Historic Ayutthaya & Return Grand Pearl Cruise Experience

An early pick up at hotel 6.30am to River City and transfer to air conditioned bus for trip to Ayutthaya with informative guide. Tour round 3 ancient sites then transfer by bus - 1 hour to pier for sumptuous buffet lunch on board Grand Pearl then 2 hour plus gentle cruise back to River City in Bangkok. Well organised, pleasant staff and great food . Drinks apart from coffee tea and water are extra. Bottles of water and ice cloths provided along the way too. Highly recommend

My husband and I came on this tour as part of our honeymoon and had an absolute blast with Donna, our tour guide. The bus is comfortable and air conditioned and they make sure you have cold water and refreshing hand towels every time you get on or off. Donna is so passionate about sharing her hometown with you and makes sure to take care of her whole tour group. She takes photos of you and gives you the history of each place so you learn a little bit everywhere you go. She is excellent at sharing the plan and agenda repeatedly so you always know what to expect. The boat tour is slow and relaxing; the food is decent for a buffet on a tour boat. You will eat better food elsewhere in Bangkok but it’s worth it for the view out the window as you putter back to the city. We recommend this to anyone who wants a full day trip to Ayutthaya in comfort. Donna stands alone as my favorite tour guide I’ve had in Thailand!

Very knowledgeable tour guide named Donna. Nice bus and good lunch. Very friendly group of people. I highly recommend.

Nice temples and opportunities to shop at markets. 3 stops each 1 hour or less. Guide May did great job. Very enthusiastic. Took us to one main part at each site then we had free time. Not rushed along like some group tours.

Trip started 730am in the morning. The check-in guidance could be a little bit clearer as I reached there 30 minutes in advance and was a bit lost as there was no sign or personnel of confirming the exact spot. But luckily, this was not a big area and our tour guide showed soon after, so this didn't turn into a real issue. Our guide Dana was knowledgeable, maintained every tourist in her group engaged and safe, and advised the best spot and angle for taking pictures. The service overall was great too. The driver kept handing us iced water and napkins to keep us cool and hydrated. We went to all three sightseeing spots where our tour guide walked us through in all three. We also got plenty of time to take pictures by ourselves. We didn't need to handle any ticketing effort as the guide took care of it from end to end. They also offered free usage of umbrella on the site -- please do use it. It was so hot under the sun as we walked on site. After visiting all sites, we took a nice boat ride back to Bangkok along the Chao Phraya River. They offered buffet style lunch on the boat around 12pm with coffee, tea, and biscuits served as afternoon stack around 3pm. Our tour guide also provided a lot of insights around temples, bridges, parks along the River. It was a nice relaxing 3.5 hour boat ride. You can choose to stay indoor and watch the views through the window or go to the top of the roof to get a panoramic view. It was so hot up there but totally worth it. Overall, I had a fantastic experience.

The tour started from River City with a ride to Ayutthaya in air conditioned bus. The tour group was big and because of it most times the group gets scattered and the information provided by the guide is not delivered to all. The tour guide was a knowledgeable person with a friendly nature and could guide us with information about the visit. All through the bus ride to the ancient city the tour guide was providing the historical information and significance with lots of hard copied materials. The first place of visit in the ancient city was the ancient place ruins and the famous Buddha head in the root of the tree. The city is huge so only the important ruins were made to visit. During the visits Khmer style Pagoda, mixed style of chedi and destroyed Buddhist temples were seen. This can help imagine the influence of foreign forces and the amount of destruction caused during the times. One of the notable places in the city was the renovated Buddha temple consisting a huge golden coloured Buddha, which had been destroyed by Burmese invaders and later rebuilt. The final leg of the tour was the river cruise on the Chao Praya river towards Bangkok City. The ferry ride was comfortable with the immediate lunch provided soon after boarding. The lunch items were arranged in buffet style and different varieties of food to try, which did taste delicious. It also included different varieties of desserts and sweets, so enjoying the cruise with good food was a wonderful experience. Drink items are to be purchased separately, which would be better if provided with the tour package atleast with a limit of one. The ferry had a terrace with chair arrangement, so people if interested can visit the top, but the heat of the sun to be considered. Finally the tour felt it was short but considering the distance of transport, it feels reasonable. After the visits in the city, cold water or wet towels were provided for refreshment.

"First" was an amazing guide, a local of Ayutthaya with so many stories to tell. There was a perfect balance of guidance through the sights and also autonomy to explore ourselves. The buffet dinner was fantastic - better than many other cruises I've been on - with a wide selection of foods for many diets and a good exotic twist. The cruise also had all of the sights well explained. Can't recommend this trip enough!

My husband and I enjoyed this trip. The bus left on time at 0745am from the River Pier. The tour guide, Ms First, was engaging and had a lot of trivia about Bangkok and Ayutthaya. We went to three temples before proceeding to the cruise. The lunch buffet was delicious. We arrived back to the pier before 4 in the afternoon. A great day out

The entire day out was well organized and our guide, tip, shared such great information about the Thailand culture, temples and her home town of Ayutthaya where we went. With a few stops in Ayutthaya we thought things would feel rushed but actually it was just the right amount of time at each point. And the boat ride back to Bangkok, wow what a lunch - so many choices; and lots to see along the way. Terrific day all around and well recommended.