Where to go
Thailand Destinations
Start with a region to understand how the country divides, or go straight to a city or island. Every guide below covers where to stay, what to do and how long to give it.
Thailand splits into four broad regions, and the difference between them is not scenery so much as season. The Andaman coast and the Gulf islands are wettest at opposite times of year, so the same fortnight can be perfect on one coast and washed out on the other. Choose the region first and the itinerary tends to write itself.
Below, each region links through to its own guide, with the cities and islands we cover underneath it. If you already know where you are going, go straight to the destination guide: each one covers where to stay, what is worth your time and how many days to allow.
Central Thailand
Bangkok and the historic river towns within day-trip reach: temples, palaces and the old capitals of Ayutthaya and Kanchanaburi.
Northern Thailand
Mountains, hill-tribe villages and old walled cities around Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, with the ruins of Sukhothai further south.
Andaman Coast
Thailand's west coast: Phuket, Krabi and the limestone islands of Phi Phi and Khao Lak.
Phuket
Phuket is Thailand's largest island and the easiest gateway to the Andaman coast. It pairs the busy west-coast beaches and nightlife around Patong with quieter sands north and south, an old town of Sino-Portuguese…
Phuket travel guide →
Krabi
Krabi is the Andaman coast at its most dramatic: limestone karsts rising straight from the sea, the car-free beaches of Railay reached only by longtail boat, and easy hops to Phi Phi, the Hong…
Krabi travel guide →Gulf Islands
Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Tao on the Gulf of Thailand, plus the mainland resort town of Pattaya.
More of Thailand
Plan the trip around them
Best time to visit Thailand
The two coasts do not share a season, which decides the route more than anything else.
Visa and entry requirements
What applies to your passport, and the arrival card every visitor now files.
What a Thailand trip costs
Daily budgets by style of travel, and where the money actually goes.
Where to stay in Thailand
Choosing a base in each destination, area by area.