Three Weeks in Thailand: the North and the Andaman

The arrival hub: temples, markets, and rooftop food, walkable in the cool season.

• Grand Palace and Wat Pho first thing on day one, then leave the famous list alone
• A Thonburi morning: breakfast at Talat Phlu, then the Taksin shrine at Wat Intharam, ten minutes from the BTS
• Cycling the raised paths through Bang Kachao, a five-minute ferry from the city
• Yaowarat (Chinatown) after dark, when the street kitchens fire up

Tip · Fly to Chiang Rai rather than Chiang Mai. It's about an hour and a half from Don Mueang, and doing the north in this order lets you fly straight from Chiang Mai to Phuket at the end.

Quieter northern city near the Golden Triangle, home of the White Temple and an easy bus ride from Chiang Mai.

• Wat Rong Khun (the White Temple) at 8 am opening, before the tour vans from Chiang Mai arrive (200 baht for foreigners since January 2026)
• The Blue Temple (free) and Baan Dam, the Black House, on the same afternoon
• Saturday night walking street on Thanalai Road, or the clock tower light show at 7, 8 or 9 pm any night
• Day out to Doi Tung and the Mae Fah Luang Garden, about 60 km north

Tip · Chiang Rai is usually sold as a 12-hour day tour from Chiang Mai. Staying three nights means you see the temples early and quiet instead of at noon with everyone else.

Cool-season mountain base for temples, trekking, and night markets.

• The Monk's Trail from behind Chiang Mai University to Wat Pha Lat (about 45 minutes), then on to Doi Suthep
• Sai ua and sticky rice for breakfast at Siri Wattana morning market (go 6:30 to 8:30 am)
• Sunday Walking Street on Tha Phae Road from about 4 pm, and skip the Night Bazaar
• One day trip out: Doi Inthanon for the cloud forest boardwalk, or a gibbon trek at Mae Kampong

Tip · The Green Bus from Chiang Rai takes 3h20 to 3h45 and runs about 11 times a day. Chiang Mai to Phuket is a direct flight of just over two hours with plenty of departures, which is the reason for doing the north in this direction.

Big, quiet island in the middle of Phang Nga Bay, with rubber plantations, fishing villages, and almost no tourists.

• A longtail out into Phang Nga Bay from the middle of it, shorter and quieter than the same trip from Phuket
• Kayaking the mangrove channels on the east coast in the early morning
• A scooter loop through the rubber plantations and fishing villages
• Loh Paret, the island's best-known swimming beach

Tip · Speedboats leave Bang Rong pier on Phuket through the day and take about 30 minutes. Arrange a pickup with your resort, because the island is big and there are no taxis waiting at the pier. Bring cash and dress modestly away from the resort.

Cliff-framed beaches in Krabi province, reachable only by longtail boat. The big draw is rock climbing.

• Phra Nang Cave Beach early in the morning, before the Four Islands boats arrive
• Half-day beginner climbing session on the limestone (King Climbers is the longest-running school)
• The viewpoint scramble from Railay East, 20 to 30 minutes up with a fixed rope
• Evenings on West Railay once the day-trippers have gone

Tip · From Koh Yao Yai, take the speedboat to Ao Nang (it stops at Koh Yao Noi on the way), then a longtail to Railay for 100 baht. Book the speedboat a couple of days ahead in high season.

Long, quiet Andaman island for slowing down, with west-facing beaches and a real old town.

• A quieter beach in the south, Klong Nin or Kantiang Bay, and a scooter to get around (200 to 250 baht a day)
• Lanta Old Town, the stilted wooden shophouses on the east coast
• Mu Ko Lanta National Park and the lighthouse at the southern tip
• Koh Rok and Koh Haa snorkelling trip, which only runs in the dry season

Tip · The Ao Nang to Lanta ferry calls at Railay in the late morning from November to April, so you don't need to go back to the mainland. On rough days it may transfer you by longtail from Ao Nang instead. Leave 2.5 to 3 hours for the minivan to Krabi Airport at the end.