Asia · Destination guide
Big-city energy, beach time and routes that combine both without rushing.
Where to go
Choose it if you want two or three nights of temples, river boats and street food before the beach, and can take heat and traffic in good humour.
A high-energy city that works brilliantly as the opening or closing chapter of Thailand.
Explore Bangkok
Choose it if you want the widest spread of beaches and hotels on one island, easy boat days and the option of lively evenings.
Thailand’s broadest beach-island choice, from lively bases to quieter luxury.
Explore Phuket
Choose it if you care more about limestone cliffs and longtail trips to the islands than about nightlife or a giant resort pool.
Dramatic limestone scenery, island days and an easy base for exploring.
Explore Krabi & Ao Nang
Choose it if you have young children or simply want long, quiet sand, a resort-centred week and the Similan Islands within reach.
A quieter beach base with larger resorts and access to excellent day trips.
Explore Khao Lak
Choose it if you are travelling in July or August, when the Gulf side is drier, or want a pool villa for a honeymoon.
An island with its own weather pattern, beach personalities and strong villa and resort choice.
Explore Koh SamuiIs it right for you?
A strong fit for
Couples, families, honeymoons and multi-centre travellers.
We would think twice for
Travellers who want everything within a short flight and a short transfer, because Thailand rewards the journey, and trying to do it as a quick week undersells both the place and the money spent getting there.
What we would want you to know
Coast and season need to be matched, not guessed.
We’ve been here
We have travelled in Thailand ourselves, from Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Pai to Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao, Phuket, Krabi and Koh Phi Phi, so the long journey out, the humidity that meets you on arrival and the day lost to moving between coasts are things we plan around from experience. It is also why the first question we ask about any Thai trip is the month, and only then the beach.
Weather and seasons
Thailand runs two beach calendars at once. On the Andaman side, where Phuket, Krabi and Khao Lak sit, the calm months run from about November to April: February sees only around 23mm of rain and the sea sits near 29°C. By September the south-west monsoon has pushed that to 365mm, with red flags on the west-facing beaches and island trips cancelled. The Gulf coast, Koh Samui included, does the opposite and saves its heaviest rain for October to December. March to May is hot everywhere, with Phuket reaching 35°C, and in the far north those same months bring smoky haze from crop burning. Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year are the dearest weeks of the year.
Worth timing a trip around
Thai New Year turns into a nationwide water fight lasting several days. Great fun with older children, less so if you need to arrive anywhere dry, and hotels fill with Thai families.
Candlelit baskets of banana leaf and flowers are floated on rivers, lakes and the sea to let go of the year's bad luck. Choose a krathong made of bread or leaves rather than foam.
At the same full moon, the northern capital fills with paper lanterns. Mass releases now happen at organised, ticketed events, and the airport adjusts its schedule around them.
| Month | High | Low | Sea | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33°C | 25°C | 28°C | 82 mm |
| February | 35°C | 26°C | 29°C | 23 mm |
| March | 35°C | 26°C | 29°C | 47 mm |
| April | 35°C | 27°C | 30°C | 110 mm |
| May | 34°C | 26°C | 30°C | 242 mm |
| June | 33°C | 26°C | 30°C | 333 mm |
| July | 33°C | 26°C | 30°C | 223 mm |
| August | 32°C | 26°C | 30°C | 386 mm |
| September | 32°C | 25°C | 29°C | 365 mm |
| October | 32°C | 25°C | 29°C | 344 mm |
| November | 32°C | 25°C | 29°C | 223 mm |
| December | 33°C | 25°C | 29°C | 87 mm |
Temperatures are 2015 to 2024 averages from NOAA records for Phuket, 11 km away at 4 m. Rainfall is from the GPCC rain-gauge analysis (Deutscher Wetterdienst) for 2010 to 2019 and shows the typical (median) month, so one freak storm does not skew it. Sea temperatures: NOAA OISST, 1991 to 2020.
