Thailand Itinerary: 2 and 3 weeks in Thailand

Thailand is one of our favourite countries in the world. Whilst some pockets have become very touristy, we still think Thailand has SO much to offer travellers of all age groups and interests. The food is incredible, the people are immensely generous and it's such an affordable country to travel to.

How long should I spend in Thailand?

The great thing about Thailand is it's very easy to flex your itinerary to visit for as long (or as little) as you like - you really can visit for any length of time. We recommend doing a minimum of 2-3 weeks as there's so much to see and do. But with over 1400 islands (yes, you read that right), you really could spend years exploring this amazing country.

Thailand 2 week itinerary

Summary

Day 1 - Arrive in Bangkok. IconSiam. Chinatown.

Day 2 - Bangkok. Wat Arun. Grand Palace. Lumphini Park.

Day 3 - Bangkok.

Day 4 - Koh Samui. Viewpoint. Fisherman's Village.

Day 5 - Koh Samui. Lamai beach.

Day 6 - Koh Samui. Big Buddha. Wat Plai Laem. Chaweng.

Day 7 - Koh Tao. Sairee Beach.

Day 8 - Koh Tao. Ang Thong marine trip.

Day 9 - Chiang Mai. Cooking class.

Day 10 - Chiang Mai. Elephant Sanctuary.

Day 11 - Chiang Mai to Pai.

Day 12 - Pai. Pai Canyon. Bamboo bridges. Love Strawberry Pai.

Day 13 - Pai. Wat Phra That Mae Yen. Chinese village.

Day 14 - Back to Chiang Mai.

Days 1-3: Bangkok

Bangkok is such an awesome city with so much to do! We think 3 days is the perfect amount of time to spend here. We stayed at the ibis Riverside which was in a nice area and well located. We also heard good things about LOBSEUK Hostel if you are looking for a cheaper stay.

Day 1: On Day 1, you should visit the iconic ICONSIAM mall. This mall is one of the most amazing malls we have seen in the WORLD. It has a huge food market on the ground floor which has tonnes of traditional Thai dishes including pork fried rice, duck, fruits and the famous mango sticky rice. The mall also has some amazing gyms for a quick workout, a free terrace with rooftop views over Bangkok (and a bar) and amazing water features on the top floor. We recommend getting a fresh fruit smoothie, some of the local Thai food then heading up to the roof terrace for some amazing views. From here, head over to Chinatown for a wander. To get there, you can take a boat directly from ICONSIAM for under $2, with staff on hand to help you get the right boat (there are many!), getting off at Ratchawong. If you're travelling via metro, get off at Wat Mangkon station. Chinatown is a great place to try some food from the street food vendors, or you can head to one of Chinatown's many amazing restaurants such as Hua Seng Hong restaurant.

Day 2: On Day 2, head to Wat Arun which is an amazing Buddhist temple. You can buy tickets there using cash (costs around THB50) and you can rent a sarong in case you are wearing shorts! Bangkok has an awesome boat system that operates on the Chao Phraya River (the main river in Bangkok), so you should aim to get a boat or taxi to Tah Tian. You'll then get a second boat to cross the river to Wat Arun. A visit should take 1-1.5 hour(s) in total.

Afterwards, visit The Grand Palace. The buildings here are truly amazing and well worth visiting. Get the boat across the river to Tah Tian, and walk about 10 minutes to the palace - it is well signposted. You do not need to buy your tickets in advance, but you will need to wear respectable dress clothing (e.g. no shorts) - full details of which can be found on the Palace's official website here. Tickets are sold from 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM and cost 500 baht for non-Thai adults. We took 2 hours at the palace to visit, after which we visited Pad Thai Kratong Thong for some amazing Pad Thai. After this, you can take a taxi or the metro (blue line) to Lumphini Park - this park has some incredible wildlife and is a great place to take in some of Bangkok's greenery.

In the evening, head to Vanilla Sky Rooftop Bar or indeed head to the rooftop terrace at ICONSIAM for some immense views of Bangkok. Drinks are reasonable, and it's worth it at sunset!

