AsiaThailandThailand
Thailand gives you a different trip every week, from €20 a day. You go from noodles at a stall that has cooked one dish for decades to limestone islands at their clearest from November, a raft house on a jungle lake and cool temple nights up north. No country on Stippl is planned more often.
ThailandThailand in a nutshell
Where to go in Thailand
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TownTurn these stops into a Thailand route
Pick your favourites and Stippl orders them, adds travel times and builds the day-by-day.
ROUTES THAT WORK
Thailand itineraries, one week to three
Thailand is loved by culture seekers and backpackers alike. We recommend several routes through this country, here they are in full!
7 nights1 week, classic sampler
Bangkok · Chiang Mai · Phuket
Cool north weather suits Chiang Mai temples; Andaman islands peak; Bangkok heat manageable.
7 nights1 week, south only
Phuket · Khao Sok National Park · Ao Nang
Andaman coast at its clearest; Phuket, Khao Sok, and Phi Phi offer reliable dry weather and calm seas.
8 nights3–4 weeks, Thailand + Cambodia
Chiang Mai · Chiang Rai · Koh Chang
Cool northern temples (Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai) and Mae Wang; Koh Chang clear water; avoids Cambodia's rainy season.
9 nights10 days: Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Pai
Bangkok · Chiang Mai · Pai
Cool, dry weather in the north, before the burning season haze settles in from February to mid-April.
9 nights10 days: Bangkok, Koh Samui and Koh Phangan
Bangkok · Koh Samui · Koh Phangan
The Gulf islands are dry and calm; June to September works too, while October to December is their wettest stretch.
9 nights2 weeks, south-focused with a choice block
Bangkok · Kanchanaburi · Railay Beach
Railay and Phi Phi or Lanta remain dry; Kanchanaburi's temperate; flexible island choice based on preferred coast.
10 nights2.5 weeks, best-of with domestic flights
Bangkok · Chiang Mai · Ao Nang
Chiang Mai's cool season; Tonsai climbing and Andaman islands in peak condition; Bangkok heat tolerable.
12 nights3 weeks: north to south, Bangkok last
Chiang Mai · Pai · Khao Sok National Park
Chiang Mai and Pai comfortable; Khao Sok and Ao Nang dry; Bangkok visited last avoids peak heat.
13 nights2 weeks: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Krabi and Koh Lanta
Bangkok · Chiang Mai · Krabi
Bangkok's temples, four cool nights in Chiang Mai, then one flight down to the Krabi coast and Koh Lanta's long beaches.
13 nights2 weeks, classic first-timer
Bangkok · Chiang Mai · Pai
Comfortable temperatures across all regions from Bangkok through Chiang Mai to southern islands without heat or rain.
13 nights2 weeks: Isan, the northeast nobody routes
Bangkok · Nakhon Ratchasima · Ubon Ratchathani
Cool, dry weather across Nakhon Ratchasima, Ubon, and Nong Khai; follows the Central region's cool-season window.
13 nights2 weeks, north and Andaman
Bangkok · Chiang Mai · Chiang Rai
Cool nights in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai; Andaman at its best; minimal rain across the full north-to-coast span.
14 nights2 weeks, Bangkok to Phuket by night train and ferry
Bangkok · Chiang Mai · Ao Nang
The sleeper train north to Chiang Mai, a flight to Ao Nang, then ferries along the Andaman coast via Phi Phi to Phuket.
16 nights3 weeks, central and north road trip
Kanchanaburi · Ayutthaya · Sukhothai
Cool season suits the long northern road through Sukhothai, Mae Wang, and Chiang Mai; Kanchanaburi and Ayutthaya pleasant.
19 nights3–4 weeks, Gulf island hop
Bangkok · Hua Hin · Koh Tao
Gulf islands (Tao, Samui, Phangan) thrive while Andaman coasts are wet; cheapest rates; fewer crowds than peak season.
19 nights3 weeks, islands only
Krabi · Koh Lanta · Koh Phi Phi
Extended Andaman and Gulf island chain; Lanta, Phi Phi, and Samui all dry; Tao and Phangan water clear and warm.
Updated August 2026 · Written by the Stippl editorsWe looked at 1,756,000+ planned stops in Thailand on Stippl to write this.
