How to travel in Thailand
If you do not have a lot of time but you want to see the main attractions in Thailand, this guide will help you in your journey. The best way and fastest way to travel in Thailand is by airplane. You save a lot of time and it only costs around 50$ with Air Asia. Thailand is best know for thier amazing food, great shopping and cheap massages.
I strongly recommend to travel in low season ( May, June) because there’s less tourists, cheaper prices and it’s easier to book hotels. During May and June you barely feel the rainy season. If it rains, its only for half an hour, then it gets hot and sunny again.
Bangkok
Bangkok is a very modern city with a great transportation system and a lot of things to do. The traffic is very heavy almost all day long. Its a good idea to take the skytrain which is very easy to use, very economic and comfortable(AC). You don't really need taxis in Bangkok unless it’s really late at night or too early in the morning for the train to be open.
Suvarnabhumi Airport, also known as Bangkok International Airport, is one of two international airports serving Bangkok. The other is Don Mueang International Airport. If you arrive late night in any airport, a taxi to Khao San road should cost between 300 and 450 Thai baht. If you arrive early during the day, you can take the skytrain or bus to save some money.
The best area to stay in Bangkok is near Khao San road. Avoid staying near Soi Cowboy, it is nothing more than whore houses spread over a few blocks. Unless that’s what you are looking for in Bangkok. There are more than 400 temples in Bangkok. The most popular temples to visit during the day are Wat Saket (the golden mountain) , Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of Emerald Buddha) and Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha).
***Scam alert; when you go to the temples, some locals will tell you that is close and that you cannot go inside the temples. They’ll try to convince you to go to another place. Just refuse their offer politely and go check the entrance of the temple by yourself. Most probably you will find out that the temples are in fact open.
Where to watch movies in Bangkok? which ones are the best movie theaters ?
One of the best and most luxirous movie theaters in world is called Embassy Screens located in the last floor of Central Embassy mall. The vip treatment includes; free food, non-alcoholic drinks and a private launch before the movie. The chairs in the movie theater are so comfortable, you'll never want to leave. It costs around 1200 baht per person but it's completly worth it.
Another great movie theater is called Siam, located at the Siam station in the Siam mall. You can watch the latest movies in 4D! That means the chairs moves, vibrates, you get water splashed on you, wind and much more! It’s an unreal experience.
Don’t forget to visit the night markets such Sala Daeng. Its usually better to go after 6 pm when is less hot and more stores are open. If you want to have a nice drink with a beautiful view of the city of Bangkok, you should visit skybar located near Sala Daeng station. It’s a little expensive but it offers a great view of the city. You can easily spend 4-5 days in this magnificent city.
What to do in the south of Thailand
Patong, Phuket
Patong is a very nice town in the province of phuket, Thailand. The town is located about 45 minutes from phuket airport. Patong has a nice beach, lots of restaurants and a nice nightlife.
You can book a flight with Air Asia from bangkok to Phuket for around 50$ if you book in advance. Booking last minute is not recommended with AirAsia. They seem to know that people booking last minute are actually desperate and you will have to pay a lot more. The flight takes about 1 hour to phuket airport.
You can take a mini bus from the airport to Patong for around 7$ USD. They will also drop you at your hotel. The mini bus will do a quick forced stop to sell you excursion, just declined their offer and you will be on your way. Its a tourist trap and over priced. You will find better deals in the town of Patong.
There are many shops in Patong where you can buy a lot interesting of souvenirs . There’s also a nice place where you can watch live muay thai fighting.
To get around Patong, you can rent a motorbike for about 7$ USD per day. Just make sure to wear helmet in Phuket. The police are very strict with tourists who do not wear their helmets. They will give you a 1000 Thai baht fine which happened to me. Luckily, I barging it down to 500 baht but it was still painful for my wallet. Also drive slow and follow the speed limits. Scooters are not meant to be driven fast, they have poor breaks. Most importantly, remember that in Thailand people drive on the left side. If you don't feel comfortable driving a motorbike, tuk tuks are very cheap and a good alternative.
