Thailand and Cambodia in 13 Days: Bangkok, the North and Angkor

Your guide and driver meet you at Bangkok airport. In the afternoon, visit Wat Traimit and its solid gold Buddha, Wat Pho with the 46-meter Reclining Buddha, and Wat Benchamabophit, the Marble Temple built of Italian Carrara marble in classic Thai style.Overnight: Bangkok

Leave early for Damnoen Saduak, where vendors sell fruit and noodles from small boats on the canals, stopping at Phra Pathom Chedi, one of the tallest stupas in the world. After lunch at a riverside country resort, return to Bangkok for the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, home of the revered Emerald Buddha. Shoulders and knees must be covered.Overnight: Bangkok · Meals: B, L

Drive west to Kanchanaburi. Visit the Allied cemetery and the JEATH Museum, which tell the story of the prisoners who built the Thailand-Burma railway, then ride a train along the original line with views over the river. Lunch is near the station, and the day ends at the famous bridge before you check in to your riverside resort.Overnight: Kanchanaburi · Meals: B, L

Visit Bang Pa-In, the summer palace of King Rama V, where Thai, Chinese and European buildings sit around ornamental ponds. Then walk the ruins of Ayutthaya, once a great trading capital, with its brick prangs and weathered Buddha images. After lunch, your guide takes you to the station for the overnight train to Chiang Mai.Overnight: Overnight train · Meals: B, L

Arrive in Chiang Mai and explore the old city at Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Phra Singh. Drive up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, 1,050 meters above the city, for its golden chedi and views over the valley. In the evening, enjoy a khantoke dinner of northern dishes with Lanna music and dance.Overnight: Chiang Mai · Meals: B, D

Spend the day in Doi Inthanon National Park. Stand at the 2,565-meter summit, walk the short Ang Ka trail through cloud forest and visit the Twin Royal Pagodas. After lunch, see a Royal Project farm that helps hill-tribe growers, and finish at Wachirathan Waterfall.Overnight: Chiang Mai · Meals: B, L

Drive north through the hills to Chiang Rai. Visit the Blue Temple, painted in deep blue and gold, Baan Dam, the Black House with its dark teak pavilions, and Wat Rong Khun, the dazzling White Temple covered in white plaster and mirrored glass.Overnight: Chiang Rai · Meals: B

Drive to Mae Sai on the Myanmar border, then to the Golden Triangle, where the Mekong and Ruak rivers meet, and visit the Opium Museum. Stop at Chiang Saen, the ancient Lanna capital, to see its temple ruins and old walls. In the afternoon, fly from Chiang Rai to Bangkok for the night.Overnight: Bangkok · Meals: B

Take a morning flight from Bangkok to Siem Reap, about one hour. Your Cambodian guide meets you and takes you to the Artisans d'Angkor workshops and the Old Market. In the evening, enjoy dinner with a performance of Apsara dance.Overnight: Siem Reap · Meals: B, D

Watch dawn break over Angkor Wat, return for breakfast, then explore the temple's carved galleries. Continue to Angkor Thom and the faces of the Bayon, the royal terraces and Preah Khan. After lunch, wander through Ta Prohm, where giant trees grow through the towers, and end with sunset from Pre Rup.Overnight: Siem Reap · Meals: B, L

Drive to Phnom Bok and climb to its hilltop temple for a view over the plain, with a picnic lunch in a village. Continue north to Koh Ker, a 10th-century capital where a seven-tiered pyramid rises from the forest. Dinner is home-style or at your hotel.Overnight: Koh Ker · Meals: B, L, D

Explore Beng Mealea, a vast 12th-century temple still wrapped in jungle, then visit the monastery of Pouk on the way back to Siem Reap. Later, relax with a one-hour foot or body massage before dinner at a local restaurant.Overnight: Siem Reap · Meals: B, L, D

Take a boat through a floating village on Tonle Sap Lake, where houses and schools rise and fall with the water. Return to Siem Reap and transfer to the airport for your flight home.Meals: B