We were lucky enough to spend just over a month in Thailand last month (June 2022) and we travelled all over. There is so much to see and do in Thailand so we looked to a travel itinerary blog to base our plan off of, so we thought it would be useful to do one of our own.
Although we had that initial plan in our minds, how long we actually ended up staying in each place changed a lot, depending on how much we loved the area.
Below we have written our own version of a one-month travel itinerary for Thailand based off our experiences! However, you might find that your opinion of how long you stay in an area is different to ours, so we always suggest to just book one or two nights and then just extend if you do want to stay longer. This way you don’t lose any money if you do want to move on.
Bangkok
2 nights
It is probably best to start your trip in Bangkok as this is usually the cheapest major airport to fly into internationally. For some people big city vibes are there thing, but for us it was quite overwhelming, and we didn’t want to spend too long there so we could get down to the islands. We think the perfect amount of time to stay there would be 2 nights, so that you can get 2 and a bit days’ worth of exploring all the sites and maybe even go on a night out at the famous Khao San Road.
Some great things to do whilst there:
- Visit Khao San Road
- Go to Wat Arun and the grand palace
- Go to a night market
- Chatuchak Weekend Market
- River Cruise
Phuket town
2 nights
We spent just one night in Phuket town and actually did another night at Patong beach in Phuket too. We kind of wish that we had just done Phuket Town for 2 nights instead, so we could have done a bit more exploring. We heard other travellers say they did a great cooking class there and others say that they did day trips to nearby small islands, which sounds amazing.
Some great things to do whilst there:
- Cooking class
- Explore the town
- Maybe take a day trip to a nearby island
Phi phi island
4 nights
We spent 4 nights on Phi Phi Island, and we thought it was the perfect amount of time. There is quite a lot to do on the island that we have listed below and not to mention how beautiful it is there!
Some great things to do whilst there:
- Fire show on the beach
- Mauy Thai boxing match
- Long tail day trip
- Monkey beach
- Hike to viewpoints
Check out our Phi Phi Island area guide here for more!
Railay Beach
5 nights
We absolutely loved Railay beach and extended our stay there to 5 nights. There is plenty to do there if you are adventurous and love things like climbing!
Some great things to do whilst there:
- Climbing, abseiling, caving
- Bat Cave
- Hike (more like climb) to the lagoon
- Diamond and princess cave
- Other beach
Check out our Railay Beach area guide here for more.
Koh Phangan
3 nights
Koh Phangan actually wasn’t a favourite of ours but that mainly could have been due to the location we were in. As we were really just going here for the full moon party, a lot of the accommodations in more built-up areas were sold out, so we had to book one about 10 minutes’ drive from Haad Rin beach which is the main town where the full moon party is hosted. This meant we had to pay for Tuk Tuks every time we wanted to go anywhere. We recommend you hire a bike or book accommodation in a more built-up area.
Some great things to do whilst there:
- full moon party and haad rin
- Koh Phangan Waterfalls
- Waterfall party
- Thong Sala Night Market
Koh Tao
6 nights
Koh Tao was our absolute favourite island. We actually ended up staying there for 10 nights that is how much we loved it. We completed our open water padi whilst there and just loved the whole islands vibes. It had lot of activities but wasn’t as party party as the others which was perfect for us.
Some great things to do whilst there:
- Diving
- Viewpoints
- Snorkelling
- Party at the Fishbowl bar
- Mini golf at the leisure centre
- Nang Yaun Island
Check out our Koh Tao area guide here for more.
From Koh Tao you have a few different options to get up North. You can either head to Koh Samui, maybe stay a couple of days and fly from there or you can head to Bangkok for a night before flying or getting a sleeper bus up north. We did the long trip to Bangkok, where you get a ferry and then a coach, the journey wasn’t too bad and was a lot cheaper than flying. We then stayed in Bangkok for a night before getting a sleeper bus up to Chiang Mai. The bus was actually very nice and we did manage to get some sleep which was great!
Chiang Mai
3 nights
If we are being completely honest, Chiang Mai didn’t quite meet up to our expectations. To be fair to the area though, we were there during low season and right after covid, so it was very quiet. However, we paid to do a two-day jungle trek with Chai Lai Orchid, where we hiked, fed and cleaned elephants, cooked in the jungle and swam in waterfalls. It was amazing!
Some great things to do whilst there:
- Elephant sanctuary (Chai Lai Orchid)
- Night market
- Visit Doi Inthanon National Park
- Wat Phra Singh and Wat Chedi Luang
Pai
2 nights
After Chiang Mai we headed to Pai for two nights. Pai is a lot smaller than Chiang Mai, so seemed a bit more buzzing in the main areas and had much chiller vibes. There is plenty to do around Pai, but we recommend hiring a bike so that you can easily get to everything on your own accord. If you want to see a full list of things to do and what order we suggest you do them in then click here to read our Pai Area Guide.
Some great things to do whilst you are there:
- Pai Canyon
- The big buddha
- Santichon Village
- Namtok Mo Paeng Waterfall
- The Bamboo Bridge
- Pam Bok Waterfall
- I love Pai Café
Check out our Pai area guide here.
At the end of your tour, you will need to make your way back to Chiang Mai to catch whatever connection you need to. If you are heading back to Bangkok to fly home, then you can either fly and just get a connection in Bangkok airport or get a coach or train back down.
If you are heading over to Laos, we have written a blog all about the different ways you can do this, starting at Chiang Mai. Check that out here.
Without A Paddle Travel 