If you have time, you can visit the beautiful Karon beach which is located 10 minutes from the south of Patong. The only downside of Patong is that locals always huzzle you to sell their things. Besides that Patong is a great place to spend 2-3 days in patong.
Khao Lak
During low season, Khao Lak is a deserted touristic place with a lot of empty resorts and a very dirty beach. I wouldn’t recommend Khao lak but if you really want to stop here, the best beach to visit is white sand beach which is 15 minutes by tuk tuk from Khao Lak. White sand beach is a lot cleaner and nicer than khao lak’s main beach. I would only recommend 1 day in Khao Lak just for white sand beach.
Khao Sok
You can book your bus ticket to Khao Sok in any travel agency in Patong. Khao Sok is about 3 hours away from Patong. It has beautiful jungles and you sleep in jungle huts where you can see monkeys right outside your room. Sometimes, you can even see wild elephants on the side of the main roads. Avoid visiting the Khao Sok national park on your own, it’s a very boring walk through a dirty road to see very small waterfalls. It’s better if you book a 1 day excursion to go visit the lake and the caves. Spending 2 days here is perfect to see this amazing rain forest.
Koh Phi phi
Koh Phi Phi Doh is a beautiful island located about 2 hours by ferry from Phuket or Krabi. Avoid booking 1 day excursions to Kho Phi Phi island. It is not worth it and expensive. They rushed you through the trip in an uncomfortable boat. Instead, buy a ferry ticket and stay 2-3 nights in Koh Phi Phi. During the day, you can do many activities such as taking a taxi boat to visit different parts of the island. You can visit Maya bay where the movie “The beach” with Leonardo Di Caprio was filmed. It’s a little over crowded and it’s hard to swim because there are too many boats but is a must see. You can also do diving and snorkeling. Don't forget to climb up to the view point which gives you an extraordinary view of the island.
Another fun activity is to rent a kayak to go see the monkey beach. Beware of monkeys since some of them are a bit aggressive.
Koh Phi Phi has a great night life by the beach aswell. During the night, this little town offers some incredible parties. Where to find weed in Koh Phi Phi? If you want to smoke good stuff in a safe place: go to Banana bar. It’s a cute little bar located on the rooftop of a building where you can have a few drinks and enjoy good music. It costs around 200 baht. If you have more time, you can also visit other islands such as Lanta which is very beautiful and very romantic.
****Warning: Do not leave the bar with illegal substances. Thailand it’s known for it’s hard regulations on drugs. You can get a very big fine if you are caught by the police.
Krabi
The most popular place to visit in Krabi, its Ao Nang beach which is like a mini Patong. There's a main street with restaurants and bars. You can also get a taxi boat to go to Raley beach which is 5 minutes away from Ao Nang and its alot nicer. Make sure you take the ferry back by 6 pm or you will be stuck in the beach until then next morning.
If you visited Patong, then you could skip Krabi or just use it as harbor to go see the islands or other destinations. Also is better to book your hotel or hostel in advance since they are very expensive in this area. 1-2 days are more than enough in the beach of Ao Nang and Raley. There are more beautiful places to see in the south of Thailand.
Koh Tao and Koh Pha Ngan
From anywhere in Phuket, you can easily get to islands of Ko Pha Ngan or Koh tao. Bus routes are very well planned and organized through all the south of Thailand. If you want to see some of the most beautiful beaches in Thailand, these are the places for you.
Koh Phangan is an island in Surat Thani Province. It is famous for its Full Moon Party at Haad Rin Beach and as a backpacker destination. It can get very quiet and deserted when it’s not the full moon party. However, it’s also wonderful to be there when there’s almost no tourists and to enjoy the peacefulness and the beauty of the island. You will feel like in cast away. Literally. I hope you have a fun group or you like being alone, otherwise you will not have a good time.
