Ahh Thailand… the land of smiles, elephants, white sand beaches, and street food! OH the street food! If you’re planning a trip to the *magical* land of Thailand, use this 10 day Thailand itinerary to help you figure out where to spend your time!
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We spent an entire month finding the best spots and enjoying the relaxing vibes of Thailand, but I’m going to give you a nice 10 day Thailand itinerary (with two options to customize it) so you can experience the best this beautiful country has to offer!
Mango sticky rice anyone??
Let’s get to the itinerary!
10 Day Thailand Itinerary
I’m going to lay this itinerary out based on the recommended number of days I think you should stay in each place.
However, if you are staying longer or shorter than 10 days, simply adjust the number of days and customize this itinerary for yourself!
At the end I’ll also give you some options to extend your trip if you have more than 10 days to travel Thailand.
Arrive in Bangkok
The largest city in Thailand with the largest International airport, Bangkok is the best place to begin your time in the land of smiles.
Fly into Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) and catch a taxi to your hotel. We set up a taxi pickup with our hotel concierge ahead of time over WhatsApp, so I recommend you do the same to be sure you’re getting the best experience!
However, if you did not plan a taxi with your hotel, no worries! You can pick one up at the airport, or you can catch the airport rail link into town. Check out the timetables and where you can go here.
1 Day in Bangkok
Depending on when you arrive, give yourself the next full day to explore Bangkok.
I would recommend you stay a bit longer if your schedule allows, however if you are in Thailand for only 10 days, there is a lot more to see in this country, so spend just one day in Bangkok.
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Here is what you NEED to see in the city while you’re here!
- Wat Pho: a beautiful Buddhist temple with an absolutely massive golden Buddha inside! Seeing the temples in Thailand is a wonderful cultural experience, and they are all over the place! Please beware of scammers that will try to talk to you outside of Wat Pho. If they say they know a better way to get into the temple or that it’s closed and they can take you to a different one, keep walking and say NO!
- Chinatown Night Market: If you do anything in Bangkok, go to the Chinatown Night Market. I have never had such incredible food. This area of Bangkok is famous for its street food, some stalls even having Michelin recommendations!
- The Grand Palace: See the palace where the Kings and Queens of Siam once lived! Beautiful grounds to walk around, I would skip the museum or inside tours. Just enjoy the beautiful palace from outside.
Some people would maybe recommend Khao San Road. Unless rowdy bars and unsavory joints are your style, I’d steer clear. 😉
Where to Stay in Bangkok
Luxury: Park Hyatt Bangkok
Mid Range: Gardina Asoke Hotel & Residence
Budget: Ekanek Hostel
Make Your Way to Chiang Mai
Now, you have two options here as far as getting to Chiang Mai from Bangkok.
I am a big fan of flying with the airlines in Thailand. The airlines are great and affordable, however tons of people say that to save time and money you should take the overnight train to Chiang Mai from Bangkok.
I think at the end of the day, this comes down to preference and travel style. If you don’t want to do an overnight train because that sounds kind of miserable and you aren’t a shoestring traveler trying to save every penny, I would recommend you fly. It will be faster and you can hit the ground running in Chiang Mai when you arrive.
Try to find a flight to Chiang Mai from BKK in the morning so you can spend the rest of your day getting settled in Chiang Mai and exploring the night markets.
We flew with Thai AirAsia and had a great and easy experience.
If you do decide to take the train, you’ll want to use Rome2Rio to find train times and prices.
3 Days in Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai was one of our absolute favorite places in all of Thailand!
While you’re here, you’ll see why we loved it so! Chiang Mai is a must on a 10 day Thailand itinerary.
There is an ‘Old Town’ area that is built inside a square roadway, which is the most popular part of town for tourists. But, it isn’t popular in the way that would make you want to avoid it.
There are tons of locals still in Chiang Mai, as well as a great expat community of Americans, Australians, Brits, etc.
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Enjoy The Night Markets
Chiang Mai has little night markets all over the city. What I love about this is that you can find amazing street food all over the city at ANY time of day. All you have to do is walk outside your hotel and you’ll see delicious Thai dishes on every corner!
We especially loved the Sunday Night Market in Chiang Mai, which runs the length of an entire main road with hundreds of vendors selling food, clothes, souvenirs, and handmade goods.
If you do happen to be there on a Sunday, don’t miss it!
