Thailand has become Instagram famous for its lovely elephants and impressive temples, but the country has much more to offer. The Thai islands are home to some of the most beautiful islands in the world. The bustling streets in Bangkok are house the biggest shopping malls, rooftops with amazing views, and lively night-life. Chiang Mai is one of the best places to indulge in fresh Thai cooking. Thailand’s versatility makes it great for people looking for a one-stop-shop to see Southeast Asia. Keep reading for my travel itinerary, loose notes, and favorite recommendations.
Travel Dates: Tues. May 14 – May 23, 2019 (10 days)
General Tips:
- Cash – Keep cash on you because cash is used for most transactions, ATMs are convenient and located everywhere
- Street Food – Go to the busiest stalls with the most customer turnover, ensure food is fresh and not sitting out for a long time, food poisoning actually comes from more western-style restaurants or places with enclosed kitchens
- Bargaining– Bargaining is embedded into the Thai shopping culture, bargain whenever possible for souvenirs, street food, taxis, tours, etc. Check out my Baragianing Blog Post for more specific bargaining tips
- Grab – Very similar to Uber, my preferred method of transportation throughout Thailand, cheaper than taxis, Tuk Tuks, etc., there is an option to pay the driver in cash or use a credit card
- Phi Phi islands – If you enjoy swimming/snorkeling, relaxing on beaches, and island hopping, I would recommend spending a night at the Phi Phi islands; explore the city and beaches on your day of arrival, then use the next day to take an island-hopping boat tour
- Religious holidays – Thailand has many religious holidays throughout the year where the entire country shuts down, including restaurants, bars, and other tourists attractions, it is important to research the dates of important holidays and respect the local community during these time
Day 1 – Chiang Mai
Arrival to Chiang Mai
- Hotel: Lee Chiang Hotel
- Activities: explore the city, dinner
Day 2 – Chiang Mai
Elephant Tour
- Chai Lai Orchid: Interact with elephants and then spend the day doing adventurous activities such as hiking to a nearby waterfall, swimming, bamboo rafting; this tour company does not allow riding elephants
Review: yellow – small group meant lots of interactions with elephants, however, the total time spent with the elephants was quite short cannot ride (~1 hour); the tour was slightly unstructured; more time was spent doing the activities than interacting with elephants; total price was $110
- Schedule of Day:
- Pick up from Hotel: 9:00 am
- 1 hr ride to the elephant park
- Change, info on elephants
- Feed elephants – 30 min
- Walk elephants to the river – 10 min
- Bathe elephants – 30 min
- Bamboo Rafting – 1 hr
- Pad Thai Lunch – 30 min
- Waterfall – 1 hr
- Visit mountain village – 20 min
- Clean up, goodbyes, pay
- 1 hr ride back to the hotel
- Return to Hotel: 5:00 pm
Exploring Chiang Mai – Walled City
- Walled City: rent a bike from the hotel or explore the city by foot, you can see many wats (temples), shops, and restaurants
- Wat Phra Singh – temple right by the hotel
Review: yellow – walk around, cool grounds - Wat Chedi Luang – biggest/best temple in Chiang Mai
Review: yellow – 20 baht, cool to look at from outside - Phae Gate – entrance into the walled city
Review: yellow – good for pictures, but not very special - Warorot Market – big market for locals, better prices than night bazaar market
Review: green – cool to see where the locals shop, no tourists but good prices
- Wat Phra Singh – temple right by the hotel
Exploring Chiang Mai – Night Market
- Ploen Ruedee Night Market: high-quality food stalls, live music, some shops, cool vibes, 5 min walk from night bazaar
Review: green – many international food options, decent prices, good music, good vibes, along with night market - Night Bazaar Market: starts at 6 pm and ends around midnight
Review: green – best place to get souvenirs, bargain a lot! - Prices for souvenirs after bargaining
- Elephant pants – 2 for 250 baht
- Elephant shorts – 80 baht
- Passport holders – 100 baht each
- Elephant tank top – 100 baht
- Elephant backpack – 180 baht
- Helpful Resource – Nightlife Guide
Day 3 – Chiang Mai/ Bangkok
Cooking Class
- Baan Hongnual Cookery School: natural ingredients, educate on the process to cook it, food was very good, get to make your own and pick the spiciness of your own food, half-day tour price = 1000 baht, similar price to other options
Review: green – highly recommend, I’ve done this cooking class twice and enjoyed it both times, went to a local market and understood all the ingredients we used, very organized, got to pick your meals and flavors, everything was extremely tasty - Schedule of Day:
- Pick up from Hotel: 9:00 am
- Market visit – 45 min
- Menu: spring rolls, soup, red/green/yellow curry, pad thai
- Return to Hotel: 12:30 pm
Arrival to Bangkok
- Transportation to Hotel: used public transport to save money, longer trip but saved ~165 baht ($5) per person
Review: yellow – easy way to save a little money but can be hard to manage with many bags, consider using Grab or taxi if you are not on a tight budget - Hotel: Sheraton Orchid – Bangkok
Night out in Bangkok
- Sing Sing: good on Thursday for ladies night, 3 free drinks and no cover