Koh Tao is a lot smaller and it’s a gorgeous island. It’s such a small village that people have no choice but to party around the same area, making it a decent place to party all year long. During the day, you can rent a motorbike and explore this island’s beautiful beaches. This island is also very well know for diving. It is one of the cheapest places in the world to get your diving license which costs around 300$.
Transportation between islands is quite easy and inexpensive. Most hotels and hostels will tell you and sell you ferry tickets. My advice is that while you’re walking around town stop at multiple travel agencies and hotels and ask what their fees are. You will be surprised how much the price can vary from one place to the next. Mysteriously, it’s the same boat, the same service, the same time, but just triple the price.
What to do in the north of Thailand
Chiang Mai city and Mae Rim town
You can fly to Chiang Mai pretty much from anywhere in Thailand. Chiang Mai is a like a mini Bangkok, but with less traffic and cheaper. The best area to stay is within the walled city because all the main attractions are there.
During the day, you can rent a bicycle and explore all the temples inside the walled city. At night you can visit the night bazaar market and the weekend markets. If you want to to see tiger kingdom, snake world, shooting range or other attractions, you can book a day trip to Mae Rim through any agency. The town of Mae rim is located 30 minutes away from Chiang Mai. It’s a very quiet town with nothing to do except the main attractions mentioned above which are all far away from each other. There are no hostels in Mae Rim, the are only expensive hotels. Avoid staying in Mae Rim at night if you dont want to overpay for everything.
I would recommend 2-3 days in Chiang Mai.
P.S: About tiger kingdom, I won’t give you a lecture, but just to let you know that tigers are sedated and kept in very small cages. You can clearly see that these animals are not happy. Its very sad to witness animals being used just for our instagram and facebook pictures. As a traveler, its my duty to inform you of the main touristic attractions but also to tell you the sad truth about certain activities. If you care about animals more than posing with a knocked out tiger - then by all means avoid this place.
Pai
You can get to Pai from Chiang Mai in just 4 hours by bus. Pai is probably one of the most beautiful towns you’ll see in Thailand. It’s full of friendly people and good energies. The town is very small and cozy and full of friendly dogs that accompany you at night. Don’t forget to give them some good meat to show them gratitude for their love. In the main street of Pai, you’ll find lots of bars, restaurants and street food. If you want to drive a motorbike in Thailand, Pai is the place to do it. The streets are very quiet and there’s not a lot of traffic. Rent your motorbike with the company called AYA which offers an insurance for only 40 baht and they charge 150 baht for the motorbike per day. Most of the main attractions are only 10-12 minutes away, such as; waterfalls, pai canyon, viewpoints, pools and much more.
Now the million dollar question.. Where can you find weed in Pai? Sunset bar is the place where you can get anything you want. Yes.. anything.
Pai is an espectacular town with a peaceful ambiance and many things to see . It's one of the favorite places of all backpackers.
I recommend 4 days here and even longer if you have time.
P.S: It’s important to know that you should not ride elephants in Pai such as in Thom’s elephant camp. The elephants are chained in very small cells and are forced to do many walks everyday in the hot cement streets and later forced to swim. Instead you can ride your motorbike to the elephant camps which are only 10 minutes from the center of Pai and feed them bananas. You’ll see by your own eyes why I do not recommend this activity. The elephants are very unhappy. They only feel better when you give them a few bananas. If you want to help elephants, you can go visit them in a sanctuary. It's a little more expensive but it's for a good cause.
Chiang Rai
Chiang Rai is a city located about 3 hours from Chiang Mai. You can see the white temple and the dark temple in just a few hours. But besides the two temples there is not much to do in Chiang Rai. If you are arrive in the week end, you can see the night market which is pretty big and filled with lots of amazing food, dances and souvenirs. The hostels in Chiang Rai are very nice, comfortable and very cheap. I would recommend only 1-2 days in Chiang Rai.
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