10 Days in Thailand Itinerary
Capital, sleeper train, mountains, then the Andaman coast by ferry — nine nights, one direction, no backtracking.
Ten days in Thailand: Bangkok's Old City and Chinatown (Days 1–2), the overnight sleeper train to Chiang Mai for temples, Doi Suthep at dawn and an afternoon with rescued elephants (3–5), a ฿2,200 direct flight to Krabi for Railay and the Hong Islands (5–6), the ferry to two nights on Koh Phi Phi with Maya Bay at 07:30 before the day boats (7–8), then the ferry on to Phuket for the flight home (9–10). Nine nights, two flights, three boats, and you're never doubling back. Budget ฿21,000–31,000 per person as a backpacker, or ฿45,000–78,000 mid-range, before international flights.
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Key Facts (2026)
Route: Bangkok 1 night → sleeper train → Chiang Mai 2 → Krabi 2 → Koh Phi Phi 2 → Phuket 1
One train (Bangkok–Chiang Mai, 18:40 → 07:15), one flight (Chiang Mai–Krabi direct, 1h55), two ferries (Krabi–Phi Phi 2h, Phi Phi–Phuket 2h) and a flight home from Phuket. Everything moves south-west, so no leg repeats.
Sleeper train #9: ฿940–1,200 for a 2nd-class berth, and it replaces a hotel night
It leaves Krung Thep Aphiwat at 18:40 and arrives in Chiang Mai about 07:15. Lower berths sell out weeks ahead November–February, so book on SRT's D-Ticket or 12Go as soon as your dates are fixed. A 1st-class two-berth cabin is ฿1,700–2,300 per person.
10-day cost: ฿21,000–31,000 backpacker, ฿45,000–78,000 mid-range (per person)
About $590–870 and $1,260–2,180, including the train, the flight, both ferries, the elephants, two boat trips and park fees. That's roughly ฿9,000–12,000 of any budget. There's a line-by-line table further down.
Best months: November–April for this Andaman route
May–October is the Andaman monsoon: Phi Phi ferries drop to one sailing and Maya Bay closes 1 August–30 September. Chiang Mai's crop-burning season (mid-Feb–April) is the other thing to avoid. Both swaps are in the variants section.
Ferries: book a day ahead on 12Go or through the hotel; ฿450–650 a leg
Krabi's Klong Jilad pier at 09:00 (Ao Nang's Nopparat Thara at 09:30 in season), and Phi Phi's Tonsai pier back to Phuket at 09:00–15:30. Tonsai charges a ฿20 arrival fee in cash. The ฿400 national-park fee is separate and only for Phi Phi Leh.
Visa: 60 days free for 93 nationalities as of August 2026 — a cut to 30 days is approved but not yet in force
The 30-day exemption starts 15 days after Royal Gazette publication, which hadn't happened at the time of writing. Either way, ten days is covered. Everyone files the Thailand Digital Arrival Card online within 72 hours of landing.
Suvarnabhumi / Don Mueang → Bangkok hotel
Sort the first airport run before you land
After a long-haul flight, the Airport Rail Link (฿45 to Phaya Thai, 26 minutes) suits one bag and a BTS-side hotel. A metered taxi is ฿400–600 with tolls and the ฿50 airport fee. A pre-booked Kiwitaxi (around ฿900 with code THAILAND5) tracks a late flight and waits with a name board, and this trip has five more transfers.
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How This 10-Day Thailand Itinerary Is Sequenced
Ten days is where a Thailand trip stops being a sampler and gets to do the things a week can't: the sleeper train instead of a second flight, a dawn on Doi Suthep and an elephant afternoon on separate days, and two nights on Koh Phi Phi so you see Maya Bay at 07:30 instead of from a day boat at 11:00. The route runs in one direction (Bangkok, north, then down the Andaman coast by air and sea) so no leg is travelled twice and the flight home leaves from Phuket, which has its own long-haul departures.
The three southern stops feel like one beach leg because they're joined by two-hour ferries rather than airports: Krabi's mainland limestone and Railay first, then the islands, then Phuket for the last night and the plane. The Chiang Mai–Krabi flight is the only awkward hop and it's a 1h55 direct on AirAsia, VietJet or Thai Lion. Book it early, because the alternative is six hours through Bangkok.
The weekly calendar matters twice: try to be in Chiang Mai on a Sunday (the Walking Street) and avoid arriving on Phi Phi the day before a full moon (the Phuket party boats). If you've got eleven days, add the night to Krabi and do the Four Islands as well as the Hong Islands. With nine, I'd drop the Phuket night and fly home from Krabi, which also has international flights.
Two airports, again: Chiang Mai–Krabi flights leave from Chiang Mai's single airport, but if you replace the train with a flight, Bangkok's budget carriers use Don Mueang, not Suvarnabhumi. The sleeper leaves from Krung Thep Aphiwat (Bang Sue Grand), on the MRT Blue Line, not the old Hua Lamphong station.
Day 1
Arrive in Bangkok — Settle In, Then Chinatown After Dark
One hotel night in the capital, so make it count: a base on the MRT (Sukhumvit via Asok, or Silom) puts tomorrow's temples and tomorrow evening's station on one line. The arrival-night job is a SIM, a shower and the busiest street-food road in Asia.
- 1
Land at Suvarnabhumi and get into the city
Cost: Airport Rail Link ฿45 · taxi ฿400–600 · Grab ฿450–600Allow: 45–75 minutes
Buy a SIM in arrivals first. AIS and TrueMove booths sell 8–15 day tourist packages from ฿299 in five minutes. Then it's the Airport Rail Link (level B, ฿45) to Phaya Thai and the BTS, or the official taxi rank on level 1 with a queue ticket and the meter on. I'd ignore anyone offering a taxi inside the terminal.
Next: Check in, shower, and give yourself until 18:00. Sleeping now makes the jet lag worse.
- 2
Check in near the MRT — Sukhumvit (Asok) or Silom
Cost: IncludedAllow: 1.5 hours
Tomorrow you go to the Old City by MRT in the morning and to Krung Thep Aphiwat station by MRT in the evening, so a hotel near an MRT stop saves an hour of taxis. Ask reception to hold your bag after check-out tomorrow; you collect it on the way to the train. The Where to Stay in Bangkok guide has the neighbourhood trade-offs.
Next: MRT to Wat Mangkon (Blue Line, 15–25 minutes, ฿30–45), or a Grab (฿120–180) to Yaowarat Road.
- 3
Yaowarat Road — Chinatown street food
Cost: ฿200–400 for a full crawlAllow: 2 hours
Out of Wat Mangkon MRT exit 1 and the neon starts. Walk east and eat in order: kuay jab (peppery rolled-noodle soup) at Nai Ek Roll Noodle, grilled seafood at T&K on the corner of Phadung Dao, then kanom buang crêpes and Yaowarat toast for dessert. One dish per stall, ฿60–150 each. Many stalls close on Mondays, and if that's tonight, walk 10 minutes to Talat Noi's cafés and riverside bars instead.
Next: MRT back from Wat Mangkon. Taxis on Yaowarat Road itself refuse the meter after dark.
- 4
Optional nightcap on a rooftop
Cost: ฿350–700 a cocktailAllow: 1 hour
Only if you're still standing: Octave at the Marriott in Thonglor (three tiers, ฿350–450 drinks, no strict dress code) or Sky Bar at lebua (63rd floor, ฿700+, no shorts or sandals). Tomorrow starts at 08:30 and ends on a train.
Next: BTS until midnight; Grab home ฿100–200.
Landing after 21:00? Eat at the hotel and start Day 2 as written. The Grand Palace stops admitting at 15:30 and it's dramatically quieter at opening, so the one morning that can't start late is tomorrow's.
