Thailand travel guide: when to go, budget and itineraries

Plan three full nights in Bangkok: a morning for the Grand Palace and Wat Pho, one for the Thonburi canals by longtail boat, an evening for the street food of Yaowarat. The Grand Palace ticket office closes at 3:30pm, so arrive before 9am. North of the capital, the ruins of Ayutthaya, the former Siamese capital and a UNESCO site, can be seen by bike in a day or as a one-night stop on the way north. Sukhothai, further on, needs a flight or a night bus.

Chiang Mai packs more than thirty temples into a moated old town; allow two to three nights to add Doi Suthep, a half-day cooking class and a no-riding elephant sanctuary. Chiang Rai, three hours away by bus, lines up the White Temple, the Black House and the Blue Temple in one day. From February to April, smoke from agricultural burning cuts visibility and worsens air quality across the whole North.

The Isan plateau, bordering Laos and Cambodia, receives a tiny share of visitors yet holds the finest Khmer temples in the country outside Angkor: Phanom Rung, set on an extinct volcano, and Phimai. People come for rural life, the night markets of Udon Thani or Khon Kaen and food spicier than elsewhere. Expect at least one domestic flight from Bangkok, as the train is slow. A 50 km strip along the Cambodian border is advised against.

On the west side, Krabi, Phuket, Koh Phi Phi and Phang Nga Bay offer limestone cliffs, clear water and diving spots. The dry season runs from November to April; from June to October the southwest monsoon makes the sea rough and some boat services irregular. From Bangkok, count an 80-minute flight to Krabi or Phuket, then thirty to forty-five minutes of transfer. Three nights per island is enough to alternate tours and downtime.

Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Tao, east of the peninsula, follow a reversed calendar: fine weather runs from January to September, with the rainy season falling in October and November. Samui has an airport; the other two are reached by ferry in thirty to ninety minutes. Koh Tao is one of the cheapest places in the world to earn your first diving certification, in three to four days. Koh Pha Ngan is still known for its monthly Full Moon Party.

A street meal costs 1 to 3 euros and is eaten standing at any hour: pad thai, green curry, som tam, noodle soups. Bangkok has several street stalls recognised by the Michelin guide. Culturally, around 90% of Thais are Theravada Buddhists: in temples, shoulders and knees must be covered and shoes come off before entering. Songkran in mid-April and Loi Krathong in November are worth the trip but push prices up.