight.
Overnight: Bangkok · Meals: D
Start with the Grand Palace, home of the Chakri kings since 1782, and Wat Phra Kaew, where the small jade Emerald Buddha is the most sacred image in the country. Cover shoulders and knees, and note that some halls close on Sundays and during royal ceremonies. After lunch, drive west to Damnoen Saduak, the best-known floating market in Thailand, where boats loaded with fruit, flowers and snacks crowd the narrow canals.
Overnight: Bangkok · Meals: B, L
Drive to Kanchanaburi, about 130 kilometers west of Bangkok. Visit the Allied cemetery, resting place of around 9,000 prisoners who built the Thailand-Burma railway in the 1940s, and the JEATH Museum, which retells their experience. Then ride a train along the original Death Railway track beside the river, with lunch near the station where you step off. Finish at the Bridge on the River Kwai before checking in to your riverside hotel.
Overnight: Kanchanaburi · Meals: B, L
Leave Kanchanaburi for Ayutthaya, the Siamese capital founded in 1350 and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Walk through Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon, Wat Mahathat and the three great chedis of Wat Phra Si Sanphet. Continue to Ang Thong to see Wat Muang and its giant seated Buddha, almost 100 meters tall. After a local lunch, drive north to Phitsanulok, one of the country's major pilgrimage cities, as the scenery turns greener along the way.
Overnight: Phitsanulok · Meals: B, L
A short drive brings you to Sukhothai, the cradle of Thai civilization and capital of the first Thai kingdom from 1238 to 1438. With your guide, walk through the Historical Park among lotus ponds, brick chedis and serene Buddha images, including the giant seated Buddha of Wat Si Chum. Then settle in for the scenic drive north through Lampang province into the hills, with a lunch stop on the way, reaching Chiang Mai in the late afternoon.
Overnight: Chiang Mai · Meals: B
Explore the old city, beginning with Wat Chedi Luang and its huge ruined chedi, once home to the Emerald Buddha, and Wat Phra Singh, a jewel of Lanna art built in 1345. After lunch, drive up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, 1,050 meters above the city, for its golden chedi and views over the Ping valley. In the evening, return for a khantoke dinner of northern dishes on low trays, with traditional Lanna music and dance.
Overnight: Chiang Mai · Meals: B, L, D
Head out to Doi Inthanon, at 2,565 meters the highest point in Thailand. Visit the summit and walk the short Ang Ka nature trail through cloud forest, then continue to the Twin Royal Pagodas, set in flower gardens with sweeping views. After lunch at a local restaurant, stop at the Royal Project, where hill-tribe farmers grow flowers and cool-climate crops, and finish at the thundering Wachirathan Waterfall before returning to Chiang Mai.
Overnight: Chiang Mai · Meals: B, L
Drive north through forested hills to Chiang Rai and stop for lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, visit the Blue Temple, Wat Rong Suea Ten, glowing in sapphire and gold, then Baan Dam, the Black House, a dark and fascinating complex of teak pavilions full of carvings and art. End at Wat Rong Khun, the White Temple, the shimmering masterpiece of national artist Chalermchai Kositpipat.
Overnight: Chiang Rai · Meals: B, L
Drive to Mae Sai, the northernmost town in Thailand, and browse its border market. After lunch, continue to the Golden Triangle, where you board a long-tail boat on the Mekong to see the point where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet. Visit the Opium Museum for the history of the region, then stop at Chiang Saen, an ancient Lanna city founded around 1328, with temple ruins, stupas and an old moat and city wall.
Overnight: Chiang Rai · Meals: B, L
After breakfast, your guide and driver take you to Chiang Rai airport for the short flight to Bangkok, where you connect to your international flight home. If you would like to stay longer, we can add a night in Bangkok or a few days at the beach in Phuket, Krabi or Koh Samui. Just let us know when you plan your trip.
Meals: B
Most drives take two to four hours. Days 4 and 5 are the longest, at around five to six hours each, but they are broken up by Ayutthaya, Ang Thong, Sukhothai and lunch stops. Your private vehicle stops whenever you need a break.
No. The domestic flight from Chiang Rai to Bangkok is quoted separately because fares change often. We book it for you at the current fare and add it to your quote.
Yes. Many guests fly from Chiang Rai or Chiang Mai to Phuket, Krabi or Koh Samui for three or four nights of rest. We can add this and adjust the flights for you.
Yes. This is a private tour with your own English-speaking guide. We also arrange private guides who speak French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese or Vietnamese: tell us when you enquire and we confirm your guide in the quote. Book early for the December to April high season.
Nothing is payable until you approve your written quote. We then ask for a 30% deposit to confirm, and the balance 45 days before arrival, by bank transfer or card. Bank details come with your booking confirmation; always confirm them with us by phone or WhatsApp (+84 812 247 572) before any transfer.
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