My rough itinerary for 1 month in Thailand
Replies: 19 - Last Post: Dec 11, 2012 7:08 AM Last Post By: Morejoyous
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My rough itinerary for 1 month in Thailand
Hey everyone. I'm deep into planning my 3 month SE Asia trip starting off in Thailand. I've been working on my itineraries and so far I've come up with the following for Thailand. I want to keep things simple and not constantly hop from place to place. I want to at least go for a trek, see some ruins/temples and visit some beaches. I'll be mostly getting about by train/bus but I'm going to book some local flights too. This is what I have so far. It doesn't quite total up to one month but I've done this purposefully in case I change my mind or want to stay somewhere longer etc. Feel free to comment and offer any suggestions! I'm all for keeping it simple! :-)BANGKOK (3 days)
KANCHANABURI (1 day)
AYUTTHAYA (1 day)
BANGKOK>CHIANG MAI (5 days) (flight)
CHAING RAI (3 days trek)
PAI (1 day)
CHIANG MAI>PHUKET (4 days) (flight)
KO PHI PHI (4 days)
PHUKET>BANGKOK (1 day) (flight)
1
You have 8 days left over so I would think about extending maybe a night extra in Pai and then personally, I would cross over from Phi Phi to Koh Phangan and Maybe Koh Tao if possible and fly back from Koh Samui.Also, for someone only spending three nights in Bkk, it seems a bit too much to spend 4 in Phuket. Save yourself some time and cross over to the East side as mentioned above.
2
Thanks for advice. Just curious - why would 4 days in Phuket be too much do you think? Also - I'm only staying 3 nights in Bangkok as ive been reading several threads (not just LP) saying that 3 days in bkk should be plenty to see the main sights. After that, people generally want to get out of the city and move on?3
"'Not constantly hop from one place to another ''Good idea ! Have you factored in the time it will take you to get ,firstly to Kanchnaburi , find your accom ,then set out to seeyour chosen sites ? Similar question for Pai .
i would suggest minimium of 2 nights at each of those , then you will feel more as if you have been there and not rushed in and out . Give Kanchna a bit of a ''search '' I would think there is 3-5 days enjoyment over there ,with the option of getting further on to Sangkhlaburi . Personally ,I wouldnt bother with Ko Phi Phi , you are going to get beaches at Phuket .
4
I want to keep things simple and not constantly hop from place to place
Then don't stay anywhere for just one day, and allow time for getting A to B. Not much point in going all the way to Pai for just one day. Going by public transport from Chiang Rai to Pai would take most of a day, at least 6 hours.
For your beach time consider the revolving monsoon seasons. May-Sep stick with the lower gulf (Samui, etc) but Nov-Mar the west coast is usually drier. Jan-Mar is usually the best chance of sun either side. Anyway I'd keep it to just one or two beaches instead of moving around every few days.
5
hi daveGood to see you are planning.
If I were you i would be a little more flexible and open to change.
I realise that its good to plan
but you will meet lots of folk and also find that
things will open up as you go.
Although travel is easy in Thailand
you can miss out of the wonderful small things that Thailand can share!
consider a little longer in one destination.
e.g. more days in Pai to chill
and one less day in CNX or Chiang Rai.
have a great time
pm me if you need any help
bo
6
My rules of thumb for experiencing Thailand (vs just rushing through places) is to estimate an average of about 5 days per place you want to stop and 1/2 day to a day for every time you want to switch locations.You may decide that some places need a little less time, and some need a little more, but as others have noted planning only a day for a place doe snot give you much time to really experience it, and in fact your travel time may eat away the whole day.
Travel in Thailand is easy, but it almost always take more time than you plan for - trains or busses often run late, finding aroom, checking in/out, etc. all just add a little more time. I once took a bus rid that was scheduled for 5.5 - 6 hours, after leaving an hour late and making several unscheduled stops along the way we arrived 9 hours after we started.
7
Too many places and not enough time. Staying just one day in Pai or Kanchanburi is a lot of travel without the opportunity to do much. Koh Phi Phi is one of the worst places in Thailand.8
I agree that Phi Phi is one of the worst places in thailand, Phuket is one of the few places that surpasses it as being even worse still!I'm a bit down on Bangkok these days, but I just find it so busy and hectic that if you want to get around and see a few tourist sites you end up spending most of your time in a taxi in traffic.
If it were me... I'd cut Bangkok down to one full day at the beginning, and then if you feel you need more, you can allow for more time at the end. Keep in mind - you'll probably get the train to Kanchanaburi - perhaps spend a full day or two there, then get a morning train back to Bangkok. You could always fit in a day or so in Bangkok on the way through if you feel the need.
I'd cut out Phuket and Phi Phi completely. If you're a first timer to thailand, I'd go for Koh Phangan and Koh Tao instead. I'd fly from Chiang Mai to Samui instead of Phuket and get the boat straight across without spending anymore time than necessary in Samui.
I'd also consider fitting in the Pai-Mae Hong Son-Mae Seriang loop.
9
As mentioned above, avoid Phi Phi. A mess. Phuket is pretty darn good. Just avoid Patong. The beaches north of that are amazing...but not cheap.I love Bangkok. An exciting city...but busy and hectic for sure. Plenty to see and do over 3 days. Nightlife is fantastic. Thong Lor is a really hip place to hang out now. Great places to eat and drink
Agree with Acorn above. To keep things easy, just head to Koh Phangan or Tao. Great beaches, great vibe.
10
If it were me... I'd cut Bangkok down to one full day at the beginning, and then if you feel you need more, you can allow for more time at the end. Keep in mind - you'll probably get the train to Kanchanaburi - perhaps spend a full day or two there, then get a morning train back to Bangkok. You could always fit in a day or so in Bangkok on the way through if you feel the need.The train takes a real long time. The bus from Sai Tai (southern bus terminal) will get you to Kan in 2 and a half hours.
13
Many thanks for advice. I'll reconsider Ko Phi Phi and perhaps head to Ko Samui as an alternative and take things from there. Agreed that one day anywhere is maybe not enough time to fully exprience everything.As I say, I'll use this itinerary as a rough plan as I may change my mind along the way/stay longer in one or two places. It would be nice to do a PADI course somewhere too so I'll need to factor in more time if I decide to do that.
