Must-see attractions in Thailand

  • Female Visiting the Cloister with Large Group of Seated Buddha Images in Wat Pho or Temple of the Reclining Buddha, Bangkok Old City, Thailand, ( Self Portrait )

    Wat Pho

    Ko Ratanakosin & Thonburi

    Wat Pho is our absolute favorite among Bangkok's biggest sights. In fact, the compound incorporates a host of superlatives: the city's largest reclining…

  • Grand palace, Wat pra kaew with blue sky, bangkok, Thailand

    Grand Palace

    Ko Ratanakosin & Thonburi

    The Grand Palace (Phra Borom Maharatchawang) is a former royal residence in Bangkok that was consecrated in 1782. Today, it’s only used on ceremonial…

  • Wat Arun temple in Bangkok during sunset.

    Wat Arun

    Ko Ratanakosin & Thonburi

    Wat Arun is the missile-shaped temple that rises from the Chao Phraya River's banks. Known as Temple of Dawn, it was named after the Indian god of dawn,…

  • Wat Phra Kaew Bangkok Thailand

    Wat Phra Kaew

    Ko Ratanakosin & Thonburi

    Architecturally fantastic, the Wat Phra Kaew temple complex is also the spiritual core of Thai Buddhism and the monarchy, symbolically united in what is…

  • Swan boats, Lumphini Park, Bangkok, Thailand

    Lumphini Park

    Bangkok

    Named after the Buddha’s birthplace in Nepal (Lumbini), Lumphini Park is central Bangkok’s largest and most popular park. Its 58 hectares are home to an…

  • Wat Saket, The Golden Mount Temple, Bangkok, Thailand.

    Golden Mount

    Banglamphu

    Even if you're wát-ed out, you should tackle the brisk ascent to the Golden Mount. Serpentine steps wind through an artificial hill shaded by gnarled…

  • Jim Thompson's House in Bangkok Thailand

    Jim Thompson House

    Siam Square, Pratunam, Phloen Chit & Ratchathewi

    This jungly compound is the former home of the eponymous American silk entrepreneur and art collector. Born in Delaware in 1906, Thompson briefly served…

  • Sukhothai Historical Park

    Sukhothai

    The Sukhothai Historical Park ruins are one of Thailand’s most impressive World Heritage sites. The park includes the remains of 21 historical sites and…

  • Wat Phumin, Muang District, Nan Province, Thailand. Temple is a public place.Created over 100 years old.; Shutterstock ID 676085470; Your name (First / Last): Ryan Evans; GL account no.: 56530; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Destinations - Thailand POI

    Wat Phumin

    Nan

    Nan’s most famous Buddhist temple is celebrated for its exquisite murals, executed during the late 19th century by a Thai Lü artist named Thit Buaphan…

  • Baskets for Sale at Chatuchak Market

    Chatuchak Weekend Market

    Northern Bangkok

    Among the largest open-air markets in the world, Chatuchak (also referred to as 'Jatujak' or simply 'JJ Market') seems to unite everything buyable, from…

  • Stairs at Wat Phra That Lampang Luang, a Lanna-style Buddhist temple in Lampang Province.

    Wat Phra That Lampang Luang

    Lampang Province

    This ancient Buddhist temple compound has several interesting religious structures, including what is arguably the most beautiful wooden Lanna temple in…

  • Erawan Waterfall in Kanchanaburi, Thailand

    Erawan National Park

    Kanchanaburi Province

    Splashing in emerald-green pools under Erawan Falls is the highlight of this very popular 550-sq-km park. Seven tiers of waterfall tumble through the…

  • Tourists visit the Prasat Phanom Rung Historical Park.

    Prasat Phanom Rung

    Buriram Province

    Prasat Phanom Rung has a knock-you-dead location. Crowning the summit of a spent volcano, this sanctuary sits 200m above the paddy fields below. To the…

  • Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep temple, Chiang Mai, Thailand

    Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

    Chiang Mai

    Overlooking the city from its mountain throne, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is one of northern Thailand's most sacred temples, and its founding legend is…

  • Nam Tok Thilawsu waterfall.

    Nam Tok Thilawsu

    Tak Province

    Located in the Um Phang Wildlife Sanctuary, this waterfall is Thailand’s largest, measuring an estimated 200m high and up to 400m wide during the rainy…

  • Ancient Slide / Wat Chedi Luang / Chiang Mai

    Wat Chedi Luang

    Chiang Mai

    Wat Chedi Luang isn't as grand as Wat Phra Singh, but its towering, ruined Lanna-style chedi (built in 1441) is much taller and the sprawling compound…

  • Prasat Hin Phimai(Phimai Historical Park)

    Phimai Historical Park

    Nakhon Ratchasima Province

    Prasat Phimai is one of the most impressive Khmer ruins in Thailand, both in its grand scale and its intricate details. Though built as a Mahayana…

  • Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park.

    Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park

    Phetchaburi

    This national historical park sits regally atop Khao Wang (Palace Hill), surveying the city with subdued opulence. Rama IV built the palace and dozens of…

  • Dragon's head at Wat Phra Sing.

    Wat Phra Singh

    Chiang Mai

    Chiang Mai's most revered temple, Wat Phra Singh is dominated by an enormous, mosaic-inlaid wí·hăhn (sanctuary). Its prosperity is plain to see from the…

  • Stalactite cave Tham Lot in Thailand.

