Planning your Thailand route
Thailand rewards a route that flows rather than a checklist that sprints. Most visitors arrive at Suvarnabhumi (BKK) and link a handful of standout places — a classic loop runs Bangkok → Phuket → Chiang Mai → Krabi.
Below is a ready-to-use one-week plan, how to stretch it to two weeks, and how to tailor it to how you like to travel. For the full picture see the Thailand travel guide, and once you’ve fixed your dates read the best time to visit Thailand so you travel in the right season.
The perfect 7-day Thailand itinerary
Seven days is the sweet spot for a first trip: enough to see the headline sights without living on buses. This plan keeps you to two or three bases and a sensible pace.
- Days 1–3 · Bangkok (3 days) — Temples, rooftop bars and the world’s best street food. Best for culture, food, nightlife.
- Days 4–5 · Phuket (2 days) — Thailand’s biggest island — beaches and Andaman island-hopping. Best for beach, family, nightlife.
- Days 6–7 · Chiang Mai (2 days) — Old-city temples, mountains and ethical elephant sanctuaries. Best for culture, nature, budget.
Budget roughly $210–$1,400 per person for the week depending on your style (excluding international flights) — see the Thailand budget guide for a full breakdown, or estimate yours with the Budget Calculator.
Stretching it to 10–14 days
With more time you can slow down and add the places a one-week trip skips. A relaxed two-week version looks like this:
- Days 1–4 · Bangkok (4 days) — Temples, rooftop bars and the world’s best street food. Best for culture, food, nightlife.
- Days 5–8 · Phuket (4 days) — Thailand’s biggest island — beaches and Andaman island-hopping. Best for beach, family, nightlife.
- Days 9–11 · Chiang Mai (3 days) — Old-city temples, mountains and ethical elephant sanctuaries. Best for culture, nature, budget.
- Days 12–14 · Krabi (3 days) — Limestone cliffs, Railay beach and the Phi Phi islands. Best for beach, adventure, honeymoon.
Two weeks also leaves room for a day trip or two between bases — see the “day trips” section on each city guide, starting with Bangkok.
Tailoring the route to your style
The skeleton above flexes easily. Adjust where you spend your days based on what you’re travelling for:
- Beach & islands: weight your days towards Phuket, Krabi and build in a slow few days by the sea.
- Adventure: add hikes, dives or day-treks around Chiang Mai, Krabi.
Getting between stops
Fly into Suvarnabhumi (BKK), then move between cities by a mix of domestic flights, trains, buses and taxis or ride apps. For multi-city trips, an open-jaw ticket (into one city, out of another) saves backtracking.
Book the longer hops ahead in Nov – Mar. Distances between the main spots in Thailand are very doable — most of this route is short, scenic legs rather than epic overland days.
Before you go
Three things to sort early: your visa (often no — visa exemption for many — see the Thailand visa guide), your season (when to visit), and your packing (Thailand packing list). It’s also worth a quick read of our Thailand safety guide and the food & culture guide so you arrive ready to dive in.
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