Home > Bangkok > Private Half-Day Visit to Thonburi Canals and Old City by Long Tail Boat
USD $65.00
Private Half-Day Visit to Thonburi Canals and Old City by Long Tail Boat
Bangkok, Thailand
Historically, the Thai capital Bangkok was crisscrossed by khlongs (canals), and gained the nickname "Venice of the East". Khlongs were used for transportation and for floating markets, but also for sewage disposal. Today, most of the khlongs of Bangkok have been filled in, although the Thonburi side of Bangkok (covering areas west of Chao Phraya River) still retains several of its larger khlongs.
This private half day tour explores the areas areound the canals and gives you a great insight into their history.
We have a morning and afternoon departure and both follow a similar Itinerary 8am Pick up from various hotel in Bangkok area. 8.30am Arrive at the pier to take longtail James Bond boat to visit old city of "Thonburi". 9.30am Visit " Royal Barge Museum " : As early as the 13th century in the Sukhothai Kingdom, the kings of Thailand had pageants on the water on special occasions. The tradition was carried on in Ayutthaya and later in Bangkok where the absolute king sailed in the beautiful Royal in 1932. When Atyutthaya was devastated in 1767, the Royal Barges were also destroyed and a new fleet had to be built. After many years of service, the Royal Barges were damaged during th bombing raids of the Second World War and shortly after the end of the war. King Bhumibol (Rama IX) initiated a restoration of the barges. The National Museum of Royal Barge opened in 1972 and 8 of 51 Royal Barges can be seen there. 10.00am Visit "Wat Arun": Wat Arun is also called “The Temple of Dawn“ the name is due to the beautiful reflections of the sun in the glazed ceramic tiles of the temple in the morning, when Wat Arun allegedly is at its most beautiful. It is, however, also an unforgettable experience to watch the sun set behind the temple prangs. 10.30 am Visit the distinctive Democracy Monument erected in 1939 in remembrance of the introduction of the constitutional monarchy and the new constitution of Thailand in 1932. The Italian Corrado Feroci made the monument. It is 24 metres tall, symbolizing of the date of the event, which was 24 June 1932. 11.00am Drive to The Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall a former reception hall within Dusit Palace in Bangkok. It now serves as a museum and is from time to time employed for certain state occasions. Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall was used as the headquarters of the People's Party during the four days of the 1932 Revolution (June 24–27), which transformed the country's political system from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional one. The first National People's Assembly convened on June 28, 1932 in this throne hall. After that, it was used as the Parliament House until 1974 when the new Parliament House was opened to the north. However, the old Parliament House is still used for the State Opening of Parliament marking the first assembly in consequence of a general election for the House of Representatives. 12.00am Transfer back to hotel.
This was a chance to be James Bond for a morning with the super speedboat. The tour of the Royal Barges was really brought to life as the guide had once been a rower in the Royal Barge procession. The temple was even more interesting as a service was taking place.
Review by: sandra L, March 2016
Scam alert. I would be doing my fellow travellers a disservice if I did not inform you of our disappointment in this experience for which we paid USD 60 each!
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