Incredible views of Bangkok from ICONSIAM mall at night

Days 3-5 Koh Samui

You can get direct flights from Bangkok to Koh Samui - the flights are usually reasonably priced especially if you book in advance. We advise doing this as using boats to get to Koh Samui can be very choppy and even dangerous if the is bad weather.

We stayed at Crystal Lamai Hotel, which was a genuinely fantastic hotel in a great location. Some friends stayed at Mercure Samui and loved it for a real travellers vibe.

Day 3: Once you arrive in Koh Samui, we recommend getting a motorbike provided you are able to ride. We recommend using your hotel if possible, or "John Bike Samui" (here on Google maps) - these guys were legitimately good and refunded our deposit in full. There are no Grab taxis on Koh Samui, so if you want to use taxis be warned - you need to pre-book, and it is NOT cheap on the island!

From here, head to Overlap Stone 2 - you can park up near-ish the top for free, and from there it's a 20-25 minute walk uphill to the most amazing viewpoint. PLEASE make sure you have good brakes on your motorbike as the road up to the viewpoint is very steep. Don't go to Overlap Stone 1 as this one wasn't as good. Also, some locals will try and blow a whistle telling you to go into their car park - you can go in but it'll cost you money, and parking is free further up!

After you've finished taking in the stunning views, drive over to Fisherman's Village - there are so many amazing shops, stalls and street food stands here, all of which are worth visiting. We personally recommend trying some Pad Thai, Fried Rice and steamed buns here - all delicious! It's also a great place to take in the sunset at one of the many beachfront bars here.

Overlap Stone 2 viewpoint

Day 4: Lamai Beach. Koh Samui is known for its amazing beaches, so it's worth spending a few days on it (especially if you have 3 weeks!). We loved Lamai Beach and thought it offered plenty of cheap beach cafes and sunbeds, as well as super clean water. Take the day to relax and enjoy some sunshine! In the evening, we recommend heading to one of Lamai's many bars for a cocktail, such as XO Bar Samui. When you're hungry head to Lamai Night Market - the market here sells delicious barbecued meats, thai curry, mango sticky rice and many more delicious dishes.

Day 5: Big Buddha. Wat Plai Laem. Chaweng. It's time to get the motorbike back out! Firstly, head to Big Buddha - the clue is in the name, as this is a huge statue of Buddha which surrounded by stunning views. Entry is free. After, go to Wat Plai Laem. This is another stunning temple with amazing views. There are some cool shops here with unique t-shirts and souvenirs, so it's a perfect place for some retail therapy if that interests you. In the late afternoon, head to Chaweng. At night, this is the party part of Koh Samui but in the day, there is an amazing beach with tonnes of shops and massage parlours here. It's a great place to try a proper Thai massage, so we recommend doing this here for a reasonable price!

Days 6 & 7 Koh Tao

Get the boat from Koh Samui to Koh Tao. You can book this via 12go.asia for around £16/$20 per person one way. We recommend staying at Closca Hostel in Koh Tao.

At the start of Day 6, you should arrive in Koh Tao and relax on one of Thailand's most amazing beaches. Sairee Beach is our recommendation - with perfect blue waters and soft sand, it's one of our favourites.

Day 7: A must do on Koh Tao - book on to do a snorkelling trip! Koh Tao is known for its marine life, so we think a trip to Ang Thong National Park is a must do. We liked this trip here (affiliate link) and the guides were great. In the evening, get the boat back to Koh Samui and catch a flight on day 8 to Chiang Mai!

Days 8-11 Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is home to a lot of amazing Thai temples, awesome street food and lots of Muay Thai.

Day 8: As you've probably guessed by now, Thai food rocks our world; we highly recommend learning how to make some of Thailand's infamous dishes yourself! We booked a cooking tour with Smile Organic Farm Cooking School which was awesome - being taken to the market to buy the ingredients followed by a fun cooking class was a great experience. We had several choices of dish to cook - we personally opted for a thai curry, pad thai and spring rolls!

In the evening, head to Chiang Mai Boxing Stadium to watch some Muay Thai. It's great fun even if you're not into boxing/fighting, and the fights were good quality when we went. You can buy tickets here for THB600 (about £13/$17). The event last a few hours and drinks are super cheap.

