The places worth planning a day around
71 temples, islands, markets and parks we book regularly — with the honest version of how long they take, what they cost and when to go.
Temples & palaces
Palace & temple
The Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaew
The royal palace compound and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, all gold spires and mirrored mosaics behind a wh…
Temple
Wat Pho & the Reclining Buddha
A working temple with a 46-metre gold-leaf reclining Buddha, a courtyard of 91 stupas and Thailand's original sc…
Temple
Wat Arun, Temple of Dawn
A porcelain-encrusted prang on the west bank of the Chao Phraya, best seen from the water as the light drops.…
Temple
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
The golden chedi on the mountain above Chiang Mai, reached by 306 steps or a very short funicular.…
Temple
Wat Rong Khun (White Temple)
Chalermchai Kositpipat's white, mirror-studded temple outside Chiang Rai — part sacred site, part contemporary a…
Temple
Wat Rong Suea Ten (Blue Temple)
A deep-blue and gold temple with a huge white seated Buddha, built by a student of the White Temple's artist.…
Temple
Big Buddha & Wat Plai Laem
A 12-metre golden Buddha on a small island off Samui's north coast, next to the elaborate Wat Plai Laem.…
Palace
Bang Pa-In Royal Palace
A riverside summer palace of Thai pavilions, Chinese towers and a European-style hall, all arranged around a lak…
Temple
Wat Saket & the Golden Mount
A 344-step spiral climb around a golden chedi, with the best 360° view over old Bangkok.…
Temple
Wat Traimit & Chinatown
A five-and-a-half-tonne solid gold Buddha, hidden under plaster for centuries, at the gate of Bangkok's Chinatow…
Temple
Wat Chedi Luang
A massive 15th-century ruined chedi in the middle of the old city, once home to the Emerald Buddha.…
Temple
Wat Chalong
Phuket's most important temple, with a 60-metre chedi said to contain a fragment of the Buddha's bone.…
Temple
Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Suea)
1,260 steps to a golden Buddha on a limestone outcrop, with a 360° view over Krabi's karst landscape.…
Temple
Wat Chaiwatthanaram
A Khmer-style temple on the west bank of the Chao Phraya, best seen at sunset from across the river.…
Temple
Wat Si Chum
A massive seated Buddha seen through a narrow brick slit, fingers alone the height of a person.…
Temple
Wat Jong Kham & Jong Klang
Two Shan-style temples on the lake in the middle of Mae Hong Son town, white stupas reflected in the water.…
Islands & beaches
Bay & islands
Phang Nga Bay & James Bond Island
Forty limestone islands rising out of green water, with hidden lagoons (hongs), mangrove channels and the famous…
Islands
Phi Phi Islands & Maya Bay
Six islands of limestone and turquoise water, two hours by boat from Phuket, with Maya Bay at the centre.…
Beach
Railay Beach
A peninsula cut off by limestone cliffs, reached only by longtail, with three beaches and world-class rock climb…
Island hopping
Krabi Four Islands
The classic Krabi boat circuit: Chicken Island, Tup Island, Poda and Phra Nang, linked by sandbars at low tide.…
Island
Coral Island (Koh Larn)
The closest island to Pattaya, 20 minutes by speedboat, with six beaches and decent snorkelling off the far side…
Beach
Kata Noi Beach
A 700-metre cove south of Kata, sheltered by headlands, with the best swimming on Phuket's west coast.…
Islands
Hong Islands
A small archipelago west of Ao Nang with lagoon-like hongs, a viewpoint and a beach that only exists at low tide…
Beach
Haad Rin & the Full Moon Party
The beach that made Koh Phangan famous — empty most of the month, and packed with 10,000 people once a month.…
Beach
Srithanu & the West Coast
The quiet side of Phangan: yoga shalas, vegan cafés and a coastline that faces the sunset.…
Beach
Sairee Beach
Koh Tao's main beach: two kilometres of sand, dive shops, bars and the island's best sunset.…
Beach
Bang Niang Beach
Khao Lak's central beach: long, low-rise and quiet, with restaurants on the sand.…
Beach
Kantiang Bay
The best beach on Koh Lanta's south coast: a deep curve of sand, two beach bars and a headland that blocks the a…
Beach
Jomtien Beach
Pattaya's calmer, sandier southern beach, popular with Bangkok families and long-stay visitors.…
Island
Koh Ma
A tiny island joined to Phangan's north-west tip by a sandbar you can walk across at low tide.…
National parks & nature
National park
Doi Inthanon National Park
Thailand's highest mountain, 2,565 metres, with cloud forest, two royal chedis and the Wachirathan waterfall.…
Nature
Emerald Pool & Tiger Cave Temple
A spring-fed emerald pool in the jungle, with the 1,260-step Tiger Cave Temple nearby for the view.…
National park
Ang Thong National Marine Park
Forty-two limestone islands with hidden lagoons, a viewpoint over the whole archipelago and the Emerald Lake.…
National park
Mu Ko Lanta National Park
The southern tip of Koh Lanta: a lighthouse, a cliff trail, two quiet beaches and a jungle full of monkeys.…
National park
Erawan National Park
Seven tiers of turquoise waterfall in the jungle, each with its own pool, an hour north of Kanchanaburi.…
