I am travelling to thailand in feb, and wanted to visit north and south, want to go kanchanburi to river kwai, visit ayuthayya . go to chaing mai via sleeper train then to chaing rai. Then down south to some of the quieter places avoiding phuket.

I am going for 1 month

and any ideas would be much appreciated

a watson

A journey of a thousand miles began with a single step.
[1904 Sayings of Lao Tzu tr. L. Giles 51]

Everything on your list is something you can do. In Thailand you can get tours through local travel agencies if you want. First three things are easy to get from Bangkok. There are many tours available you can get daily if you want. Or you can try it on your own.

Stay in Bangkok first and during that time get your train ticket for Chiang Mai. (The sleeper car tickets sell out first so get them when you first get to Bangkok.) In Chiang Mai there are tours you can get for Chiang Rai. You can avoid Phuket if you want but millions and millions of tourists visit there every year. From Phuket you can go to other places too! End your holiday in Bangkok again for a few days before you fly home.

Thailand has excellent transportation services. Besides trains you also have cheap bus travel and discount airlines too. In Bangkok you can use the Skytrain, subway and Airport Rail Link to get around the city. There are hotels near the Skytrain route you can use, some are also near restaurants, malls, street vendors, nightlife, etc. Meter taxis in Bangkok are cheap providing you just use the meter! There is rail service from the airport (up to midnight) and meter taxis 24 hours a day.
Bangkok Airport Public Taxi Service | Suvarnabhumi Airport | New Bangkok Airport Guide
UrbanRail.Net > Asia > Thailand > Bangkok Metro

In Bangkok, the Skytrain connects with the Airport Rail Link and with the subway. The subway can take you to the national train station for your ride to Chiang Mai. The Skytrain also connects with the Ekamai bus terminal, Patpong, Chatuchak, MBK, Sukhumvit, Siam areas too.


Plan a budget out and see how much you can afford for hotels per night and then ask for some suggestions. That way you will have some places to check out. Wait until you get to Thailand to change any money over to Thai baht for a better rate. No problem changing money over at the airport 24 hours a day.

When you get around to specifics you ought to also mention if you are male or female and roughly your age bracket. That way you will get something more useful.

(Lots of old posts on this forum you might find helpful.)


Happy New Year.

Sounds like a good plan. Consider hiring a bicycle in Ayutthaya - I found it pretty cyclist friendly (just go slowly and don't take any risks) as a cheap and fun way to get around the temples. In Kanchanaburi the VN Guesthouse on the water is great - you can stay in a raft room which is actually on the river. Food is good there too, and cheap (at least, it was 4 years ago!). Apples Guesthouse is also a popular spot; food used to be great there, too.

Have fun!

__________________
travelforum.org
Please like us on Facebook: facebook.com/thetravelforum

The online train booking system is well worth looking at - http://www.thairailticket.com/ - I've used it a couple of times and it certainly beats going to Hua Lamphong station to book it yourself. The tickets print out as a pdf file almost immediately and the additional cost of around 60 baht is less than most forms of transport would cost to get to and from the station.

From Bangkok to Kanchanaburi their are mini vans that leave from in front of the Royal Hotel and cost around 200 baht for the one way trip. They can be cramped and are not great if you have a lot of luggage. I much prefer the train from Bangkok Noi station to Kanchanaburi (leaves around 0745 hrs) takes 3 hours but is quite comfortable and costs 100 baht.

Mini vans back from Kanchanaburi back to Bangkok cost around 120 baht and mostly go to the Mo Chit but some will stop around the Royal Hotel area again. I'd take a larger bus if I went again, mini van drivers can drive a bit too recklessly for my liking.

The 2nd class sleeper trains from Bangkok to or from Chiang Mai are good fun - book on line from link given above.

AirAsia flys to Chian Rai from Bangkok and flying into there and then busing back down to Chiang Mai might also be worth looking at - saving the train ride for the trip back to Bangkok from Chiang Mai.

I'm not a big fan of the south of Thailand so can't help there. Isaan and some of the towns along the Mekong, adjacent to Lao, are very charming but certainly not for party minded people or those seeking a busy beach scene.

Just be aware that Ayutthaya is still flooded from the monsoonal downpours earlier this year. Even by February, the waters might not have receded sufficiently in order to get around the city unimpeded. This also applies to several town in the Isaan region of central Thailand.

Just got back from there - still great :)

OP, your plan sounds good. If you are looking for some quieter islands in the South, I suggest checking out some of the Trang Islands like Koh Ngai, Koh Mook or even going further down to Koh Laoliang, Koh Bulon Koh Lipe, etc. I would suggest starting in Koh Lanta and then island hopping your way down, then catching a flight back to BKK from Hat Yai or flight/overnight train from Trang.

Up North, I would recommend hiring a motorcycle/scooter/car and going up to Pai/Maehongson area - fun drive and the scenery along the way is beautiful.

Enjoy!

__________________
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!