HL
Hannah L.New Zealand · May 2026
★★★★★
“Three weeks is a long time to be organised. Nothing fell through, and the one thing that did — a cancelled flight — was rebooked before we reached the airport.”
Private tour
Thailand Grand Tour
Three weeks end to end: the central plains, the north, the rainforest and both coasts, with rest days built in.
Thailand Grand Tour is a 21-day private trip covering eight destinations from Bangkok to Krabi, from $3,680 per person. It is the complete country: the old capitals, the north, the lake and the Andaman coast.
Duration21 days / 20 nights
From$3,680 pp
GroupPrivate · 2–8 travellers
StylePrivate tour
Three weeks end to end: the central plains, the north, the rainforest and both coasts, with rest days built in.
Best for: A once-in-a-decade trip. The route runs Bangkok · Kanchanaburi · Ayutthaya · Sukhothai · Chiang Mai · Chiang Rai · Khao Sok · Krabi. Everything below is a starting point: hotels can be upgraded or simplified, days can be added, and any element can be removed.
Three weeks is where Thailand stops being a holiday and becomes a trip you talk about for years. This route covers the four things the country does best — royal Bangkok, the ruined capitals, the mountains and hill tribes of the north, and the limestone coast — with enough time in each that you are not photographing from a moving vehicle.
The pacing is deliberately uneven. Bangkok gets three nights, because it takes two days to stop noticing the heat. The north gets eight nights across Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, including two days in Mae Hong Son. Khao Sok gets two nights on the lake, and the Andaman gets five nights at the end. There are four internal flights and no ground transfer over four hours.
Day by day
Day01
Arrive Bangkok
Transfer and river dinner.
Day02
Old city
Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun.
Day03
Canals
Longtail through Thonburi, afternoon free.
Day04
Kanchanaburi
Bridge, railway, raft house.
Day05
Erawan
Waterfall morning, return to Bangkok.
Day06
Ayutthaya
Bicycles and ruins, sunset.
Day07
To Sukhothai
Drive north, afternoon in the park.
Day08
Sukhothai
Morning cycling, afternoon free.
Day09
Chiang Mai
Drive or fly north.
Day10
Doi Suthep
Dawn temple, old city afternoon.
Day11
Sanctuary
Full day with elephants.
Day12
Cooking
Village kitchen and market.
Day13
Chiang Rai
Drive north, White Temple.
Day14
Golden Triangle
Mekong boat and border.
Day15
Fly south
Chiang Rai to Surat Thani, transfer to Khao Sok.
Day16
Cheow Lan
Lake and raft house.
Day17
Jungle morning
Canoe and trail, then to Krabi.
Day18
Railay
Boat and beach.
Day19
Four islands
Longtail circuit.
Day20
Free
Nothing scheduled.
Day21
Depart
Transfer to Krabi airport.
How the days are paced
Eight hotels and four internal flights in three weeks. Every destination gets at least two nights. There are four completely unscheduled days built in, roughly one every five days.
What changes the price
$3,680 per person is based on private · 2–8 travellers sharing a room for 21 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.
What’s included
Included
- 20 nights
- Domestic flights
- Private guide and vehicle
- All boats and park fees
- Two cooking classes
Not included
- International flights
- Travel insurance
- Most dinners
- Tips
Good to know
From $3,680 per person, based on private · 2–8 travellers, 21 days and 20 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.
Not if you use it like this — the trip has four distinct sections and each one feels like a different holiday. It is too long if you want a beach holiday with a bit of culture.
Yes, and it is considerably cheaper. The trade-off is afternoon rain in the north and rougher crossings in the Andaman.
What you will see
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…
Bangkok · 2–3 hoursTHB 500
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…
Kanchanaburi · 2–3 hoursFree (museum THB 150)
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…
Ayutthaya · Full dayTHB 50 per site / THB 220 pass
UNESCO site
Sukhothai Historical Park
The ruins of the first Thai capital: seated Buddhas, lotus ponds, brick columns and very few people.…
Sukhothai · Half to full dayTHB 100 per zone
Temple
Wat Rong Khun (White Temple)
Chalermchai Kositpipat's white, mirror-studded temple outside Chiang Rai — part sacred site, part contemporary a…
Chiang Rai · 1.5 hoursTHB 200
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…
Khao Sok · 1–2 nightsFrom THB 3,500 (raft house, meals, boat)
Experiences on this trip
What travellers say about trips like this
MK
Michael R.Germany · February 2026
★★★★★
“Three drafts of the itinerary before we paid anything, and every change was answered the same day. The guide in Chiang Mai was worth the whole trip.”
CD
Claire D.Australia · July 2026
★★★★★
“Travelled with a 7 and a 10 year old. Boat timings changed twice and they still met us at the pier with cold water and a smile.”
Reviews are from travellers on comparable itineraries, not this exact departure. All 2,400 are on the reviews page.
Where this trip goes
Similar trips
All tours 
