In 2018, we spent a month traveling through Chiang Rai, Pai, Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Krabi, Koh Lanta, Koh Muk and Koh Lipe. Then we spent another month living in Bangkok in early 2023, so we could really immerse ourselves into the chaos of life in Thailand!
We didn’t realize this until we’d seen more of the world, but Thailand is one of very few countries we’ve been to that’s perfect for budget backpackers, big city lovers and luxury breaks by the sea. And we really like how well the country is set up for tourism, especially when compared to nearby places like Vietnam which we don’t think is easy to get around.
In this Thailand travel guide we explain everything you need to know about planning a first trip, including top experiences, itinerary, when to go and more.
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Places To Visit
Bangkok – Thailand’s loud, vibrant and sprawling capital city is a real eye opener. Our senses of sight, sound and smell were heightened every time we stepped out onto the streets. It’s a fantastic tourist city because it has lots of attractions, great food and a solid transit system. It’s not as cheap as it once was, but it’s still an affordable place to visit.
Chiang Mai – The major northern hub of Chiang Mai is one of the world’s most popular digital nomad destinations. It’s surrounded by national parks and mountains, it has a walkable Old City with walls and moats, there’s tons of temples to discover and we enjoyed the chilled vibe.
Chiang Rai – Heading even further north (almost to the borders with Myanmar and Laos) is Chiang Rai, another mountainous city with lots of Buddhist temples that’s also popular with digital nomads. We flew into Chiang Rai and worked our way down the country.
Krabi – Heading a long way south, the coastal city of Krabi has a nice balance between size, chaos, comfort and cost. Tourism here is mostly centered around Ao Nang Beach and Railay Beach, and it was one of the more relaxing places we visited in Thailand.
Phuket – The large island of Phuket attracts an eclectic mix of visitors because it has lots of budget hostels and 5 star luxury resort hotels. We don’t like Phuket much, but it’s where the boat leaves to see the famous Phi Phi Islands from the movie “The Beach”.
Thai Islands – Now we’re talking. For us, the touristy islands like Ko Lanta, Ko Muk, Ko Lipe, Ko Samui, Ko Pha Ngan and Ko Tao are what makes Thailand so unique and desirable. We enjoyed walking on golden sandy beaches, snorkeling in clear waters and soaking up the relaxing island life atmosphere.
Top Experiences
Instead of looking at travel planning solely by which cities, towns or regions to visit, we like to know what experiences are worth doing when we visit new places.
Here are some of our favorite things to start with in Thailand:
- Visit the Grand Palace
- Walk around Wat Arun
- Visit tons of other temples in Bangkok
- Day trip to Erawan
- Have a beer on Khaosan Road (just one!)
- Day trip to Safari World
- Walk through Chinatown
- Tour the canals in Bangkok
- Visit the Icon Siam mall
- Explore the Jim Thompson Museum
- Go to the King Power observation deck
- See the ruins in Ayutthaya
- Visit the temples in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai
- Walk through the walled city of Chiang Mai
- Taking a cooking class in Chiang Mai
- Take a walk around Pai Canyon
- Visit Railay Beach in Krabi
- Take a boat to the Phi Phi Islands
- Go snorkeling or scuba diving in Ko Tao
- Do sunset on the beach in Ko Lanta
- Sit on white powdery sand in Koh Lipe
Getting Around
We had mixed experiences with transport during our two months in Thailand. Flying was great, the tickets were cheap and the distances were short. But any time we had to use a train or a bus it got uncomfortable, and quickly.
The train we took from Bangkok to Ayutthaya and back was slow, hot and packed full. It was awful. But the minibus we took from Chiang Mai to Pai was way worse, maybe one of the worst journey’s of our lives and we’ve traveled a lot!
Our favorite way to get around was by boat once we made it down to Krabi and the Andaman Islands. The boats were always full of western tourists taking it easy and enjoying life on the water. And we splurged on a few speedboats which were pretty awesome!
In Bangkok, we always tried to walk as much as possible but we did end up using the MRT quite a few times to cover longer distances (here’s the MRT map) because it’s a huge city and the trains work well. We also took one or two tuk-tuks because it’s part of the experience and after spending so long in southeast Asia we were experts at bartering!
