Destination guides
Every place, the same facts.
A destination guide is the neutral reference for a city or island: how to reach it from Bangkok, what the weather does across the year, where the different areas to stay are, and how to get around. For opinions and first-hand picks, each guide links out to the blog.
Central Thailand
Bangkok
The capital and the country's main gateway, split between the riverside temples of the old city and the malls and Skytrain of the modern districts to the east.
Read the guide →Historic cityAyutthaya
The ruined former capital of Siam: an island of brick temples and root-wrapped Buddha heads, and the easiest big day trip north of Bangkok.
Read the guide →CityPattaya
A big, developed resort city an easy drive from Bangkok, with a busy main beach, the quieter Jomtien bay next door, and nightlife at its core.
Read the guide →River townKanchanaburi
The Bridge over the River Kwai and the wartime Death Railway, alongside Erawan's seven-tier waterfall and guesthouses built on floating rafts.
Read the guide →National parkKhao Yai
Thailand's oldest national park: rainforest with wild elephants and hornbills, a strip of weekend resorts, and the country's best-known vineyards.
Read the guide →Beach townBang Saen
The closest proper beach to Bangkok, a casuarina-lined Chonburi seafront that fills with Thai families and students and sees almost no foreign tourists.
Read the guide →Andaman coast
Phuket
Thailand's largest island: a string of west-coast beaches, boat trips out to the Phang Nga Bay karsts, and a Sino-Portuguese old town on the far side.
Read the guide →ProvinceKrabi
Limestone cliffs over the Andaman coast: rock climbing at Railay, island-hopping from Ao Nang, and a riverside town as the mainland hub.
Read the guide →IslandKoh Lanta
A long, laid-back Andaman island whose west-coast beaches grow quieter the further south you drive, with an old town over on the eastern side.
Read the guide →IslandKoh Yao Yai
A quiet, undeveloped island in the middle of Phang Nga Bay, reached by boat from Phuket or Krabi, with karst views and few other tourists.
Read the guide →Gulf coast
Koh Samui
The Gulf's most developed island: its own airport, a ring road linking Chaweng and Lamai, and ferries onward to Phangan and Tao.
Read the guide →IslandKoh Phangan
Best known for the Full Moon Party at Haad Rin, though most of the island is quiet beaches, jungle, and wellness retreats.
Read the guide →