Review: green – cool aesthetic, nice for drinks, started to get lit at 11 pm with hip hop/rap music - Sugar: only Hip hop club in Bangkok, gets lit at 12 am
Review: yellow – ~300 baht cover, comes with 1 free drink, people can smoke inside, live performances on Thursdays
Day 5 – Bangkok
Exploring Bangkok – Temple Sightseeing
- The Coffee Club: chain restaurant for breakfast close to our hotel
Review: yellow – slightly overpriced for Thailand, food presentation was nice, ~10 USD with tax and tip - Grand Palace: ~500 baht, biggest attraction, have to see, gets Disney world level crowded, very hot, took a water taxi from the hotel for 15 baht, a must-see if in Bangkok
Review: green – go right when opens to avoid heavy crowds, it gets busier throughout the day, women need pants/skirt below knees and sweater/shirt over shoulders that are available for 100 baht outside the palace - Reclining Buddha: ~200 baht, a short walk from Grand Palace, a must-see if in Bangkok
Review: green – very cool, bigger than most people expect
- Wat Arun: ~50 baht, several flights of stairs to walk up, recommend going at sunset, a must-see if in Bangkok
Review: green -nice for a quick photoshoot (see picture above) - Mani/Pedi: stopped by a local nail salon for a cheap manicure and pedicure
Review: green – ~150 baht for a minimal pedicure, pay for what you get - Icon Siam: high-end mall, free water taxi available from nearby hotels
Review: green – very extravagant mall, the newest mall in Bangkok, opened in Feb 2019, food options are expensive compared to other malls but a cool experience - Khao San Road: popular street for tourists to go out
Review: acquired green – crowded with people, drinks available to buy by the bucket, many varieties of food (e.g. crocodile, crickets, scorpions), very cheap foot massages, be careful of your belongings
Day 6 – Bangkok
City Exploration
- Tailing Chan Floating Market: easily accessible by public transportation, buy a ticket for a small longtail boat cruise upon arrival, opens at 8:00 am, better to come in the morning to beat crowds
Review: green – lots of great traditional Thai dishes with good prices, smaller market where you can buy souvenirs, smaller than expected and not as packed with as tourists - Floating Market Boat Tour Options:
- Option 1: ~69 baht, small boat leaves at various time throughout the day, stops around the floating market and nearby temples, the boat can get pretty crowded during peak times
- Option 2: ~100 baht, 3-hour tour leaves at 9:45 am most mornings, the only tour where you ride through the floating market
- Option 3: ~1000 baht, rent a private long-tail boat with a driver
- Chatuchak Weekend Market: delicious street food, handmade items, 15,000 vendors, really good prices, easily accessible by Skytrain
Review: yellow – very crowded and slightly overwhelming, one of the most popular markets in Bangkok, many stalls but all have similar things - Thai Massage: local type of massage that is a must-do in Thailand; available at many shops along the streets, better to research online to find reputable studios
Review: green – 450 baht for a 1-hour massage at a mid-tier studio, you get what you pay for - Octave Rooftop: one of the best rooftops with a view in the city; happy Hour 5-7 pm, ½ off drinks, 45th floor
Review: green – definitely recommend for the stellar views and happy hour, on some local holidays they are open but do not serve alcohol
Recommendations We Missed – Bangkok
- Hom Duan: northern Thai food, a bowl of khao soi costs 65 THB, closes at 9 pm
- Thip Samai Pad Thai: Michelin-rated street stall, by Khao San Road, food can take 10 min to 1 hour
- Rot Fai Night Market: is a huge market located in Srinakarin, “Railroad market”
- Asiatique: cute night market with riverboats and Ferris wheel, slightly upper scale
- Or Tor Kor: food market to visit by Chatuchak, very good food
- Ice Cube Food Stall: section 7 at Chatuchak Market, has great pad thai for an affordable price
- Siam District Malls: Siam Center, Siam Discovery and Siam Paragon (very upscale), MBK Shopping Center (more affordable)
- Abandoned tower: climb the tower at sunset, 500 baht entrance fee, 30 min to climb, rumored that you have to pay the security guard
- Wat Mahathat: 3 hour meditation class, classes available daily
- Unicorn Cafe: colorful food options, unicorn-themed
- Wang Lang Market: good dinner option
Day 7 – Bangkok/ Phuket
Departure from Bangkok
- Trip to Airport: used Grab “taxi” option, was not a good choice because they did not tell us we would have to pay extra for tolls and they use the meter so are price increased
- Hotel: Hallo Patong – Phuket
Day 8 – Phuket
Relaxing Day of Exploration
- Freedom Beach – very beautiful, secluded beaches, off the beaten path, very steep hike around 20 min, the scorching heat made the hike quite difficult but it was worth it
Review: adventurous green – one of our best experiences in Phuket, the prettiest beach I’ve seen, only a handful of people on the entire beach, bring a water bottle for the hike back or else you will get light headed like me, saw many jellyfish washed up on shore, do research for detailed walking directions - Bangla Road – the Phuket Version of Bourbon Street; bars, clubs, food market, small souvenir shops, shows, etc.
