Thailand: Itinerary
About
Best months to visit Thailand are November - April. We went during summer/monsoon season from July 10 - July 23 in 2016. It was extremely humid but sunny for the majority of the trip. If we had more time/budget on this trip would add:
Krabi + Railay Beach
Khao Yai National Park
Bike the Mae Hong Son loop
More Islands (full list below)
Day 1-2: BAnGKOK
There are many activities/sights in the capital of Thailand. Here are a couple of our highlights:
Bangkok canals boat tour. You can go to one of the piers and negotiate with the boatmen for little money or book with a tour guide ahead of time. We booked with Pandan boat tours.
The Grand Palace. Official residence of the king and the grounds are beautiful. Go when it opens at 8am as it gets extremely crowded/hot by mid-day. You can buy tickets when you get there or ahead of time here.
Temples
- Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the emerald Buddha): Most sacred Buddha temple, just south of the Grand Palace.
- Wat Po (Temple of the reclining Buddha): Massive reclining Buddha in a beautiful temple complex.
- Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn): On the west bank of the Chao Phraya River. Can also be viewed via boat tour.
- Wak Saket (Golden Mount Temple): Built on a man-made hill, need to climb 300 steps to get to the top.
Drinks
- Khaosan Road: Stretch of road full of bars/clubs/backpackers going out.
- Dome (Sky Bar): Rooftop bar where "Hangover 2" was filmed. Located on the 64th floor of the Sate Tower at Lebua. Pricey, but amazing views.
- Banyan Tree Hotel: Rooftop bar, less pricey.
- Smalls: Quirky bar on Suan Phlu Soi, hotspot for cool laid-back bars and restaurants.
- The House on Sathorn: Grand, Russian/Thai influence.
Food
- Mango Tree: Really good Thai food, mid range prices. Recommend the one close to the Dome.
- Harmonique: Good Thai food in a quirky old Thai house.
- Babbel & Rum: Restaurant of the Riva Surya Hotel on Chao Phraya River.
- Blue Elephant: High-end cooking school/restaurant for traditional Thai.
Day 3: Damnoen Saduak + BAngKok
Damnoen Saduak floating market is a famous market around ~2 hours outside Bangkok by bus or ~1 hour by boat. While the market is now primarily oriented around tourism, its still fun to experience.
Best time to go is 8am-10am (closes at 12pm).
Hotels offer day tours to the market, you can go via taxi, or you can take a public bus from Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal (Sai Tai Mai) leaving every 40 minutes after 6am.
Recommend booking a half day tour through your hotel, tripadvisor, viator etc.
Day 4: AYUTTHAYA + PHITSANULOK
Bus from Bangkok to Ayutthaya (~1.5 hours)
Ayutthaya one of the former capitals of Thailand and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You are able to walk all around the ruins and explore all throughout the site.
Bus from Ayutthaya to Phitsanulok (~4 hours).
Stay in Phitsanulok and visit the Night Bazaar.
- Stop at Savik Restaurant where a chef famously tosses watercress “phak bung” across the the tables (aka “flying spinach”).
- Try the insects, this market is famous for its insects.
- Take a rickshaw ride (~500 baht).
Day 5: SUKHOTHAI + CHIANG MAI
Bus from Phitsanulok to Sukhothai Historical Park (~1.5 hours).
- Explore Sukhothai Historical Park, another UNESCO World Heritage Site and ancient capital of Thailand.
- Walk around 3+ miles of Thai architecture, lakes, buddha relics and more.
Bus from Sukhothai to Chiang Mai (~4 hours).
- Visit Doi Inthanon National Park, the highest mountain in Thailand (we ended up being too tired to do this).
- Explore Chiang Mai night market on Chang Klan Road. One of largest night bazaars, open every night.
- Eat Khao Soi in the night market (best in northern Thailand).
Day 6-7: ElePHANT SANCTUARY + DOI SUTHEP
Taxi to Ran Tong Elephant Sanctuary (~1 hour).
- Ran Tong is an elephant rescue center that allows you to bathe and feed the elephants they rehabilitate.
- Chiang Mai is home to many asian elephants. Ensure to research whatever elephant experience you decide to book. Many experiences that promote elephant rides treat the animals unethically.
Some people also visit Tiger Kingdom outside of Chiang Mai in the Mae Rim District which allows you to get up close and personal with tigers of all ages, imo this is sketchy and unethical.
Taxi from Ran Tong to Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep Temple (~1.5 hours)
- Also called “Doi Suthep”. This temple is in the mountains of Chiang Mai and offers incredible views of the city. You can take a short cable car or walk up the 306 steps. This temple is one of the highlights of Chiang Mai.
- Stop at Orchid Jade Factory right below the temple on the way down to purchase real jade jewelry thats not too pricey.
DAY 8: Koh SAMET
Koh Samet: Also referred to as “Koh Samed”. We stayed on this island that’s only ~15mins outside of Rayong by boat due to travel time/ budget constraints (however it was still quite beautiful).
Fly from Chiang Mai to Rayong (~1 hr 15 mins)
- Taxi to Ban Phe Pier in Rayong
- Take Koh Samet Ferry from Ban Phe Pier to Na Dan Pier on Koh Samet (~150 baht one way)
Stayed at La Lune the first two nights. Nice enough accommodation, lots of cute cats that live on the property. Located on Vongduen Beach.
- If you walk south down the beach there’s a great swing overlooking the bay.
Day 9: KOH SAMET
Spend the day doing Island activities. You can coordinate actives through the hotels. Some of our highlights included:
- Parasailing from Saikeaw beach.
- Guided snorkeling. We visit a completely uninhabited island and snorkeled throughout Khao Laemya National Park (where my above watermelon selfie was taken).
- Jet-skiing (this was my first time on a Jet-ski) you pay by the hour and can go pretty much wherever you want.
Go into Town. The northeast side of the island is the downtown area.
- There is a tourist information center, and plenty of bars/restaurants.
- Sai Kaew and Ao Hin Khok beach are lined with restaurants along the sand where you can eat and watch the sunset.
- We ate at Ploy Talay (location) where you can dine on the beach while front row at the infamous fire show that starts each night at 8:30pm (get there early to reserve your spot because it gets packed).
Day 10: KOH SAMET
Our last day we explored more of the island. You can rent motorbikes/golf carts for the day to get around.
- Drive to Prao Beach on the northeast side of the island: We spent the majority of the day at Ao Prao Resort, used their pool and ate at the beach side restaurant called “Breeze”.
- Drive to sunset point to watch the sunset.
Other more remote beaches to visit:
- Ao Noi Na (northern island).
- Ao Kio (southwest island).
- Ao Wai (southwest island).
Day 11: TRAVEL HOME
Again, we stayed on Koh Samet for timing/budget reasons, however If you want to really explore Thailand’s islands would recommend flying/ferrying to more remote islands:
Ko Lanta (coral reefs best for snorkeling and scuba diving).
Phuket (most popular tourist destination in the country).
Ko Phi Phi (largest island and only island with permanent residents).
Koh Phangan (famous for backpackers, hosts full moon party).
Koh Tao (most popular island for learning to dive).
Ko Samui (most visited of the Thai islands, hosts many festivals, upscale).
Koh Chang (elephant island, lush mountains).
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