Backpacker Best of Bangkok

An affordable way for you to experience the best of Bangkok while still giving you the time to explore the city on your own and relax. With three nights of accommodation at the hip Prince Theatre Heritage Stay Hostel, including breakfast, you'll get over your jet lag comfortably and be ready to hit the streets of Bangkok. On the evening of your second day, you'll be exploring the fusion of flavors on Yaowarat Road, Bangkok's centuries-old Chinatown. Then, the next morning, you'll take to the river by longtail boat and make your way through the canal's of Bangkok's former capital on the otherside of the river from downtown Bangkok and experience what Bangkok was like decades ago.

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Details

Unique Experiences:	An affordable way to visit Bangkok while still having the freedom to explore the city on your own. Stay at hip Prince Theatre Heritage Stay Hostel, located in the heart of historic Bang Rak district. Taste the flavors of Bangkok's Chinatown and explore the canals of Thonburi by longtail boat.
Trip Length:	4 Days
Participants:	Up to 16 travelers may book this trip. One or more components of this trip are a shared experience.
Inclusions:	Meals: 3 Breakfasts Accommodations: 3 nights at Prince Theatre Heritage Stay Hostel in a Mixed Dorm Transportation: Bangkok Airport (BKK), Bangkok Airport (DMK), Bangkok Train Station, or Bangkok Bus Station to Prince Theatre Heritage Stay Hostel by Car or Van
Exclusions:	Travel Insurance (Compulsory) Tips & Gratuities Compulsory & Peak Season Surcharges
Age Policy:	Adults: 18 to 99 years of age Children: Prohibited Infants: Prohibited
Special Information:	Please be advised that Wat Paknam will be undergoing a restoration project focusing on the surface of the Phra Buddha Dhammakaya Thepmongkol (Big Buddha) from June to October 2024. This restoration may cause limited visibility or restricted access to the immediate area surrounding the Big Buddha statue. The rest of the temple grounds will remain open for visitors. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding as Wat Paknam works to preserve this important landmark.

Map

Itinerary

Day 1: Bangkok Arrival
Your driver will be waiting for you with a sign when you arrive in Bangkok. From there, your driver will take you to your accommodation: Prince Theatre Heritage Stay Hostel in historic Bang Rak district. Check in and relax after your long journey!

Accommodation: Prince Theatre Heritage Stay Hostel in a Mixed Dorm
Transportation: Bangkok Airport (BKK), Bangkok Airport (DMK), Bangkok Bus Station, or Bangkok Train Station to Prince Theatre Heritage Stay Hostel by Car or Van

Day 2: Bangkok
Wake up and enjoy your breakfast, then decide whether to continue chilling out or head out to explore the city. You'll probably be a little jet-lagged, so we recommend walking around your new neighborhood - one of Bangkok's oldest. Head down and check out the river (we recommend experiencing Thai food and a drink at Jack's Bar right on the river, which is walking distance from Prince Theatre Heritage Stay Hostel. Then maybe head back to Prince Theatre Heritage Stay Hostel and take a quick nap before your adventure to explore Bangkok's Chinatown begins!

Meet your guide and group and then we'll venture by public bus or tuk-tuk to the heart of night-time Chinatown and explore the secrets of this bustling neighborhood. On this 4-hour trip, we experience the wave of life on Yaowarat Road that mixes locals and tourists alike. We'll taste multiple dishes that are loved by Thai and Chinese people. We'll try the spicy stuff, indulge in sweet deserts, hear stories about the dishes, and talk to the food sellers and food lovers around us. In between, we'll explore the less-traveled side-streets and hidden alleys for temples, local customs, and the behind-the-scenes of this world-famous foodie haven.

If you still have space, we'll finish our trip with some local desserts before your guide bids you farewell. You can choose to continue exploring Chinatown on your own or return to your hotel to prepare for tomorrow!

Meals: Breakfast, Snacks
Transportation: Meeting Point to Bangkok Chinatown by Bus or Tuk-Tuk
Accommodation: Prince Theatre Heritage Stay Hostel in a Mixed Dorm

Day 3: Bangkok
Enjoy your breakfast then meet your group and your guide, who will go with you to the nearby pier to board our long tail boat. From here you’ll move down the Chao Phraya, the main river in Bangkok, with amazing backdrop views of the Bangkok skyline before making a turn to enter the klongs. You will pass a range of local wooden stilt houses with clothes hanging to be dried in the sun, a local "7 eleven", klong style. Feel the atmosphere of having entered the klongs. You will hear Thai music being played from the houses, you will see birds looking at the trespassing boats, if you are lucky, you will spot one of the sunbathing lizards.

The first stop is the sacred serenity of Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen, the royal temple was established in 1610, during the Ayutthaya period, and received support from Thai kings until the late nineteenth century. Under the supervision of Phra Samuh Sod Chantasaro or Luang Por Sod. Who held the position of abbot in 1916 made this temple become the centre of the Buddhist mind and has been a first-class place for practising Dhamma and meditation ever since. The highlight is the giant wearing glowing bronze Nearly 69 meters above the ground, as tall as a 20-story building, it is the largest Buddha statue in the city. There is a 40-meter-wide meditation posture, this Big Buddha project was made in collaboration with Chinese and Thai technicians in the year 2017 and was completed in the year 2021.

Looking around from the fifth floor of the temple's church, you will be inspired by the post-modern temples on one side of the canal. and the feeling of the old days, on the other hand, with the beauty of the river cutting through the landscape. From there it’s onwards to the Artist Village, with old wooden walkways with artists, an old barber shop, an old grocery, vintage posters, colors of freedom, and a small stupa licking the sunlight. Feel the quietness surrounding this place. A stop will be made where you can feed holy Catfish. It’s a remarkable sight when hundreds of fish come to the surface seemingly out of nowhere!

Upon leaving the klongs you will see several houses on stilts and how locals live in small houses on the river. Then we leave the quietness and go back to the noisy Chao Phraya River. Your trip ends around noon at a pier near the Royal Palace so that you visit the nearby temples on your own, continue to the shopping malls, or return to your accommodation.

Meals: Breakfast, Snacks and Drinks
Accommodation: Prince Theatre Heritage Stay Hostel in a Mixed Dorm
Miscellaneous: English-Speaking Guide

Day 4: Bangkok
Wake up and enjoy breakfast and then check out from your accommodation. Good luck on your next adventure!

Meals: Breakfast