Every traveller is different, and so are their preferences and possibilities. Therefore, it is difficult to state what is the best route to visit Thailand, because the perfect one is not the same for everybody, but here are some of the most popular ones, depending on the duration of your trip.
First of all, I want to mention that Thailand is very far away, an average of fifteen hours from Europe and twenty-four from America, so two days are already lost during the flights. This is why I would recommend spending, at least, 15 days in the country to take profit of the price you have paid for the transport. However, there are possible combinations that you will be able to read hereunder. In addition, let me tell you that you will find information about most of the places I mention in the section "Discover", specially of the route called "Best Thailand", which is the route I followed.
All the routes are planned taking into account the arrival/departure to/from Bangkok because it is the best and fastest way to get to Thailand, but you can change the order at your convenience.
- 7 DAYS
Bangkok and its surroundings: Day 1 - Arrival / Days 2 and 3 - Bangkok / Day 4 - Kanchanaburi / Day 5 - Ayutthaya / Day 6 - Khao Yai National Park / Day 7 - Departure
Bangkok + Northern Thailand: Day 1 - Arrival / Days 2 and 3 - Bangkok / Days 4, 5 and 6 - Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai / Day 7 - Departure
Bangkok and 1 island: Day 1 - Arrival / Days 2 and 3 - Bangkok / Days 4, 5 and 6 - Island of choice* / Day 7 - Departure
Bangkok, Ayutthaya and 1 island: Day 1 - Arrival / Days 2 and 3 - Bangkok / Day 4 - Ayutthaya / Days 5 and 6 - Island of choice / Day 7 - Departure
2 islands: Day 1 - Arrival / Days 2 and 3 - Island of choice 1 / Days 4, 5 and 6 - Island of choice 2 / Day 7 - Departure
- 15 DAYS
Bangkok + basic north + 2 islands: Day 1 - Arrival / Days 2 and 3 - Bangkok / Days 4, 5 and 6 - Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai / Days 7 and 8 - Chiang Rai / Days 9, 10 and 11 - Island of choice 1 / Days 12, 13 and 14 - Island of choice 2 / Day 15 - Departure
Bangkok + complete north + 1 island: Day 1 - Arrival / Days 2 and 3 - Bangkok / Day 4 - Ayutthaya / Day 5 - Sukhothai / Day 6 - Lopburi / Days 7 and 8 - Chiang Mai / Days 9 and 10 - Chiang Rai / Days 11, 12, 13 and 14 - Island of choice / Day 15 - Departure
Bangkok + its surroundings + 2 islands: Day 1 - Arrival / Days 2 and 3 - Bangkok / Day 4 - Kanchanaburi / Day 5 - Ayutthaya / Day 6 - Khao Yai National Park / Days 7 and 8 - Chiang Rai / Days 9, 10 and 11 - Island of choice 1 / Days 12, 13 and 14 - Island of choice 2 / Day 15 - Departure
No coastal Thailand: Day 1 - Arrival / Days 2 and 3 - Bangkok / Day 4 - Kanchanaburi / Day 5 - Ayutthaya / Day 6 - Khao Yai National Park / Days 7 and 8 - Chiang Rai / Days 9 and 10 - Chiang Mai / Days 11, 12, 13 and 14 - Mae Hong Son loop (Pai, Mae Hong Son and Mae Sariang) / Day 15 - Departure
- 20 DAYS
BEST THAILAND: Day 1 - Arrival / Days 2 and 3 - Bangkok / Day 4 - Ayutthaya / Days 5 and 6 - Chiang Rai / Days 7, 8 and 9 - Chiang Mai / Days 9, 10, 11 and 12 - Mae Hong Son loop (Pai, Mae Hong Son and Mae Sariang) and Surat Thani / Days 13, 14 and 15 - Koh Tao / Days 16, 17, 18 and 19 - Koh Samui / Day 20 - Departure
You can combine all of the routes above to get new routes, for example one spending two days in Bangkok, five in the north and two weeks in two different islands if what you want is spending time in the coast.
- 21+ DAYS
The main touristic attractions that travellers visit in Thailand are the ones that I have just mentioned, but the stay in each of these places can be extended. Moreover, in some destinations like Chiang Mai there are good one-week initiatives for tourists, like for instance staying at an Elephants Rescue Center, or like in Pai to join a meditation camp for a few days.
As you can see, the options are endless and all the routes can be adapted to your own taste.
* During peak season, the Phi Phi islands are the best choice; during the monsoon season the islands in the East like Koh Tao, Koh Samui or Koh Phangan are better. I am going to upload an article talking about Thai islands.
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