The market is on the Tha Phae walking street: you can’t miss it once the street is full of people on Sunday night!
If you aren’t there on Sunday, don’t fret.
There are tons of markets all over the city that are open every night of the week! A lot of Thai people eat out for most of their meals, so street vendors are plentiful!
Elephant Sanctuary
While in Chiang Mai, you’ll have the opportunity to experience standing next to some of the most incredible creatures on God’s green earth: elephants.
Asian elephants to be exact. We visited an Elephant Sanctuary where elephants with tortured pasts come to live out the remainder of their lives in their own personal heaven on earth.
Traditionally, elephants have been used for industry in much of Asia, in logging businesses, entertainment, or transportation. However, the working conditions for these great animals are harsh and often deadly.
There has been a massive movement in the last few decades to remove elephants from such jobs and allow them the dignity they deserve to just exist as natives to their jungles.
Many of the elephants we met at Elephant Nature Park had been rescued from horrible conditions, and often had the physical scars to show it.
Now, they live pretty posh lives getting to eat bananas all day and play and bond with their chosen families (as they should!).
So, if you do decided to visit an elephant sanctuary while in Thailand, these are the rules to live by:
- NEVER ride an elephant. They do not exist for your entertainment, and they should not be used for such. Only visit a sanctuary where you are allowed to observe and assist in the care of the elephants.
- DO NOT support any business that exploits elephants for entertainment or work.
- ONLY give your money to an elephant sanctuary that you have done your research on and feel good about donating to.
The sanctuary we visited and that we still recommend is Elephant Nature Park.
Get A Thai Massage
An incredible experience to have while in Thailand is a traditional Thai massage.
Now, this massage is probably a bit different than what you typically think of when you hear the word massage.
Thai massage is a traditional practice that combines acupressure and yoga postures. You are fully dressed during the massage and the masseuse uses pressure and manipulation of your limbs to give you a nice stretch through the entire body! We did, however, also get a hot stone massage at the end of ours which was a nice touch 🙂
We LOVED our Thai massage and recommend getting yours at the same place we went to, called Giving Tree Massage.
Eat Like A Local
We found some restaurants in Chiang Mai that we will recommend to you EVERY TIME.
The first is Grazie Thai: a total gem in Chiang Mai, this restaurant is beloved by locals and visitors alike. We made sure to get the Khao Soi (famous as the regional dish of Northern Thailand) and the basil pork (Pad Kra Pao). It was so delicious! And the prices are amazing!
I also recommend trying a few different Khao Soi dishes while in Chiang Mai. One we loved was from It’s Good Kitchen, and another good one is at Khao Soi Khun Yai.
Khao Soi was one of our favorite dishes in Thailand, so much so that I’ve tried to recreate it at home. This recipe from Half Baked Harvest is absolutely a simplified version of the good stuff you can only really get in Thailand, but it’s delicious!
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Learn to Make Thai Food at Cooking School
You should absolutely add this into your 3 day stay in Chiang Mai. Make traditional Thai dishes and learn about the ingredients and culture of this sensational food!
I recommend you do so at Thai Farm Cooking School.
Where To Stay In Chiang Mai
Luxury: THEE Vijit Lanna
Mid Range: The Chimes Chiang Mai Old City
Budget: Ma Guesthouse
Choose An Option: Khao Sok National Park OR Koh Phi Phi
Now, after Chiang Mai, you’ve got a few options of where to go for the remainder of your 10 day Thailand itinerary.
There are endless things you can do and places you can go in Thailand, but I’m going to give you the two best options to see a bit more of the mainland, or get out to the islands.
Either way, I think you’re going to want to fly out of Chiang Mai and into your next destination for the sake of time.
The two options below are either 1) seeing a national park and lake in the mainland, then hopping over to one island before leaving for Bangkok, or 2) heading straight to the islands and spending the next 6 days island hopping.
Option 1: Khao Sok National Park & Koh Samui
The first option is to go to Khao Sok National Park and stay in overwater floating bungalows! Then, make your way to Koh Samui via a shuttle or bus and spend the remainder of your trip basking in the Thai sun on white sand beaches.
Sounds pretty nice, eh? Here are a few pictures of Khao Sok and Koh Samui to entice you.
If you have chosen option 1, here is how you’re going to get there.
