• Private Tour
• Instantly Confirmed
• Carbon Neutral

You’ve probably heard that Bangkok is well-known for Buddhism and its monks, but do you know the stories and origin behind it? Or how much influence it has on the locals daily life? On this private city tour, you are in for a cultural treat!

Destination

Bangkok, Thailand

Category

City Highlight Tours

Duration

3 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

English, ไทย, 中文, Français

Included

• Private Guide
• Entrance fees
• Tasting / monk offering
• All Withlocals Tours are Carbon Neutral

Excluded

• Please note the dress code for temples: covered knees and shoulders

What you can expect

Choose your local

Get to know these 8 passionate locals, each bringing unique perspectives and talents. Choose your favorite, check their availability, and book to create an unforgettable adventure tailored to you.

This is the plan

Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with the host of your choice.

1. Meeting point

   Meet at In front of Rattanakosin Exhibition Hall, next door to Coffee shop 'Golden Place' - Bangkok to start your journey

   View on Maps

2. Itinerary

   This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.

3. Culture of the City

   On this private tour, you’ll experience and discover Bangkok through its culture. Whether it’s focused on a tradition, a special part of town with a story to tell, cultural beliefs, or around a cultural activity that shaped the city into what it is - this tour will be a cultural awakening you can’t miss!

4. Buddhism and Monks in Bangkok

   Your tour will focus on Buddhism and Monks, a very important cultural subject in Bangkok. Thanks to your local host, you’ll learn and see how Buddhism and Monks made an impact in Bangkok, making you experience the city from a different perspective.

5. Cultural Highlights

   As you deep dive into the subject of your tour, you’ll make stops to visit unique spots that will give you a full picture of the city. Visit Golden Mount, Loha Prasat, Wat Ratchanadda, and more and see how these cultural highlights are part of the local life but have so much history behind them!

6. Storytelling Journey

   As you discover the cultural side of Bangkok, you’ll be able to embrace it thanks to the amazing stories and storytelling skills of your local host. Feel free to ask any questions and feel as if you are relieving history in the present time.

7. Make it yours

   Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.

   Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.

   Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.

Flexible cancellation policy

• Feel confident booking

  Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.

• Change of plans?

  Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.

• Loved by travelers worldwide

  Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.

Reviews from guests

Yvonne🇺🇸 United States

(About local Moddy. Wachinee )

7 March 2025

Moody speaks English well. Her knowledge of Buddhism was enlightening and we very much enjoyed the experience of listening to the traditional Buddhist practice of chanting and talking with a monk afterwards. The temples and meditation areas are beautiful. We also took an evening market food tour with Maddy that was filled with delicious food that we would not have known to try. She is very kind and went out of her way to make our experiences on both tours excellent.Experienced 2 tours with Moddy

7d8bcsvjcz🇳🇱 Netherlands

(About local Nok)

5 March 2025

We really enjoyed our time with Nok! She’s very knowledgeable and she answered all of our questions. 100% recommend this experience and Nok as a guide100% recommend!

Bernard🇧🇪 Belgium

(About local Piyaporn)

26 February 2025

We really enjoyed our time with Piyaporn. She is a great and experienced guide. We understand much better the Buddhism and Thai culture after this tour. Piyaporn knows a lot about Buddhism. It was great to be able to speak to a monk. It was a hot day and she paid attention to find fresh places, offered us drinks, and took the time. We can highly recommend her!

Agnès

(About local Nok)

21 February 2025

Nok guided us on a Buddhist journey, giving us details about the origin of Buddha and showing us some magnificent temples. told us about the customs of the people and offered us her kindness and generosity. Agnes Thank youWith Nok

Wolfgang🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Petz)

19 February 2025

Dear Petz, thank you for the lovely city tour yesterday. You have shown us some true hidden gems of Bangkok in a very friendly and competent way. We appreciated your competence and knowledge you shared with us, in particular about Buddhism. We are glad that we have met and wishing you a good future. We fully recommend you as BKK guide. Best, Sylvia & Wolfgang A great time with Petz

Eric

(About local Araya)

17 February 2025

Our group of four friends had a most memorable time with Araya being enlightened about Buddhism and Siam/Thailand history in general. Araya was very enjoyable and a wealth of knowledge. She conveyed the strength of Buddhism in a truly inspiring manner. Highlights of the tour included the array of female Buddha statues in distinct poses and the concluding blessing ceremony with a monk. Very highly recommend Araya.Enjoyable Enlightenment

