Hi people.

Need abit of help in this area to be honest.

Me n my girlfriend are planning on goin to Thailand this summer 2012 for a few week/month. I wast just hoping someone could tell me a few places or a route to visit. I know the obvious way is to land at Bangkok but is it better to choose another airport.

I have heard that Bangkok is rough and will get abit annoying for a young couple, nice relaxing beaches would be more up our street. I like the sounds of Phuket, Krabi etc and travelling to the islands such as phi phi don? if Im saying them correct.

Basically just want to now if these places are ideal to go to and whats the best way of going about it, travel and plan wise I havent got a clue what to do.

Also is it abit risky just going places hoping to get rooms for a couple nights or more??

Any help would be appreciated massivley thanks

I highly recommend Chiang Mai (up north). Bangkok is only fun for a few days, and many tourists come up to Chiang Mai instead. Jungles, fun attractions and is only a 3 hour drive to Pai. You can get guesthouse rooms for less then 10 dollars, and nicer hotels for a just a little more.

For beaches I recommend Phuket, Koh Samui or some of the other islands. It depends on your preferences and how much you want to spend. Plus travel wise you can travel by plane, train or bus.

A few nights in Bangkok are fine, depending on how much time you've got overall.

For beaches, all the islands are good! If you want something different and more chilled out, check out some islands in the Trat Province - Koh Chang, Koh Mak and Koh Kood. Otherwise head to Krabi or Koh Samui/Koh Phangan/Koh Tao side of Thailand.

Agree with above poster - if you have time, try to visit up North as well!

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Hi. There is really only Suvarnabhumi airport to fly into direct....if you wanted to land instead in Phuket ...or Chiang Mai...as your first point in Thailand you should be looking for flights to Kuala Lumpur or Singapore.

From KL you have Air Asia available to whisk you to Thailand's regional airports - and Tiger/Jetstar from Singapre.

However, if you do come in via Bangkok - just a few hours taxi down the Gulf of Thailand will bring you to Rayong - from where you can get the ferry to the Koh Samet national park. Fabulous island, plenty to do if you want, laid back and still pretty cheap. Prices are more expensive in Koh Samui, Krabi, Phuket - and all require a connecting flight from Bangkok (Thai Smile or Nok Air will get you there) or alternatively a gruelling bus journey from BKK...or the more civilised train. Up to U !

Visit a library for a couple travel guides on Thailand or purchase one from a book shop. This will help you a lot on deciding where to visit.

Millions of young couples visit Bangkok. How old are you? Backpackers in school or just out of school often head for Khao San Road area in Bangkok. But other areas of the city are also okay. Bangkok is cheaper than Phuket for hotels and local transportation. The city has excellent city rail service. It is possible (up to midnight anyway) to use rail service from the airport to many places in the city. There is an Airport Rail Link, a Skytrain service and a subway. Each is connected to the other. Meter taxis are cheap in Bangkok but only if you use the meter and not bargain the fare. (Most taxis willingly use the meter. It's the law anyway.) Would you visit France and not see Paris or visit Britain and avoid London?
UrbanRail.Net > Asia > Thailand > Bangkok Metro

How young are you? Young adults and kids visit Koh Phangan. Some go there for the Full Moon Parties and some go just to do dope and get wasted with other young travelers. Phuket is okay, but it is more expensive than just about anywhere else in Thailand when you include local transportation.

There are some airlines that do fly into Phuket. But it depends on where you are coming from. Many tourists spend a few days in Bangkok and fly from there to Phuket or Chiang Mai. But from Bangkok you also have good rail service to Chiang Mai and other places like Hat Yai. Also there is excellent long distance bus service. It may save you money to fly to Bangkok and return home from Bangkok using a round trip ticket.

Unless you are flying in from some nearby country like Singapore or Vietnam have a round trip plane ticket. If you intend to fly using one way flights do some research on prices. From Europe or N. America some one way flights cost the same as round trip. So do the math and see if a round trip might be cheaper than 2 one way flights. There is an old regulation requiring proof of onward travel to enter Thailand. The passport you are using will determine if you can enter Thailand and stay 30 days for free with a Visa Exemption Stamp in your passport or need a visa you pay for ahead of time. But most travel guides explain that.

You can find beaches in many countries. Don't just only visit beach areas in Thailand. A visit to Chiang Mai and other areas up north will show you some of the places that make Thailand unique. Even in Chiang Mai you can get a tan walking around because all of Thailand has summertime weather.

Research if you need a visa or not. Round trip plane tickets vs one way prices. Usually you get a better return on your currency exchange in Thailand than changing money over to Thai baht in another country. Tell your bank that you will be overseas if you intend to use credit or debit cards. Plan a budget so when you ask for hotel suggestions you will know how much you can afford for hotels per night. But most travel guides explain this. When you don't identify your country you make it more difficult to be specific.

