Thailand Culinary Tours 9 days

Upon arrival Bangkok Airport, meet our guide and private transfer with guide from Bangkok Airport to hotel in Bangkok. Check in and free time at leisure.

Meeting Point

Please proceed to the meeting point located on the 2nd floor, inside the arrivals hall, at Exit B gate No.6. Your representative will be wearing a blue polo holding a sign with your name on it, or in case of multiple pick ups, the signs may be hanging on the aluminum railing at our meeting point. 

• Night Market In Bangkok

Today, you will take on no less than four of Bangkok’s finest temples and a tour around the city’s fascinating canals.

After breakfast at hotel, we start our trip at Wat Traimit - home to the world’s largest solid golden Buddha - before hopping across the old city streets to see an even larger Buddha statue at Wat Pho. The one here may not be solid gold, but it impresses even more thanks to its sheer size and the fact that it is ‘leaning’ on its side - a reference to the Buddha’s “Lion Sleep” position. Our next stop is the magnificent Grand Palace, another sprawling temple complex boasting some of the finest Thai-Buddhist architecture in the entire country. We continue exploring the vast grounds and numerous dazzling buildings, including the highly-revered Wat Phra Kaew, home to the prized Emerald Buddha statue dating back to the 14th Century.

After grabbing lunch, we spend the better part of the afternoon on the water, meandering through the quaint canals and taking in the quieter side of life from the seat of a traditional ‘long tail’ boat. Of course, a tour of Bangkok’s Thonburi side isn’t complete without the spectacular and iconic Wat Arun - take time to explore the iconic temple towering 79 metres over the Chao Phraya River.

• Grand Palace Bangkok

7:00 Let’s prepare for a morning of colour, art and passion, as you’re picked up at your hotel and driven 100 km southwest of Bangkok to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market in the Ratchaburi province. Harking back to a time when water transport was the primary mode of transportation, the floating market features fresh fruits, flowers, colourful clothing, souvenirs and more along the waterways and on vendor boats. We walk around and check out the many stalls or rent a paddle boat (at your own expenses) to experience the market from water. Next we stop at the Mae Klong railway market. The market is also called; Talad Rom Hoop, roughly translates to closing an umbrella or awning. This probably doesn’t make any sense yet, but you’ll soon understand why. As the name suggests, part of the market is situated on the railway. Every morning till late in the evening, this market springs to life selling a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, seafood, snacks, and clothes and accessories. However, what makes the market unique and exciting is the fact that a train will run through the market 8 times a day, every day of the week. The action at the railway market begins several minutes before the train is due to pass through the market. As soon as the siren signals the arrival of the train, everything stops. Shoppers will hop off the tracks, and vendors will quickly pack their goods and prepare to close/retract their awnings from the train track as the train passes by. This process happens fairly quickly since the awning poles have wheels attached. Once the train is gone, its business as usual as if nothing happened. For the locals, they are neither excited nor annoyed by this event since the market has been here long before the railway. We will have lunch on the way at local restaurant.

• Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

Today, we will depart from Bangkok to Pattaya. On the way, we have a stop and discover all the delights at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo, approximately 50 minutes from Pattaya. Over the course of this place, we will see the best of the zoo, from the feeding area to the jungle show, where you can learn about all the animals that currently live in the park.  We will learn how to manage and take care of animals as well as the importance of conserving the natural habitat of Thailand’s precious species, like tigers and Asian elephants. The African Savannah zone by safari train is the next leg of your journey. Here, we see many African animals such as rhinos, hippos and giraffes and have the opportunity to photograph them up close.

We hit the road again and drive to hotel in Pattaya.

We spend the evening at the original transvestite cabaret show in Pattaya, Tiffany’s Show Pattaya. A household name in Thailand and Asia as well as around the world, this show originated as a one-man spectacle performed for friends on New Year's Eve in 1974 and has grown into a thrilling world-class show. Be amazed by the attractive “showgirls” in glamorous costumes, the shows are full of exotic extravagant scenes and the special light and effects help create a magical night. Before you leave why not take a photo with one of the artists, a wonderful reminder of great evening out. the This evening event includes a round-trip transfer to the show, where you will enjoy the best in evening entertainment before being returned to your hotel.

