Highlights of a 10-day trip to Thailand
6 cities |
29 attraction(s) |
total distance 2566
km
TIPS
Day1
Day2
Day3
Day4
Day5
Day6
Day7
Day8
Day9
Day10
Day1: Bangkok
3 attraction(s) ·
2 km
1
Built in 1782, this ornate royal palace complex now houses a museum & is open to visitors.
1
km
2
The Emerald Buddha Temple, built in 1782 during the establishment of the Bangkok Dynasty in Thailand, is a historical site. King Rama I considered it a sacred religious site and held important ceremonies for the royal family, but there are no monks residing in the temple. It currently occupies a quarter of the Grand Palace's area, located in the northeast direction within the palace. The Emerald Buddha enshrined in the temple is carved from a whole piece of jade (emerald) and is approximately 66 cm tall and 48 cm wide. It is protected by glass and adorned with multiple layers of umbrella-like covers, with a high pedestal. The royal family personally changes the Buddha's attire three times a year as a sign of respect. In addition, there are four gold Buddha statues surrounding the Emerald Buddha, and the murals in the main hall depict the story of Buddha from birth to nirvana. The main hall has 40 square-shaped columns and 112 golden statues of birds with human bodies embedded in the cloister. The Emerald Buddha Temple features three main characteristics: pointed roof decorations, architectural embellishments, and mural paintings in the cloister. There are a total of 22 temples of various sizes, including the Emerald Buddha Hall, the New Heavenly Pavilion, the Bell Tower, the Scripture Hall, the Hall of Former Kings, the Relic Hall, the Le'Da'Na Great Stupa, the Scripture Library, the Pointed Roof Buddha Hall, and the Ashes Hall. The temple complex also boasts numerous towering pagodas, each with its own unique design and vibrant colors, creating a magnificent sight. In the surrounding area, almost all ATMs accept UnionPay cards for Thai Baht withdrawals. It is recommended that travelers use debit cards at ATMs to reduce transaction fees.
1
km
3
Khao San Road has always been a favorite place for backpackers. It is close to many tourist attractions, such as the Grand Palace, National Museum, and Art Galleries. There are numerous bars and unique shops where you can experience the local culture and buy souvenirs. Additionally, the famous Lumphini Night Market, Wholesale Souvenir Market, and open-air Beer Gardens are also located near Khao San Road. The annual Songkran Festival, known as the Water Festival, takes place here and is an important cultural event in Thailand. For budget travelers, almost all ATMs near Khao San Road accept UnionPay cards, and the withdrawal fees for debit cards are relatively low.
Day2: Bangkok
3 attraction(s) ·
5 km
1
Wat Arun or the Temple of Dawn is a Buddhist temple located on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. It was completed in 1809 and underwent renovations in 1847. With its towering main spire reaching 82 meters in height, Wat Arun is known as the "Eiffel Tower of Thailand" and is the largest Mahayana-style pagoda in the country. The temple complex also includes two smaller temples, one of which houses various Buddha statues. Wat Arun is a significant cultural landmark and one of the most visited temples in Bangkok.
3
km
Day3: Chiang Mai
3 attraction(s) ·
1 km
1
One of Thailand's important cultural heritages, the ancient city is in a square shape with a perimeter of approximately 1.5 kilometers, and the city walls and moat are well-preserved. Inside the ancient city, there are numerous traditional temples and pagodas, as well as unique hotels, guesthouses, cafes, and restaurants. There are many city gates in the ancient city, and the East Gate Tapae Gate is well-preserved.
Famous temples in the ancient city include Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phra Singh, and Wat Chiang Man, most of which can be visited for free, with only a 20 Baht entrance fee for foreigners at Wat Phra Singh.
The ancient city is also the location of the popular Sunday Night Market, which is held on the street near the East Gate Tapae Gate.
1
km
2
Temple complex with a partially crumbled 15th-century chedi & a pillar believed to protect the city.
1
km
3
The East Gate of the old city in Chiang Mai is a prominent landmark and the starting point of the Sunday Night Market. It is easy to find and offers an opportunity to interact closely with the locals and experience their joys and sorrows. I also recommend visiting the Warorot Market, where you can join the locals in small transactions and gain a deeper understanding of the authentic life in northern Thailand.
Day4: Chiang Mai
3 attraction(s) ·
6 km
1
Chiang Mai Zoo was established in 1974 and is located in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand. It was originally a privately owned zoo and became an official zoo on June 16, 1977. The zoo features a monorail and a 133-meter-long aquarium, allowing visitors to observe various animals in an excellent position and experience the animal culture of Thailand.