Thailand is built as a northern leg and a southern one, and with under two weeks you pick one rather than rushing both. The north is mountains, temples and trekking out of Chiang Mai and Pai. The centre is Bangkok with the old capitals at Ayutthaya and Sukhothai, both best seen by bicycle early in the morning. The south is two coasts with opposite weather, the Andaman on the west and the Gulf on the east. A Thailand trip runs 21 days on Stippl.
More than half the people planning Thailand are not only planning Thailand. 55.5% of Thailand trips on Stippl carry at least one other country, and Vietnam is the one they pick most often. Overland into Cambodia and Laos is the other common shape, which is why the eastern islands of Koh Chang, Koh Mak and Koh Kood turn up on routes that never touch the Andaman.
Two weeks covers one half of the country properly and three to four weeks covers both. Sleep on the water at Khao Sok, which is the one stop people say they would repeat, learn to dive on Koh Tao, and eat at night markets rather than in restaurants. Build the coasts around their opposite monsoons so you can switch from the Andaman to the Gulf mid-route and keep beach weather the whole way. If you want the country at roughly half the price and a fraction of the crowds, Isan in the northeast is where almost nobody goes.
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Download the appWho Thailand is for
First-time Asia travellers
The traveller trail is worn, transport is organised and cheap, and English carries you through the tourist corridor.
Food-led travellers
Regional cuisines that differ genuinely between north, Isan, centre and south, with street stalls that have made one dish for decades.
Beach and island people
Two coasts with opposite monsoons, so somewhere in Thailand has beach season nearly every month.
Long-trip budget travellers
€20 to 30 a day is genuinely liveable, the country stretches a budget further than any neighbour except Laos and Cambodia, and most give it 21 days.
Divers and beginners underwater
Koh Tao is among the cheapest certification spots in the world, with the Andaman offering manta and whale-shark season Feb–Apr.
Solo travellers, women too
Thailand is one of the safest and easiest countries in the world to travel alone, and the trail is built for it.
Families
Short flights between stops, cheap private transfers, and sanctuaries and parks that work for children without special arrangements.
Maybe not for you: anyone hoping to avoid crowds in high season, anyone set on riding elephants, and anyone who wants one coast to work all year, because it does not.
The best time to visit Thailand
Cool season
November to February
Dry and comfortable everywhere, the north included, and the busiest and priciest window of the year.
Hot season
March to May
The hottest months, with April the peak and Chiang Mai close to forty degrees. Good for the beaches, punishing for a day of temples.
Rainy season
June to October
Short, intense afternoon showers rather than all-day rain, wettest from August to October. The cheapest rooms and the thinnest crowds of the year.
- The two coasts have opposite monsoons, so you switch coasts rather than cancel. The Andaman side is dry from about November to April, the Gulf from about January to September; a rainy-season trip simply goes to the other sea.
- The Similan and Surin marine parks close for five months, mid-May to mid-October. Every Andaman dive and snorkel day off Khao Lak and Phuket goes with them, and the reopening date is announced only a week or two ahead.
- Northern burning season runs February to April, and the smog is serious. Crop fires sit over Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Pai for weeks; in those months the coasts are the better bet.
- Christmas and New Year can double a room rate, and the beds sell out months ahead. The peak runs December to March with a second spike in July and August from European holidays; October and November are the value window.
- Songkran, 13 to 15 April, is a nationwide water fight and an off-season price spike. Biggest in Chiang Mai and on Bangkok's Khao San and Silom, and in practice it runs closer to a week.
- The north gets genuinely cold on December to March nights. Pai and the mountains drop to single figures after dark, so a jumper belongs in a Thailand bag.
Add your Thailand dates and we'll flag the weather per stop
Stippl shows the season, crowds and prices for every place on your route.
Festivals, and when to avoid them
Chinese New Year
Yaowarat in Bangkok fills for two evenings and Phuket Town and Chiang Mai's Chinatown follow. Come for the street food; hotels are normal and nothing closes.
Songkran
The Thai New Year water fight, biggest in Chiang Mai and Bangkok and running to 20 April in Pattaya. Chiang Mai's rooms are booked a month out and it is an off-season price spike; nothing electronic survives the streets.