More options for Day 16 places · Hotels & Resorts, Restaurants & Food
Hotels & Resorts·Bangkok
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Millennium Hilton Bangkok
River-view rooms and a rooftop infinity pool, a short walk from ICONSIAM on the quieter bank.
Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok
A garden of saltwater pools behind Siam Paragon, two minutes from the busiest BTS interchange in the city.
The Peninsula Bangkok
Every room faces the Chao Phraya, and the teak shuttle boat to the BTS is half the pleasure.
Restaurants & Food·Bangkok
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Thipsamai Padthai Pratoopee
One dish, done obsessively: pad thai wrapped in a thin omelette, worth the queue at least once.
KUANG Seafood
Big shared seafood plates on Ratchada, open till 1:30am, but the bill climbs fast if you order freely.
T & K Seafood
Chinatown's loudest seafood corner: green shirts, wok smoke, grilled river prawns, and a queue by seven.
Day 2
Bangkok's Old City, Then the 18:40 Sleeper Train North
The three most important buildings in Thailand before lunch, an air-conditioned afternoon, then the trip's best transit: dinner on a train that leaves the capital at dusk and arrives in the mountains at breakfast. Buy tonight's food before boarding. The dining car exists, but the 7-Eleven at the station is better and a third of the price.
- 1
The Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaew
Cost: ฿500 (cash)Allow: 2 hours
At the Na Phra Lan Road gate for opening; by 09:30 the coaches arrive. Wat Phra Kaew first (the 66 cm jade Emerald Buddha on its golden altar and the Ramakien murals around the cloister), then the palace halls. Trousers or a long skirt and sleeves are checked at the gate, and the palace no longer rents cover-ups. ‘It's closed for a ceremony’ from anyone outside is Bangkok's oldest scam. Walk to the gate and look.
Next: Walk 10 minutes south along Maha Rat Road to Wat Pho.
- 2
Wat Pho & the Reclining Buddha
Cost: ฿300, includes a bottle of waterAllow: 1 hour
The 46-metre gilded Reclining Buddha, ฿20 of coins for the 108 bronze bowls, and 91 chedis in Thailand's first university. The massage school on the east side does an hour of Thai massage for around ฿480, a good idea before twelve hours on a train.
Next: Exit onto Maha Rat Road. Tha Tien pier is 3 minutes away.
- 3
Lunch at Tha Tien, then the ฿5 ferry
Cost: ฿80–250; ferry ฿5Allow: 1 hour
The lane behind the pier has noodle shops and Thai restaurants that serve temple traffic honestly, ฿80–120 a plate, two to three times that for a riverside table facing Wat Arun. The cross-river ferry is a separate boat from the orange-flag express and runs every few minutes.
Next: 3 minutes across the river to Wat Arun's pier.
- 4
Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn
Cost: ฿200Allow: 1 hour
The 70-metre prang encrusted with broken Chinese porcelain, climbable to the second terrace, with the view back across the water to Wat Pho and the palace. Sarongs ฿20 at the gate if you've changed. It's quieter now than in the morning.
Next: Ferry back (฿5); 5 minutes on foot to Sanam Chai MRT.
- 5
Collect bags, shop for the train, and ride the MRT to Krung Thep Aphiwat
Cost: MRT ฿30–45Allow: 2.5 hours incl. the hotel stop
Back to the hotel for the bags and a shower if they'll let you, then the MRT Blue Line north to Bang Sue station, which connects directly into Krung Thep Aphiwat, Bangkok's main terminal since 2023 and the departure point for every long-distance train. Get there by 17:45: it's vast, the platform is a long walk, and there's a 7-Eleven and a food court for dinner supplies. Drinks and snacks for the morning too, because the train's breakfast trolley is thin.
Next: Platform boards show the Chiang Mai special express #9; carriages are numbered on the ticket.
- 6
Special express #9 to Chiang Mai — the sleeper
Cost: ฿940–1,200 2nd-class berth; ฿1,700–2,300 1st-class cabin (per person)Allow: 12h35 (arrives ~07:15)
Second class is an open air-conditioned carriage of curtained bunks. Lower berths are wider and worth the ฿100 more, uppers are cheaper and noisier, and an attendant makes up the beds around 20:30 while the train clears the northern suburbs. First class is a lockable two-berth cabin with a washbasin. The rocking is real and most people sleep by 22:00; the reward is waking at Lampang with rice paddies and mist outside and the mountains ahead. Bring a fleece: the air-conditioning is set for Thais in December.
Next: The train pulls into Chiang Mai station around 07:15. Red songthaews and Grab wait outside; the Old City is 10 minutes and ฿60–100 away.
Rather fly? A morning flight on Day 3 (฿900–1,500, 1h15, from Don Mueang for the budget carriers) gives Bangkok a second hotel night and a rooftop-bar evening, and the 7 Days in Thailand guide runs that version of these two days. The train is here because ten days has room for it and it's one of the great rides in Asia.
More options for Day 26 places · Temples & Culture, Restaurants & Food
Temples & Culture·Bangkok
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Wat Trai Mit Witthayaram Worawihan
A 5.5-tonne solid gold Buddha with a better backstory than most, at the edge of Chinatown.
Wat Suthat Thepwararam Ratchaworamahawihan
A royal temple with a giant bronze Buddha, big murals and none of the crowds you'd expect this central.
Wat Saket Ratchawora Mahawihan
Climb 344 steps past bells and shrines for a golden chedi and the widest view of old Bangkok.
Restaurants & Food·Bangkok
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RONGROS
Book a month ahead for a riverside table, or don't bother, because the Wat Arun view is the whole point.
Somboon Seafood Surawong
Come for the curry crab, order it without hesitation, and let the rest of the menu play backup.
Kodtalay The Riverfront Seafood Buffet
Open-air seafood buffet on the Chao Phraya from 599 baht, and the river seats are worth asking for.
Where to stay in Bangkok
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Day 3
Chiang Mai — Off the Train, Old City Temples, Khao Soi & the Sunday Walking Street
You arrive at breakfast with the whole day ahead and a hotel that won't have a room until noon, so the morning is coffee and a walk, the afternoon is the two great temples inside the moat, and the evening is a market or a jazz bar. Everything today sits within a 1.5 km square you cross on foot in 20 minutes.
- 1
Arrive Chiang Mai station; bags to the hotel, coffee by Tha Phae Gate
Cost: Songthaew ฿60–100 or Grab ฿80–120Allow: 1.5 hours
Most Old City hotels will store bags at 08:00 and some will let you shower. Ask when you book. Tha Phae Gate is the reference point for everything: the Walking Street starts here, the Night Bazaar is 10 minutes east, the temples 10 minutes west, and the cafés around it open early. Book the Day 4 elephant afternoon now if you haven't, and Day 5's cooking class.
Next: Walk 10 minutes west along Ratchadamnoen Road.
- 2
Wat Chedi Luang and a monk chat
Cost: ฿40Allow: 1 hour
A 600-year-old brick chedi, still 60 metres tall after the 1545 earthquake took the top off, that once held the Emerald Buddha now in Bangkok. The city pillar shrine is in the corner (men only inside), and the ‘monk chat’ tables under the trees, novices practising English from 09:00, are the most interesting half hour you'll spend at any temple in Thailand.
Next: Walk 10 minutes west along Ratchadamnoen to its end.
- 3
Wat Phra Singh
Cost: ฿20–40Allow: 45 minutes
The most revered temple in the city: the Phra Singh Buddha in the small Viharn Lai Kham, whose 19th-century murals of Lanna court life are the best in the north, and a gold-tipped chedi. Shoulders and knees covered, shoes off in the viharn.
