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Thailand
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When to visit
Attractions in Thailand
1. The Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaew (Bangkok)
Quick facts: Glistening mosaics and gilded spires flood the eye with color, while elaborate murals and guardian statues reward close inspection. Step across polished marble courtyards to feel echoes of royal ceremony and spot a tiny, revered emerald figure that draws pilgrims and photographers alike.
Highlights: Inside the main ordination hall a 66-centimeter jade Buddha perches on a gilded throne, and during the royal Changing of the Robes ceremony officials swap its tiny seasonal cloak exactly four times a year: March, July, September, and December amid low chanting and frankincense smoke. Walk the outer cloisters and you can count over 1,000 hand-painted mythic creatures, spot a 12-armed guardian whose cracked lacquer and mosaics throw glittering green light, and feel the heat off sun-warmed gold leaf as you trace the worn bas-reliefs.
2. Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha) (Bangkok)
Quick facts: Gilded surfaces and a 46-meter reclining figure dominate the main hall, with the statue's feet inlaid with mother-of-pearl panels that depict intricate auspicious symbols. Strolling the compound, you can hear monks chanting nearby and even sign up at a respected massage school on site to try traditional massage techniques for yourself.
Highlights: A 46-meter-long reclining Buddha glows in burnished gold, its feet nearly 3 meters long and inlaid with 108 mother-of-pearl auspicious scenes that sparkle when incense smoke drifts across the polished tiles. Around the cloisters you'll find the country’s first traditional massage school, where trainees guided by master instructors practice century-old pressure techniques on visitors, the low thump of palms and the scent of camphor oil filling the air.
3. Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) (Bangkok)
Quick facts: Climbing the steep central prang rewards visitors with sweeping river views and a mosaic of Chinese porcelain that catches the sunlight in glittering fragments. Made from millions of tiny porcelain pieces recycled from broken ceramics, the tiled surface turns into a kaleidoscope in low light, a detail that surprises first-time visitors.
Highlights: Time your climb to sunrise and watch the porcelain tiles on the central prang explode into a million rainbow flashes, thanks to roughly 5,000 pieces of Chinese porcelain embedded in the façade. Old boatmen still whisper that rubbing a carved yaksha's toe brings safe passage, and the cool river breeze carries the sharp scent of incense and fried fish as you peer down the steep, narrow steps.
4. Wat Phra That Doi Suthep (Chiang Mai)
Quick facts: Take the steep naga-lined staircase and you'll be greeted by a gleaming golden chedi that shelters a much-revered Buddha relic and offers sweeping views over the valley. Soft morning chants and incense blend with the clink of bells, while intricate Lanna murals and guardian sculptures reveal layers of regional art and religious devotion.
Highlights: Climb the 306-step naga staircase lined with coiled serpents, and halfway up you'll pass rows of tiny offering shrines where locals press gold leaf onto miniature Buddhas while bells and incense fill the air. Legend says a white elephant carrying a Buddha relic circled the mountain three times, trumpeted, and died on the chosen spot, and the golden chedi gleams like a coin in late-afternoon sun surrounded by monks' saffron robes.
5. Chiang Mai Old City - Chiang Mai
Quick facts: Walled streets and a shallow moat cradle dozens of gilded temples, where saffron-robed monks slip through morning markets and incense mixes with sizzling street food. Laneways pulse with cafés and nightly markets that spill hundreds of stalls into the streets, so wandering aimlessly often turns into the day's best discoveries.
Highlights: Every dawn the moat and the four ancient gates wake to a soft ritual: locals place banana-leaf parcels of sticky rice and grilled fish to quietly feed about 50 saffron-robed monks as they walk the clockwise circuit. By night the narrow lanes fill with the scent of lemongrass and roasting pork, and a faded 14th century mural can still be spotted behind a modern coffee shop, its gold-leaf Buddha face pitted but smiling.
6. Ayutthaya Historical Park (Ayutthaya)
Quick facts: Wandering among more than 400 ruined temples feels like exploring an open-air museum, where mossy bricks and leaning stupas frame Buddha heads half-swallowed by banyan roots. Local guides love pointing out the surprising blend of Khmer and Siamese details carved into stupas, and river breezes at sunset make the stone glow with warm, almost theatrical light.
Highlights: Wanderers often stop at Wat Mahathat to stare at a weathered Buddha head cradled in tangled banyan roots, the stone's mossy texture and serene half-smile feel inches from your face. Founded in 1351 and sacked in 1767, the ruined capital becomes a twilight maze of red-brick chedis and Khmer-style prangs, where drifting incense, the clack of bicycle spokes and monks' low chants layer into a weirdly intimate soundtrack.
7. Sukhothai Historical Park (Sukhothai)
Quick facts: Morning light turns lotus-filled ponds and crumbling brick stupas into a painterly landscape, while silent Buddha statues preside over misty canals. Over two hundred restored monuments dot a broad archaeological park, rewarding slow bicycle rides with unexpected inscriptions and ingenious ancient waterworks.
Highlights: At dawn saffron-robed monks walk along tree-lined canals as lotus flowers open, while the 15-meter seated stone Buddha known as Phra Achana peers through a narrow slit and the sun gilds its face, the air heavy with incense and damp earth. About 200 ruined temples are laid out on a quiet grid, and local storytellers still point out tiny chisel marks and thumb-sized hollows on certain chedis, saying those little imperfections are where villagers once asked for good fortune before long journeys.
