hi all..., me and my partner are travelling to bangkok on my birthday the 28th october for 4 weeks, finally wanting to see this great island ive heard from my friends as the best place on earth !!!?????

are problem being where do we start what is a must see and what routes to take i.e how long to stay in bangkok, how and where when to leave for phuket where else to go.. any help would be much appreciated..

thanks all great forum by the way

Four weeks is a long time. You could take a week side trip in a nearby country if you want. Start in Bangkok of course! See the city, take some tours, eat some good food, etc. While in Bangkok you could book your transportation at that time. For tours you can get them from local travel agents in Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai and Phuket. Just find the nearest travel agency to your hotel. If you have winter clothing you may be able to store those items in the first hotel you stay at for free pending your return. Spend the last couple days in Bangkok again so you can get some last minute souvenirs, take in a dinner cruise or go bar hopping, etc.

When you need hotel recommendations mention a price range. Use a baht figure! That way you will get suggestions that fit your budget. You do need to establish some sort of budget, you know, have an idea of how much you can spend for different things, etc.

Phuket is the most expensive place to visit in Thailand. But it is not the only beach, besides Thailand has summer-like weather all year long. Try to visit northern Thailand. From Chiang Mai you can take tours or treks to nearby villages, visit with elephants, see temples, etc. There are beach areas closer to Bangkok too.

For Bangkok choose a hotel near the Skytrain route. That way you can use the overhead rail service to get around the city. There is rail service from the airport (45 baht to Pratunam area on City Line) if you arrive before the midnight closing time.
Map of rail service:
Skytrain (BTS) - Bangkok hotels and travel guide to Bangkok, Thailand

My advice for Bangkok is to get a hotel in the Siam or Sukhumvit Road area where you can walk to malls, street vendors, nightlife, restaurants and supermarkets. Hotels in all price ranges, particularly the Sukhumvit area. Also you can use the Skytrain. The Skytrain connects with the Ekamai bus terminal, the subway (Hualamphong Train station is last stop,) MBK, Patpong, Chatuchak and numerous other areas. No Skytrain in the Khao San Road area!

Visit a library and check out some travel guides. Plan your route out ahead of time but try not to get all "anal" in planning every single minute out. Sometimes just being spontaneous works out just fine!

Other countries you may want to visit for a few days or even a week are Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia or even fly to Hong Kong or Singapore.

Your country passport determines if you must pay for a visa or just enter Visa Exempt for free (Thailand.) Check visas for other countries.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of Thailand
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of Thailand

Wait until you get to Thailand when you change money for a better rate. Bank money changers available at the airport 24 hours a day. Only bring currency from your country that is not dirty or old. Save room in your wallet and bring larger denominations. Travelers checks also work okay, but bring the largest denomination only. There is a fee to cash a travelers check of 33 baht so you don't want to waste money on cheap checks! When you use an ATM in Thailand there is a fee of 150 baht per withdrawal so don't waste lots of fees on small amounts! For debit or credit cards you must notify your bank where overseas you will be using those cards or they may suspect CC fraud.

This is a start.

I'd say 3 days or so in Bangkok is probably enough. You could do something like 2 days when you arrive and then another day before flying back.

With 4 weeks of travel time, I would suggest going up North to Chiang Mai/Pai, etc and then going down South to the islands. You could easily do 2-3 islands. Maybe Phuket, Koh Lanta and Koh Ngai.

If you want to see something different and totally off the tourist track, I would suggest going to Koh Laoliang Island. It's a tiny island with just one African safari-style tent resort on it, but it is absolutely beautiful. Laoliang Island Resort Thailand, Laoliang Island, Lao Liang Island

Hope this helps!

__________________
Need help arranging your holiday in Thailand? Expat Holidays Thailand offers great rates, personal advice and professional service directly from the company's owner.
See our website or join us on Facebook!