From Chiang Mai fly to Surat Thani. Then, take a transfer to the town of Khao Sok (you can set this up with the hotel you book in Khao Sok).
Here, you will stay one night in a hotel in Khao Sok. The next day, you’ll be taken into the park by your tour guide and will spend 2 days, one night in the park and staying in the bungalows.
The only way to book a trip inside the National Park is by booking it through your hotel in the town of Khao Sok!
Where To Stay in Khao Sok
Here are some hotels I recommend you stay in that can help you book your National Park tour and the bungalows!
Mid Range: Our Jungle House
Budget: Palmview Resort
While we stayed in Khao Sok, our tour guide took us on a jungle hike, into a jungle cave, on a water safari looking for wild asian elephants and monkeys, and we were provided 3 meals delicious a day.
We loved visiting Khao Sok, and especially meeting other travelers from around the world there!
After your time in Khao Sok, you will have just a little more time in Thailand. Spend it on Koh Samui relaxing and soaking up the Thai sun and culture.
To get to Koh Samui, you’ll organize a transfer with the hotel that you set up the park tour with. They can get you all set up with transportation!
Heading to Koh Samui is also strategic because it has an airport, so you can return to the Bangkok airport from Samui, then onward home at the end of your trip.
What to Do on Koh Samui
Big Buddha: Be sure to make a stop at the Big Buddha. It really would be hard to miss and can actually be seen from spots all over the island.
Beaches: I recommend Lamai Beach & Chaweng Beach.
Where To Stay on Koh Samui
We stayed at an incredible 5 star hotel on Koh Samui called the Mantra Samui, which only cost us $75USD per night at the time we visited in January. I definitely recommend!
Luxury: Conrad Koh Samui
Mid Range: Mantra Samui
Budget: The Tree Samui
Option 2: Krabi & Koh Phi Phi
The second option for the end of your 10 day Thailand itinerary is to fly to Krabi where you can then head to Koh Phi Phi for a few days, then spend the remainder of your time using Krabi as a jumping off point for some island hopping.
Here are a few pictures of Koh Phi Phi and the surrounding islands to give you an idea of what to expect!
Once you get to Krabi by plane, you’ll want to take a taxi to the ferry port. You’ll then take a ferry to Koh Phi Phi. You can choose to stay here for the remainder of your trip and then take the ferry back to Krabi where you can fly back to Bangkok.
Or, you can spend a few days on Phi Phi, then head back to Krabi where you can spend a few days and do some boat tours out to the surrounding islands.
What to Do on Koh Phi Phi
The best thing to do while on Koh Phi Phi is a longtail boat tour of the surrounding islands. Koh Phi Phi Don is the largest island in a small group of islands, and where you’ll be staying.
We booked a tour with and visited Maya Bay, Bamboo Island, and Monkey Island. The end of the boat tour had us jumping in the water at night with bioluminescent plankton!
I recommend you book a tour with Explorer Tour & Travel.
What to Do in Krabi
In Krabi, I recommend you do another longtail boat tour of Hong Island! We loved this day, especially because we paid a bit extra to have a private boat for just the two of us. I recommend you do this if you have the funds, it’s very nice!
We actually just walked up to a tour company in Krabi town and asked about boat rides and they set us up for the next day!
Hong Island is a great spot, and there is an amazing viewpoint hike (straight up MANY stairs).
This is the view from the top of the Hong Island 360 Viewpoint.
I recommend a tour like this one while in Krabi to the little islands like Hong Island!
10 Day Thailand Itinerary Wrap Up
I hope this 10 day Thailand itinerary is helpful in giving you an idea of where to visit in Thailand during your trip!
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Janie McKenney says
Thank you for this awesome post! We want to stay at Khao Sok and go to the on water bungalows. We plan to go through the Plamview Resort but we are confused on how to book. If we want to book one night in the jungle bungalow and one night doing the on water location, how should we go about that? Also did you book through a site like booking.com? It is our first time traveling to Asia so we want to make the most of our time and not mess up.
Thank you!
Nikki Gibson says
Hi Janie!
We booked 3 nights at the Palmview Resort on Booking.com, then messaged the hotel on Booking.com and told them we wanted to set up a bungalow tour at the park. He got us set up from there! The couple that run the hotel are unbelieveably nice and helpful, and they make really good green curry! 🙂 Hope you have so much fun on your trip!