Thailand Travel Guide

November to February is the cool, dry season and the best all-round time to visit Thailand. March to May is very hot, with Songkran in mid-April, and June to October brings the southwest monsoon — usually heavy afternoon downpours rather than washed-out days. The coasts run on opposite schedules, which matters more than anything else when planning: the Andaman side (Phuket, Krabi, Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi) is at its best from November to April, while the Gulf islands (Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao) stay drier from June to September and are wettest from October to December. One important caveat for the north: February to April is burning season, when agricultural and forest fires push air quality in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai into unhealthy ranges, usually peaking in March, so plan northern trips outside that window if you are sensitive to air pollution.

1. 01

   Bangkok

   The Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun, canal boats, Chatuchak weekend market and some of the best street food and rooftop bars in Asia.

2. 02

   Chiang Mai

   A walled old city of temples, night markets and cooking schools, with mountains, waterfalls and a strong cafe scene on the doorstep.

3. 03

   Chiang Rai

   The White Temple and Blue Temple, hill country and the Golden Triangle where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet.

4. 04

   Pai

   A laid-back mountain town north of Chiang Mai, reached by a famously winding road, known for waterfalls, hot springs and slow days.

5. 05

   Ayutthaya

   The ruined former capital and an easy day trip from Bangkok by train, with brick temples and the Buddha head held in tree roots.

6. 06

   Sukhothai

   Thailand's first capital — a quieter and better-preserved historical park than Ayutthaya, best explored by bicycle.

7. 07

   Krabi, Railay and Ao Nang

   Limestone cliffs, world-class climbing, longtail boats and beaches you can only reach by sea.

8. 08

   Phuket

   The largest island, pairing an old town of Sino-Portuguese shophouses with the busy west-coast beaches and the best flight connections in the south.

9. 09

   Koh Lanta and Koh Phi Phi

   Andaman islands at opposite ends of the scale — Lanta calm and family-friendly, Phi Phi famously lively.

10. 10

    Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao

    The Gulf trio: resorts and easy beaches, the full moon parties, and some of the cheapest diving courses in the world.

11. 11

    Kanchanaburi

    The bridge over the River Kwai, sobering Second World War history and the tiered Erawan waterfalls.

12. 12

    Khao Sok National Park

    Rainforest older than the Amazon, limestone karsts and floating bungalows on Cheow Lan Lake.

13. 13

    Isaan

    The northeast, and the least touristed part of the country — Khmer temple ruins, fiery food and everyday Thai life.

• Temple-hop Wat Pho, Wat Arun and the Grand Palace early, before the heat and the tour groups
• Take a Chao Phraya express boat rather than a taxi and see Bangkok from the water
• Learn to cook green curry and som tam at a Chiang Mai cooking school
• Ride the overnight sleeper train from Bangkok up to Chiang Mai
• Kayak among the limestone karsts of Khao Sok or Phang Nga Bay
• Get your open-water dive certificate on Koh Tao, one of the cheapest places on earth to learn
• Cycle the ruins of Sukhothai Historical Park at sunrise
• Eat boat noodles in Bangkok and khao soi in the north — two dishes that define Thai regional cooking
• Spend a night in a floating bungalow on Cheow Lan Lake in Khao Sok
• Visit an ethical elephant sanctuary — one that offers no riding and no bathing
• Take a longtail boat to Railay and watch climbers work the limestone walls
• Sit down at a night market and order from three different stalls at once

Thailand is cheap and straightforward to travel. Domestic flights on Thai AirAsia, Nok Air, Thai Lion and Bangkok Airways link Bangkok with every region for very little and save a full day over land. The overnight sleeper train to Chiang Mai is a genuine experience and worth doing once. Long-distance buses and minivans cover everything else, though quality varies and the state-run services are usually the safer choice. In Bangkok, use the BTS Skytrain, MRT and Chao Phraya river boats to skip traffic that is otherwise brutal, and Grab or Bolt for the rest — both show the fare up front, which ends the metered-taxi argument before it starts. Ferries and speedboats connect the islands, on reduced schedules during monsoon season. Motorbike rental is everywhere and is also how most visitors get hurt: you need a licence that covers motorcycles plus an International Driving Permit, helmets are compulsory, and riding without the right paperwork will void your travel insurance.

Thailand offers some of the best-value accommodation anywhere. Hostels in Bangkok and Chiang Mai are excellent and sociable, boutique guesthouses inside Chiang Mai's old city cost very little, and the islands run the full range from simple beach bungalows to world-famous resorts. In Bangkok, staying near a BTS or MRT station matters far more than the neighbourhood itself, because traffic makes distance meaningless. Book well ahead for the November-to-February high season, over Christmas and New Year, and around Songkran in mid-April, when demand and prices both spike. On the islands, check which coast you are booking and in which month — the two sides of the country have opposite wet seasons.

Thai food is deeply regional, and a trip spent only on pad thai is a wasted one. The Bangkok and central repertoire covers pad thai, boat noodles, green and massaman curries and mango sticky rice; the north brings khao soi, sai ua sausage and nam prik ong; and Isaan in the northeast contributes som tam, larb and grilled gai yang — the fiery food many Thais would name as their favourite. The south is coconut-rich and hotter still. The best cooking happens at street stalls and markets, so look for a stall doing one dish with a fast-moving queue and eat where it is busy. Vegetarians should learn the word jay, which signals Buddhist vegetarian cooking and is widely understood, and bear in mind that fish sauce goes into most savoury dishes by default.

Budget notes are qualitative on purpose — figures are added only from tracked, real trips.

• Complete the Thailand Digital Arrival Card before you fly. It replaced the old paper TM6 form, is required for every foreign arrival including children, and is free on the official site at tdac.immigration.go.th. Submit it within three days of arrival, and file a fresh one every time you enter the country.
• Any website charging you for the arrival card is a scam — the official government form costs nothing.
• Check your visa allowance before booking. Thailand cut visa-free stays from 60 days to 30 days for most eligible nationalities from mid-September 2026 and also limited visa-free entries by land border. Confirm the current rule for your passport with a Royal Thai Embassy or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, because this changed very recently.
• Cannabis is no longer recreational. Thailand recriminalised it in June 2025 and it is now prescription-only — tourists cannot legally buy or possess cannabis without a Thai medical prescription, and penalties include fines and possible imprisonment.
• Do not ride a motorbike without a licence covering motorcycles and an International Driving Permit. Motorbike crashes are the most common serious accident involving visitors, and riding unlicensed voids travel insurance.
• Dress respectfully at temples — shoulders and knees covered, shoes off inside. Carrying a light scarf is easier than relying on rented cover-ups.
• Never disrespect the monarchy. Thailand's lese-majeste laws are actively enforced and carry serious prison sentences, including for social media posts.
• Use Grab or Bolt instead of negotiating with taxis and tuk-tuks, and if you do take a metered taxi, ask for the meter.
• Avoid the far north during burning season if you can. February to April brings heavy agricultural smoke to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, at its worst in March.
• Match the island to the month: the Andaman coast is best from November to April, the Gulf islands from June to September.
• Carry cash for markets, street food and small towns, but expect cards in city hotels, malls and larger restaurants. ATMs charge a fee per withdrawal, so take out larger amounts less often.
• Ignore anyone on the street who says a temple or palace is closed today. It is a long-running scam that ends at an overpriced gem shop or tailor.
• Never touch anyone's head, and avoid pointing your feet at people or Buddha images. Both matter a great deal in Thai etiquette.
• Check the weather and the operator before island ferry crossings in monsoon season, when seas can be rough and schedules change at short notice.