Review: acquired green – gets fun throughout the night, just can be an adjustment at first, a little cleaner version of Khao San Road in Bangkok
Recommendations We Missed – Phuket
- Patong Beach – stroll along the beach and enjoy the sunset, stop in one of the many beach bars for a drink
- Buddha Lookout – great place to enjoy the view of the city during sunset
- Boxing Show – high energy night time show
Day 9 – Phi Phi
Traveling to Phi Phi islands
- Transportation options (Phuket to Phi Phi Island)
- Minibus – most cost-effective and comfortable option; minibus will pick you up from your hotel and take you to the ferry port, arrange for a minibus ahead of time online on GetYourGuide, also there are many tour counters throughout the city where you can easily book a minibus, can be as low as ~$9 per person if you book in advance online
- Grab or taxi – not the most cost-effective option, costs twice as much as minibus, option if you forget to book the minibus like us 🙁
- Ferry to the islands – 8:30 am and 11:00 am daily morning departures, others times available in the afternoon, recommend to arrive at least 30 min before departure time, 2.5 hours in duration
Review: yellow – can get hot at times, not the most glamorous, but the best option to get to the islands, recommend taking a morning departure to have more time to spend at the islands
Arrival to Phi Phi islands
- Hotel: Panamee – Phi Phi
- Boat Tour Tickets – bought tour tickets immediately when we arrived, many tour counters offer the same tours, bargaining is a must, they will give you the price you want, recommend booking an early morning tour to beat crowds
- Island hopping boat tour – 8 am – 2 pm for 1100 baht
- Online booking option – you can also book boat tours in advance, prices will be much higher for similar tours
- Long Beach – second most popular beach in Phi Phi, along a strip of private hotels but the beach is open to the public
Review: green – 100 baht per person to travel to this beach by longtail boat, perfect at sunset, very quiet area and not crowded, pretty experience to ride a longtail boat - Fire Show – every night on the beach at Slinky Bar, at 8:30 pm
Review: green – about 1 hour and 20 minutes, very lively and fun, many people stop by to watch this show each night - Helpful resource – Guide overnight in Phi Phi
Day 10 – Phi Phi
Phi Phi Island Hopping Boat Tour
- Boat tour schedule:
- Breakfast – 7 am
- Departure – 8 am
- Maya Bay – big limestone rocks, beautiful for pictures, not allowed to swim
- Loh Samah Bay – big limestone rocks, swimming is allowed, beautiful pictures
- Pileh Bay – great snorkeling, saw many different types of fish that I loved
- Viking Cave – unique rock formation mainly for pictures
- Bamboo island – quaint island for swimming and snorkeling
- Lunch – ate fried rice on the beach with pineapple and watermelon
- Monkey beach – area with many monkeys, can swim up close to monkeys, fed them watermelon which was so cute
- Arrival at pier – 2 pm
- Transportation back to Phuket
- Ferry Note: recommend purchasing an online package that includes the ferry with a transfer to your hotel upon arrival in Phuket which is cheaper, if you purchase from a tour company it will be 350 baht for the ferry and 200 baht for the minibus transfer
Recommendations We Missed – Islands
- Krabi – Railay Beach, Hong Island Tour
- Maiton Islands – day trip from Phuket
Day 11 – Phuket/Kuala Lumpur
Transportation to Airport
- Minibus: book ahead of time online or at tour stands around the city, each minibus will pick up several other travelers around the city before heading to the airport
If you liked this itinerary, comment with other suggestions to do in Thailand!