• Pattaya Beach

Today, we will enjoy a leisurely day on Koh Larn, a delightful island featuring sandy beaches, clear waters, breathtaking landscapes and a beautiful coral reef, earning the island the nickname Coral Island. This day-long journey begins when you are picked up from your hotel (around 9:00 - 9:30 am) to enjoy the wind from a speedboat out to the island. Upon arrival, we spend the day exploring the white sand and clear azure waters at one of the island’s six main beaches, where we can enjoy water sport activities such as snorkelling, kayaking (all with additional costs). We enjoy our lunch at one of our selected restaurants. If you are craving for more seafood or some Thai tasting, there are plenty on the beach. The choice is yours! We soak up the sand, the sun and the surf all day long before coming back to hotel at the end of the day, sun-kissed and smiling.

Have breakfast at your hotel. Free time until tour guide and driver pick up at hotel in Pattya then tranfer you to Bangkok airport to take the flight to Chiang Mai. 

Upon arrival, tour guide and driver welcome you at airport then take you to hotel in Chiang Mai to check in. Free time for the rest of day

Today, we will set off on an excursion back in time with a tour through Chiang Mai’s Old City streets on-board a pedal-powered rickshaw of yesteryear, also known as ‘samlors’.

We first arrive at a local wet market, a great place to get a feel for local life while watching locals shopping for their morning groceries. Here, we haggle for fresh fruit and vegetables or some freshly-cooked local delicacies before heading onto the Old City, again by rickshaw. The Old City promises a wealth of cultural attractions, including Wat Puak Tam, a temple famous for its brass ornaments that play an important part in the dying Lanna traditions. After a stop here, we try our hand at some Thai cooking. Alongside a local culinary expert, learn how to make traditional sai-oua, a spicy sausage unique to the north of Thailand. Of course, you get to taste your work at lunch, alongside plenty of other dishes.

In the afternoon, we head half-way up Doi Suthep - the mountain that towers over the city of Chiang Mai - to find the highly-revered Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. A visit here is an absolute must for first-time visitors, and part of the allure is in the journey getting here.We make the exciting drive up along the long and winding road to enjoy a surprisingly cooling of the surrounding air as you ascend.

We arrive at the temple and leave the car behind to start the walk up to the top. Opt to conquer the 300 steps, or swap two feet for a cable car instead. At the top, we explore the central chedi adorned in golden flakes, renowned for its glittering façade under the mid-day sun. The architecture, statues, murals and shrines seen here are nothing short of breathtaking, and promise commanding views over the surrounding wilderness

• Wat Phra That Doi Suthep4

Today, we will learn how to cook northern Thailand’s culinary classics at Chiang Mai Thai Cookery School. Driver picks up at hotel at around 9:15 - 9:50 am. This school is located at Doi Saket just out of town and managed by an expert Thai chef. We follow the lead of the culinary team to choose a range of authentic, fresh ingredients to whip up some of Thailand’s best-known food favorites.

After following the lead of instructor to cook up sour and spicy soup, pork and basil, fried rice, spicy salad and green curry, we sit down to sample each of our creations. At the end of the class, we will take home a recipe book with notes on how to replicate your dishes at home!

• Cooking Class In Chiang Mai

With Chiang Mai’s rich cultural diversity, there is no surprise you can find products from around the region at local handicraft markets. Driver will pick up you at hotel at around 8:30 am. This tour will lead you to Sankampaeng District, the heart of the handicraft industry in the city. Many of Thailand's major producers are located here and you'll find all of the traditional crafts of both the old days and the new. We will spend some time exploring the different craft shops and stalls, and even learn how some of Chiang Mai’s famous products are made, from silk umbrella painting, cotton weaving and lacquer ware, an ancient art form of decorating wooden objects with layers of black lacquer. We will pick up some handicrafts to bring home, or buy some materials so you can try out your new craftsmanship skills on your own before your tour wraps up as you are brought back to Chiang Mai Airport. The tour will end after dropping off your group at the airport.