National park
Sam Roi Yot & Phraya Nakhon Cave
Limestone hills and a cave where a royal pavilion stands under a shaft of sunlight, an hour south of Hua Hin.…
Lake & national park
Cheow Lan Lake, Khao Sok
An emerald reservoir under 200-metre limestone cliffs, with floating raft houses and longtail boats to caves and…
Nature
Pai Canyon & Sai Ngam Hot Springs
A narrow ridge of eroded clay with views over the Pai valley, and forest hot springs twenty minutes further nort…
Nature
Bua Tong Sticky Waterfalls
Limestone waterfalls you can walk straight up, because the rock is grippy rather than slippery.…
Nature
Na Muang Waterfalls
Two waterfalls in the island's interior, the second with a natural infinity pool at the top.…
National park
Similan Islands
Eleven granite islands with some of the clearest water in Thailand and the best diving in the country.…
National park
Khao Yai National Park
Thailand's first national park: 2,168 square kilometres of rainforest, waterfalls, gibbons and wild elephants.…
National park
Khao Lak–Lam Ru National Park
A small coastal park with a cliff trail, a waterfall and a beach where turtles still nest.…
Markets & neighbourhoods
Market
Chatuchak Weekend Market
Fifteen thousand stalls across 27 sections, from vintage denim to orchids, plus more food than anyone can reason…
Market
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market
The classic floating market, an hour and a half west of Bangkok: narrow canals, fruit boats and vendors who have…
Market
Sunday Walking Street
A kilometre of Ratchadamnoen Road closed to traffic every Sunday evening, filled with crafts, food stalls and te…
Neighbourhood
Phuket Old Town
Sino-Portuguese shophouses, cafés, galleries and the Sunday Lard Yai market on Thalang Road.…
Market
Asiatique the Riverfront
A riverside night market in old warehouses, with a Ferris wheel, restaurants and a free ferry from Saphan Taksin…
Neighbourhood
Bang Krachao (Bangkok's Green Lung)
A bend in the Chao Phraya that was never built on: raised concrete paths, jungle, stilt houses and no cars.…
Neighbourhood
Fisherman's Village, Bophut
A strip of old wooden shophouses on Bophut beach, now restaurants and bars, with a Friday walking street.…
Market
Hua Hin Night Market
A block of Dechanuchit Road that fills with seafood stalls, fruit carts and tourists every evening.…
Neighbourhood
Koh Lanta Old Town
A row of Chinese-Thai shophouses on stilts over the water on the island's east coast, with fishing boats and two…
Heritage, culture & sport
Sanctuary
Elephant Nature Park
A rescue sanctuary in a river valley north of Chiang Mai where elephants are observed, fed and walked — never ri…
Landmark
The Golden Triangle
Where the Mekong meets the Ruak and Thailand, Laos and Myanmar sit within sight of each other.…
Landmark
Phuket Big Buddha
A 45-metre white marble Buddha on Nakkerd Hill, visible from most of southern Phuket.…
UNESCO site
Ayutthaya Historical Park
The ruins of the Siamese capital: brick stupas, headless Buddhas and the famous head in the tree roots at Wat Ma…
Historic site
The Bridge on the River Kwai
The steel bridge built by Allied prisoners of war and Asian labourers under the Japanese army, and the railway t…
UNESCO site
Sukhothai Historical Park
The ruins of the first Thai capital: seated Buddhas, lotus ponds, brick columns and very few people.…
Sport
Rajadamnern Boxing Stadium
Bangkok's oldest Muay Thai stadium, opened in 1945, with fight nights several times a week.…
Museum
Jim Thompson House
Six traditional teak houses assembled by the American silk trader who disappeared in 1967, now a museum of Thai …
Park
Lumphini Park
Bangkok's Central Park: 57 hectares of lake, jogging paths, outdoor gyms and very large monitor lizards.…
Village
Doi Pui & the Hmong Village
A Hmong village and royal project gardens on the ridge above Doi Suthep, 1,400 metres up.…
Village
Mae Kampong Village
A one-street village in a valley an hour east of Chiang Mai, known for coffee, homestays and mist.…
Garden
Doi Tung Royal Villa & Gardens
A Swiss-style royal villa and hillside flower gardens on the Myanmar border, built by the late Princess Mother.…
Landmark
Promthep Cape
The southernmost point of Phuket, with a lighthouse and the island's most photographed sunset.…
Bay
Jansom Bay & Koh Nang Yuan
A private-feeling bay with shallow coral, and the three-island sandbar of Koh Nang Yuan next door.…
Village
Ban Rak Thai
A Yunnanese Chinese village on a reservoir near the Myanmar border, surrounded by tea terraces.…
Cave
Tham Lod Cave
A river cave with three chambers, bamboo rafts and swifts that stream out at dusk.…
Winery
PB Valley Vineyard
A working vineyard in the Khao Yai hills, with tastings, a restaurant and vineyard tours.…
Historic site
Hellfire Pass
A cutting on the Death Railway, hacked through rock by prisoners of war, now a memorial and museum.…
Landmark
The Sanctuary of Truth
An all-wood temple by the sea, still under construction, carved with Hindu and Buddhist mythology.…
Want these built into a route?
Pick the ones you care about and we will work out the driving order, the timing and the hotels in between.