Next: Walk 5 minutes to Ratchamanka Road.
- 4
Khao soi at Huen Phen
Cost: ฿60–150 per dishAllow: 45 minutes
Chiang Mai's dish is khao soi, coconut curry over egg noodles with a crown of crispy fried ones, pickled mustard greens and lime, and Huen Phen, a 40-year-old family kitchen, is the Old City's reference version at lunch. Add sai ua (the herb-heavy northern sausage) and nam prik ong with vegetables. Then check in and sleep for two hours. The train catches up with everyone.
Next: Hotel for check-in and a nap. The Old City's massage shops are on Ratchadamnoen and the lanes off it.
- 5
A Thai massage at Fah Lanna or the Women's Massage Center
Cost: ฿300–500 an hour; ฿900–1,500 at Fah LannaAllow: 1.5 hours
The best-value massage in the country. Fah Lanna's Old City branch is a garden compound with treatment pavilions. The Women's Massage Center by Ex-Prisoners on Ratchaphakhinai Road trains and employs women leaving Chiang Mai's prison and does a very good hour for ฿250–350. Either way, you're horizontal while the Walking Street stalls set up outside.
Next: Walk 5–10 minutes east to Tha Phae Gate as the road closes to traffic.
- 6
Sunday Walking Street — or the Night Bazaar on other nights
Cost: Free; ฿200–400 to eat and shopAllow: 3 hours
From 16:00 to about 22:30 every Sunday, Ratchadamnoen Road closes from Tha Phae Gate to Wat Phra Singh and fills with a kilometre of stalls (hill-tribe textiles, ceramics, the city's design graduates), with food courts in the temple courtyards along the way. Wat Phantao's is the good one. Come at 17:00 for the light. By 19:00 it's shoulder to shoulder. Any other night, the Night Bazaar on Chang Klan Road (daily 18:00–23:00) is the bigger, more touristic version, and Saturday has its own Walking Street on Wua Lai Road.
Next: Walk 10 minutes north inside the moat to Chang Phuak Gate.
- 7
The North Gate Jazz Co-Op
Cost: Free; beers ฿80–120Allow: 1 hour
A jazz bar the size of a garage by the north gate with a nightly jam that spills onto the pavement. Tuesday is the big night, but every night is good. Finish early: tomorrow starts at 06:00.
Next: Walk back. Everything in the Old City is within 15 minutes.
Burning season: from mid-February to April the north's farmers burn stubble and Chiang Mai's air turns hazardous (AQI over 150 most days, and the March 2026 peak was among the worst readings on earth). If your dates fall then, use the Gulf variant below and give the north's three nights to Koh Samui and Koh Tao instead.
More options for Day 39 places · Hotels & Resorts, Temples & Culture, Markets & Shopping
Hotels & Resorts·Chiang Mai
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Anantara Chiang Mai Resort
A calm riverside address where the gardens and the old colonial building do most of the talking.
U Chiang Mai Hotel
Right on Rachadamnoen, so Sunday Walking Street starts at the front door and you never need a songthaew.
Meliá Chiang Mai
Polished international-brand comfort by the Night Bazaar, with a rooftop bar that earns its keep at sunset.
Temples & Culture·Chiang Mai
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Wat Lok Moli
Come twice, once in daylight and once after the lights come on, and you'll see two different temples.
Wat Chiang Man
Chiang Mai's oldest temple, and still one of the calmest places inside the old city walls.
Wat Sri Suphan - Silver Temple
Silver-clad ordination hall with astonishing metalwork, but women can only view it from outside.
Markets & Shopping·Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Night Bazaar
Get there around 7pm, before the crowds land, and browse the whole stretch before you buy anything.
Wua Lai Walking Street Saturday Market
Come for the food, not the shopping, and get there before the crowd makes walking impossible.
Waroros Market
A working daily market where Chiang Mai actually shops, not a night bazaar dressed up for tourists.
Day 4
Chiang Mai — Doi Suthep at Dawn, the Monk's Trail & an Afternoon With Elephants
The mountain first, while it's cool and empty. The elephants after lunch, because that's when the ethical afternoon programmes run. Doi Suthep opens at 06:00 and the coaches arrive at 09:00, and the two hours between are the best of the trip in the north. Book the sanctuary before you leave home in high season.
- 1
Red songthaew up the mountain to Doi Suthep
Cost: ฿40–50 per person shared (฿300–500 to charter); temple ฿30Allow: 45 minutes up
Red songthaews wait at Chang Phuak Gate and at the foot of Huay Kaew Road by the zoo. They leave when full, or you can charter one for the round trip. Grab does the run for ฿250–350 each way. The road climbs 15 km through the national park, so bring a layer: it's 8–10°C cooler at the top before sunrise.
Next: The songthaew stops at the foot of the 306-step naga staircase, and the cable car alongside is ฿20–50.
- 2
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
Cost: ฿30Allow: 1.25 hours
The north's holiest temple, 1,000 metres above the city: a gilded chedi ringed by bells, monks chanting the morning service, and, from the terrace, the whole Chiang Mai plain with the mist still in it. Walk the chedi clockwise three times as the pilgrims do. By 09:00, when the coaches arrive, you're on your way down.
Next: Songthaew 20 minutes back down to the Wat Pha Lat turn-off, or walk the Monk's Trail down from the temple in about 90 minutes.
- 3
Wat Pha Lat and the Monk's Trail
Cost: Free (donations)Allow: 1.5 hours
Halfway down the mountain, a forest temple beside a waterfall where the monks rested on the pilgrimage up: moss, stone nagas, a stream, and almost no one. From here the Monk's Trail, marked with strips of orange robe tied to the trees, drops 2 km to the back of Chiang Mai University in 45 minutes. Walk it down, not up, and finish with coffee at the trailhead cafés.
Next: Grab (฿100–150) back to the Old City for a shower and an early lunch before the 12:30 pickup.
- 4
Afternoon programme at an ethical elephant sanctuary
Cost: ฿1,900–2,800 half day; Elephant Nature Park full day ฿2,500Allow: 5–6 hours incl. transfers
The rule for choosing is simple: no riding, no shows, no hooks, small groups. Maerim Elephant Sanctuary and Elephant Jungle Sanctuary run afternoon half-days (pickup about 12:30, back by 18:30) with feeding, a forest walk and a river. Elephant Nature Park, the original rescue project in the Mae Taeng valley, is a full day (฿2,500, 08:00 pickup, observation-led) and the one I'd choose if you'd rather give it the whole of Day 4 and move Doi Suthep to Day 5's dawn.
Next: Drop-off at the hotel around 18:30. Grab to Nimman ฿100–150.
- 5
Northern Thai dinner in Nimman
Cost: ฿250–500 per personAllow: 1.5 hours
Tong Tem Toh on Nimman Soi 13 is the northern-food institution, a teak house and a queue, so put your name down and have a drink on the soi. Order the platter of northern starters (sai ua, nam prik noom with pork crackling, the Burmese-style hang lay curry) and a laab kua. Nimman's lanes are the café and bar quarter for a wander after.
Next: Grab back to the Old City ฿100–150.
With a day to spare in the north, the classic add-on is Chiang Rai's White Temple and the Golden Triangle as a long day trip (฿1,200–1,800, 12 hours), or Doi Inthanon, Thailand's highest mountain, for the twin pagodas and a hill-tribe village. Both need an 11th day. Neither fits this one.
More options for Day 49 places · Activities & Tours, Restaurants & Food, Wellness & Spas
Activities & Tours·Chiang Mai
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Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Chiang Mai
No riding, no tricks: a day of feeding and mud with rescued elephants in the Mae Wang hills.