Buddhist holidays
Makha Bucha, Visakha Bucha and Asahna Bucha are public holidays with a nationwide ban on alcohol sales for the day; bars close and the islands go dry. The dates follow the lunar calendar; check them before planning a night out.
Vegetarian Festival
Nine days of processions, firewalking and body piercing in Phuket Town, on the Chinese lunar calendar. Phuket Town's rooms fill and the street stalls turn vegetarian; the beaches are unaffected.
Loy Krathong and Yi Peng
Floating light offerings countrywide, with the Yi Peng lantern release in Chiang Mai the same night; transport and hotels in Chiang Mai tighten for the week and the ticketed lantern events sell out months ahead.
Christmas and New Year
The islands' peak fortnight: rates double on Koh Samui, Phuket and the Andaman islands, the ferries run full and the beach bungalows are booked by October. Bangkok is normal.
Full Moon Party
Haad Rin on Koh Phangan, around twenty thousand people; the accommodation nearby imposes multi-night minimums and the boats from Koh Samui run all night. Stay on the other side of the island to sleep.
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Things to do in Thailand
Photo by Christophe95 via Wikimedia
Photo by Nott Peera via Unsplash
Photo by Windo Nugroho via PexelsSleep on the water at Khao Sok
A raft house on Cheow Lan Lake, reached by longtail from the pier, with no wifi, jungle noise at dusk and a kayak on the porch. One night is the standard booking and the one stop people say they would repeat.
Dinner at a night market
Order from three stalls, sit on a plastic stool and eat better than at home for a few euros; every town has one and the big ones open at five. Chiang Mai's Sunday market and Bangkok's Chinatown are the two to plan around.
Elephants at a sanctuary near Chiang Mai
Observation and feeding at a vetted sanctuary in the hills, never riding; a half day costs about €50 with the transfer. The good ones explain their no-contact policy before you ask.
Learn to dive on Koh Tao
An Open Water course runs three to four days and about €300, among the cheapest certifications in the world, on an island small enough to walk. Book the school, not the dive shop on the pier.
Bangkok from the river
Take the Chao Phraya Express from Sathorn pier to Tha Tien for the Grand Palace and cross to Wat Arun, for under €1 a hop. It is faster than a taxi and the only way to see the city's temples in a line.
Cycle the old capitals
Ayutthaya and Sukhothai are both best seen by bicycle between the ruins, early in the morning before the heat; bikes cost a few euros a day at any guesthouse. Ayutthaya is a day trip from Bangkok, Sukhothai is a night.
What to eat in Thailand
wok-fried rice noodles with tamarind, egg and peanuts
northern coconut curry noodle soup with crisp noodles on top
green papaya salad pounded to order: sour, salty, fierce
mild southern curry with Persian-Indian roots
sweet coconut sticky rice with ripe mango
northern herb sausage
hot-and-sour prawn soup with lemongrass, galangal and lime leaf
Discover food spots in Stippl
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Temples, shoes and what not to do
Temples are working buildings
People come to pray, not to look, so keep your voice down, stay off the raised platforms and never turn your back on the main Buddha for a photo.
The monarchy is a legal line
Insulting the royal family is a criminal offence with prison terms, and the reverence is real: stand for the anthem at 08:00 and 18:00 and in cinemas.
Keep your temper
Raising your voice loses you the argument on the spot; the person who stays calm and smiles gets the refund, the room or the fare.
Nobody will tell you no
A flat no is impolite, so a wrong answer is likelier than an admission of not knowing: ask a second person, or ask the same question a different way.
The wai, not the handshake
Palms together and a slight bow; return one from anyone older, and do not start one with staff or children, who are not expecting it.
A few words change the price
Sawatdee, khop khun and the polite ending, kha for women and khrap for men, visibly change how you are treated, and the price with it.
Do
- Cover shoulders and knees at temples and take your shoes off; carry a sarong as an all-purpose cover
- Return a wai, and use the polite ending (kha for women, khrap for men)
- Accept an invitation to eat; hosts consider it an honour
- Stand still for the royal anthem in cinemas and public spaces
Don't
- Point your feet at people or at a Buddha image, and never step over someone
- Touch anyone's head, including children's
- Touch or hand anything directly to a monk, if you are a woman
- Ride elephants or visit venues offering shows
What a Thailand trip costs
Budget
€20–30
Dorm or fan room, street food, buses and ferries, occasional day trip.