    Tham Lot

    Mae Hong Son Province

    About 9km northeast of Soppong is Tham Lot (pronounced tâm lôrt and also known as tâm nám lôrt), a large limestone cave with impressive stalagmites,…

  • Wat Chang Rob temple in Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park.

    Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park

    Northern Thailand

    A Unesco World Heritage Site, the Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park features the ruins of structures dating back to the 14th century, roughly the same time…

  • 500px Photo ID: 61441821 - merchant waiting for seller in Warorot market Chiangmai...See more work at.https://www.facebook.com/Amandernaja

    Talat Warorot

    Chiang Mai

    Chiang Mai's oldest public market, Warorot (also spelt Waroros) is a great place to connect with the city's Thai soul. Alongside souvenir vendors you'll…

  • Khao Yai National Park

    Nakhon Ratchasima Province

    Cool and lush, Khao Yai National Park is an easy escape into the primordial jungle. The 2168-sq-km park, part of a Unesco World Heritage site, spans five…

  • Similan Islands Marine National Park

    Phang-Nga Province

    This beautiful 70-sq-km marine national park is known to divers the world over. Lying 70km offshore from Phang-Nga Province, it has smooth granite islands…

  • Mae Fah Luang Art and Culture Park in Chiang Rai, Thailand.

    Mae Fah Luang Art & Culture Park

    Chiang Rai

    In addition to a museum that houses one of Thailand’s biggest collections of Lanna artefacts, this vast, meticulously landscaped compound includes antique…

  • Thai Buddhist temple Wat Suthat.

    Wat Suthat

    Banglamphu

    Other than being just plain huge and impressive, Wat Suthat also holds the highest royal temple grade. Inside the wí·hăhn (sanctuary for a Buddha…

  • South East Asia, Thailand, Bangkok, Samphanthawong district, Chinatown, Wat Traimit temple which houses the Golden Buddha

    Wat Traimit (Golden Buddha)

    Chinatown

    The attraction at Wat Traimit is undoubtedly the impressive 3m-tall, 5.5-tonne, solid-gold Buddha image, which gleams like, well, gold. Sculpted in the…

  • Prasat Muang Tam, an ancient Khmer-style temple complex built in Buriram Province, Thailand.

    Prasat Muang Tam

    Buriram Province

    In the little village of Khok Meuang, the restored Khmer temple of Prasat Muang Tam is an ideal bolt-on to any visit to Phanom Rung, which is only 8km to…

  • The Death Railway, bridge over the River Kwai

    Death Railway Bridge

    Kanchanaburi

    Constructed by POW labour, this 300m-long bridge is heavy with the history of the Thailand–Burma Railway. Its centre was destroyed by Allied bombs in 1945…

  • Wat Phu Thok

    Northeastern Thailand

    With its network of rickety staircases and walkways built in, on and around a giant sandstone outcrop, Wat Phu Thok is one of the region’s wonders. The…

  • Bang Pa-In Royal Palace in Ayutthaya, Thailand.

    Bang Pa In Palace

    Ayuthaya

    Ornate buildings are sprinkled across Bang Pa In Palace's 19-hectare gardens. First established in the 17th century, the palace was revived in the 19th…

  • Sunrise at the sea of red lotus, Lake Nong Harn, Udon Thani, Thailand.

    Red Lotus Sea

    Udon Thani Province

    You'll see pictures of the Red Lotus Sea (really, it's a pink water-lily lake) all over Udon as it's now one of Isan's top attractions, but few Westerners…

  • Kaeng Krachan National Park, the largest national park of Thailand.

    Kaeng Krachan National Park

    Phetchaburi

    Thailand’s largest national park is surprisingly close to civilisation but shelters an intense tangle of wilderness that sees relatively few tourists. It…

  • Aerial view of Ang Thong National Marine Park, Koh Samui, Suratthani, Thailand.

    Ang Thong Marine National Park

    Gulf Islands

    Known officially as Mu Ko Ang Thong Marine National Park, this series of jungle-covered islands – the inspiration for Alex Garland’s cult classic novel,…

  • Sala Kaew Ku

    Nong Khai

    One of Thailand’s most enigmatic attractions, Sala Kaew Ku can't fail to impress. Built over 20 years by Luang Pu Boun Leua Sourirat, a mystic who died in…

  • Principal image at Wat Pan Tao in Chiang Mai, Thailand

    Wat Phan Tao

    Chiang Mai

    Without doubt the most atmospheric wát in the old city, this teak marvel sits in the shadow of Wat Chedi Luang. Set in a compound full of fluttering…

  • Asian wild elephants in Kuiburi National Park, Thailand.

    Kuiburi National Park

    Hua Hin & the Upper Gulf

    Who doesn't want to see herds of wild elephants roaming through the forest or enjoying an evening bath? At Kuiburi National Park's hôoay léuk unit, up…

  • Hill Tribe Museum and Education Center, Chiang Rai, Thailand.

    Hilltribe Museum & Education Center

    Chiang Rai

    This museum and cultural centre is a good place to visit before undertaking any hill-tribe trek. Run by the nonprofit Population & Community Development…

  • Cycling in Bangkok at Sunset

    Talat Mai

    Chinatown

    With some two centuries of commerce under its belt, New Market is no longer an entirely accurate name for this strip of commerce. Regardless, this is…

  • Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre

    Kanchanaburi Province

    The infamous cutting known as Hellfire Pass was the largest along the length of the Thailand–Burma Railway, and the most deadly for the people forced to…