| Month | High | Low | Sea | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29°C | 24°C | 28°C | 166 mm |
| February | 29°C | 25°C | 28°C | 37 mm |
| March | 30°C | 26°C | 29°C | 36 mm |
| April | 32°C | 26°C | 30°C | 55 mm |
| May | 33°C | 26°C | 30°C | 109 mm |
| June | 34°C | 25°C | 30°C | 96 mm |
| July | 33°C | 25°C | 30°C | 140 mm |
| August | 33°C | 25°C | 29°C | 73 mm |
| September | 32°C | 25°C | 29°C | 92 mm |
| October | 32°C | 25°C | 29°C | 244 mm |
| November | 30°C | 24°C | 29°C | 423 mm |
| December | 30°C | 24°C | 28°C | 247 mm |
Temperatures are 2015 to 2024 averages from NOAA records for Ko Samui, 7 km away at 7 m. Rainfall is from the GPCC rain-gauge analysis (Deutscher Wetterdienst) for 2010 to 2019 and shows the typical (median) month, so one freak storm does not skew it. Sea temperatures: NOAA OISST, 1991 to 2020.
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30°C | 16°C | 22 mm |
| February | 33°C | 17°C | 0 mm |
| March | 37°C | 21°C | 9 mm |
| April | 37°C | 24°C | 45 mm |
| May | 36°C | 25°C | 154 mm |
| June | 34°C | 25°C | 99 mm |
| July | 33°C | 25°C | 156 mm |
| August | 33°C | 24°C | 219 mm |
| September | 33°C | 24°C | 194 mm |
| October | 33°C | 23°C | 135 mm |
| November | 32°C | 21°C | 33 mm |
| December | 30°C | 18°C | 7 mm |
Temperatures are 2015 to 2024 averages from NOAA records for Chiang Mai Intl, 4 km away at 316 m. Rainfall is from the GPCC rain-gauge analysis (Deutscher Wetterdienst) for 2010 to 2019 and shows the typical (median) month, so one freak storm does not skew it.
Things to do
Dozens of temples sit inside the moat and old walls of the northern capital, with the ruined chedi of Wat Chedi Luang the most striking. Walk it early, rest through the heat, and give it three or four nights rather than one.
Thailand's highest mountain rises west of Chiang Mai, with waterfalls, cloud forest and twin royal pagodas near the summit. It can be surprisingly cold at the top in the cool season, so pack a warm layer.
Several sanctuaries in the hills around Chiang Mai now let you watch rescued elephants feed, roam and bathe themselves, with no riding and no shows. It is a quieter day than the old camps offered, and the kind we recommend.
A glittering white temple outside Chiang Rai, created by the artist Chalermchai Kositpipat and still being added to, with film and cartoon characters hidden in its murals. Arrive at opening, ahead of the coach groups.
The ruins of the kingdom often called the first Thai capital, spread across flat parkland that is best seen by bicycle. Stay a night nearby to see the great seated Buddhas at sunrise, before the heat and the day visitors.
The railway Allied prisoners were forced to build in the Second World War. The war cemetery in town holds thousands of them, many British, and the museum at Hellfire Pass is sobering. Give it two nights rather than a rushed day.
An overnight berth from Bangkok to Chiang Mai turns a travel day into part of the trip, with rice paddies outside the window at dawn. Book a lower berth, which is roomier, and carry a layer for the air conditioning.
Most begin at a morning market where you learn the herbs and pastes, then you cook four or five dishes at your own station. The farm-based schools outside Chiang Mai are the most relaxed, and the recipes work back home.
Food and drink
Minced pork or chicken fried hard with holy basil and chilli, served over rice with a crisp fried egg. Thais order it for a quick lunch far more often than pad thai.
Green papaya salad pounded with lime, fish sauce, palm sugar and chillies, from the north-east. Ask for it "phet nit noi", a little spicy, unless you want real heat.
Hot and sour prawn soup, sharp with lemongrass, galangal and lime leaf. The creamy version adds milk to the broth; the clear one is lighter and hotter.
