It can be overwhelming to plan your first trip to Thailand. There are so many amazing things worth seeing. It’s important to remember that it’s not possible to fit everything into one trip, and honestly that wouldn’t be very enjoyable. You’d be too busy! We assembled some itinerary for Thailand examples to help ease the planning process. The outlines below are common travel routes and provide Thailand itinerary 7, 10, and 14+ day trip plans.
I recommend using them as a starting point and then customizing the trip based on your preferences. For example, traveling to Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket is a fair amount of travel for a 7 day trip. We like to see as much as we can, but if you prefer a more relaxed trip it might be easier to only travel to two of these locations.
Thailand Itinerary 7 Day Plan
Day 1: Arrive in Bangkok
This will probably be a shorter day for you depending on how far you traveled. For us, we arrived in the middle of the night after 20+ hours of travel. First thing on the itinerary was checking into the hotel, showering, and lots of sleep.
You have lots of options in the city once you’re ready to start exploring. Starting the trip off with a famous Thai massage is never a bad choice. Coordinate with your hotel to make sure you go to a good spa.
Afterwards, checkout some of these sites:
- Visit Wat Pho, the Temple of the reclining Buddha
- Tour the Grand Palace
- Enjoy a boat trip along the Chao Phraya River
- Eat street food at one of the night markets – Suggestion: The Artbox Night Market is small, but has some delicious stands and stages for live music.
Day 2: Bangkok
Carry over any of the activities from Day 1 that you didn’t have time for, if you’re interested. Otherwise, checkout these other options.
- Shopping – See the Chatuchak Market if it’s a Friday or Saturday. It’s one of the largest markets in the world with over 8,000 stalls. Also, go to one of several high end malls Bangkok offers.
- Get a drink at Vertigo or the Moon Bar. The views of the city make these sky bars worth it.
- Explore the Bangkok nightlife – Have fun, but beware of pick pockets.
Day 3: Travel to Chiang Mai (Fly or Train)
Travel options vary to get to Chiang Mai. See our full article on Thailand transportation for more information on options between Bangkok and Chiang Mai. You can take a train, if you like trains and don’t mind losing a full day to travel. Otherwise, domestic travel is very cheap and it’s a short flight to Chiang Mai.
If you fly, you’ll likely still have some time to work with on Day 3. I suggest exploring some of the Old City. The atmosphere in Chiang Mai is a lot less chaotic compared to Bangkok, making aimless walks much more enjoyable. You’ll stumble upon many temples, restaurants, and enjoy the views of the walled, moated Old City.
Search Skyscanner for cheap flights to Chiang Mai here.
Day 4: Chiang Mai
If you love animals, I recommend scheduling a visit to an elephant sanctuary. The proceeds help towards elephant conservation and it’s a great way to learn about these gentle giants. See our article linked below about choosing an ethical elephant sanctuary. Please don’t support unethical wildlife tourism.
Day 5: Fly to Phuket
By Day 5, you should be ready to relax on the beach. Catch a quick, cheap flight to Phuket in southern Thailand. Book a hotel or hostel near one of the primary beaches. We enjoyed staying near Patong beach. It was a long beach which was nice for walks, and the surrounding town of Patong had lots of good restaurants and a mall for shopping.
Charter a boat to take you to Freedom Beach if you want to see a perfect sunset. It’s a small beach, but bring a book and relax in the sun while you catch up on your reading list.
Other things to do in Phuket include:
- Visit the Big Buddha statue
- Go to Wat Chalong temple
- Attend the Phuket town night market on the weekend
- Explore the temples and colorful shops in Phuket Old Town
- Enjoy Patong’s night life scene
Day 6: Phuket
You can spend another day on the beach or catching up on items you didn’t get to from Day 5. Additionally, you can take the ferry to Koh Phi Phi for a day trip. Phi Phi has a reputation for being a party island with lots of young tourists crowding the hostels.
The beaches are filled with fire shows at night and the streets are lined with food vendors and bars. It’s a pretty island and hiking to the top is well worth the view. Head here if you’re looking to unwind before the end of your trip.