Patrick🇺🇸 United States

(About local Nok)

16 February 2025

Nok was the sweetest tour guide we’ve ever had. She took so much time answering our questions, was INCREDIBLY knowledgeable of all aspects of Bangkok, and gave us such in-depth information about Buddhism in Thailand. She even taught us some of the language! My girlfriend and I left that tour feeling like we truly experienced such an important element of life in Bangkok, and it’s all thanks to Nok! You are in the best of hands when booking her ❤️❤️❤️AMAZING TOUR GUIDE

Sonja🇹🇭 Thailand

(About local Moddy. Wachinee )

10 February 2025

Wir hatten einen sehr informativen und interessanten Vormittag mit Moddy . Sie erzählte uns viel über den Buddhismus und hat darüber hinaus auch noch einige sehr hilfreiche Tipps gegeben. Ihre Freundlichkeit und Offenheit haben die Tour perfekt gemacht! Vielen Dank!

Ashley

(About local Sudarat)

8 February 2025

We really enjoyed our day in Bangkok with Sudarat (Oi). She was kind, knowledgeable, and excited to show us pieces and parts of the city. We were very moved by the visit to The Golden Mount (Wat Saket), where we learned about the previous cholera outbreak, as well as modern life at the Wat. Our meeting with a monk was wonderful, with a list of interesting questions answered, all about life as a monk and how Wat life unfolds. After a month of traveling Thailand, it helped us to answer some questions about Buddhism. We then visited both the amulet market and the Buddha factory - local delights and very interesting. We ended our tour strolling through the flower market and the vegetable market. Sudarat went out of her way to help us see things from her perspective, and try a few tasty treats along the journey. She is kind and lovely to chat with. We highly recommend this tour if you are curious about Buddhism, or just want to take a slower pace through this busy city. A lovely day in Bangkok!

valentina

(About local Sudarat)

5 February 2025

I can only express gratitude to our lovely guide Sudarat. We had a wonderful time with her in Bangkok. She tailored our tour based on our requests of visiting temples, meeting the monks and learning more about Buddhism in general. She was knowledgeable and prepared and also very fun to hang out with. I can't reccommend Sudarat (nick name Oil) enough and will definitely book another tour with her next time i will visit Bangkok. Wondeful day spent with our lovely guide

Ben🇹🇭 Thailand

(About local Kung - Kingkamon)

2 February 2025

After the crowds at the major attractions this tour was easily one of the highlights of our stay in Bangkok. After contacting Khun Kung - Kingkamon in advance she offered us a tailor made itinerary suitable for my elderly parents. She was kind and incredibly knowledgeable and helped us understand Thai history, culture and Buddhism. Her warm, empathetic approach made us feel truly welcome. What stood out the most was her ability to provide cultural background in a way that was both informative and engaging. She didn’t just show us the sights—she helped us understand their significance, adding so much depth to the experience. If you’re looking for a guide who is professional, kind, and passionate about sharing the beauty of Thai culture, we highly recommend Khun Kung!

Thomas

(About local Petz)

27 January 2025

Petz was engaging and fluent in English. He was knowledgeable and enthusiastic about showing his culture. He was solicitous of our status as seniors with mild ambulation difficulties. He has a great sense of humor. He was interested in facts and stories about the USA. Wonderful informative guide

Christian

(About local Petz)

25 January 2025

Petz was extremely informative and went above and beyond to make our trip to Bangkok a memorable and exciting experience. I would definitely book another tour with him the next time I'm in Thailand!Awesome Tour Guide

Amanda🇺🇸 United States

(About local Sudarat)

14 January 2025

We had an amazing time with Sudarat. When I contacted her I asked her to prepare a special itinerary for someone who had passed. She went above and beyond to plan a special day for us. We were also able to add a few more stops at the end that was a special surprise. We will def be booking her again for another tour. Special Temple Tour

Claudia🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Moddy. Wachinee )

5 January 2025

If you want to learn more about Buddhismus, this is it. Beatiful temples and a good schooling about the Buddhismus thank you and the blessing from the monk was wonderfulVery interesing

Kirsten🇨🇦 Canada

(About local Moddy. Wachinee )

31 December 2024

My two daughters and I did the tour with Moddy and we just loved it!! She was a wonderful guide, thoughtful, funny and super interesting. Highly recommend a tour with Moddy. It was a highlight of our time in Bangkok. here is her website https://thailand-local-tour-guide.com/spiritual-tour-bangkok.htmlModdy was the best guide ever!

