Places to visit in Thailand
12 places most Thailand trips are built around, in the order a first visit usually takes them. Five days covers Bangkok and Pattaya: Coral Island by speedboat, a cabaret evening, a Chao Phraya dinner cruise and Safari World; six days suits Phuket and Krabi, with the Phi Phi islands by speedboat and the Krabi four-island tour, or Phuket with Pattaya and Bangkok; seven or eight days joins Bangkok to Phuket and Krabi, or swaps Bangkok for Koh Samui and the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan; nine days runs Phuket, Krabi, Pattaya and Bangkok in one trip. Four days is best kept to one base, Bangkok with Pattaya or Phuket on its own.
- Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew: The royal palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok; a dress code applies, with shoulders and knees covered.
- Wat Arun and Wat Pho: The riverside Temple of Dawn and the reclining Buddha across the water from it, easily done together with a ferry ride.
- Chao Phraya dinner cruise: An evening cruise past the lit-up temples and bridges of Bangkok, on most Bangkok plans here.
- Safari World and Marine Park: Bangkok's drive-through safari and the dolphin, orangutan and cowboy shows; the family day of a Bangkok itinerary.
- Floating and night markets: Damnoen Saduak by boat in the morning, and Chatuchak at the weekend or Asiatique on the river at night.
- Coral Island (Koh Larn): A speedboat from Pattaya to the island's beaches for parasailing and water sports, back by the afternoon.
- Sanctuary of Truth and Nong Nooch: Pattaya's all-wood carved temple by the sea and the tropical garden with its cultural show.
- Phuket: Patong, the Big Buddha and Phromthep Cape: The main beach and nightlife strip, the hilltop Buddha with a view of the island, and the sunset point at the southern tip.
- Phi Phi Islands: A speedboat day from Phuket or Krabi to Maya Bay, Pileh lagoon and Monkey Beach; Maya Bay closes every year from 1 August to 30 September.
- Krabi four-island tour and Railay: A longtail or speedboat from Ao Nang to Chicken Island, Tup, Poda and Phra Nang cave beach, with the cliffs at Railay.
- James Bond Island: Phang Nga Bay by boat: the limestone needle from the film, sea caves by canoe and a floating village.
- Koh Samui and Koh Phangan: The Gulf islands for Chaweng beach and the Full Moon Party at Haad Rin; wettest from October to December, the reverse of Phuket.