Day 9: Elephants! Thailand is full of many amazing elephant sanctuaries and Chiang Mai hosts several of the best ones. That said, some are not ran ethically, so make sure you do your due diligence which ones look after their elephants properly! We went to Chiang Mai Jungle Sanctuary and it was a great day that was ran very ethically; the elephants were treated very well, not being forced to do anything they didn't want to.

In the evening, head to Kalare Night Bazaar for dinner - this night market serves some of Thailand's best street food and often has live music for some entertainment. There are tonnes of options, from crispy chicken to Pad Thai and noodles. All washed down with a £1 smoothie - delicious!

Day 10: Visit Sticky Waterfalls. Sticky waterfalls are really good fun! You can basically walk UP these waterfalls, because they are super grippy. The best way to get there is to hire a taxi - you can get a taxi for THB800 return if you haggle - the red cars you see around the centre of Chiang Mai are collectives which can be even cheaper! We actually recommend hiring a taxi for the full day today - read on to see why! Entry is FREE, which is great. The drive there is about 1 hour 30 one way from the cente of Chiang Mai, but it is worthwhile.

Afterwards, if you've hired a taxi for the day, you can just ask your driver to go back via Wat Pha Lat. This is one of the best temples we visited in all of Thailand, with beautiful views over Chiang Mai and some stunning buildings and surrounding nature. It's only about 10-15 mins drive from the centre of Chiang Mai.

Day 11: It's time for the dreaded bus journey to Pai. Honestly, this is not fun. Bring some road-sickness medicine, even if you don't get motion sickness - we didn't get it either, until we took this bus. Bleurgh. This will take up most of the day, but it is worth it - we promise!

Once you arrive in Pai, get you bearings and take a walk into the centre of Pai to sample some of the amazing street stalls and food dishes on offer. Pai Walking Street is the main hub in the evenings - make sure you try Pad Thai at Food Truck Thai Food (here on Google Maps) at Pai Walking Street - truly amazing!

We also recommend sorting a motorbike to get around Pai, again provided you can drive one! We rented ours from Pai River Scooter - the guys here were legends and gave us our full deposit back with no funny business.

Days 12 & 13 Pai

Day 12: You should first head to Pai Canyon - you can take your motorbike and park up here for free. There is tonnes to explore here and you get some amazing views and scenery. It's essentially an old Canyon with lots of pathways to walk down and explore. It's free to enter, and typically takes 1-2 hours to explore.

After this, head to Pai Bamboo bridges - you can find it on Google maps here. Again, parking is free here, and it only costs THB30 to enter. The bamboo bridges take you on a fantastic walk through countryside, farmlands and traditional Thai houses. There are also a few cafes here you can stop at for lunch - we stopped at Pambok Cafe and the food was delicious!

Pai Bamboo Bridges

When you're on your way back, we recommend calling in at Love Strawberry Pai, assuming you like strawberries. It's a slightly weird but cool little place to stop for a strawberry cheesecake, with strawberries grown and picked fresh on site.

In the evening, head to Sunset Bar to... watch the sunset! With tonnes of amazing scenery, Pai has some amazing sunsets - this bar is an awesome place to watch it with a panoramic view, reasonably priced drinks and live music.

Pai sunset from Sunset Bar

Day 13: On this day, we recommend heading to Wat Phra That Mae Yen - this is a stunning Buddhist temple with fantastic views at the top. Take some water as it's a bit of a walk up there. You also need long trousers/knees covered to get in but don't worry, they rent sarongs for about THB20 there if you don't have any trousers. Entry is free.

From here, head out to the Chinese Village. This is a unique traditional Chinese village with old houses, koi carp and some shops. It's worth exploring for 45 minutes to an hour!

After this, we recommend getting some lunch at Soul Cafe - they have lots of wellness and good, healthy food here so it fits the Pai vibe nicely.

In the afternoon, we think Pai is the best place to try some Muay Thai. Even if you're not into Muay Thai or boxing, doing some training is really fun; it's a huge part of Thai culture, and the training sessions are non-contact, so don't worry! They're suitable for both men and women. We recommend doing it at Charn Chai Muay Thai or Wisarut Muay Thai.