Elephant Nature Park
No riding, no bathing, no photo-op nonsense: you watch rescued elephants get on with their day, and that's the point.
Doi Inthanon National Park
Thailand's highest summit, twin royal chedis and big waterfalls, but pick a clear day or don't bother.
Restaurants & Food·Chiang Mai
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Khoei Chiang Mai - Northern Food (Chiang Mai Restaurant)
Proper northern Thai cooking with no concessions to nervous palates, and the jackfruit curry proves the point.
Khao Soi Maesai
The locals' khao soi champion in Chang Phueak — Michelin-listed bowls that sell out by early afternoon, worth planning a morning around.
It’s Good Kitchen
Expect a queue on Rachadamnoen Road, but the tom kha with tender coconut meat earns the wait.
Wellness & Spas·Chiang Mai
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Zira Spa
Old town spa at the polished, pricier end, and worth booking days ahead if you want a decent slot.
Makkha Health & Spa Chiang Mai (Colonial Gardens)
A calm colonial-garden spa in the old city that takes late bookings right up to 11pm.
Oasis Spa (Lanna, Wat Prasing)
A polished Lanna-heritage spa near Wat Phra Singh, offering private cabin packages and traditional Thai treatments.
Where to stay in Chiang Mai
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Day 5
A Morning Cooking Class, Then the Direct Flight to Krabi
Chiang Mai's cooking schools are the best in the country, and a morning class ends at 13:00 with lunch you cooked, which leaves exactly the right amount of time to reach the airport for the mid-afternoon direct to Krabi. You land on the Andaman coast at dusk, with a beach and a night market on your doorstep.
- 1
Half-day Thai cooking class with a market visit
Cost: ฿1,000–1,500 incl. pickup, market tour and lunchAllow: 4.5 hours
Zabb E Lee and Asia Scenic both run morning classes that start at the market (what galangal, holy basil and Thai eggplant actually look like) then cook five or six dishes at individual stations: a curry paste from scratch, tom yum, pad thai, khao soi or mango sticky rice, chosen from a menu. You eat everything you make, which is lunch. Book two days ahead in high season. Ask for a hotel pickup and a drop at the hotel to collect bags.
Next: Grab from the Old City to Chiang Mai Airport is 15 minutes and ฿100–150. A domestic flight needs an hour.
- 2
Fly Chiang Mai → Krabi direct
Cost: ฿2,200–3,000 booked aheadAllow: 1h55 in the air
AirAsia, Thai VietJet and Thai Lion fly the route non-stop. Book the direct and not a Bangkok connection, which turns two hours into six. Departures cluster in the early afternoon, which is why the cooking class is a morning one. You land at Krabi around 16:30.
Next: Shared airport van ฿150–200 per person (35–45 minutes, hotel drop), fixed airport taxi ฿700–1,000 per car (25–30 minutes), airport bus ฿150 but 90 minutes.
- 3
Check in at Ao Nang
Cost: IncludedAllow: 1 hour
Ao Nang is the mainland beach town the boats leave from, a long promenade of hotels, dive shops and restaurants under limestone cliffs, with Railay 15 minutes away by longtail. Stay here rather than on Railay for these two nights: the ferries, tours and night market are all at your door, and Railay is tomorrow's morning. The Where to Stay in Krabi guide has the alternatives (Klong Muang for resorts, Krabi Town for the river and the Sunday market).
Next: Walk. The beach road and the market are within 10 minutes of every Ao Nang hotel.
- 4
Sunset on Ao Nang beach, dinner at the Landmark night market
Cost: ฿150–400 per personAllow: 2.5 hours
The sun sets behind the headland at 18:15–18:45 with the longtails pulled up on the sand. Then the Landmark night market on the main road, grilled seafood, pad thai, roti and fruit shakes for ฿60–150 a plate, is dinner. Book tomorrow's Hong Islands afternoon boat at any tour desk tonight (฿900–1,250 plus the ฿300 park fee) and ask for the 13:30 speedboat from Ao Nang or Railay.
Next: Walk back. Early night, the longtail to Railay leaves at 08:00.
Cooking class or a lie-in? Skipping it buys a slow morning and the same flight. The other order, cooking class on Day 4 morning and Doi Suthep at dawn on Day 5, works too, but it leaves no margin for the flight if the mountain runs late.
More options for Day 59 places · Hotels & Resorts, Restaurants & Food, Activities & Tours
Hotels & Resorts·Krabi
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Dusit Thani Krabi Beach Resort
A stay-put beach resort where the service is the thing people remember, not just the pools.
Sea Seeker Krabi Resort
A big family-friendly base a short walk from Ao Nang beach, close to the bars without sitting on top of them.
Anana Ecological Resort Krabi
Quiet green resort off the Ao Nang strip, with an hourly shuttle doing the heavy lifting on location.
Restaurants & Food·Krabi
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Tong Talay Seafood Buffet
All-you-can-eat seafood you grill or boil yourself, about 3.5km inland from Ao Nang beach.
Tandoori Night's Restaurant
North Indian curries and naan that people rave about, with a Thai menu that isn't an afterthought.
Khaothong Hill
Come for the view over Phang Nga Bay, order simply, and don't expect the food to match the scenery.
Activities & Tours·Chiang Mai
See all
Asia Scenic Thai Cooking School
Market trip, farm tour and five or six dishes you cook yourself, and 4.5 hours goes faster than you'd think.
Passionfood Thai Cooking School Chiang Mai
A Northern Thai cooking class that teaches regional recipes, not the same four dishes everyone else cooks.
Thai Farm Cooking School
A full day that starts at a market and ends on a farm with four dishes you picked yourself.
Day 6
Railay & Phra Nang Cave Beach in the Morning, the Hong Islands in the Afternoon
Krabi's limestone at its best on both scales: the peninsula you can only reach by boat, with the most photographed beach in Thailand at its tip, then a speedboat to a ring of karst islands with a lagoon inside one of them. Back by 18:00 with time for the beach bars.
- 1
Longtail from Ao Nang to Railay West
Cost: ฿100 per person each way (boats leave with 8 people; ฿800–1,200 to charter)Allow: 15 minutes
Longtails run from the eastern end of Ao Nang beach from about 07:30. Buy the ticket at the Ao Nang Longtail Boat Service kiosk, not from a boatman, and wade to board. Railay is a peninsula cut off by cliffs, so the boat is the only way in. You land on Railay West, a curve of sand between two walls of limestone with the resorts behind it.
Next: Walk 10 minutes across the peninsula on the paved path to Railay East, then follow the cliff-foot boardwalk south.
- 2
Phra Nang Cave Beach
Cost: FreeAllow: 1.5 hours
Four hundred metres of white sand squeezed between cliffs at the peninsula's tip, with the Princess Cave (its shrine of carved wooden phalluses left by fishermen for the spirit who lives there) at one end and a swim out to the karst stack at the other. It's the best swimming beach in Krabi and it empties of day-trippers after 15:00, which is why it's here at 08:30 instead. Floating vendors sell coffee and pad thai from longtails.
Next: Walk back along the boardwalk to Railay East. The viewpoint trail starts by the Diamond Cave sign.
- 3
Railay Viewpoint and the Lagoon scramble
Cost: FreeAllow: 1.25 hours
A steep, roped mud-and-root scramble of 15–20 minutes to a viewpoint over both Railay beaches. Sandals are fine, flip-flops are not, and after rain it's genuinely slippery. The Lagoon beyond it is a further 30-minute descent with fixed ropes down a rock chute to a green pool inside the cliffs. Do it only if you climb comfortably. Railay is also Thailand's rock-climbing capital: the half-day beginner courses (฿1,200–1,500) start from the shops on Railay East.
