Temple, shrine & monastery tours
Every temple, shrine and monastery tour we have reviewed, with the 15 that are worth planning a day around at the top. Prices, durations and what the people who went at sunrise say about the alarm.
Review of Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon, with ticket value, queues, architecture, opening hours, access tips, and what you see inside.
“Long line and hot but expected. Once inside, did not disappoint. They meter how many people are in at once so it doesn’t seem crowded and you can enjoy the experience while taking pics. Stays cool inside too.”
Review of Angkor Wat’s $18 sunrise or sunset tour from Siem Reap, with four temples, guide, transport, costs, timing, and practical tips.
“Great tour with very knowledgeable guide Mr. Rith, who also makes the tour very enjoyable with his great humour. You see a lot of temples in one day and stop for a tasty lunch as well. I can only recommend”
Visit Tlatelolco, Guadalupe Shrine, and Teotihuacan from Mexico City with transport, a guide, tequila tasting, and optional lunch.
“Great walk of history and learning experience. Don’t be late, as the bus needs to runs tight schedule.”
Explore Ayutthaya’s four major temples from Bangkok with a guide, air-conditioned transport, Thai buffet lunch, and useful cultural context.
“We had a fantastic day visiting Ayutthaya with our guide, Paul. He was friendly, very knowledgeable, and brought the history of the ruins and temples to life. Everything was smooth and well organized, and Ayutthaya is an absolute must-visit from Bangkok. Highly recommend this tour!”
Review the $15 Angkor Wat sunrise tour from Siem Reap, with temple visits, local guides, air-conditioned transport, and practical tips.
“David is one of the most exceptional guides I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. The tour was just perfect. Timed at a leisurely pace, full of interesting information and stories and not tiresome at all, despite being 9 hours long. And all this while being hosted by a very fun David. We strongly recommend this tour.”
Review of Athens to Cape Sounion at sunset, with temple views, coastal scenery, transport details, costs, tips, and honest advice.
“As a female solo traveler, tours are hit or miss. The meet point was easy to find and the tour guide welcomed me with a big smile. She was helpful throughout the tour and gave us stories about Greece. The view at the Temple was beautiful! I had ample time to grab a bite before going up to see the sunset.”
Review of Ubud’s private Monkey Forest, jungle swing, rice terrace, waterfall, and Tirta Empul tour, with practical tips on cost and timing.
“We had a fantastic day with our driver and guide Adi! He went out of his way to make sure we had a great Ubud experience. He was very knowledgeable about all of the stops and the Balinese culture generally (no matter what random questions we may have asked). The car was very comfortable and we were provided bottles of water for the day. We highly recommend this experience (and Adi particularly) to anyone looking to explore Ubud.”
Review of the Montserrat half-day tour from Barcelona, with transport, monastery access, Black Madonna options, free time, costs, and practical tips.
“Our booking & itinerary to the Monserrat Monastery excursion included access to touch the Black Madonna. When we arrived at the monastery we were told by our tour guide, Oriol, our booking did not include touching the Black Madonna. I showed him the screenshots from our booking & itinerary which clearly showed touching the Black Madonna was included in our purchase. Oriol reviewed the screenshots and agreed we should have access and there must have been a mistake. He stated it would be difficult to have the booking changed the now. When we expressed our displeasure Oriol stated he would call his office and try to fix it. He stepped…”
Review of Bali’s private Ubud tour with three waterfalls, Tirta Empul, Tegalalang Rice Terrace, coffee tasting, tips, and honest value advice.
“We had an amazing experience on this tour. Everything was perfectly organized from start to finish. Senegal was our guide, he was professional, engaging, and incredibly knowledgeable. You can really tell they are passionate about what they do. He is also an amazing photographer, he toke beautiful pictures of us. We would definitely do it again and highly recommend it”
See Chiang Rai’s White, Blue and Hauyplakang temples, Karen village and hot springs on a long, good-value day trip from Chiang Mai.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the whole trip despite it being a proper 12 hour trip. The guide, Alex was such a funny guy and he taught us some basic Thai phrases we could use. I liked listening to him share some personal stories of his and in all honesty, he seems like a wise man. All his stories had a lesson to it. It felt like he was imparting wisdom to the tourists. The highlight would be me visiting the hill tribes people to learn how they live their lives.”
Review of Barcelona’s Montserrat small-group or private tour, with hotel pickup, Black Madonna, mountain walks, funicular option, and museum tips.
“Booking the tour online was simple. Excellent communication from the company and from the guide. Our guide Alejandro was knowledgeable, friendly, professional, and courteous. We were able to customize our tour in Montserrat since we were a private group. Alejandro made sure that our preferences were taken into account for planning our day. Our expectations were exceeded! We enjoyed our day very much! We highly recommend this tour and Alejandro as a guide.”
Visit Boyana Church and Rila Monastery from Sofia in one day, with mountain views, expert guides, free time, and excellent value.
“Everything was executed perfectly. The only thing I think could be improved is little longer time at the Riley Monastery. Lunch at the restaurant could take 1 hour or longer.”
Review of the Athens to Cape Sounion sunset trip, with Poseidon Temple, Athenian Riviera views, audio guide, price, tips, and practical advice.
“Really enjoyed this tour . It was a lovely drive along the Athens riviera and we had enough time at the Temple of Poseidon . The sunset wasn’t great due to cloud but we did have some blue sky and lovely light for photos . Our guide was really excellent . Gave enough information and clear instructions .”
Explore Angkor Wat at sunrise and sunset on a two-day Siem Reap tour with 11 temples, expert guides, transport, water, and strong value.
“The tour was amazing. Say was a fantastic guide who was engaging and knowledgeable. He was patient and caring when we needed to slow down because our 9 year old daughter was struggling from the heat. I highly recommend this tour. Overall, great experience!!!”
Explore Bangkok’s Grand Palace, Emerald Buddha, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, and local markets on a small-group temple tour with transport and guide.
“Our guide Mina was amazing knowledgeable friendly and energetic. She was able to answer all of our questions.”