Day 14: Back to Chiang Mai. Unfortunately it's time to head off, but worry not - if you've got some extra time and want to extend your stay in Thailand to 3 or 4 weeks, here are some additional places we recommend visiting:

• Koh Samui - an easy extension is to spend longer exploring Koh Samui. The island is huge, has lots of temples and tonnes of amazing beaches. If you enjoy relaxing, consider a visit to Lipa Noi beach to get some more time as the seaside!

• Koh Phangan - if you like to party, it's the place to be. There are tonnes of Full Moon, Half Moon and just about any kind of moon parties. You can book tickets at most hotels or local tour operators on the island.

• Koh Chang - the epitome of tranquillity. So many amazing beaches to relax, and a little less touristy than some of the other islands.

• Phuket - Phuket is one of Thailand's largest islands. There I'd SO much to do on this island. We recommend staying in Bang Tao for relaxation or near Bangala Road if you like to party! Monkey Hill, Big Buddha or Bang Tao beach are some of our favourite things to do here. You can also do a day trip to James Bond island here which is good fun!

Food in Thailand

The food in Thailand is truly amazing. We have heard lots of scare stories with the food hygiene, but we have eaten at the street food markets in Thailand many times and never had any issues - do not miss them out! Thailand is also very vegetarian friendly, offering vegetable fried rice dishes, delicious vegetable soups and famous mango sticky rice. Here are some must try dishes during your visit to Thailand:

• Pineapple fried rice: We know pineapple on pizza is a controversial topic, but have you heard of pineapple fried rice? Honestly, we love this dish - it's so delicious and the portions are always HUGE. You can find it in most restaurants and at some food markets.

• Fried rice dishes: The endless combinations of fried rices in Thailand is truly spectacular! We're talking chicken, beef, veggie, pork or seafood. Sometimes with peanuts. Sometimes with sauces you can't even spell. Definitely give them a try when visiting!

• Pad Thai: It's no surprise that this world-famous dish is done best in its country of origin. Fresh noodles, tender chicken, seafood or vegetables all cooked in a sweet sauce. We are drooling writing this! Washed down with a local beer, and you're onto a winner.

• Mango sticky rice: This is Thailand's most renowned desert. Rice is soaked in coconut milk and sugar, which is served with fresh mango slices and then covered in a sweet sauce. It's absolutely delicious and can be found at most street food markets and restaurants in Thailand. The best ever mango sticky rice we had was at Gord Nuea Boutique House hotel in Chiang Mai, where the lady who owns the hotel makes it fresh every morning. Delicious!

• Spring rolls: Fillings include shrimp, chicken, mushroom or pork. They're then often fried, fresh right in front of you at most markets. A perfect starter, served with sweet chilli sauce.

• Tom yum goong: A delicious soup that contains a lot of local herbs and spices, and with shrimp. It's not like the soups we get back home, so give it a try!

• Khao soi: This is a dish that is local to Chiang Mai and is very unique. It is (sort of) like a creamy curry, served with noodles, garlic, tomatoes and extra fried crispy noodles served on top. It's one of our favourites!

• Barbecued meats: Most street food markets do barbecued meat. Whenever we have had the chicken, beef and pork meat it has been absolutely delicious and full of flavour. These dishes are also VERY cheap.

• Thai red and green curries: A very famous dish from Thailand; it's a creamy curry (usually chicken), served with fresh rice. Green curry is typically quite a bit spicier than red curry, so if you like a bit of a kick, opt for the green curry!

Hotel recommendations in Thailand

So, where is the best place to stay in each place in Thailand? Our recommendations are below.

Bangkok: We recommend staying in the Riverside area for couples or near Yaowarat Rd or Sukhumvit for solo travellers. We enjoyed our stay at the ibis Riverside, but also heard good things about SKYVIEW.

Koh Samui: Stay in Chaweng if you like to party, or Lamai if you like a bit of nightlife but not too much on the heavy drinking side of things. We stayed in Crystal Lamai Hotel and loved it.

