Snapshot of Thailand with Laos Explorer - Small Group - From £1,050

Asia Thailand
OVERVIEW
In Bangkok, you move from the cool tiled spaces of Wat Pho to the gilded detail of the Grand Palace, before an overnight train carries you north to Chiang Mai. Temple bells, sizzling street food and the chatter of the Night Bazaar accompany you as you explore, with free time to follow your appetite through markets and neighbourhood streets. Optional Experiences give you more ways to spend your time, whether that means trying more Thai flavours, seeking out another temple or following Chiang Mai beyond the places already on your route.
EXPERIENCES
Bangkok: Begin your city tour by visiting Bangkok's Grand Palace, home to the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand, Wat Phra Kaew. Continue your exploration of the city and its renowned landmarks. 

Colour takes centre stage at two of Chiang Rai’s most distinctive temples. At Wat Rong Khun, mirrored fragments shimmer across its intricate white exterior, while Wat Rong Suea Ten surrounds you with deep blue walls, elaborate Buddhist artwork and gleaming gold details.

Glide along the Mekong through northern Laos, with forested slopes rising from the water and small settlements appearing along its banks. Feel the breeze from the river and watch boats, homes and daily life pass by, experiencing a waterway that remains central to communities across the country.

On a Make Travel Matter® Experience at the COPE Visitor Centre, you’ll learn how unexploded ordnance continues to affect lives across Laos. Discover how COPE’s prosthetic and rehabilitation services help people regain independence, access education and employment and participate more fully in their communities. Your visit directly supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities.

On a walking tour of Luang Prabang’s historic peninsula, between the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, gilded temples sit among traditional Lao houses and French colonial buildings. Pass Vieng Temple and notice carved wood, painted details and temple roofs as you follow the streets of this UNESCO-listed town.

See Vientiane from a tuk-tuk before heading up Patuxai, where Lao motifs decorate the monumental arch and city views await above. Then visit Carol Cassidy’s Lao Textiles workshop, where handwoven silk, intricate patterns and traditional brocade, ikat and tapestry techniques showcase the precision of Lao weaving.

Settle into your overnight sleeper train as Bangkok slips away and you travel north towards Chiang Mai. Your berth becomes your base for the night, with the steady hum of the rails accompanying the journey before you wake to a new corner of Thailand.

Three sacred temples introduce you to Chiang Mai, from hilltop Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, where golden details catch the light and views stretch across the city, to Wat Suan Dok and Wat Phra Singh. Notice gilded stupas, carved details and distinctive Lanna architecture along the way.

Travel through Luang Prabang by tuk-tuk, feeling the breeze as you make your way to the morning market and Wat Mai. Continue to Phou Si Hill for views across the city, then visit the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre to encounter the textiles, crafts and traditions of Laos’s diverse communities.
DEPARTURE DATES AND PRICES
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14/03/2027 27/03/2027 £1,650   Book
04/04/2027 17/04/2027 £1,650   Book
02/05/2027 15/05/2027 £1,575   Book
30/05/2027 12/06/2027 £1,575   Book
27/06/2027 10/07/2027 £1,575   Book
25/07/2027 07/08/2027 £1,575   Book
29/08/2027 11/09/2027 £1,575   Book
12/09/2027 25/09/2027 £1,575   Book
26/09/2027 09/10/2027 £1,575   Book
17/10/2027 30/10/2027 £1,650   Book
31/10/2027 13/11/2027 £1,650   Book
05/12/2027 18/12/2027 £1,650   Book
10/12/2027 23/12/2027 £1,650   Book
20/12/2027 02/01/2028 £1,750   Book
30/01/2028 12/02/2028 £1,695   Book
27/02/2028 11/03/2028 £1,650   Book
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ITINERARY

You’ll arrive in Bangkok among flashes of gold, spirit houses tucked beside modern buildings and flower garlands threaded with yellow marigolds. As you settle in, you might catch the scent of incense outside shrines, with gold leaf gleaming against towers of concrete and glass. Later, you’ll meet your Travel Director and fellow travellers, ready to begin eight days together through Thailand.