Soniya 🇺🇸 United States

(About local Piyaporn)

28 December 2024

Piyaporn was an excellent tour guide. She is so knowledgeable about Bhuddism and the etiquette required when entering a Buddist Temple. If you looking to understand the basic teachings of Bhuddism this is the tour for you and Piya is the right tour guide. Very Knowledgeable Tour Guide

Claudia

(About local Saravarint)

26 December 2024

Saravarint was very nice. We had a great tour and learnt new interesting things about Buddhism and Thai culture. She was very available to give us extra information and the tour was also relaxing.Interesting tour!

Nicola🇳🇿 New Zealand

(About local Moddy. Wachinee )

22 December 2024

Communication was excellent. Moddy adapted the tour to my needs. She is very warm, kind and friendly with good humour. She's very knowledgeable and seems to enjoy being a tour guide. Highly recommend.Great time with Moddy

Ben🇩🇰 Denmark

(About local Araya)

19 December 2024

Araya is an awesome guide. We organised three trips with her. If you want an insider's perspective on life in Bangkok, the history of this wonderful country, as well as insights into its culture then she is the guide for you. What a wonderful patient person. Thank you Araya :-)A perfect guide to get know Bangkok

Desiree🇨🇭 Switzerland

(About local Saravarint)

11 December 2024

1

Kiruga🇺🇸 United States

(About local Nok)

7 December 2024

Marie🇫🇷 France

(About local Araya)

3 December 2024

Araya has been fantastic, she led us for the Buddhism and monks tour through temples explaining us characteristics about monks daily lives, even by husband who is not familiar with Buddhism was enthusiastic. This private tour, far from turism, is very moving as well, we have time to appreciate and understand better this key component of the Thaï culture.It worths it.

Owain Llyr

(About local Moddy. Wachinee )

28 November 2024

This was my first time using 'Withlocals'; it won't be the last. My visit to Bangkok was made all the better by Moddy. She kept in touch prior the meeting; gave clear and concise details about the meeting place and time. She gave me freely and happily of her time, and knowledge; I learnt such a lot in such a short time. She was both committed and fun, we laughed as we walked from place to place. In her company, I felt 'almost local'. I would happily recommend 'Withlocals', and if your visiting Bangkok, don't miss out on a tour with Moddy! The best of mornings with Moddy Wachinee

Gary🇺🇸 United States

(About local Sudarat)

13 November 2024

Sudarat was an excellent guide and was very flexible about the sites I wanted to see, in addition to her standard tour stops. I would highly recommend her.Busy day seeing best of Bangkok sites.

Thomas🇨🇭 Switzerland

(About local Araya)

6 November 2024

very knowledgeable and friendly host 🙏very sympathic

Arun🇮🇳 India

(About local Araya)

3 November 2024

I had a great experience with Araya. She is a very knowledgable person and very familiar with the local culture and you can have a great chat with her. I booked the buddhism and monks package and It was totally worth it. We started our tour with Royal Pavilion Mahajetsadabadin and after covering few spots we ended our tour at The Golden Mount temple where I offered and payed my respects to the monk present there. Everything was well planned and amazing. I will always remember the discussions I had with Araya about thailand and how buddhism shaped the society.Amazing Tour !!

Christopher Mitya🇭🇰 Hong Kong

(About local Piyaporn)

29 October 2024

I cannot recommend Piyaporn highly enough as a wonderful guide for an introduction to Buddhism in Thailand. If you want to know more about how Buddhism is lived in Thailand both in the temples and outside among the people, this is the tour for you.Wonderful intro to Buddhism in Thailand

Mickie🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Piyaporn)

28 October 2024

We had a wonderful few hours with Piyaporn. She was very friendly, informative and helpful. She explained everything well, took lovely family pictures of us and we really enjoyed all the temples we saw and the monk offering experience. Highly recommend! Wonderful and informative walking tour

Reem🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

(About local Piyaporn)

13 October 2024

Exploring the cultural gems of Bangkok with Piyaporn on the Treasures of Bangkok tour was an absolute delight. Piyaporn's deep knowledge and passion for Buddhism and the monk's way of life brought a unique perspective to our journey. The tour not only showcased the stunning beauty of Bangkok's temples but also provided insightful commentary on the history and significance of each site we visited. Piyaporn's warm and welcoming personality made the experience even more enjoyable, and I truly felt immersed in the rich spiritual heritage of the city. I highly recommend Piyaporn's tour for anyone looking to gain a deeper understanding of Bangkok's cultural heritage and spiritual traditions. Thank you for a truly enlightening experience!