Koh Tao: The Dearly is a cool hotel, so we recommend staying there.

Chiang Mai: Undoubtedly one of our favourite hotels in our 8 months of travels, Gord Nuea Boutique House is ran by a local couple. They make delicious thai omlettes and mango sticky rice for breakfast. The husband brews his own coffee on site and it is absolutely delicious - we LOVED this place!

Pai: We stayed at Puripai Villa which was amazing for the price. Although a bit far out, it's not much of an issue if you have a motorbike. We also heard good things from friends who stayed at Revolution Hostel.

How expensive is Thailand?

Thailand is very affordable. Street food dishes can be found for as little as £2 ($2.50), and a drink can often be £0.50-£1 (up to $1.30). Accommodation is also affordable and you can comfortably find a nice hotel room in most places for £12-15 ($15-$18) per night (each, 2 people sharing). Overall, we think budget travellers can visit Thailand for around £40-45 ($50-60) per person per day, with mid-range daily budgets around £50-£55 ($65-70) per person. It's worth noting that some of the islands have gotten a little more touristy and with that, prices have gone up - so choose your islands wisely!

Getting around in Thailand

Thailand doesn't have amazing public transport, Bangkok aside. Thankfully, internal flights are cheap and with short journey times; regular routes go between Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Koh Samui. Try and book early if you can as flight prices can get a bit pricey if you book last minute. You can opt for overnight buses if you're travelling on a budget - you can book these on 12go.asia. Once in your location, many people opt to rent motorbikes which can be found for as little as £5/$7 a day. Bangkok is a little different, in that it has a boat and metro system which work very well for getting around cheaply. Also, we highly recommend downloading the Grab taxi app - this provides super affordable rides around Chiang Mai and Bangkok, which we found very useful!

Safety in Thailand

Overall, Thailand is an extremely safe country. We regularly went for walks late at night to explore food markets and had zero issues. It's also a very safe place for women to solo travel, and we met many people doing exactly this during our travels. Normal precautions are of course always advised! Aside: Some tourists do inevitably visit Thailand in order to get involved with "the dark arts" (drugs, prostitution) - the risk of getting into a bad or dangerous situation typically revolves around this based on press reports. It's worth noting that criminal gangs sometimes operate these sorts of things, and  so you're running the risk if you do decide to get involved. Also, we would advise to only drink spirits from established bars - it is common for cheap bars to try and self-produce alcohol which when done incorrectly, can be very dangerous - avoid, avoid, avoid! We have eaten at food markets several times and never had issues with food poisoning, but we would always advise you look at what you are about to eat and make a judgement call yourself!

Guide to some Thai Islands

Koh Samui - Koh Samui is a great all-rounder! If you want to party and drink, stay in Chaweng. We (as a couple) loved Lamai for plenty of cafes, restaurants and bars but without an overly "in your face" party vibe. Lipa Noi is great if you want a quiet stay that's more relaxed. We loved Lamai beach to relax on. You can get there via aeroplane (Koh Samui airport is SO cool!) or via a boat from mainland Thailand. You can book boat tickets on 12go.asia.

Koh Tao - is awesome for marine life, scuba diving, snorkelling and awesome beaches! A great place to chill for a couple days, but it is much smaller than Koh Samui. You can get there via a boat from mainland Thailand or Koh Samui.

Koh Phangan - This is known as the party island of Thailand and has the famous Full Moon Party. It's worth going to if you want to party for a few nights! You can get there via a boat from mainland or Koh Samui.

Phuket - this is one of the larger islands. There is tonnes to do here and has something for everyone. Bangala Road is where the partying is done here. Patong Beach is great for sunbathing. Bang Tao is a much more relaxed, tranquil area for couples or families. Karon Beach is a great area for couples, with plenty of cafes and bars without an overly party-ish vibe too. You can get there via a plane or a (very) long bus from Bangkok - we recommend flying!

Koh Chang - Koh Chang is much quieter than the other islands and is perfect for a quiet retreat. The beaches are much more pristine than the popular ones on other Thai islands and is a little cheaper as a result of lower footfall.