Day 7: Phuket
Try to get one last Thai massage or walk on the beach before catching your flight at Phuket international airport. If you have a late flight, you should have time to hit a few more temples or checkout the monkey’s on Monkey Hill, but please don’t feed them. You will see a lot of tourists feeding them, but this is a dangerous practice and can make the animals aggressive. Remember they are not domesticated, nor should they be.
While 7 days will only scratch the surface of what Thailand has to offer, you should have had a chance to sample a good variety of activities. Customize this Thailand itinerary 7 day plan to fit your travel needs.
Thailand Itinerary 10 Day Plan
A Thailand itinerary 10 day plan allows you to either visit another destination in Thailand, or spend extra days in areas provided in the Thailand itinerary 7 day plan. Both options can be enjoyable, it just depends on how much you want to move around during your trip. Typically, I like to get more depth on my trips and spend extra days in some already great locations, rather than stretch it too thin by constantly being in transit.
The trip below reflects an additional day in each place visited in the Thailand itinerary 7 day plan.
Day 1: Arrive in Bangkok
See the ideas shown above on Day 1 of the 7 day itinerary.
Day 2: Bangkok
See the ideas shown above on Day 2 of the 7 day itinerary.
Day 3: Train/Bus to Sukhothai
Sukhothai is a UNESCO World Heritage Site housing a royal palace and 26 temples. Visitors are rewarded with beautiful views and architecture that have been well preserved.
You can take a train or bus to Sukhothai. The train is slightly faster, but will require transferring to a bus after a 5 hour train ride, for the final 1.5 hours. Taking a bus directly takes about 8 hours, but you won’t have to transfer to another mode of transportation making it a little easier.
Day 4: Sukhothai
Spend the day exploring the Sukhothai ruins. Take your time and soak in the artistic details.
Day 5: Train/Bus to Chiang Mai
You can take a bus, train, or flight to Chiang Mai. The bus is the most convenient option in my opinion. The train is a little more expensive and a flight still requires a moderate drive to the nearest airport. It’s about a 6 hour ride if you take the bus.
If you catch an early bus you’ll still have half a day to work with in Chiang Mai.
See Day 3 in the 7 day itinerary above for ideas about what to do with the rest of your day.
Day 6: Chiang Mai
See Day 4 in the 7 day itinerary above for activity ideas.
Day 7: Chiang Mai
The extra day in Chiang Mai will give you time to catch a Muay Thai boxing match. Also, I recommend you travel up the mountain to see the Wat Phra That Doi Suthep temple. The drive up the mountain and the views are spectacular. Plus, this is one of the most ornate temples in Chiang Mai.
Day 8: Travel to Phuket
See Day 5 in the 7 day itinerary above for activity ideas.
Day 9: Phuket
See Day 6 in the 7 day itinerary above for activity ideas.
Day 10: Phuket
See Day 7 in the 7 day itinerary above for activity ideas.
This Thailand itinerary 10 day plan is a great place to start planning your trip, but don’t be afraid to customize some of the days if you already had a specific destination in mind.
Thailand Itinerary 2 Weeks+ Plan
If your trip is 14 days long I would advise using the Thailand itinerary 10 day plan with some of the following adjustments based on your interests.
- I would consider spending one more day in Chiang Mai.
- Either stay on Koh Phi Phi island for a couple of days or just stay in Phuket for a few more days to relax on the beach.
- Return to Bangkok for a couple of days before returning home.
Adding on any of these options will work, so it just comes down to which areas you enjoy the most. Bangkok won’t seem as chaotic now that you’re more familiar with how Thailand operates, so we actually enjoy it a little more when we return at the end of a trip. Otherwise, staying in Phuket to soak in the sun and relax is a good option, and you can get return flights through the international airport there.
Staying longer than 2 weeks…
If you’re staying in Thailand longer than 2 weeks, I recommend spending even more time in Chiang Mai. This was by far our favorite city because of the relaxed atmosphere.
Additionally, I would plan time to visit Koh Samui. It’s a cheap island that is popular with long term visitors. Otherwise, find the region you enjoy the most and double back to spend more time there. Backpacking through Thailand is all about going with the flow and enjoying the moment.
Ultimately, you need to assemble your Thailand itinerary 2 week plan based on your preferences. This itinerary for Thailand worked well for us and hopefully it does for you too, but don’t be afraid to customize it.