At Wat Pho, tiled roofs and rows of painted columns lead towards the Reclining Buddha, which stretches almost the length of the hall, its gold surface catching the temple light. At the Grand Palace, mirrored mosaics, coloured glass and intricate rooflines fill the royal complex as you move between its courtyards and halls. The afternoon is yours, whether that means following the scent of garlic and chilli towards a plate of pad Thai or finding a rooftop table above the city. You can also choose an Optional Experience through Thonburi’s klongs, travelling by long-tail boat past wooden houses and waterside temples before arriving at Wat Arun, its porcelain-covered spire rising beside the Chao Phraya.

With Bangkok yours for the day, you can move between Siam’s polished shopping halls and Talat Noi, where old shophouses sit beside murals painted in bold reds, yellows and greens. Follow the paths around Lumphini Park’s lake beneath palms and broad-canopied trees, or board a river ferry and watch Bangkok pass from the water. For more, choose an Optional Experience to Ayutthaya, walking among the prangs, temple ruins and remains of the former Siamese capital before cruising back to Bangkok. Or head into Chinatown by tuk-tuk as evening settles over Yaowarat, sampling street food from pavement stalls before raising a rooftop cocktail above Wat Arun and Wat Pho.

You’ll spend your last Bangkok morning choosing how to see the city before heading north. Join an Optional Experience at Jim Thompson House, teak walls glow deep honey-brown, silk catches the light in jewel tones and tropical greenery grows around the old Thai houses beside the canal. Or choose an Optional Experience beyond Bangkok, where Maeklong Market sits along the railway tracks until awnings are pulled back for the passing train, before boats loaded with pineapples, coconuts and green bananas crowd the water at Damnoen Saduak. Later, choose another Optional Experience and unwind with a traditional Thai massage. Then Bangkok slips behind you aboard the overnight train to Chiang Mai, with dinner before departure or in the dining carriage as the rails carry you north.

After the overnight train, you'll climb to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, following its naga-lined staircase towards the hilltop temple and wide views across Chiang Mai. At Wat Suan Dok, rows of white chedis stand against the mountain backdrop, then at Wat Phra Singh, you'll wander among carved woodwork and layered Lanna roofs. Later, you can choose an Optional Experience at a 160-year-old Lanna family home, cooking Northern Thai dishes from recipes handed down through generations and sharing what you’ve made around the table. This evening, join your Travel Director at Chiang Mai Night Bazaar, moving between stalls of handmade crafts and sizzling grills.

With a free day in Chiang Mai, you can follow the old city’s moat and weathered brick walls, slip into a shaded courtyard for coffee or sit down to khao soi, its coconut curry crowned with crisp noodles and sharpened with fresh lime. Or choose the Elephant Nature Park Optional Experience, a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience where you'll watch rescued elephants play and forage while expert staff share their individual histories. Back in Chiang Mai, there’s still time for a cold drink in a leafy courtyard or a final wander through the old city as lanterns begin to glow.

A final full day in Thailand is open for exploring Chiang Mai or choosing an Optional Experience to Doi Inthanon National Park. On the mountain, forest paths wind between moss-covered trees and thick ferns, with the rush of waterfalls breaking through the green and mist sometimes hanging between the branches. Tonight, choose a Khantoke dinner, sharing Northern Thai dishes and sticky rice as traditional music and dance unfold around you.

Leaving Chiang Mai behind, the road north takes you to Chiang Rai, where Wat Rong Khun gleams almost entirely in white, its mirrored surfaces flashing against delicate sculpted detail. At Wat Rong Suea Ten, deep cobalt walls, painted ceilings and gold accents cover the temple interior. From Chiang Rai, you’ll continue to Chiang Khong on the Mekong, where the river marks the edge of Thailand and Laos lies just beyond. Check into your hotel and settle in for the night, with tomorrow’s crossing waiting on the other side of the water.

After saying goodbye to your Thailand Travel Director, you cross the Friendship Bridge into Laos and meet the Travel Director who’ll lead the next part of your trip. From Huay Xai, board your Mekong cruise and watch steep green hills, pale sandy banks and small riverside settlements stretch along the water, a route that has carried people and goods through northern Laos for centuries. From the deck, you watch fishing boats pass wooden houses and feel the soft churn of the river beneath you as you travel deeper into Laos. Arrive at your hotel and settle in after a day spent watching a new country unfold from the Mekong.