Keep in mind that depending on when you visit and where you visit you will encounter some hot weather and some rainy weather. This is the weather you get during the off season. But hotels will be cheaper. Many tourists prefer this time of year to visit. If it is during the rainy time the rain usually stops in an hour or two and if it is hot then drink more fluids and every now and then cool off in a place with A/C. The bottom section of the link below explains some of the weather you will have for the summer months.
Rainy Season in Thailand

Good luck.

As Koonel says, best way to start is to open a guidebook and start reading. See which destinations catch your fancy. They will be clear on which places are touristy, which are off the beaten track and quieter, which are safe and which are seedy.

Once you've got a few ideas on where you'd like to go, feel free to ask us for specific recommendations.

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Hi All,

I am doing a solo trip to bkk this end of march. This is my 6th times there and most of the time spent in the city area doing shopping. Would liek to try something different and will be including tiger temple, ayutthaya and Erawan Waterfall in this trip and would like to book a transport/cab there but the price is quote steep. (am on a budget trip)

Is there anyone interested to share the transport with me when there? my air ticket had not been book and I can accomodate to your dates. I will be staying in Citin Pratunan which is a lift away from pratunam market and 500m away from plantinum mall.

I am more than a bit confused why you (or anyone) would want to take a cab to these places, especially if you say you are on a budget trip??? Why not take the prefectly decent public transport like everyone else... you can get to Kanchanaburi by bus for very cheap and then you can organise competitively priced tours/excursions to Erawan waterfall and the Tiger Temple easily enough, or hire a bike and go yourself. Likewise, Ayutthaya is a (long) train ride away but is extraordinarily cheap - I paid 15 Baht single from Bangkok Hualamphong to Ayutthaya about 7 years ago. Can't get much cheaper than that.

Public transport is very cheap and very convenient for the budget traveller... use it!

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I would recommend everybody to spend at least a couple of days in the city of Kanchanaburi during your visit to Thailand. There is a lot of history connected to this city. During the World War II the Japanese took at lot of prisoners of war and made them build what is later known as "The Death Railway" across Thailand to Burma - mostly known from the movie "The Bridge Over the River Kwai".

So go pay a visit to the War Cemetary in Kanchanaburi with the headstones of about 7000 allied POWs mainly from Australia, Britain, and Holland who died during the fulfilling of this project. There is a saying that it cost "a life for every sleeper", and besides the many allied soldiers who died, about 80.000 Asians mainly Thais lost their lives here too.

Take a walk across the famous bridge over the River Kwai and get a feeling of what happened here many years ago.

If you really like to dig in the history you may visit the museum right next to the cemetary, or the JEATH Museum at the temple by the river, or you may go visit The Hellfire Pass museum outside the city.

On the more bright side you should spend a whole day by the beautiful seven steps of the Erawan Waterfalls 60 kms north of the city. Hike the waterfalls, and don't forget to bring your swimsuit for a refeshing swim in one of the ponds at the bottom of each step. Easy to get there by the local bus no. 8170 - easy to catch on the main road from about 08.00 in the morning.

The city is now also famous for the Tiger Temple which is located about 45 kms north of the city (on the way to Hellfire Pass) where you may watch the monks walking the tigers and afterwards take your picture while you're padding the tiger on the head. Book the trip at one of the local tour agencies.

Take a traintrip on The Death Railway and enjoy the beautiful landscapes alongside the river, it's both a relaxing and exciting way to get closer look at this wonderful country.

In the evening take a walk along the riverside and have a great meal at one of the nice (and cheap) restaurants there while you enjoy the beautiful sunset over the river and watch the big restaurant-rafts sailing up and down the river with people partying. Later you may go shopping and make a good bargain at the local market located by the railway station. Finish the day with a drink at one of the many places in the street where the guesthouses are located.

In short enjoy the life in a minor provincial city only 125 kms west of Bangkok. Easy to reach by bus leaving every 15 minutes from the Southern Bus Terminal in Bangkok, price about 100 Baht/person, takes 2 hours. Several nice guesthouses at reasonable prices like 'Jolly Frog', 'Sugar Cane', 'Blue Star', etc. Best hotel is River Kwai Hotel located just on the main street. All accomodations are in walking distance from most of the venues you want to visit - or you may take a tuk-tuk or a samlor (3-wheeled bicycle-taxi).

I wish you a wonderful holiday in Kanchanaburi

That was so awesome!! Thank you for the information that I needed so much yet having problems sourcing for due to my busy workload. I would definately stay there for 2 days before going to ayutthaya. Have you been to Erawan waterfalls? Is it easily located and crowded?

Thanks for your help!