Next: Lunch on Railay East's walking street, then the 13:30 boat from Railay's floating pier or back to Ao Nang for the tour pickup.
- 4
Half-day speedboat to the Hong Islands
Cost: ฿900–1,250 + ฿300 national park feeAllow: 4.5 hours
Koh Hong is a ring of limestone 25 minutes north of Railay with a beach on the outside and a lagoon on the inside (hong means ‘room’) that you enter through a cleft in the cliff on a rising tide. The 360-degree viewpoint on the island (400 steps, added in 2020) is the best in the province. Tours stop at Koh Lao Lading and Koh Pakbia for snorkelling on the way. The afternoon boat has the light for the viewpoint and misses the morning fleet from Ao Nang.
Next: Boat back to Ao Nang around 18:00.
- 5
Seafood dinner and a beach bar
Cost: ฿250–600 per personAllow: 2 hours
Kodam Kitchen is the local institution, a garden restaurant a short walk from the beach with a queue at 19:00 and a menu of southern Thai seafood curries at ฿120–250 a dish. Then Ao Nang's beach road: the bars at the western end have tables on the sand. Book tomorrow's 09:30 Phi Phi ferry from Nopparat Thara pier at a tour desk on the way home (in monsoon, the 09:00 from Klong Jilad instead).
Next: Walk. Early start again.
Four Islands instead? The classic Krabi day trip (฿750–1,200 + ฿400 park, 09:00–16:00 by longtail) visits Phra Nang, Tup, Chicken and Poda islands and it's the better choice for families and non-climbers. Do it as the whole of Day 6 and see Railay from the water.
More options for Day 69 places · Beaches, Activities & Tours, Nightlife & Bars
Beaches·Krabi
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Railay Beach
Boat-only limestone drama and clean water, best before the longtails arrive and again at low tide.
Ko Poda Beach
Go early, walk away from the drop-off point, and you'll have proper white sand almost to yourself.
Ao Nam Mao Beach
Mostly a pier for Railay boats, with a quiet bay attached and none of the Ao Nang crowds.
Activities & Tours·Krabi
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Emerald Pool
Spring-fed jungle swimming in green water, best hit at 8:30am before the heat and the tour buses land.
Following Giants Krabi / Ao Nang Ethical Elephant Sanctuary
No rides, no shows, just elephants doing elephant things while you keep a respectful distance.
Thale Waek
Time it with the tide and get there before ten, or you'll be sharing a sandbar with a hundred boats.
Nightlife & Bars·Krabi
See all
Bamboo Beach Club Krabi
Come for the drinks and the infinity pool by day, stay for the fire show and the DJ after dark.
The Beach Club Krabi
Book a cabana, order pizza, float on a bean bag and stay until the sun drops behind the water.
Boogie Bar
A no-fuss Ao Nang drinking spot that runs from mid-afternoon to half past one, every day.
Day 7
Ferry to Koh Phi Phi — Long Beach and the Viewpoint at Sunset
Two hours across the Andaman to an island with no cars, one village, and the twin bays that appear on every postcard of Thailand. You're staying two nights, which is the whole point: the day boats leave at 15:00 and the island that's left is a different, slower place.
- 1
Ferry from Nopparat Thara pier to Phi Phi
Cost: ฿450–650; ฿20 pier fee at Tonsai in cashAllow: 2 hours
In season (November–April) the 09:30 ferry leaves from Nopparat Thara pier, a ฿100 songthaew from Ao Nang. In monsoon use the 09:00 from Klong Jilad pier south of Krabi Town (฿50–100 songthaew from town, ฿300–400 Grab from Ao Nang). Sit on the top deck for the karst islands on the way out. Speedboats do it in 45–60 minutes for ฿850–1,250 and you lose the view.
Next: Tonsai pier: pay the ฿20, ignore the touts, and walk. The island is pedestrian. Porters take bags to the far beaches for ฿100–200.
- 2
Check in and lunch in Tonsai village
Cost: Meals ฿150–400Allow: 1.5 hours
Phi Phi Don is a two-bay isthmus with the village of Tonsai on it. Loh Dalum is the calm swimming bay on the north side, Tonsai Bay the harbour on the south. Stay in the village or on Loh Dalum for the two nights if you want the bars, on Long Beach if you want quiet. Prices are 25–40% above the mainland and the island runs on cash, and the ATMs charge the standard ฿220. Book tomorrow's 07:00 longtail at the pier or through the hotel now.
Next: Longtail from Tonsai pier to Long Beach, ฿150 per person, 10 minutes, or walk it in 30 along the coast path at low tide.
- 3
Long Beach
Cost: Free; longtail ฿150 each wayAllow: 2.5 hours
The island's best swimming beach, facing Phi Phi Leh across the strait, with a snorkel reef at the eastern end where blacktip reef sharks patrol the drop-off in the mornings. Two resorts, a dive shop and a beach bar, and far fewer people than the village. This is the afternoon to do nothing.
Next: Longtail or walk back to Tonsai by 16:15. The viewpoint trail starts behind the village on the Loh Dalum side.
- 4
Phi Phi Viewpoints 1 and 2 at sunset
Cost: ฿50Allow: 1.5 hours
A 20-minute climb of steps and concrete path from the village to Viewpoint 1, and ten minutes more to Viewpoint 2, the higher one with the classic view: the two bays and the isthmus between them, the village strung along it, and Phi Phi Leh on the horizon. Go up for 17:15 to have the light change and the lights come on below. A stall at the top sells cold drinks. Viewpoint 3 (฿20), further on, is quieter and faces the sunset itself.
Next: Walk down to Loh Dalum beach, 15 minutes.
- 5
Dinner and fire shows on Loh Dalum
Cost: ฿250–500 per personAllow: 2 hours
The beach bars on Loh Dalum run fire shows from about 20:00 (skipping ropes and poi on the sand) and the seafood barbecues on the village lanes grill by weight (฿300–600 for a fish). It's a party beach after 22:00. If that isn't tonight's plan, the restaurants on the Tonsai Bay side are quieter and the 07:00 boat is a reason to sleep.
Next: Walk. Nowhere on the isthmus is more than 10 minutes from anywhere else.
Check the full-moon date before booking: Phi Phi fills with the Phuket party crowd the night before, rooms double, and the 07:00 boats are full of the hungover. My advice is two nights either side of it, the same island at half the price.
More options for Day 79 places · Hotels & Resorts, Beaches, Restaurants & Food
Hotels & Resorts·Krabi
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Phulay Bay, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve
An intimate Ritz-Carlton Reserve on Krabi's coastline, offering private villas, personal butlers, and direct beach access.
Tup Kaek Sunset Beach Resort
Beachfront bungalow resort on Tup Kaek Beach, named for its westward Andaman Sea sunsets.
Krabi Cha-Da Resort
A poolside resort in Ao Nang offering sea views, spa facilities, and rooftop and poolside bars.
Beaches·Krabi
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Klong Muang Beach
Quiet, long and shaded, with a sunset that turns the whole sky pink on a full moon.
Tonsai Beach (Railay)
A sheltered Krabi beach framed by limestone cliffs, popular with rock climbers, snorkellers, and island-hoppers.
East Railay Bay Beach
Dramatic limestone cliffs and a lively beach atmosphere, accessible only by longtail boat from Ao Nang.
Restaurants & Food·Krabi
See all
Ali Baba Restaurant
Halal Indian and Pakistani cooking in Ao Nang that people end up returning to night after night.
THAI ME UP PANG Restaurant and Bar
Beach Road cheap eats where the staff, not the setting, are the reason people come back daily.
Kanabnam View Seafood
A floating seafood place you can only reach by long-tail, five minutes from Chao Fah pier and worth the faff.
