Visas & entry
Thailand’s visa-exemption and visa-on-arrival rules vary by passport and change regularly. Many major passport holders can enter visa-exempt for a short tourist stay, but confirm the current permitted length, onward-ticket, passport-validity and Thailand Digital Arrival Card requirements with the Thai embassy or official immigration source before flying.
Getting in
- Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport: Thailand’s main full-service international gateway and the sensible arrival point for Bangkok, central Thailand, domestic connections and most long-haul itineraries. Use Airport Rail Link, taxi or Grab into the city; do not underestimate Bangkok transfer time.
- Bangkok Don Mueang International Airport: The main low-cost and regional-airline gateway, useful for cheap domestic flights and some Asian routes. It is a separate airport from BKK, so avoid tight self-transfers between them.
- Phuket International Airport: The best direct entry for an Andaman beach trip, especially Phuket, Phang Nga and some Khao Sok itineraries. It has substantial international service and avoids routing through Bangkok, but onward taxis and private transfers are expensive by Thai standards.
- Chiang Mai International Airport: A practical northern gateway for Chiang Mai and Lanna, with regional international flights plus dense Bangkok connections. It is convenient for the city, but not a shortcut to every northern mountain destination.
- Krabi International Airport: The cleanest airport for Ao Nang, Railay and parts of the Krabi coast. Railay requires a final boat transfer; weather and late arrivals can make that last leg awkward, so do not plan an aggressively tight connection.
Getting around
Fly between Bangkok, Chiang Mai and the southern coasts when time matters: nominally short flights still take four to six hours door-to-door, but they beat sacrificing a vacation day to long overland travel. Use rail for Bangkok–Chiang Mai only if the sleeper itself is part of the trip, and use the southern line mainly for Surat Thani ferry connections to the Gulf islands. Bangkok works best on BTS/MRT, boats and Grab; outside the main cities, private drivers, shared vans and domestic flights are often more realistic than trying to stitch together local buses.
Money
Thailand uses the baht (THB/฿). Cards work well at hotels, malls and better restaurants, but carry cash for street food, markets, small island businesses, tuk-tuks and many local shops; ATMs are widespread but commonly charge foreign-card fees. Tipping is not compulsory, though rounding up, leaving small change, or giving 20–100 baht for good service is normal; high-end restaurants may add service charge.
Daily budget · THB (Thai baht, ฿)
- Value
- ฿1,500–3,000
- Mid-range
- ฿4,000–8,000
- High-end
- ฿12,000–30,000+
- Bands are per person per day, based on two people sharing a room; they exclude international flights but include food, ordinary local transport, admissions and a modest allowance for domestic transfers.
- Value travel means guesthouses or simple hotels, street stalls and food courts, BTS/MRT or Grab, and the occasional shared day trip. Solo travelers should budget more because rooms are not shared.
- Mid-range covers a good air-conditioned hotel, a mix of local and nicer restaurants, activities most days, occasional private airport transfers/Grab, and a domestic flight or ferry every few days.
- High-end means strong four- or five-star hotels, private guides or drivers, spas, good seafood and bars, premium boat trips and frequent flights.
- Thailand is not uniformly cheap: Chiang Mai and much of Isan are notably better value, while Phuket, Samui, Railay and Phi Phi—especially in peak season—push totals up sharply.
- Rooms are the main variable. Private island transfers, boat charters, diving, alcohol and domestic flights with checked bags are the other costs that quickly distort a seemingly cheap itinerary.
Eating well
- Bangkok is best approached by meal type: early noodles or pork-and-rice for breakfast, a food-court or street-stall lunch, then one proper Thai-restaurant dinner. Everyday eating rarely needs reservations; destination and tasting-menu restaurants do.
- Go to northern-food restaurants with a group. The point is to share dips, curries, grilled dishes and vegetables rather than order one bowl each.
- State your spice tolerance plainly. “Mai phet” means not spicy, but it may still carry heat; do not assume Thai-level spice is a gimmick.
- For Isan dishes, ask before ordering if you are wary of raw or fermented ingredients—especially som tam, which may contain pla ra.
- Use sticky rice with northern and Isan food; expect plain jasmine rice more often in central and southern meals.
Book before you land
- Treat Thailand as regions, not a single beach itinerary: the Andaman coast is generally strongest November–April, while the Gulf islands are often the better summer bet and are wetter more often from roughly October–December.
