This morning, you will leave Bangkok to the Summer Palace at Bang Pa In. The mish mash of palaces and pavilions in styles ranging from Italian to Chinese once served as summer retreats for Thai monarchs from the Ayutthaya period to the beginning of the 20th century. In the afternoon, you'll explore the the principal sites of this fallen city with visits to Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Wat Phra Mahathat and Wat Chai Mongkol, famous for its Buddha galleries. Until its final destruction by the Burmese, Ayutthaya was home to 33 different Siamese kings, and boasted a population, at one point, of over 1,000,000 inhabitants.
Leaving Ayutthaya, you will continue to Nakhon Ratchasima, also known as Korat. Thailand's dry northeast, known as Isan (ee-san) to the Thais, is the country's least developed and most traditional region. In addition to a wealth of Khmer monuments, the area has many fine arts and crafts and some of the friendliest people on earth. Drive to the hotel for check-in and rest of day at your leisure.