The north's curry noodle soup, rich with coconut and topped with crisp fried noodles, pickled mustard greens and shallots. Chiang Mai is its home.
Green curry, cooked with small round Thai aubergines and sweet basil. The name promises sweetness, but it is often the hottest curry on the menu.
Ripe mango with sticky rice and salted coconut cream, at its best in the hot season from about March to May, when the mangoes are sweetest.
Shape of the trip
Nights 1 to 3
Temples, river boats and street food while the jet lag wears off, from a hotel on the river so the sights are a boat ride away rather than a traffic jam.
Nights 4 to 8
Limestone cliffs and longtail days on the Andaman side. This leg belongs to the dry months; in the monsoon we swap it for Chiang Mai and the cooler north.
Nights 9 to 13
A slower finish on the Gulf, where the rain keeps a different timetable. The whole route lines up best in the late winter, when both coasts are usually settled.
An idea to react to, not a fixed package. We shape the real thing around your dates, your pace and what the flights are doing that season.
Money
The long-haul flight is the biggest single cost, and cabin class on the long leg changes how the first days feel more than any hotel upgrade. After that, every extra internal hop adds a flight, a transfer and half a day. Beachfront rooms carry a real premium over hotels a road back, and many resorts add compulsory gala dinners on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, which we flag before you book. Eating out is cheap and good, so we rarely suggest all inclusive.
Flights and transfers
There is no direct route from the northern airports, so the real comparison is a one-stop journey from Manchester or Newcastle through a Middle Eastern or Asian hub against travelling to London for a direct Bangkok flight. We judge it on the whole journey: total time, the quality of the connection and how you will feel on arrival, not the airfare alone.
Flights from UK airports
Route check September 2026. Some routes are seasonal and schedules change, so we confirm the live options when we quote.
Practical details
7 hours ahead of the UK in winter, 6 hours in summer
Thai baht (฿)
Thai
Type A, B, C and O, 220V; a universal adaptor is safest
On the left
Not safe to drink; bottled water is everywhere and restaurant ice is usually factory-made
Not expected, but small change is appreciated; many hotels and restaurants add a 10 percent service charge
Entry for British passport holders
Visa. Since 15 September 2026, visa-free entry covers tourist stays of up to 30 days, normally for two entries a year. You must complete the Thailand Digital Arrival Card online within 3 days before you arrive.
Passport. Valid for at least 6 months after you arrive, with a blank page.
The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the southern border provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat and part of Songkhla, and within 20km of the Cambodian border. The places we suggest on this page were outside those areas when we checked, and we check the advice again before every booking.
Summarised from the FCDO travel advice on gov.uk, checked 29 September 2026. Rules change: read the current entry requirements and the full travel advice before you go.
Questions we get asked
The Gulf of Thailand. Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao stay relatively dry through the UK summer, while Phuket, Krabi and Khao Lak sit in the south-west monsoon. Bangkok and the north work too, with daily downpours rather than washed-out weeks, so a city-and-Gulf route suits the school holidays well.
Allow about 11 hours 25 minutes from London Gatwick. Onward connections to the islands add more time, so we usually plan a first night in Bangkok or a gentle arrival day rather than pushing straight on to a beach.
Ten to fourteen, ideally. That allows two or three nights in Bangkok and one or two beach bases without spending half the holiday in transit. A week can work for a single beach, but the length of the journey makes a longer stay far better value.
Yes, with the right base. Khao Lak and the Kata end of Phuket have gentle resort life and long beaches, the food is easy to adapt, and Thais are warm towards children. The catches are the length of the flight, strong sun and, on the Andaman coast, monsoon currents from May to October.
We advise against it unless you already ride at home. Thailand's roads see a high number of accidents, and most travel insurance will not pay out if you ride without a full motorcycle licence and a helmet. You also need an International Driving Permit to drive legally. A car with a driver removes the risk.
Yes, and it is a shape we build often, but it costs a travel day: either a short internal flight or a crossing of the peninsula by road and ferry. January to April is the easiest time to pair them, because both coasts are usually dry.
Photographs
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