3
km
2
Buzzing road lined with craft coffee shops, boutiques, hip restaurants & cocktail bars.
3
km
Day5: Phuket
3 attraction(s) ·
18 km
1
Patong Beach is a public beach located in the middle of the west coast of Phuket Island. It is three kilometers long, requires no entrance fee, and is open to the public 24 hours a day. Due to the natural bay barrier, the waves here are relatively calm and perfect for swimming and beach activities. Patong Beach's unique geographical conditions have made it one of the earliest and most mature beaches in Phuket Island. Here, you can find a large number of hotels, restaurants, bars, and small shops, and enjoy a wonderful holiday. However, the prosperity of Patong Beach also brings commercialization and environmental pollution, and the beach and seawater are some of the most polluted in Phuket.
Choosing to stay in Patong Beach, you can enjoy beach activities such as beach chairs, umbrellas, Thai massages, motor boats, banana boats, and parasailing during the day, and taste seafood stalls, buy souvenirs or spend a beautiful night in a bar at night. If you are interested in Phuket's bar culture, you might as well go to Bangala Road and experience the pedestrian street perpendicular to the beach, enjoy the performances of pole dancing girls and ladyboys, or watch various unique performances. Even if you are not a fan of nightlife, you can stroll through the bar street at night and experience Phuket's unique culture.
6
km
2
Karon Beach is located in the south of Patong, with a small hill in between. Compared to Patong Beach, Karon Beach has a longer coastline, softer sand, and clearer water. However, the waves are bigger than Patong, so swimming is not suitable for the whole year. This is also a high-risk area for drowning accidents, so Karon Beach does not have sun loungers or umbrellas, nor water activities such as parasailing and banana boats. Occasionally, surfers will surf here. There are many star hotels near Karon, just across the road from the beach, suitable for tourists who like a quiet vacation. The shopping and dining areas are scattered compared to Patong, and there are convenience stores and night markets along the beach. Karon Beach and the surrounding areas are public areas, no tickets are required, and open to tourists all day. At night, there will be sparkling fishing fires in the distance, giving people a sense of peace and romance on the beach.
12
km
3
Phuket Town is located in the central part of Phuket, about a 30-minute drive from Phuket Airport and a 45-minute drive from Patong. This is where the Phuket government is located, while Patong is the tourist center, and the two have different atmospheres. In Phuket Town, you can get an in-depth look at the local way of life and taste cheap and delicious food. Phuket Town includes residential areas, commercial areas, schools, and other areas, but not all areas are worth visiting.
Early Chinese immigrants once gathered in Phuket Town, and the old street preserves nearly a century of Portuguese-style architecture, which is one of the shooting locations for the Thai movie "Seasons Change." These buildings have been protected by the government. On the old street, you can find shops selling traditional Peranakan-style clothing, and some old houses have been converted into bars and guesthouses, suitable for fresh tourists or photography enthusiasts who like to look for the shadows of old times in Phuket Town.
In addition to the old street, Phuket Town also has a viewing point located on Rang Hill. On the hill, besides dense vegetation and negative oxygen ions, you can also enjoy the beautiful scenery of Phuket Town and the east coast. At night, Rang Hill is a good place for local couples to date, and there are several famous restaurants on the hill, suitable for enjoying the night view of Phuket. During the day, when you go up to Rang Hill, you also have the chance to see groups of macaques. You can feed them with peanuts, but please do not touch them. If you are injured, you need to go to the hospital for timely vaccination.
Day6: Phuket
3 attraction(s) ·
41 km
1
Emperor Island is located about 20 kilometers south of Phuket Island. Although there are not many attractions compared to Pipi Island, its beautiful scenery, clear water, abundant marine life, and pristine environment are loved by many Chinese travelers. The water quality around the island is very clear, and you can snorkel directly from the beach into the sea. There is no commercial area on Emperor Island, and the only souvenir shop is in the hotel. Unlike Pipi Island, the waves on the way to Emperor Island are bigger, and it is necessary to take seasickness medicine in advance to be mentally prepared for the bumps. However, the scenery on the island is beautiful, and the boat ride time is not too long, which is very suitable for leisure vacations.