8. Phi Phi Islands — Maya Bay / Ko Phi Phi (Krabi/Phuket area)
Quick facts: Towering limestone cliffs cradle a jade-green lagoon, while crystalline water and bustling reef life make snorkeling feel like swimming through an aquarium. A deliberate tourism pause led to a striking rebound in coral cover and fish numbers, proving the ecosystem can recover quickly when boats and crowds are limited.
Highlights: After the 2000 film 'The Beach' turned the bay into an international obsession, local authorities closed it in 2018 for four years to let coral gardens regrow, and when they reopened they capped daily visitors and barred long-tail boats from the shore. At dawn, sheer limestone walls glow honey-gold while waist-deep water stays so clear you can pick out blacktip reef sharks and parrotfish on restored coral heads, and on some nights bioluminescent plankton makes the sand glitter like spilled stars.
9. Phang Nga Bay — James Bond Island (Khao Phing Kan)
Quick facts: Limestone karsts rise like sentinels from emerald water, their craggy faces streaked with salt and resilient trees that make for unforgettable kayak passages. Glass-smooth water mirrors the towering rocks, and longtail boats weave narrow channels around mushroom-shaped pinnacles that became iconic after featuring in a famous blockbuster, drawing photographers and adventurous swimmers.
Highlights: Imagine a 20-meter-tall limestone needle rising from glassy turquoise water, its streaked gray face sun-bleached and pocked with tiny shell fossils as longtail boats chug by. Around 40 jagged karst islets puncture the bay, and at low tide you can paddle into narrow sea caves where light slices through stalactites and the air smells of warm salt and crushed limestone.
10. Railay Beach - Krabi
Quick facts: Towering limestone cliffs frame hidden coves and white-sand crescents, and when bioluminescent plankton bloom the shoreline can glow like spilled starlight. Climbing enthusiasts come for more than 700 bolted routes on smooth karst walls, so you can watch climbers tackle overhangs and pockets while sipping a beachside drink.
Highlights: Jagged limestone cliffs rising roughly 100 to 150 meters from turquoise water form narrow sandy coves reachable only by longtail boat, where climbers string ropes along overhanging routes at dawn as the limestone turns honey-gold. A tiny cave shrine nearby hosts glossy wooden phallic carvings, jasmine garlands, and bottles of rum left for a local spirit called the Princess, the air filling with incense and the soft clink of coins when the tide slips away.
Popular Cities in Thailand
Traditional Sweet Dishes
Mango sticky rice
Mango sticky rice pairs creamy coconut-glazed glutinous rice with sun-ripened mango, and vendors time it to coincide with Thailand's short mango season so the dessert is a herald of summer.
Khanom chan
Khanom chan is a fragrant, steamed layered dessert traditionally made with nine layers because the number nine sounds like a word for progress in Thai and is considered auspicious at weddings and ceremonies.
Thong yip
Thong yip, whose name means 'pinched gold', traces its origins to Portuguese egg-yolk sweets and is served at celebrations to symbolize wishes for wealth and good fortune.
Traditional Savory Dishes
Pad Thai
Pad Thai was promoted as a national dish in the mid 20th century, and its signature smoky flavor comes from high-heat stir-frying as vendors toss noodles in a hot wok.
Tom Yum Goong
Tom Yum Goong owes its punchy sour and spicy flavor to fresh aromatics like lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and galangal, and the soup's name literally means 'boiled shrimp'.
Green Curry
Green curry gets its vivid color from fresh green chilies and herbs, and the paste is pounded with coconut, giving the curry a creamy heat that balances spicy, sweet and savory flavors.
Traditional Beverages
Thai iced tea
Thai iced tea is brewed strong with black tea and warm spices, then sweetened with condensed milk so the drink becomes rich and creamy and turns a signature amber color when poured over ice.
Cha yen (sweet iced tea)
Cha yen simply means 'cold tea' in Thai, and street vendors often serve it over crushed ice so the sweet, milky tea becomes a cooling companion to spicy dishes.
Nam manao (lime juice)
Nam manao, Thailand's tart lime juice drink, is the go-to refreshment for cooling down in the heat and its bright acidity helps cut through the richness of spicy Thai food.
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Day trips
Kanchanaburi (Bridge on the River Kwai & Erawan)
WWII history, scenic waterfalls and national parks.
Google MapsDamnoen Saduak & Maeklong Markets
Iconic floating market and train market experience.
Google MapsComments (9)
Temples are stunning, but many felt overrun and commercialized. I wanted calm and found constant touts and souvenir stalls.
Street food is incredible, be picky about stalls that look too touristy. Ate cheaply most days and always felt safe.
Budget friendly if you avoid tourist traps, inland buses and street food keep costs down, resorts jack prices up badly.
Book overnight sleeper trains for long routes to save a night's accommodation, and reserve a lower berth early during high season.
Hot and humid almost every day, pack light and stay hydrated. Island hopping was lovely but the travel days are long.
Getting there
Airports
Train stations
Northern, Northeastern, Southern, Eastern long-distance lines
City hub; connections to regional lines (Northern, Northeastern, Southern)
Use the Airport Rail Link from Suvarnabhumi; prebook metered taxis or Grab from Don Mueang.
Click to get eSim for Thailand
The easiest and most affordable way to get mobile internet wherever you travel.
Rent a car in Thailand
Visa & entry
EU (Schengen), USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan
Many African countries and some South Asian passports — check embassy requirements.
Check visa-exemption vs. visa-on-arrival; ensure 6 months passport validity and onward ticket.