9-Day Thailand Family Tour: Bangkok & Phuket — Route & Prices

Your private guide starts at Wat Pho. Arrive early and you may hear the monks chant. A tuk-tuk then goes by Pak Khlong Talat, the flower market, and on to the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew. Museum Siam is the stop built for children: hands-on rooms, not a long lecture. Later a boat crosses to Wat Arun. After dark you board a dinner cruise on the Chao Phraya for Thai dance, a short Khon performance, and dinner as the temple lights come on.

Gallery: Wat Arun

The day starts early at Mahachai, Bangkok's large seafood market. From there you ride to the train and stay on board as it moves slowly through Maeklong Railway Market. The stalls pull back from the track. You are on the train, not only watching it from the side. Next is Damnoen Saduak. A longtail boat goes through the canals, past fruit gardens and houses. You are back in Bangkok in the afternoon, with time to rest before the flight south.

Gallery: Damnoen Saduak floating market

After breakfast, your driver takes you to the airport for the flight to Phuket. A private transfer meets you and brings you to the hotel. Check in and keep the rest of the day free. Swim if the children want the sea as soon as they arrive. Sightseeing starts tomorrow.

After breakfast, drive out through the hills to an elephant visit. Your guide explains how the herd lives before anyone gets close. The children can offer fruit when the guide says it is welcome. You then walk beside the elephants. There is no riding, and no stop to bathe an elephant for a photograph. You are back at the hotel in the afternoon.

Gallery: Feed the elephants

A boat takes the family into Phang Nga Bay. Where the tide allows, a canoe goes through the limestone caves and into the lagoons. If the tide is wrong, you stay on the open water. We do not push a cave that the water has closed. In the afternoon you make a small krathong. At dusk you float it on the bay, then return to Phuket.

Gallery: Phang Nga Bay

Today is the adventure day. A family zipline park in the Phuket hills runs lines above the forest, with skywalks and lookout decks between them. Guides set the height and age rules, so tell us the children's ages when you book. The pace is set for families, not for a race. You are back at the hotel by late afternoon.

Gallery: Zipline in the Hills

Today is yours. Stay on the beach, swim, and eat when you are hungry. There is no group sightseeing. If you want a car for Phuket Old Town, ask the night before and we will arrange it.

Gallery: Beach Day

After breakfast, your driver takes you to Phuket airport for the flight to Bangkok. Leave enough time there for your international departure. If both flights are on one ticket, the airline sets the connection. If they are separate tickets, do not book them tight.