Thailand Travel Guide

Golden temples and the steam of street stalls, the roar of a Muay Thai crowd, the clear coves of the Andaman Sea — Thailand has a range that “cheap and cheerful” doesn’t begin to cover. Travelers Route has put this country through its paces three times — Phuket in September 2019, Bangkok in November 2022, and Bangkok with Ayutthaya in April 2025 — and this guide digs into the country, drawing on those trips. All prices and entry rules have been re-checked as of 2026.

If you would rather start from what there is to see, Thailand: 9 Top Attractions lays out the classics in the order you would actually walk them, with prices and timings.

How many days: choose by travel style

• 3–4 days — Bangkok focus: the classic route — the three great temples and a Muay Thai night with a day trip to Ayutthaya in between
• About 5 days — beach stay: base yourself in Phuket and run a day trip out to the Phi Phi Islands
• 7 days or more — city plus beach: three nights in Bangkok, then a 1.5-hour domestic flight to Phuket. Thailand’s full range in a single trip

Essential prep before you go

Entering Thailand requires advance registration of the TDAC (Thailand Digital Arrival Card) for all foreign nationals. Registration is free and opens 72 hours before arrival, and you show the QR code it issues at immigration. The only official site is tdac.immigration.go.th — beware of the many fake sites that charge a fee. Beyond that, pack cash (temples and street stalls run on it) and something that covers shoulders and knees for temple visits, and you are ready (as of July 2026).

Dig deeper by theme

• History — Bangkok’s three great temples (Grand Palace 500B, Wat Pho 300B, Wat Arun 200B) and the ruins of Ayutthaya (a World Heritage Site, 80B per site)
• Food — the famous pink khao man gai in Pratunam, pad thai, massaman curry, and night-market grazing
• Experience — Muay Thai at Rajadamnern Stadium (from 1,000B). From the solemn pre-fight ritual to the roaring crowd, the highlight of the night
• Views and beaches — the karst seascape of the Phi Phi Islands and Patong Beach

Best season and budget

The best season is the dry months from November to April (the beach peak is December–February). April is the hottest month of the year, and April 13–15 is Songkran — Thai New Year and its nationwide water festival; whether you chase the festivities or avoid them changes the character of the trip. September–October is the peak of the rains: Phuket’s west coast sees more no-swim days, but room rates drop by nearly half. Street-stall meals run from a few dozen baht to a hundred or so, temple entry a few hundred, Muay Thai tickets and island tours a few thousand — the room to travel cheap or spend on experiences is Thailand’s great strength.

Onward across Asia

Bangkok is one of Asia’s great hub airports. Ho Chi Minh City is about 1.5 hours away, making Bangkok a natural starting point for a Southeast Asian circuit. Our Asia coverage has only just begun with Thailand and Vietnam — like our European guides (Portugal, Spain, Greece, Italy and more), it will grow city by city, in the order we actually travel.

Scenes from Thailand

Photos taken on location by our editorial team.

Articles on Thailand

About Travelers Route

Travelers Route is a travel publication that stays with you from choosing a destination to shaping the trip itself. Our Thailand coverage is built on three research trips of our own — the experiences and how things work on the ground — and on facts (prices, entry rules) re-checked as of 2026. See About and our editorial policy for how we work.