- Do not build a fixed monsoon itinerary around Andaman island-hopping. Rough seas, red-flag beaches and cancelled boats are normal risks from roughly May–October; leave a buffer day before flights.
- Avoid prepaying a north-focused hiking or mountain trip in March or early April unless you accept possible severe PM2.5 smoke and poor visibility in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son.
- Stay near BTS or MRT in Bangkok. A cheap hotel far from rail transit can cost hours in traffic and make the city feel much harder than it is.
- Dress modestly for temples: cover shoulders and knees, remove shoes where required, and do not point feet toward Buddha images or monks. Temple visits are not the place for beachwear.
- Use Grab or insist on a metered taxi in Bangkok; agree a fare before using tuk-tuks or local island taxis. Phuket and Samui transport is notably pricier than Bangkok or Chiang Mai.
Entry rules change — verify visa requirements for your passport before booking this country.
Season by season
November–February
This is the driest, most comfortable all-round window: northern mornings can be cool, Bangkok is still hot but manageable, and Andaman seas are generally calm enough for Phuket, Krabi, Khao Sok and island-hopping.
It is peak season: Christmas and New Year beach hotels, domestic flights, ferries and popular sleeper trains become expensive or sell out.
March–April
The Andaman coast remains beach-friendly, but central Thailand becomes fiercely hot and the late dry season can bring severe PM2.5 smoke to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son.
Do not commit heavily to northern trekking or viewpoints in March and early April; Songkran disrupts road travel and makes staying dry impossible in celebration zones.
May–August
Rain usually comes in intense bursts rather than all-day downpours, bringing green landscapes and lower rates across Bangkok, the north and central Thailand; the Andaman coast becomes increasingly rough, while the Gulf islands often have better beach odds.
Phuket, Krabi, Koh Lanta and Andaman boat trips are less reliable, with rough seas, cancelled excursions and red-flag beaches possible.
September–October
This is usually the cheapest, quietest stretch, with lush interiors but the highest weather risk for much of the country; Andaman seas are often at their least dependable, while the Gulf turns wetter later in the period.
Do not build a fixed, once-only island-hopping or diving itinerary around Phi Phi, Similan or similar marine trips; seasonal park closures and weather cancellations are common.
Events worth planning around
Loi Krathong and Yi Peng · Usually November, on the lunar-calendar full moon; dates vary annually. · Nationwide for Loi Krathong; Chiang Mai is the focal point for Yi Peng.
River and temple areas fill up nationwide. Chiang Mai accommodation and flights rise sharply, and lantern releases may be controlled, ticketed or restricted.
Songkran · Annually around 13–15 April, often with longer local celebrations. · Nationwide, especially Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Pattaya.
Book transport and hotels ahead; expect road disruption, soaked clothing and reduced usefulness of formal sightseeing during the main water-fight days.
Full Moon Party · Monthly, on or near the full moon; dates vary. · Haad Rin, Koh Phangan.
It drives up Koh Phangan rooms and ferry demand, and affects quieter-island logistics for several days around the party.
Andaman marine-park closure season · Typically mid-May to mid-October; Maya Bay may also have a recurring late-summer closure. Exact dates vary. · Similan and Surin islands, plus selected Andaman sites including Maya Bay.
These closures can remove key day trips and diving routes entirely; verify the current Department of National Parks notice before booking non-refundable boats or resorts.
What to eat
Treat Thailand as several cuisines, not a pad Thai greatest-hits tour. Eat regional food where you are, order dishes to share, and use the local rice properly: jasmine rice across much of the center and south, sticky rice in the north and northeast.
Bangkok and the Central Plain: Chinese-Thai cooking · Royal-influenced central dishes · Rice-and-curry shops · Boat noodles · Pad kra pao with a fried egg, khao man gai and khao kha moo
Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai / the Lanna north: Khao soi · Sai ua herb sausage · Nam prik noom green-chile dip · Gaeng hung lay pork curry · Laab khua, the dry aromatic northern larb
Isan: Udon Thani, Khon Kaen and Nong Khai: Som tam papaya salad · Larb/laab · Nam tok grilled-meat salad · Gai yang grilled chicken · Grilled fish, herbs and sticky rice; pla ra-fermented seasoning