Itinerary
There are so many ways you can plan a first trip to Thailand. It could be 10 days in the north, a week in Bangkok or a month traveling from top to bottom. So there’s no way we could create a one size fits all route for everyone.
But here’s how we’d plan a 4-week trip through Thailand if it were our first time again, knowing what we know now:
- Chiang Rai – Days 1 to 2
- Chiang Mai – Days 3 to 5
- Bangkok – Days 6 to 11
- Ko Samui – Days 12 to 15
- Phuket – Days 16 to 18
- Krabi – Days 19 to 21
- Ko Lanta – Days 22 to 23
- Ko Muk – Days 24 to 25
- Koh Lipe – Days 26 to 28
This would be an action packed itinerary taking in most of the country’s popular tourist highlights and some of its lesser known areas. It’s exactly how we’d do it if we wanted to spend a month in Thailand.
Accommodation
Tourism in Thailand is well established and thriving so there’s tons of hotels, apartments, hostels and even beach bungalows to choose between. In our experience, some are great and others aren’t so great, so it’s important to research properly and read reviews.
When we traveled through Thailand in 2018 we found accommodation to be priced at what we expected – cheap. This is southeast Asia after all, right? Well, we found out in 2023 that it’s kind of not that affordable anymore. At least not in Bangkok anyway.
We usually use Booking.com for short stays and Airbnb for longer stays. The apartment we booked for a month in Bangkok on Airbnb was good but not amazing and it cost us $1,500. And we had to pay extra for electricity at the end. Ouch.
We think it’s because a lot of the popular digital nomad cities in the region have cottoned on to the growing number of foreigners spending longer periods in town, and upped the prices.
If we were to go back to Thailand, we’d plan out our itinerary and book all accommodation well in advance, especially on the islands. That way we’d get in early when there’s more available and at better rates. Travel isn’t like it used to be with last minute bargain bookings.
Food
Okay, how good is Thai food? Seriously. We love curry, stir fry, satay, fried rice, spring rolls and Thai tea so much that we’re either cooking it ourselves or eating out in restaurants a few times every month.
We were so excited to eat tons of street food all over the country. But we learned the hard way that there’s a difference between good street food and bad street food. So after a few bad experiences, we transitioned to mostly eating in malls or legit looking restaurants only.
In Bangkok, we found the malls like Siam Paragon and Central World were actually really great places for food because they had loads of western restaurants (trust us you’ll need it after a few days!) and Thai restaurants, plus massive buffet style canteens on the top floor.
But some of the best food we ate in Thailand was on tiny islands in the Andaman Sea. Why? Because they’d pull things out of the sea and stick it straight on a barbecue. Oh, and Kristen got addicted to roti in Koh Lipe!
When To Visit
Thailand’s peak season runs from November to March during the cooler and drier winter months. We’d happily visit Bangkok, Chiang Mai and islands in the Andaman Sea any time in the winter to avoid the hot, humid and wet weather that comes in summer.
But October to December is the rainiest time of the year for islands in the Gulf of Thailand like Ko Samui and Ko Tao, so we’d wait until January of February if they were part of our itinerary.
When we traveled through Thailand for a month in 2018, our dates were November 17 to December 17. We timed it so we’d be in Chiang Mai for the famous lantern festival and we’re so glad we did. But it meant Ko Samui was in its rainy season, so we skipped the Gulf and went straight to the Andaman Sea.
Our month in Bangkok was mid-January to mid-February and the weather was near perfect. It barely rained and it wasn’t as humid as it was in November. So overall we’d say go for January or February for the best overall weather conditions throughout the country.
Tours
Sometimes tours can be too expensive or not worth it because you can do it yourself easily enough. Thailand is one of those travel destinations that kind of sits in the middle. You can do it yourself but it takes planning, working out websites for tickets and using public transport.
And the tours here are so affordable that it might just be easier to take the stress out of planning, let someone else deal with all the logistics and admin, and just turn up. Food tours and cooking classes are especially worth doing because you can’t do those yourself!
Here are just some of the top rated tours we would book in Thailand:
Keep Exploring
Are you planning a longer trip with stops in more Asian countries? Once you’re finished reading about Thailand, keep exploring nearby areas by heading over to the following pages:
We hope our Thailand travel guide helps with planning your trip!
Happy Travels,
Mark and Kristen
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