Day 8
Koh Phi Phi — Maya Bay at 07:30, Pileh Lagoon & Monkey Beach, Then a Dive or Loh Dalum
The morning the whole route is built around: a longtail from Tonsai at 07:00 puts you in Maya Bay in the 07:30–09:00 window before the Phuket and Krabi fleets land, and around Phi Phi Leh's lagoon and cave with the water to yourselves. The afternoon is a swim, a dive or a nap. The boat has done its work by noon.
- 1
Longtail from Tonsai pier around Phi Phi Leh
Cost: Group longtail ฿1,200–1,500; private ฿2,500–3,500 (up to 6); ฿400 park feeAllow: 5 hours
Every dive shop and hotel on the island sells the same half-day circuit. The difference is the departure time, and 07:00 is the one that matters. A private longtail split four ways costs what the group boat does and leaves when you say. The ฿400 Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park fee is paid in cash at the pontoon and the ticket is valid all day. Mask and snorkel are on the boat, so bring reef-safe sunscreen and a dry bag.
Next: 25 minutes across the strait to Phi Phi Leh's back pontoon.
- 2
Maya Bay
Cost: Included in the park feeAllow: 1 hour
Boats moor at the pontoon on the island's back side and you walk 300 metres through the forest to the beach from the film, a 250-metre curve of white sand inside cliffs on three sides. Since the 2022 reopening there's no swimming past knee depth (the blacktip reef sharks breed here) and a cap on numbers per hour. At 07:30 that cap is a few dozen people, by 11:00 it's met every hour. Closed to landings from 1 August to 30 September, and in those months the boat views it from the mouth of the bay.
Next: 10 minutes round the island to the lagoon.
- 3
Pileh Lagoon, Viking Cave and Loh Samah Bay
Cost: IncludedAllow: 1.5 hours
Pileh is the enclosed lagoon on Phi Phi Leh's east side, jade water inside sixty-metre cliffs, no beach, and at this hour the longtail is alone in it: swim it for as long as the boatman allows. Viking Cave is seen from the water (the bird's-nest collectors' scaffolding is visible, landing is not allowed) and Loh Samah, the small bay behind Maya, is the best snorkel of the morning, over coral in three metres of water.
Next: 20 minutes back across the strait to Monkey Beach on Phi Phi Don.
- 4
Monkey Beach and back to Tonsai
Cost: IncludedAllow: 1.5 hours
A small beach on Phi Phi Don's western arm with a resident troop of macaques on the rocks and a shallow reef for a final snorkel. Don't feed the monkeys, which bite and steal, and keep bags zipped. The boat is back at Tonsai pier by noon, as the first Phuket speedboats are arriving at Maya Bay behind you.
Next: Lunch in the village. The dive shops are on the pier lane.
- 5
A first dive — or Loh Dalum and a massage
Cost: Discover Scuba ฿3,500–4,000; fun dives ฿2,500–3,000 for two; massage ฿300–400Allow: 3 hours
Phi Phi is one of the cheapest, easiest places in the world to try diving: the Discover Scuba afternoon at DPM or The Adventure Club is a pool session and a shallow reef dive at Bida Nok or Shark Point, with leopard sharks and turtles more often than not. Certified divers get two afternoon dives for ฿2,500–3,000. For a lot of people the alternative is the correct one: Loh Dalum's flat water, a beach massage under the trees, and a book.
Next: Sunset from the beach bars on Loh Dalum, then a last island dinner.
The 07:00 boat is the reason to sleep on Phi Phi. The day trips from Phuket and Krabi, including the one on our 5 Days in Phuket guide, reach Maya Bay at 09:30–11:00 with forty other boats. This itinerary's two island nights buy the empty version.
More options for Day 89 places · Activities & Tours, Beaches, Nightlife & Bars
Activities & Tours·Krabi
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Ao Phang Nga National Park
Skip the hotel tour desk, go to Dan Pier and negotiate with a longboat captain yourself.
Dragon's Crest (Ngon Nak Nature Trail)
A sweaty jungle climb that pays off with limestone karsts and coastline from the top.
KhongThomNuea Hot Stream Waterfall Krabi
Hot mineral pools in the jungle, best on a cool or windy day, and 20 minutes from the Emerald Pool.
Beaches·Krabi
See all
Noppharat Thara Beach
A peaceful, shaded beach near Ao Nang offering scenic limestone views and a quieter alternative to busier Krabi shores.
Secret Beach - Poda Island
A secluded cove on Poda Island near Ao Nang, offering calm waters, limestone cliffs, and a quieter beach experience.
Ao Nang LandMark Beach
A quieter alternative to main Ao Nang beach, ideal for peaceful walks, swimming, and watching sunsets.
Nightlife & Bars·Krabi
See all
Reggae Town Bar and Restaurant
Lively reggae bar in Ao Nang with live music every night, friendly staff, and a relaxed crowd until 2am.
Jojo Reggae Bar
A laid-back reggae bar in Ao Nang offering a casual, welcoming vibe for travelers and locals alike.
Arty Momma Rasta Bar
A reggae-spirited budget bar in Krabi Town where locals and travellers connect over cold beers and live music.
Where to stay in Krabi
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Day 9
Ferry to Phuket — Old Town, Promthep Sunset & Seafood in Rawai
The last transit is the easiest: a two-hour ferry west to Phuket's Rassada pier, then an afternoon in the Sino-Portuguese Old Town and an evening at the island's southern tip. Base the last night in Kata or Rawai. Both are 45–60 minutes from the airport and put tonight's sunset and dinner on the doorstep.
- 1
Ferry from Tonsai to Phuket's Rassada pier
Cost: ฿450–650 standard; ฿1,350 premiumAllow: 2 hours
Ferries leave Tonsai for Phuket at 09:00, 11:00, 13:30 and 15:30. Take the 09:00 to have the afternoon on Phuket, or the 11:00 for one more Loh Dalum morning. Upper deck, port side, for Phi Phi Leh and Koh Yao on the way out. Rassada pier is on Phuket's east coast, 15 minutes from the Old Town and 40 from Kata.
Next: Metered taxi or Grab from the pier: Old Town ฿200–250, Kata ฿500–600. Drop bags at the hotel first if it's on the way, or ask the Old Town café to hold them.
- 2
Lunch at One Chun and a walk through Phuket Old Town
Cost: ฿150–350 per personAllow: 2.5 hours
A Michelin Bib Gourmand in a 19th-century shophouse cooking the Phuket-Chinese dishes you won't find on the beaches: moo hong (pork belly braised in black pepper and soy), crab in yellow curry, o-tao. Then the six blocks of pastel Sino-Portuguese shophouses built on tin money between 1880 and 1930: Thalang Road is the spine, Soi Romanee the lane on every photograph, and Chinpracha House (฿150, 08:00–16:00) the one tin-baron mansion open to visitors. On a Sunday, the Lard Yai walking street on Thalang Road runs 16:00–22:00 and is worth reversing this evening for.
One Chun Cafe & Restaurant4.4(6,643)$$$$Mon 10:00–22:00, Tue 10:00–21:00, Wed–Sun 10:00–22:00
Next: Grab 40 minutes (฿400–500) south to Kata to check in, or straight to Rawai and the cape, with bags in the boot.
- 3
Check in at Kata and a swim at Kata Noi
Cost: Free; sunbed ฿150–200Allow: 1.5 hours
Eight hundred metres of sand in a bay closed by headlands, the calmest swim on this coast in season and 15 minutes from tonight's sunset. If you'd rather skip the beach, Wat Chalong and the Big Buddha (reopened 3 March 2026 after the landslide closure) are 20 minutes inland and take two hours between them.