From Pakbeng, you return to the Mekong for another day aboard your river cruise, watching kingfishers flash above the water and water buffalo stand half-submerged near the banks. Herons and egrets lift from the shallows as villages appear between long stretches of forest, before you reach UNESCO-listed Xieng Thong temple. From the pier, continue on foot past Vieng Temple and into the peninsula, where gilded roofs, whitewashed colonial façades and shaded lanes carry you towards your hotel.

The day begins with Luang Prabang’s alms-giving ritual, as you watch saffron-robed monks pass in near silence while offerings of sticky rice are placed into their bowls. Later, a tuk-tuk carries you through the old town to the morning market, where baskets of fruit, vegetables and herbs crowd the stalls, before you reach Wat Mai and its gilded carvings. From Phou Si Hill, you look out across tiled rooftops and the two rivers below. At the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre, textiles, baskets and traditional crafts tell you more about Laos’s ethnic cultures. The afternoon is yours, or you can choose an Optional Experience to Kuang Si Falls, where pale turquoise pools spill through tiers of forest. Tonight, another Optional Experience returns you to Phou Si for sunset before dinner beside the river, with Luang Prabang’s rooftops below and the Mekong nearby.

Before leaving Luang Prabang, you have one last morning for strong Lao coffee, temple courtyards and a final browse through its small shops and stalls. Or choose an Optional Experience in a local home, cooking Lao dishes before carrying what you’ve made to a nearby temple as an offering for the monks. Later, board the high-speed train to Vientiane, where gilded stupas rise above low rooftops and French-influenced façades line the streets. Along the Mekong, the river deepens to copper at sunset while pavement cafes fill with diners and tables line the waterfront for dinner. After checking in, you can head out for a walk beside the river and take in your first night in Laos’s capital.

In Vientiane, your tuk-tuk carries you towards Patuxai, where painted ceilings and carved mythological figures sit above the monument’s broad archways before you climb for views across the capital. At Carol Cassidy’s Lao Textiles workshop, you watch silk glide through the loom as fine patterns build row by row beneath the weavers’ hands. At the COPE Visitor Centre, photographs, prosthetics and personal accounts document the lasting impact of unexploded ordnance in Laos and the rehabilitation work supporting those affected. Later, you can stay in Vientiane and wander through Buddha Park, passing serene Buddhas, Hindu deities and strange stone creatures before stepping inside the giant pumpkin through its demon-shaped mouth. Or travel to Vang Vieng, where you walk through green countryside beneath sheer limestone cliffs and spend time in a Hmong village. Then cross the water by sampan before venturing into limestone caves, their sculpted walls disappearing into the darkness.

Your journey through Thailand and Laos ends in Vientiane as you check out of your hotel and say goodbye to your Travel Director and fellow small group travellers.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
  • An expert Travel Director and professional Driver
  • Audio Headsets provided throughout your holiday to enhance your included sightseeing experiences
  • Cherry-picked hotels, all tried and trusted
  • City orientation tours
  • Extensive variety of Choice Experiences
  • Luxury air-conditioned coach
  • Many meals and daily breakfasts included
  • On occasion, hotels of similar standard and location may be utilised
ACCOMMODATION
DAY 1: Cross Vibe Sukhumvit - Meals:
DAY 2: Cross Vibe Sukhumvit - Meals: Breakfast
DAY 3: Cross Vibe Sukhumvit - Meals: Breakfast
DAY 4: Overnight train Bangkok - Chiang Mai - Meals: Breakfast
DAY 5: The Empress - Meals:
DAY 6: The Empress - Meals: Breakfast
DAY 7: The Empress - Meals: Breakfast
DAY 8: Chiangkhong Teak Garden Riverfront - Meals: Breakfast
DAY 9: Mekong Riverside Lodge - Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 10: Villa Oasis - Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 11: Villa Oasis - Meals: Breakfast
DAY 12: Lao Orchid - Meals: Breakfast
DAY 13: Lao Orchid - Meals: Breakfast
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