Mid-range
€55–90
Private room with pool, restaurant meals, domestic flights, guided activities.
High-end
€180+
Resorts and boutique hotels, private transfers, diving and premium tours.
Track what you actually spend
Set a daily budget per country and log expenses in any currency while you travel.
Visas, SIM cards and getting around
Entry & visa
EU and UK free, term changing
EU and UK passports enter visa-free, but the 60-day term is being cut, so check the length before booking. The digital arrival card is free; sites that charge are fakes.
Money
Cards stop at the city limits
Baht is the currency and cash leads outside the cities: street food, markets and islands are cash-only. ATM fees are about €5 (200 ฿) a withdrawal, so draw big.
Connectivity
An eSIM skips the queue
Coverage is good almost everywhere and local SIMs are cheap in any 7-Eleven. An eSIM bought at home removes the airport queue entirely.
Getting around
Fly far, 12go for the rest
Domestic flights are the standard long hop and often cheap. Buses, trains and ferries book on 12go, Grab is the city app, and long-distance trains leave from Krung Thep Aphiwat.
Health
Jabs are advised, not required
Nothing is mandatory; DTP, hepatitis A and typhoid are the usual recommendations. The real risk is the scooter, so wear the helmet and never leave your passport as deposit.
Water
Bring a filter bottle
Do not drink the tap water. Bottled water is cheap and refill stations charge a few satang a litre, so a filter bottle pays for itself in days.
Tipping
Round up and leave it there
Tipping is not expected. Rounding up a fare and leaving about 10% in nicer restaurants when service is not included covers it.
Power & plugs
No adapter for a European plug
Sockets are type A, B and C at 230 V, and most take a European two-pin plug without an adapter. Bring one for the older flat-pin sockets anyway.
Language
English stops at the trail's end
Thai is tonal with five tones. English is common along the tourist trail and thin in Isan and the small villages, where a few words go a long way.
Thai worth knowing
Nobody expects you to speak the language, which is exactly why a handful of words goes so far.
sa-wat-dee (khrap/kha)
Hello · สวัสดี
khop khun (khrap/kha)
Thank you · ขอบคุณ
mai pen rai
No worries / it's fine · ไม่เป็นไร
tao rai?
How much? · เท่าไหร่
a-roi
Delicious · อร่อย
mai phet
Not spicy, please · ไม่เผ็ด
hong nam yoo nai?
Where is the toilet? · ห้องน้ำอยู่ไหน
khor bin
The bill, please · ขอบิล
Thailand questions, answered
Count the nights per stop rather than the places. Most stops on a Thailand trip planned on Stippl get 3 nights, and a single night means one of your two days goes to moving. Lay the route out in Stippl and check it against that. Then show it to people who have been, in subreddits like r/ThailandTourism.
You can see one half of it properly. Two weeks covers Bangkok plus either the north or the islands, and three to four weeks is what doing both without living on buses actually takes. 22.2% of Thai stops planned on Stippl are a single night, which is what a compressed route looks like from the inside.
Less than for most long-haul destinations. Travellers leave 82 days between planning a Thailand stop on Stippl and arriving, and buses, boats and trains are bookable a day ahead almost everywhere. What does need settling early is the cool season on the islands and anything with a fixed date, like a festival.
Whichever one is dry while you are there, because they take turns. The Andaman side runs November to April and the Gulf islands run roughly January to September, so a route that crosses between them mid-trip keeps beach weather the whole way through. That crossing is the most useful single thing to build into a Thailand itinerary.
With three weeks or more, yes. Isan in the northeast is the least touristed part of the country, with Khmer ruins, a cuisine of its own and roughly half the prices of the south. It is also the region where English thins out fastest, which is part of why so few travellers get there.
It is the standard one, for practical reasons rather than sentimental ones. Buses, boats and trains are bookable a day ahead, the tourist trail carries English signage, and the whole country runs perfectly well without a tour operator. That is why so many Southeast Asia trips open in Bangkok and fan out from there.
Every guide is written by the Stippl editors and checked against the trips our travellers actually plan. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
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