Next: Grab or scooter 20 minutes (฿150–200) south to the cape, stopping at the Windmill Viewpoint on the way.
- 4
Sunset at Promthep Cape
Cost: FreeAllow: 1 hour
Phuket's southern tip and its famous sunset, 18:15 in December, 18:45 in June, over the islands off the cape. The upper terrace by the lighthouse is where the coaches stop. Walk 10 minutes down the path along the headland to the palm-covered point for the same sun with a tenth of the people. The car park is full by 17:45 in high season.
Next: Grab or scooter 10 minutes (฿100–120) east along the coast to Rawai's seafront.
- 5
Seafood by the kilo at Rawai Seafood Market
Cost: Seafood ฿300–1,500 per kg + ฿100 per kg cooking feeAllow: 1.5 hours
The best seafood value on the island and the right last dinner: pick your fish, prawns, crab or squid from the stalls on the beach side of the road, carry it across to any restaurant opposite, and pay about ฿100 a kilo to have it grilled, steamed with lime or fried with garlic. Two adults eat very well for ฿800–1,200. Cash on the market side, and restaurants run until 21:00–22:00.
Next: Grab back to Kata, 20 minutes (฿150–200).
Flying home from Krabi instead? Krabi has international departures too, and finishing there saves the Phi Phi–Phuket ferry: take the 09:00 boat back to Krabi on Day 9, sleep at Ao Nang or Klong Muang, and fly on Day 10. The Phuket ending is here because Phuket's long-haul network is five times the size.
More options for Day 99 places · Hotels & Resorts, Temples & Culture, Markets & Shopping
Hotels & Resorts·Phuket
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Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket
A big Karon Beach resort where the staff, not the marble, is what guests keep talking about.
The Nai Harn, Phuket
Breakfast alone would get me out of bed here, and the terrace daybeds over the bay do the rest.
Paradox Resort Phuket
Big gardens, four restaurants and a plunge-pool villa if you want one, with Karon beach a street away.
Temples & Culture·Phuket
See all
The Big Buddha, Phuket
A 45-metre marble Buddha on a hilltop, though the front is closed and you'll be viewing from behind.
Wat Chalong
Climb the chedi for the murals and the view, then let the crowds thin out in the quieter corners.
Phuket Old Town
Late-afternoon light on the shophouses, a Sunday market, and food that costs less than the beach strips.
Markets & Shopping·Phuket
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Chillva Market
A proper weeknight night market in Phuket City, with live bands, container shops and 35-baht lemon tea.
Kata Night Market
Every-night street food in Kata, easier to navigate than the big Sunday market, but agree seafood prices first.
Lard Yai Sunday Night Market
One evening a week, Talang Road shuts to traffic and turns into the best-value dinner in Phuket Town.
Day 10
Last Morning — Nai Harn, a Long Massage, and the Flight Home
A departure day sized to the flight: a swim on the beach Phuket residents choose, the massage you've earned, and a transfer timed so the airport is never a rush. With an evening flight there's room for Wat Chalong and the Big Buddha first. With a morning one, do the massage the night before and go straight from breakfast.
- 1
Breakfast, then a last swim at Nai Harn
Cost: Free; sunbed ฿100–150Allow: 2 hours
Nai Harn, 15 minutes south of Kata, is a wide bay closed by headlands with a lake and casuarina shade behind it and none of the jet-skis, the safest swim on the west coast outside monsoon. If the flag is red, the hotel pool is the honest answer.
Next: Grab or scooter 15 minutes back to Kata. Check out by 12:00 or ask to leave bags.
- 2
A 90-minute massage at Sansabai
Cost: ฿500–800 for 90 minutesAllow: 1.5 hours
Kata's most-reviewed massage shop (40 therapists, air-conditioned rooms, walk-in before noon) for the long version after ten days on trains, boats and temple steps: 90 minutes of Thai massage, or an hour of oil and 30 minutes of foot. Say ‘bao bao’ for gentle. Tip ฿50–100.
Next: Walk to lunch on Kata's beach road, or back to the hotel for bags.
- 3
Lunch, check-out, and the last of the baht
Cost: ฿150–400Allow: 1 hour
Something quick within sight of the water. Change leftover baht at the booths on Kata's main road, not the airport, whose rate is the worst on the island, and keep ฿1,000 for the transfer and a coffee airside.
Next: The pre-booked car or a Grab (฿750–950) leaves Kata 60–75 minutes before you need to be at the airport.
- 4
Transfer to Phuket Airport and fly home
Cost: Taxi ฿700–800 · Grab ฿750–950 · pre-booked ฿800–1,200Allow: 60–75 minutes
International flights want you at Phuket 2.5 hours before departure, and connections through Bangkok are checked through on one ticket. The road north of Patong is one lane each way and slows from 15:00, so allow 75 minutes in high season or rain.
Next: Not going home yet? The 2 Weeks in Thailand guide is this route with Koh Lanta and the Gulf added.
Evening flight? I'd give the morning to Wat Chalong (free, 07:00–17:00) and the Big Buddha (free, roughly 06:30–18:30, strict dress check) instead of the beach. It's 20 minutes from Kata, two hours between them, and the best view on the island from the platform before 11:00.
More options for Day 109 places · Temples & Culture, Wellness & Spas, Beaches
Temples & Culture·Phuket
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Chinpracha House
A historic Sino-Portuguese merchant house in Phuket Town offering guided tours of preserved interiors and tin-mining era history.
Rup Muean Chao-athikan Wat Chalong Museum
A cultural museum and wax figure exhibit located within the revered Wat Chalong temple complex in Phuket.
Siam Niramit Phuket
A big evening of Thai culture on stage, with a buffet and a walkable park before the curtain goes up.
Wellness & Spas·Phuket
See all
Stay Wellbeing & Lifestyle Resort
A proper wellness stay in quiet Rawai, built for people committing to a routine rather than a one-off massage.
Oasis Spa (Tropical Retreat Spa, Laguna)
A tranquil tropical spa retreat in Laguna, northern Phuket, offering massages and wellness packages amid lush gardens.
Oasis Spa (Sky Breeze Spa, Kata)
A highly regarded massage spa in Kata offering aromatherapy, body scrubs, facials, and multi-hour packages with complimentary transfers.
Beaches·Phuket
See all
Freedom Beach
Crystal water and soft sand, but you pay 100 baht and earn it on a steep climb back up.
Kata Beach
Come for the sunset, not the solitude, and expect to pay for a lounger if you want front row.
Yanui Beach
A small southern cove with shade, calm water and kayaks for hire, best claimed before mid-morning.
Where to stay in Phuket
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Every Leg of the Route: Fares and Times (2026)
| Leg | Mode | Time | Fare (per person) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suvarnabhumi → Bangkok hotel | Airport Rail Link / taxi / Grab | 26 min / 45–75 min | ฿45 / ฿400–600 / ฿450–600 |
| Bangkok → Chiang Mai | Special express #9 sleeper, 18:40 → 07:15 | 12h35 | ฿940–1,200 2nd-class berth; ฿1,700–2,300 1st-class |
| Bangkok → Chiang Mai (alternative) | Flight (budget carriers from Don Mueang) | 1h15 | ฿900–1,500 booked 2–4 weeks ahead |
| Chiang Mai → Krabi | Direct flight (AirAsia, VietJet, Lion) | 1h55 | ฿2,200–3,000 |
| Krabi airport → Ao Nang | Shared van / fixed taxi / airport bus | 35–45 / 25–30 / 90 min | ฿150–200 / ฿700–1,000 per car / ฿150 |
| Ao Nang ↔ Railay | Longtail (8 to sail; charter ฿800–1,200) | 15 min | ฿100 each way |
| Krabi → Koh Phi Phi | Ferry from Nopparat Thara 09:30 (season) or Klong Jilad 09:00 | 2h | ฿450–650 + ฿20 pier fee |
| Phi Phi Leh circuit | Longtail from Tonsai, 07:00 | 5h | ฿1,200–1,500 group; ฿2,500–3,500 private; + ฿400 park fee |
| Koh Phi Phi → Phuket | Ferry Tonsai → Rassada, 09:00 / 11:00 / 13:30 / 15:30 | 2h | ฿450–650 (฿1,350 premium) |
| Rassada pier → Old Town / Kata | Taxi or Grab | 15 / 40 min | ฿200–250 / ฿500–600 |
| Kata → Phuket airport | Taxi / Grab / Smart Bus | 60–75 min (bus 2h) | ฿700–800 / ฿750–950 / ฿100 |
Fares checked August 2026. Transport for the whole route is ฿5,500–8,500 per person; book the train and the Chiang Mai–Krabi flight before you leave home, the ferries a day ahead on 12Go or through the hotel. Monsoon (May–October) drops the Phi Phi ferries to one sailing and can cancel them.