In addition, Emperor Island is also a paradise for deep-sea diving enthusiasts. It provides differentiated diving services for travelers who want to try diving or professional divers who want to obtain dive licenses. There is a Chinese diving institution on the island, which facilitates communication and training. However, due to the limited number of diving instructors, if you need diving services, you must make an appointment in advance. The one-day diving itinerary is roughly divided into three types: Emperor Island speedboat tour with additional diving experience (no need for a diving license, one dive per day); dedicated diving boat to Emperor Island waters for diving (no need for a diving license, two dives per day); staying on Emperor Island and directly scheduling with a diving instructor in the hotel (no need for a diving license, one or two dives). If you need to obtain a license, it will take at least 3-5 days. However, once you obtain a PADI Open Water Diver license, it will be internationally recognized.
29
km
3
Fantasy of a Kingdom is located on the west coast of Kamala Beach, Phuket Island, Thailand, and has won several awards for the best tourist attraction in Thailand. It is a comprehensive entertainment project integrating performances and dining. Visitors can visit from 18:00 to 21:00, and need to make a reservation in advance to obtain tickets from the ticket window. The tickets will indicate the dining and performance seats. The performance lasts for 75 minutes, combining Thai culture, animals, and spectacular dance performances, creating a stunning and immersive experience. The theater is divided into gold seats and regular seats, with seats arranged in a fan shape, gold seats having a wider view. Additionally, Fantasy of a Kingdom provides shuttle services.
The park has a amusement zone, shopping area, photo studio and indoor zoo. Visitors can win small gifts, purchase unique souvenirs, change into Thai traditional costumes and enjoy seeing cute white tigers. The restaurant is decorated in a large scale, with a Thai-style interior design. Dining options include regular buffet and seafood buffet. The regular buffet includes Western, Thai, Chinese, Japanese and vegetarian options, and offers free hot water, coffee and tea, while soft drinks or alcoholic beverages need to be paid separately. The seafood buffet is more elaborate, with a menu card provided for each table to choose ingredients and cooking methods. In summary, Fantasy of a Kingdom is a fun-filled and exciting tourist attraction that should not be missed.
Day7: Ko Samui > Koh Samui
3 attraction(s) ·
20 km
1
Long, spacious beach with an upbeat vibe featuring nearby resorts, restaurants & shopping.
9
km
2
This beach is surrounded by many shops and bars, and it is constantly crowded with tourists, creating a lively and cheerful atmosphere.
12
km
3
Massive, circa-1972 gilded Buddha statue at the colorful Phra Yai temple complex.
Day8: Koh Samui
2 attraction(s) ·
39 km
1
Ang Thong National Marine Park is the second national marine park approved in Thailand, belonging to the national wildlife sanctuary. The park is located 30 kilometers west of Koh Samui, covering an area of about 9.8 square kilometers, consisting of 42 islands of different sizes, mainly limestone islands. These islands were once a restricted area of the Thai Navy, but now residents are allowed to live there. Among them, Watala Island is the office and largest island of the marine park, with viewing points and Lotus Cave, while the coral, jungle, and beaches of Sa Sa Island are also popular with tourists. Talay Nai on Mae Koh Island and Wua Ta Lap Island are the two most beautiful coral spots in the marine park, while the beaches of Koh Hin Da are known for being extremely comfortable and soft. The distance between the small islands is not far, and visitors can take motorboats or long-tailed boats to travel. There are many one-day tour projects in Ang Thong Islands, including snorkeling, island tours, jungle scenery and viewing animals such as wild gibbons, as well as canoeing adventures and cave experiences.
39
km
2
In the Naman Waterfall, there is a spectacular waterfall that reaches a height of 80 meters, one of the highest here. In order to appreciate this beautiful scenery, tourists need to buy separate tickets and walk along a 30-minute trail to get there. The waterfall here is magnificent, and at the bottom of the waterfall, there is a natural swimming pool that provides an excellent way for visitors to cool off. In addition, there is also a slide and an elephant walking path next to the entrance, offering more options for visitors to enjoy.
Day9: Krabi
3 attraction(s) ·
19 km
1
Small, bustling beach with scenic views, along with many nearby shops, cafes & hotels.
3
km
2
Accessible only by boat, this peninsula with limestone cliffs is popular for rock climbing & diving.
16
km
3
Day10: Krabi
3 attraction(s) ·
40 km
1
Picture perfect islands with sheer limestone cliffs, fine sand beaches & clear water coves.
9
km
2
Small reef-edged island with pristine beaches, clear waters & a tiny bar, popular with snorkelers.
31
km
