The Itinerary Thailand itineraries
Day-by-day routes through Thailand, from 3–14 days — with what every trip actually costs.
- 3–14
- days
- Southeast Asia
- region
Planning a trip to Thailand
Pulled from the 11 routes below — so it says what these itineraries actually do, not what a brochure would.
When to go
Nov–Feb — the months these routes agree on. Mar–Apr are split — some routes here call them prime and others say avoid, because they cover different parts of the country and those do not share a season.
How long you need
3–14 days. The shortest is Bangkok in 3 days: the river, the old city and Ayutthaya; the longest is Thailand in 14 days: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and the Andaman coast.
What it costs
≈ AED 200 to ≈ AED 350 per person per day, depending on the route. Beds, food, getting around and things to do — costed line by line in each guide, not estimated from a daily rate.
Entry on an Indian passport
No visa needed, 30 days. Cut from 60 days on 15 September 2026, and a digital arrival card is required. Sources disagree on the current position — confirm with the Royal Thai Embassy. Checked 2026-11 against Wikipedia’s compilation of IATA Timatic entries. Entry rules depend on your passport and where you live, and they change with little notice — confirm with the embassy or your airline before you book. Check another country.
Where these routes go: Bangkok · Ayutthaya · Krabi · Chiang Mai · Old city temples · Phi Phi day trip · Phuket Old Town · Chiang Rai · Koh Lanta · Amphawa · Phuket · Phi Phi.
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Best for: Doing the standard route on roughly half the money, without pretending it is free
Thailand on a budget in 7 days: what it really costs, line by line
Bangkok → Ayutthaya → Krabi
The same Bangkok, Ayutthaya and Krabi week as the standard route, costed for guesthouses, street food and an overnight bus instead of a flight. An exact daily table, the things worth paying full price for, and the two savings that are false economy.
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Best for: The largest water fight on earth, with the logistics worked out in advance
Songkran in 5 days: Bangkok and Chiang Mai, and how to survive it
Bangkok → Chiang Mai
Songkran runs 13 to 15 April nationwide and longer in Chiang Mai, where it is at its most serious. What actually happens, which streets to be on and which to avoid, how to protect a phone and a passport, and the road-safety statistic nobody mentions in the brochure.
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Best for: Two bases, one flight, and an elephant sanctuary that does not let you ride
Thailand with kids in 7 days: Bangkok, a beach base and the elephants
Bangkok → Khao Lak or Krabi
Two nights in Bangkok and four on a beach, with the temple circuit cut to one morning and Ayutthaya dropped. How to tell an ethical elephant sanctuary from a bad one, which beaches are safe for small children, and why the transfer time matters more than the resort.
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Best for: Three days that use the river instead of the traffic
Bangkok in 3 days: the river, the old city and Ayutthaya
The river and Wat Arun → the Grand Palace circuit → Ayutthaya
Bangkok's traffic is the tax on a short visit, so this plans along the Chao Phraya and the BTS. The palace at opening, Chinatown after seven, and the day trip that beats the floating markets.
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Best for: Thirty temples inside a moat, and the one elephant question worth getting right
Chiang Mai in 3 days: the old city, the elephants and Doi Suthep
Old city temples → an ethical elephant sanctuary → Doi Suthep and the hills
Chiang Mai in three days, with the elephant sanctuary question answered properly — no riding, no bathing shows, and what a genuine place looks like. Plus monk chat, the Sunday walking street, and burning season.
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Best for: Four days that get the beach right and the day trip in the right boat
Phuket in 4 days: the beaches, Phi Phi and the old town
Kata or Karon → Phi Phi day trip → Phuket Old Town → Big Buddha and the south
Which beach to stay on and why not Patong, the Phi Phi trip done by longtail rather than speedboat, and the Sino-Portuguese old town almost nobody visits. Plus the monsoon rule that drowns people every year.
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Best for: North and south in one trip, with enough nights in each to stop moving
Thailand in 14 days: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and the Andaman coast
Bangkok → Chiang Mai → Chiang Rai → Krabi → Koh Lanta
Two weeks is the length that holds both Thailands: the temples and hill country of the north, and the Andaman limestone in the south. Two internal flights, five nights on beaches, and the elephant-sanctuary question answered honestly.
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Best for: A long weekend from the Gulf that stays in one city and gets it right
Thailand in 5 days: Bangkok, Ayutthaya and Amphawa
Bangkok → Ayutthaya → Amphawa → Bangkok
Five days is not enough for Bangkok and a beach, so this one does not try. Three days in the city, a day among the ruins of the old capital at Ayutthaya, and an evening at the floating market that is not staged for tourists.
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Best for: One city, one ruined capital and one beach, without a domestic flight every other day
Thailand in 7 days: Bangkok, Ayutthaya and Krabi
Bangkok → Ayutthaya → Krabi
A week is enough for Bangkok properly, a day among the ruins of the old capital at Ayutthaya, and three nights on the Andaman coast — provided you pick one beach and stay on it. The flight that makes it work, the Grand Palace dress code, and why Krabi beats Phuket on this timeline.
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Best for: Four Andaman stops by ferry, with no backtracking and no Bangkok
Thailand island hopping in 8 days: Phuket, Phi Phi, Krabi and Koh Lanta
Phuket → Phi Phi → Krabi → Koh Lanta
Eight days of Andaman islands, moving one way by ferry: Phuket for the flight, Phi Phi for the limestone, Krabi for Railay, and Koh Lanta to stop. Which island to skip if you dislike crowds, and the monsoon months when the boats do not run.
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Best for: First-time visitors
Thailand in 10 days: Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket
Bangkok → Chiang Mai → Phuket
The kingdom's classic triangle: golden Bangkok and its street-food galaxy, Chiang Mai's temple town with a day among rescued elephants (the ethical way), then Phuket's turquoise island-hopping — plus the September 2026 visa change worth knowing before you book, and the scam-proofing that keeps the trip charmed.
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