When the Weather Works in Your Favour: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Krabi & Phuket
| Region | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangkok | ||||||||||||
| Chiang Mai | ||||||||||||
| Phuket | ||||||||||||
| Koh Samui | ||||||||||||
| Krabi | ||||||||||||
| Pai | ||||||||||||
| Kanchanaburi | ||||||||||||
| Hua Hin | ||||||||||||
| Chiang Rai | ||||||||||||
| Ayutthaya | ||||||||||||
| Pattaya | ||||||||||||
| Koh Chang | ||||||||||||
| Khao Lak | ||||||||||||
| Koh Lipe | ||||||||||||
| Koh Samet | ||||||||||||
| Sukhothai | ||||||||||||
| Khon Kaen | ||||||||||||
| Udon Thani | ||||||||||||
| Koh Phangan | ||||||||||||
| Koh Tao | ||||||||||||
| Koh Lanta | ||||||||||||
| Phi Phi Islands | ||||||||||||
| Korat | ||||||||||||
| Buriram | ||||||||||||
| Ubon Ratchathani |
Make This Route Yours: Season Swap, Fewer Stops, Family Pace, Luxury
Same ten days, different priorities
The route above is the one to run from November to April, with a first-timer's appetite for moving. Four ways to reshape it, each solving a specific problem:
May–October: the Gulf-coast season swap
The Andaman side takes the southwest monsoon while the Gulf stays drier, so replace Days 5–10 with: fly Chiang Mai → Koh Samui direct on Bangkok Airways (2 hours), three nights on Samui (the Ang Thong Marine Park day trip, Fisherman's Village), the 30-minute ferry to Koh Phangan for two nights at Thong Nai Pan, or Koh Tao for the diving, then fly home from Samui. Same rhythm, drier beaches. Chiang Mai's burning season (mid-February–April) is the opposite problem: give the north's three nights to the Gulf islands instead and keep the Andaman leg.
Fewer stops: Bangkok 2 → Chiang Mai 3 → Phuket 4
Three hotels instead of five, and no ferries: fly both legs (Chiang Mai–Phuket direct, 2 hours), give Chiang Mai the full Elephant Nature Park day plus the cooking class, and do Phi Phi as the speedboat day from Phuket with Phang Nga Bay as the second boat day. You lose the 07:30 Maya Bay and Railay, and gain the Old Town, the Big Buddha and two more beach afternoons. The 5 Days in Phuket guide is the second half of it.
Family pace
Keep the fewer-stops version, fly rather than take the train (a 12-hour sleeper with young children is a coin toss), swap the Phi Phi speedboat for Coral Island (30 minutes from Chalong, calm water) and the Doi Suthep dawn for a 08:00 start. Kata Noi and Nai Harn are the safest swims on Phuket's coast in season. The Thailand with Kids guide has the rest.
Luxury version
Same route, upgraded sleeps and one private boat: Bangkok riverside (Capella, Mandarin Oriental), the first-class cabin on the sleeper, a Lanna-style resort in Chiang Mai (Four Seasons, 137 Pillars), Rayavadee on Railay instead of Ao Nang, Zeavola or Outrigger on Phi Phi's northern beaches with a private longtail to Phi Phi Leh at dawn, and a last night at Trisara or Amanpuri on Phuket's west coast. Budget ฿15,000–25,000 a day, and book the villas 2–3 months ahead in high season.
Rule of thumb: November–April, run the Andaman route as written. May–October, swap the beach leg to the Gulf. Mid-February–April, swap the north for the Gulf. The Best Time to Visit Thailand guide has the month-by-month detail behind all three.
Essential Tips for 10 Days in Thailand
Book the sleeper berth and the Chiang Mai–Krabi flight before anything else
Lower berths on train #9 sell out weeks ahead November–February (SRT's D-Ticket site or 12Go, tickets open 90 days out), and the direct Krabi flight is ฿2,200 booked early, ฿4,000+ in the last week. Ferries are the opposite: a day ahead is fine outside the full moon.
One carry-on, because this route hands it to you nine times
A budget flight charges ฿300–500 for a bag. The sleeper berth has room under the bunk for a 40-litre pack and not much more. Phi Phi has no cars, and porters charge ฿100–200. Laundry's ฿40–60 a kilo everywhere. Bring a packing cube for the temple clothes and a dry bag for the boats.
Cash for the islands: ฿1,500–2,000 a day, drawn on the mainland
Phi Phi and Railay run on cash (park fees, pier fees, longtails, beach bars) and their ATMs charge the standard ฿220, with worse luck at running out. Withdraw in Krabi or Ao Nang before the ferry. SuperRich in Bangkok and the Kata booths beat the airports by 3–4%.
Travel insurance that covers boats, and motorbikes if you'll ride one
Ten days of ferries, longtails and speedboats plus a scooter in Chiang Mai or Phuket is exactly the trip policies exclude by default. Check medical evacuation (Phi Phi's clinic sends anything serious to Phuket by boat) and the motorbike clause. The Thailand Travel Insurance guide compares the policies that do.
Three scams cover 90% of the trouble, all in Bangkok
‘The temple is closed today’ (it isn't), the ฿20 tuk-tuk tour (commission stops), and the taxi with a broken meter (get out). South of Bangkok the only equivalents are Ao Nang's boatmen quoting charter prices for the shared longtail, and I'd buy at the kiosk instead, and Phuket's tuk-tuks. Thailand is otherwise a safe country.
10-Day Thailand Budget (per person, 9 nights, all-in except international flights)
| Item | Backpacker | Mid-range | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation (8 hotel nights + the train) | ฿4,500–7,000 | ฿15,000–28,000 | ฿60,000+ |
| Food (10 days) | ฿4,000–7,000 | ฿10,000–18,000 | ฿30,000+ |
| Train, flight, ferries, transfers | ฿6,500–8,500 | ฿9,000–12,000 | ฿20,000+ (1st class, private cars) |
| Elephants, Hong Islands, Phi Phi Leh, park fees, massage | ฿6,000–8,500 | ฿11,000–20,000 (+ cooking class, dive, spa) | ฿35,000+ (private boats) |
| 10-day total (per person) | ฿21,000–31,000 (≈ $590–870) | ฿45,000–78,000 (≈ $1,260–2,180) | ฿145,000+ (≈ $4,060+) |
Prices in Thai baht, checked August 2026. Excludes international flights and travel insurance. ฿1,000 ≈ $28 USD / £22 GBP / €26 EUR. Phi Phi runs 25–40% above the mainland; the sleeper train replaces a hotel night. For daily budgets by region, see the Thailand Travel Cost Index.
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