Winnie🇹🇼 Taiwan, Province of China

(About local Moddy. Wachinee )

3 August 2024

It was a nice trip with Modi. Modi is a friendly and sharing tour guide. As I requested, we deep dive in two temples, with Buddhism culture sharing. The trip is guided in English, easy to follow. Modi is a sharing person. She shared some useful travel tips, which I do appreciate. Thanks!Nice trip with modi.

Sandra🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Saravarint)

16 July 2024

Saravarint gewann uns als Familie durch ihre offene und herzliche Art. Wir haben viel über den Buddhismus erfahren und stellten viele Fragen. Die Zeit mit ihr möchten wir nicht missen, Bangkok mit ihr zu entdecken sollte man sich nicht entgehen lassen.Eine unterhaltsame Tour mit viel Inhalt

Anuradha🇺🇸 United States

(About local Piyaporn)

12 June 2024

Wonderful tour of Loha Prasat and Wat Saket. Piyaporn was one of the best guides I have ever used. She gave us an indepth view of Buddhist religion and practice as well as a lot of information on the Thai culture.Very positive and passionate. The discussion with the monk was also very informative. In addition we loved the little stories about Thai people and kings. Money well spent. Piya also took us to the canal stop for transport to the sky train. Enlightening tour

LYNDA🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Piyaporn)

10 June 2024

Piyaporn guided us on a fascinating Buddhism and Monks tour in Bangkok and kept us interested and engages for the three-hour tour, with a deep knowledge of Thai history, excellent English and regular humour. She was thoughtful and we appreciated her ensuring we were able to return to our hotel safely. Thank you Piyaporn! A knowledgeable guide

tan🇲🇾 Malaysia

(About local Araya)

6 June 2024

My guide's name is Araya. A very friendly and very knowledgeable guide with full details of the temples visited. Being a buddhist myself, we were able to exchange our experience and thoughts well. Highly recommended if you want to go visiting temples. Thank you.A Great Experience

JOSE LUIS

(About local Saravarint)

12 April 2024

Saravarint was such a great guide... She fulfilled our expectations in a great way. She answered all of our questions and was happy to explain everything in detail. Very knowledgeable and kind guide. We strongly recommend her to everyone who wants to know more about the Buddhism and the Thai culture.Excellent Saravarint

Jami🇺🇸 United States

(About local Sudarat)

5 April 2024

Our group of five went on a tour with Sudarat and it was our highlight of Bangkok. She took us to an amazing temple, arranged it so we got to spend time with a Monk asking questions, and then took us around different markets. We asked her countless questions about the area that we were in, the different things we are seeing, and just about Thai life in general. She was very informative and kind the whole time. Our group didn’t eat breakfast that morning, and she took us to a great place to get lunch and it honestly felt like hanging out with a new friend. I highly recommend a tour with sudarat and we are so grateful to have spent time learning about more about Bangkok. Amazing experience with the best guide

Nguyet🇧🇪 Belgium

(About local Moddy. Wachinee )

27 March 2024

I am very happy to have Moody as guide . She is very good , so many things she tells me about the Buddist , their habits and traditions , learn how to behave or to sit or pray in front of a Monk . She takes me to a ferry , tuk tuk I like it a lot ,visit different places unknown for mass tourist . For me it is a real privilege , I have learn a lot with Moody . Not to forget we have had a good lunch at a Michelin restaurant , good local good!!!!! Moody speak good English, very nice Guide . I am very glad having chosen Moody . Buddhism spirituals and Monks

Vanessa🇫🇷 France

(About local Araya)

22 March 2024

J’ai passé un merveilleux moment avec Araya ! Elle est d’une gentillesse, une douceur incroyable. Elle m’a permis de découvrir le bouddhisme avec des explications claires. J’ai pu lui poser des questions et avoir de beaux échanges avec elle. J’ai beaucoup de gratitude pour ce moment de partage qu’elle m’a permis de vivre. Je la recommande à 1000%! Une experience merveilleuse

