Bangkok, the ruins of Sukhothai and four nights in Chiang Mai, with a morning in a village kitchen and a day on the mountain.
Northern Kingdoms is a 7-day private culture trip from Bangkok through Sukhothai to Chiang Mai, from $1,150 per person. It is the trip for travellers who want the old capitals and the mountains and have no interest in a beach.
Bangkok, the ruins of Sukhothai and four nights in Chiang Mai, with a morning in a village kitchen and a day on the mountain.
Best for: Culture-led trips without a beach stop. The route runs Bangkok · Sukhothai · Chiang Mai. Everything below is a starting point: hotels can be upgraded or simplified, days can be added, and any element can be removed.
The route follows the spine of Thai history: Bangkok's Grand Palace, then the first capital at Sukhothai, then the Lanna capital at Chiang Mai. Each stop is a different century and a different architectural language, which is why the trip works as a sequence rather than a list. Sukhothai in particular is where most people realise that Thai temple architecture did not begin in Bangkok.
Seven days is enough for the three cities plus Doi Suthep and a day in the hills, with one internal flight to avoid a nine-hour bus. The pace is built for people who read the plaques: two nights in Sukhothai rather than one, and a guide who can explain what the Khmer prangs at Wat Si Sawai are doing in a Thai city.
Transfer, then an evening food walk in Bang Rak.
Grand Palace, Wat Pho and a river ferry to Wat Arun at sunset.
Flight or drive north, afternoon cycling the historical park.
Morning at Wat Si Chum, then the road through the hills.
Alms-giving at dawn, temple before breakfast, free afternoon.
Market, farm and cooking class with a family outside the city.
Transfer to Chiang Mai airport.
Three hotel changes and one internal flight. Sukhothai is done by bicycle, which is the only sane way to see it. Chiang Mai has two full days and one free afternoon. Bangkok is one full day plus an evening.
$1,150 per person is based on private · 2–8 travellers sharing a room for 7 days, with mid-range four-star hotels as standard. Nothing is added locally: the entrance fees, boats and guiding are already in the number.
Deposit is 20% to confirm, balance 30 days before arrival. Free changes up to 45 days out.
From $1,150 per person, based on private · 2–8 travellers, 7 days and 6 nights. The quote includes the hotels, guiding and transport listed under “What’s included”; international flights and travel insurance are not included.
Yes. Every itinerary on this site is a starting point. Days can be added or removed, hotels upgraded or simplified, and the route reordered around your dates — we re-cost it as many times as you need before you commit.
Not included: international flights, travel insurance. Everything else listed under “What’s included” is in the quote, and we do not add local payments on arrival.
Three to six months ahead for the best hotels, and by September for travel over Christmas and New Year. Green-season trips can usually be arranged with six weeks’ notice.
From about age ten, yes — the history lands better with older children. Families with younger children usually prefer the 9-day family itinerary.
Yes, two extra nights. The 6-day Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai loop is effectively the northern half of this trip extended.
Palace & temple
The royal palace compound and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, all gold spires and mirrored mosaics behind a wh…
UNESCO site
The ruins of the first Thai capital: seated Buddhas, lotus ponds, brick columns and very few people.…
Temple
The golden chedi on the mountain above Chiang Mai, reached by 306 steps or a very short funicular.…
Market
A kilometre of Ratchadamnoen Road closed to traffic every Sunday evening, filled with crafts, food stalls and te…
Village
A Hmong village and royal project gardens on the ridge above Doi Suthep, 1,400 metres up.…
Temple
A massive seated Buddha seen through a narrow brick slit, fingers alone the height of a person.…
“Sukhothai was the reason I booked and it exceeded it. Two nights meant we could cycle out at 6:30am for sunrise at Wat Saphan Hin, which nobody else on the trip wanted to miss either. The bicycle hire was 50 baht and the guide came with us.”
“As a couple in our sixties we worried the pace would be too much. It was two hours of walking a day at most, always with a sit-down and cold water. The guide's English was better than mine.”
