RoutesSoutheast Asia
Two Weeks in Thailand
Temples, mountains and an island, in the order that makes sense.
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Dotted path is schematic (great-circle-ish arcs between stops), not a transport route.
Stop by stop
Click a stop (or its pin on the map) for costs, country facts and what to do there.
1Bangkok ThailandLand, temples at dawn, Chinatown at night, Ayutthaya day trip.3 nights
$264 mid
Photo: Tee-12838 · CC BY-SA 4.0The hinge of Southeast Asia: everyone passes through, and the smart ones stay a while.
Bangkok is where most long trips through Asia begin, and it rewards more than the two jet-lagged nights it usually gets. It is a city of neighbourhoods rather than sights: the canals of Thonburi, the Chinese shophouses of Talat Noi, the office-tower cafes of Sathorn, the night markets of Ratchada. Flights, trains and…
- Daily budget
- $32–$208 per person, backpacker to comfortable, editorial estimate, Oct 2026
- This stop
- $264 3 nights at the mid-range daily estimate
- Best months
- Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb
- Internet
- 200 Mbps typical fixed line, editorial
Things to do
- Wat Pho and the Grand Palace Go at 8 a.m. before the heat and the tour groups; dress code enforced.
- Chinatown at night Yaowarat Road's seafood stalls and the lanes behind them.
- Chatuchak Weekend Market 15,000 stalls; go early, stay hydrated.
- Klong tour in Thonburi A long-tail boat through the canals shows the city that existed before the roads.
Thailand: practical facts
- Currency
- Thai baht (THB) · 33.44 THB/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Thai; English widely used in tourism
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B, C, O (230 V)
- Tap water
- Not recommended; bottled or filtered water is standard
- Emergency
- 191 police, 1669 medical, 1155 tourist police
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
Full destination guide →Thailand country guide →Visa rules →
overnight sleeper train · about 12.5 hours
2Chiang Mai ThailandOld City, Doi Suthep, cooking class, elephants, Sunday market.4 nights
$276 mid
Photo: ผู้สร้างสรรค์ผลงาน/ส่งข้อมูลเก็บในคลังข้อมูลเสรีวิกิมีเดียคอมมอนส์ - เทวประภาส ม · CC BY 3.0The original digital nomad capital, still the gentlest big town in Thailand.
Chiang Mai is a moated old city of three hundred temples ringed by mountains, and for fifteen years it has been the place remote workers go to find out whether the lifestyle suits them. The answer is usually yes: rents are among the lowest of any established nomad hub, the cafe culture is serious, and the Nimman…
- Daily budget
- $26–$165 per person, backpacker to comfortable, editorial estimate, Oct 2026
- This stop
- $276 4 nights at the mid-range daily estimate
- Best months
- Nov, Dec, Jan
- Internet
- 150 Mbps typical fixed line, editorial
Things to do
- Doi Suthep The gilded hilltop temple above the city; go for sunrise or sunset to avoid the crowds.
- Old City temple walk Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phra Singh and the quieter Wat Umong in the forest.
- Ethical elephant sanctuaries Elephant Nature Park and similar no-riding sanctuaries; book ahead.
- Doi Inthanon National Park Thailand's highest peak, waterfalls and the Karen villages on its slopes.
Thailand: practical facts
- Currency
- Thai baht (THB) · 33.44 THB/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Thai; English widely used in tourism
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B, C, O (230 V)
- Tap water
- Not recommended; bottled or filtered water is standard
- Emergency
- 191 police, 1669 medical, 1155 tourist police
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
Full destination guide →Thailand country guide →Visa rules →
minivan · about 3.5 hours
3Pai ThailandCanyon sunset, hot springs, waterfalls, hammock.2 nights
$118 mid
Photo: Bernhard T · CC BY-SA 3.0A valley town of 762 curves, waterfalls and hammocks where days stop being counted.
Pai is what happens when a Shan market town in a mountain valley is discovered by backpackers and decides, mostly, to stay small. The road from Chiang Mai has 762 bends; what waits at the end is a walking street of pancake stalls and craft beer, hot springs, canyon sunsets, rice paddies and a surrounding ring of…
- Daily budget
- $25–$136 per person, backpacker to comfortable, editorial estimate, Oct 2026
- This stop
- $118 2 nights at the mid-range daily estimate
- Best months
- Nov, Dec, Jan
- Internet
- 40 Mbps typical fixed line, editorial
Things to do
- Pai Canyon at sunset Narrow sandstone ridges above the valley; wear proper shoes.