Lazar🇳🇱 Netherlands

(About local Saravarint)

9 March 2024

We initially booked the tour with Moddy but it turned out we booked too late for some temples (after closing time), and as Moddy wasn’t available she managed to coordinate with Saravarint to take us over in the earlier slot..great team work! Saravarint was a great guide for us, taking us through more peaceful and enjoyable temples, which was very much appreciated and quite the opposite to our earlier experience with our self-driven tour of Grand Palace (very touristic and crowded). She explained to us a lot about Thai culture, buddhism and customs when in a temple. She adapted the tour on the fly based on our preferences, took us through the temples as if we were a local and at the end recommended some good restaurants to have dinner. Can highly recommend Saravarint as a guide and the tour itself! Make sure to book no later than 2:30pm to get the best out of the tour.Amazing buddhism tour with Saravarint!

Doro🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Moddy. Wachinee )

6 March 2024

Sehr gut organisiert und Moddy hat uns sehr informativ, hilfsbereit und unterhaltsam Thailand abseits des Massentourismus näher gebracht. Sehr zu empfehlen!Perfekter Ausflug mit Reiseleiterin Moddy

Scott🇺🇸 United States

(About local Sudarat)

10 February 2024

If you’re visiting Bangkok (or, for that matter, Thailand) and don’t know much about Buddhism, I highly recommend this tour and Sudarat. Buddhism is such an integral part of the life and culture of the Thai people, and you’ll have a much greater appreciation after this tour. Sudarat clearly explained the religion and its history, and expanded on our questions, answering questions we hadn't thought to ask, and adding in personal experiences. As a long term resident of Bangkok she also gave us much information about the city and country, their history and life here. We also enjoyed her easy-going manner and nice sense of humor.Highly Recommended!

zw7f8wmmyv

(About local Saravarint)

29 January 2024

Saravarint is very nice and very informative. We got a lot of rich information about Boudhism and the life of monks out of this tour. She is also quite fun and took good pictures during the tour that she then sent us. Thank you for the visit Great guide

Melanie

(About local Saravarint)

24 January 2024

I usually do not do reviews but my time with Saravarint was truly amazing! She is very knowledgeable and the most sweetest person. She customized my time with her and I had the best time. I will never forget my time and experience with her. I have some amazing pictures and hope to book more tours in the future. If you are looking for a genuine person she is the one to book!! 🙏💕Amazing and Learned so much!

Ben🇫🇷 France

(About local Araya)

20 January 2024

This visit was top notch! Araya is very friendly and knowledgeable. Her perspective on the various aspects of Buddhism and its impact on Thai culture was fascinating. I would highly recommend her for those looking for an insider’s understanding of this topics!!Entertaining visit of Buddhist temples!

Manya🇮🇳 India

(About local Sudarat)

6 January 2024

Sudarat was wonderful. She explained everything beautifully and was able to answer any questions I had. She even took wonderful photos of me and gave some great suggestions for the rest of my trip.A beautiful experience.

Linda

(About local Kung - Kingkamon)

4 January 2024

We had a wonderful tour with Kung. She was already waiting for us. The tour was great and we learned a lot! Kung also knew the answer to every question. Due to the temperatures, I recommend a tour in the morning. Kung makes your day better

Darren🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Saravarint)

23 December 2023

We had a lovely time exploring temples, thai culture and phad thai. We will never forget the experience of the bhuddist blessing and Saravint's (Poon) deep knowledge. Wonderdul experience

Jane🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Saravarint)

13 December 2023

Loved our tour seeing the different temples and doing a prayer with the monks. It felt a special experience and good balance as I had two children. The boat was great fun. Loved it and would recommend Saravarint. Thank you again ❤️🙏Informative, kind, great tour host

Melissa🇺🇸 United States

(About local Sudarat)

11 November 2023

We spent 2 days with Sudarat . One in Bangkok and the other in Ayutthaya. She is knowledgeable and very personable. Took us away from the hordes of tourists . Lunch with the locals instead of at the restaurant with the tour buses. Gave us a behinds the scenes look at a sugar company . She is all the stars available . Top notch . The cats pyjamas! Couldnt have been any better !!