Thailand Highlights – 10 Days

Begin at the Grand Palace, the ceremonial heart of the Thai monarchy, and within its walls Wat Phra Kaew, home of the Emerald Buddha, the most revered image in the country. Walk on to Wat Pho to see the giant Reclining Buddha, then visit Wat Traimit, which houses the Golden Buddha, a seated image cast in solid gold.

Board a long-tail boat for a trip along the Chao Phraya River and into the city’s quieter canals, where wooden houses and small temples line the water. Stop at Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, with its towering spire decorated in porcelain.

Return to your hotel, with the evening at leisure.

Drive southwest of Bangkok to the Maeklong Railway Market, where stallholders pull back their awnings whenever a train rolls through. Take photos and try a local snack, then continue to Damnoen Saduak and ride a long-tail boat along the canals to its floating market.

Carry on to Kanchanaburi and visit the JEATH War Museum and the war cemetery, which remember the prisoners of war and labourers who built the Death Railway in the Second World War. Lunch is at a floating restaurant beside the Bridge on the River Kwai, at your own pace.

Board the train for a ride of around half an hour along the railway, with lovely views over the river.

Drive to Ayutthaya, the old royal capital, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Begin just outside the city at Wat Phu Khao Thong, the Monastery of the Golden Mount, then explore the old palace grounds and Wat Phra Si Sanphet, and see Viharn Phra Mongkol Bophit, which shelters one of the largest bronze Buddhas in Thailand.

After lunch at your own pace, visit Wat Lokayasutharam, where a great reclining Buddha lies in the open air.

Visit the Bang Pa-In Summer Palace, first built in the Ayutthaya era, where European, Khmer, Thai and Chinese styles sit side by side in landscaped grounds.

Return to Bangkok and fly to Chiang Rai, where you are met and taken to your hotel.

The rest of the day is yours to enjoy as you please.

Browse the local market for northern produce, then visit Wat Phra Kaew, where the Emerald Buddha was once enshrined, and Wat Phra Singh, home to a revered Buddha image.

A short drive out of town brings you to Baan Dam, the Black House, created by the national artist Thawan Duchanee. Part studio, part museum, part home, it mixes traditional northern Thai buildings with some startling modern designs. Lunch is at your own pace.

Take a boat on the Kok River from Chiang Rai to a Karen village, then return to the city.

Drive to Chiang Saen, an ancient walled town on the bank of the Mekong, and visit an opium museum that traces the drug’s long history in the region.

Have lunch at your own pace at a local restaurant at the Golden Triangle, then take a boat on the Mekong to the point where Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet.

Drive on to Chiang Mai and check in to your hotel.

Explore Chiang Mai’s old town on foot, past the old city walls, the moat and one of the old gates. Visit Wat Phra Singh, home to the revered Phra Buddha Sihing image, the graceful teak hall of Wat Phan Tao and Wat Chedi Luang, whose great ruined chedi once sheltered the Emerald Buddha.

Wander small streets lined with traditional houses, take a rickshaw ride and explore Warorot Market, where locals shop for everything from dried goods to flowers.

Drive up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, high on the mountain above the city, for its golden chedi and views over Chiang Mai.

At leisure. Browse the night market at your own pace.

Set off from your hotel in a local truck for the hills around Mae Sapok. Walk for about two hours through the jungle to a White Karen village, where you meet the villagers and see daily life up close.

Continue for about an hour through the forest to a beautiful waterfall for a swim and a picnic lunch.

Glide down the river on a bamboo raft, then return to Chiang Mai in the late afternoon.

The morning is at leisure.

Your driver takes you to Chiang Mai airport for your flight home or to your next destination.