Best of Asia - Thailand and Beijing 11 Days 9 Nights

Day 1-2: USA - Bangkok, Thailand

Accommodation: Centara Grand At Central Plaza Ladprao Bangkok or Similar

Our Asia vacation starts as we board an international flight bound for Bangkok. Enjoy inflight meals, beverages, and entertainment. Thailand entry visa and China entry visa are not required for USA passport holders. If you choose to extend your stay in Beijing, then you will need to obtain China visa. For passports other than US passport, please get the entry visa on your own.

Touch down in Beijing and catch a connecting flight to Bangkok, Thailand's capital city. Upon arrival, you will be greeted by our local tour guide at the airport and transferred to our luxury hotel accommodations. Relax and enjoy your first night in Bangkok, the "City of Angels".

Day 3: Bangkok

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Centara Grand At Central Plaza Ladprao Bangkok or Similar

Bangkok is a city of gleaming modernity firmly rooted in ancient Buddhist tradition and beliefs. Depart on a half-day tour after breakfast to witness some of Bangkok’s most interesting sights. Visit the Temple of the Golden Buddha (Wat Trimitr) to see its solid-gold Buddha, and peek inside the Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho), known for its monumental horizontal Buddha. Stroll through the Paklong Talat flower market, a whirlwind of stalls selling masses of perfumed orchids, marigolds and roses. After a buffet lunch at a local restaurant, enjoy the afternoon independently, or explore Bangkok’s must-sees on our optional Landmark of Bangkok tour. Tour the splendid Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha, see the riverside Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun), and ride a motorboat along the Chao Phraya River.

Men and women must have their shoulders, arms and legs covered when visiting the Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha Temple

Optional Tours: The Landmark of Bangkok Tour with Boat Ride $45 pp

Day 4: Bangkok

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Centara Grand At Central Plaza Ladprao Bangkok or Similar

Following breakfast, depart Bangkok for Damnoen Saduak, one of Thailand’s most famous floating markets. Ride a long-tail speedboat around the lively canals, passing boats and stalls laden with fresh produce, spices, and handicrafts. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before returning back to the hotel. Spend the evening as you wish or join our optional tour to Asiatique Riverfront Night Market and enjoy a classic Thai dinner and dance show.

Optional Tours: Asiatique Riverfront Night Market + Thai Dinner & Dance Show $40 pp

Day 5: Bangkok - Kanchanaburi - River Kwai

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Felix River Kwai Resort or Similar

After an early start, travel into scenic Kanchanaburi province and visit the Bridge over the River Kwai, famously connected to the 'Death Railway' of World War II, and the poignant Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, home to 9,000 Allied war graves. Check in to the hotel and spend the rest of the day at leisure. Alternatively, make the most of your time with our optional tour to the Elephant World Sanctuary for rescued elephants. Admire, feed and help bathe these incredible animals in the river before enjoying lunch at the camp.

Optional Tours: Elephant World Sanctuary with Lunch $75 pp

Day 6: River Kwai-Ayuthaya

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Krungsri River Hotel or similar

After breakfast, journey to Ayutthaya, home to the UNESCO-listed ruins of the medieval capital of Siam. Founded in 1350, this royal city was a major power for over 400 years, until Burmese forces destroyed it in the 1700s. Stroll around the remains of this once-thriving city, seeing the restored chedi of the crumbled Wat Phra Si Sanphet, the blackened remnants of monasteries, the carved Buddha face entangled in tree roots, and the working Wat Yai Chaimongkol temple. Your tour also includes time at the Bang Pa In palace, a beautiful lakeside retreat of Thailand’s kings during the 19th century. Tonight, make the most of Ayutthaya’s setting by joining us for an optional dinner cruise on a traditional wooden rice barge.

Optional Tours: Ayutthaya at night by Tuk Tuk $40 pp

Day 7: Ayutthaya - Pattaya

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Long Beach Garden Hotel & Spa or similar

Relax over breakfast before a scenic drive to Pattaya, a popular vacation spot on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand whose beaches and entertainments draw thousands of visitors annually. On arrival, experience the virtual ‘Theme Park - Dark Ride’ at a gems gallery, learning about Thailand’s most prized gemstones. Then, check in to your hotel and enjoy the rest of the day as you please, perhaps relaxing on the sands or by the pool. Later, you may wish to take our optional Pattaya by Night tour, savoring a sumptuous seafood dinner and cabaret show.

Optional Tours: Pattaya by Night/ Cabaret Show/ Seafood dinner $50 pp

Day 8: Pattaya - Bangkok - Beijing

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: The Great Wall Hotel Beijing or similar

Transfer from the hotel to Bangkok airport and catch a flight to Beijing. We will be greeted by our local tour guide in Beijing and transferred to our luxury accommodations for a good night's rest. For U.S. passport holders: China visa is not required for this tour itinerary. You can stay in Beijing up to 144 hours Visa free. However, if you choose to extend your stay after the tour ends, then you will need to obtain China visa prior to entering China.

Day 9: Beijing

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: The Great Wall Hotel Beijing or similar

Today, we start our Beijing Capital tour with Qianmen Street. Qianmen Street was a commercial and entertainment hub due to its convenient location, connecting the Imperial Palace with other communities in Beijing. In the run-up to the 2008 Olympics, the street underwent a rejuvenation to restore the streetscape to that of the early 20th century. We will continue on to visit the world-famous and historic Tiananmen Square, also known as the “Gate of Heavenly Peace”. Located in the heart of Beijing, Tiananmen Square was once the main gate to the Imperial Palace during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. Today, it is home to the Monument to the People’s Heroes, Mao Zedong Memorial Hall, National Museum of China, and the Great Hall of the People. Afterwards, we drive by the famed Olympic Site and have a photo stop at Olympic National Stadium (the Bird's Nest), Olympic National Aquatics Center (the Water Cube) and National Center for the Performing Art. In the afternoon, join the optional tour and explore the home to the Ming and Qing emperors, the Forbidden City. Comprised of 800 buildings covering 720,000 sq. meters, it is the world's largest palace complex.

For those purchasing the Forbidden City optional tour - your passport is required for entry. Please note if your passport does not match the passport on file for your reservation, you will be denied entry at the Forbidden City and your ticket will be nonrefundable

Optional Tours: Forbidden City (only available for purchase prior to trip departure date) $28 pp

Day 10: Beijing

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: The Great Wall Hotel Beijing or similar

Explore Beijing on your own today or join the optional tour to the Great Wall, one of the man-built architectures that can be seen from the low orbit of the earth. The Great Wall is a massive defensive structure built to keep intruders from invading the mainland. It stretches an impossible 4000 miles across China's north, covering nine provinces. An enormous undertaking that originally began under Qin Shi Huang (first emperor of China) in 200 B.C., the Great Wall was not completed until the Ming Dynasty in 1640. This morning you have plenty of time to walk along its ancient path and experience part of China's fascinating history. Afterwards, head to Sacred Way leading to the Ming Tombs, which is the best-preserved and most skillfully carved. It was believed that the Emperor, the Son of Heaven, would return to Heaven through this road.

Optional Tours: Great Wall & Sacred Way $49 pp

Day 11: Beijing - USA

Meals: Breakfast

Bid farewell to your Asia trip as you board your flight back home filled with memories to last a lifetime.