- Tha Pai hot springs Natural pools in the forest; the free ones upstream are cooler.
- Pam Bok and Mo Paeng waterfalls Swimming holes 10 to 15 minutes by scooter.
- Yun Lai viewpoint Sunrise over the sea of mist above the Chinese village of Santichon.
Thailand: practical facts
- Currency
- Thai baht (THB) · 33.44 THB/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Thai; English widely used in tourism
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B, C, O (230 V)
- Tap water
- Not recommended; bottled or filtered water is standard
- Emergency
- 191 police, 1669 medical, 1155 tourist police
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
Full destination guide →Thailand country guide →Visa rules →
minivan back to Chiang Mai, then flight south · about 6.0 hours
4Koh Lanta ThailandBeaches, snorkelling trips to Koh Rok, scooter loop of the island.4 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Koh Lanta yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Kuala Lumpur (about 580 km).
Thailand: practical facts
- Currency
- Thai baht (THB) · 33.44 THB/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Thai; English widely used in tourism
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B, C, O (230 V)
- Tap water
- Not recommended; bottled or filtered water is standard
- Emergency
- 191 police, 1669 medical, 1155 tourist police
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
ferry and flight to Bangkok · about 5.0 hours
5Bangkok ThailandLast night, last mango sticky rice.1 night
$88 midPhoto: Tee-12838 · CC BY-SA 4.0The hinge of Southeast Asia: everyone passes through, and the smart ones stay a while.
Bangkok is where most long trips through Asia begin, and it rewards more than the two jet-lagged nights it usually gets. It is a city of neighbourhoods rather than sights: the canals of Thonburi, the Chinese shophouses of Talat Noi, the office-tower cafes of Sathorn, the night markets of Ratchada. Flights, trains and…
- Daily budget
- $32–$208 per person, backpacker to comfortable, editorial estimate, Oct 2026
- This stop
- $88 1 nights at the mid-range daily estimate
- Best months
- Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb
- Internet
- 200 Mbps typical fixed line, editorial
Things to do
- Wat Pho and the Grand Palace Go at 8 a.m. before the heat and the tour groups; dress code enforced.
- Chinatown at night Yaowarat Road's seafood stalls and the lanes behind them.
- Chatuchak Weekend Market 15,000 stalls; go early, stay hydrated.
- Klong tour in Thonburi A long-tail boat through the canals shows the city that existed before the roads.
Thailand: practical facts
- Currency
- Thai baht (THB) · 33.44 THB/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Thai; English widely used in tourism
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B, C, O (230 V)
- Tap water
- Not recommended; bottled or filtered water is standard
- Emergency
- 191 police, 1669 medical, 1155 tourist police
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
Full destination guide →Thailand country guide →Visa rules →
Why this order
Bangkok first absorbs the jet lag with a city that works around the clock; the overnight train to Chiang Mai is an experience in itself and saves a hotel night; Pai is a decompression chamber; and ending on an island means the last memory is a beach rather than an airport queue. Reversing it works if you prefer to finish in the capital's shops and restaurants.
Week one: Bangkok and the north
Three nights in Bangkok covers the Grand Palace and Wat Pho at opening, Chinatown after dark, a canal tour and a day trip to Ayutthaya. Take the 18:10 sleeper from Krung Thep Aphiwat station (book second-class lower berths a week or two ahead). Chiang Mai earns four nights: the Old City temples, Doi Suthep at dawn, a cooking class, an ethical elephant sanctuary and the Sunday Walking Street. The minivan to Pai takes three to four hours of bends; two nights there is enough for the canyon, hot springs and a waterfall or two.
Week two: the island
Fly from Chiang Mai to Surat Thani or Krabi (AirAsia, Nok Air and Thai Lion all run it for under 60 dollars booked ahead) and take the ferry to Koh Phangan, Koh Lanta or Koh Yao Noi depending on whether you want social, quiet or very quiet. Four nights of snorkelling, scooter loops and sunsets, then a last night in Bangkok or a direct flight home from Phuket or Krabi.
Practical notes
Getting around: the Bangkok to Chiang Mai sleeper (12 to 13 hours) is the one booking to make early; everything else can be arranged a day or two ahead outside the December to January peak. Budget: the low figure assumes dorms, street food, second-class train and one budget flight; the high figure assumes boutique hotels, a private island villa and taxis. Visa: most Western passports enter visa-exempt; check the current allowance. Season: November to February for the north; the Gulf islands are wettest in October and November, the Andaman side from May to October.