Scot Armstrong, an American Screenwriter says “Everyone’s so nice in Thailand, and it’s a beautiful place – The temples, the culture. But, everyone’s so nice that it’s almost inefficient.” This quote was shared by him after he explored Thailand as you can understand. Are you thinking about planning your visit to Thailand? Do you have 10 days to spend in Thailand? I welcome you to get into the wagon wheel! Yes, I have shared a 10-day Thailand itinerary to make your planning easy.
Know About The Parts of Thailand:
You will be surprised to know that Thailand is divided into Southern and Northern Thailand. Of course, both these parts of Thailand have places to explore. However, from my experience, I would suggest you choose Southern Thailand. It is better than adding the Northern part in your Thailand itinerary. Here are some reasons why south Thailand is better than north:
- People are more welcoming in the southern part
- If you wish to explore islands, you can get endless options in the Southern part
- You can get the chance to explore dreamy beaches in the southern part
- Comparatively, you will get the chance to taste flavorful dishes in the southern part
- Also, you will get the chance to explore pristine beaches.
- Further, comparatively, you can plan your Thailand itinerary affordably. This will happen in the southern part as compared to the northern part.
You might be interested in exploring my 4 tips before travelling to Thailand. Now, we will start our Thailand itinerary starting from day zero to day ten:
Day Zero:
You know that flights are operated from different countries to Bangkok. Yes, you are right! This is the capital and also the largest city in Thailand. From your home country, you can land in Bangkok as the first thing. You might be wondering what to do once landed. If you are landing late, you have no other option other than to take a rest. But, if you arrive early or if you are a person interested in exploring the nightlife, you have a lot of options in Sukhumvit.
What Is Sukhumvit?
Sukhumvit is actually a district in Bangkok. The main attraction here is the Sukhumvit Road. Otherwise called, Highway 3, this road is mainly the spot, where a lot of foreigners stay. In addition to being the home for the best accommodations, in this area of Bangkok, the best entertainment and shopping happens at all times.
Further, you can gain access to both BTS and MRT transport systems from this road. This road can offer the best nightlife experience for you. So, never miss out on partying near Bangkok. This will help you cherish the great moments even after you leave Bangkok. The nightlife in Sukhumvit Road is something that I feel you should never miss out on.
Day One:
On this first day in Bangkok, you can plan your visit from Bangkok to Damnoen Sadauak Floating Market. You might be wondering whether to visit this place if you do not want to shop for anything. But, remember that this is a popular market in Thailand known for its unique style. The uniqueness is that it is a floating market. In addition to providing you shopping opportunities, you will get a lot of opportunities to capture the best pictures. Of course, you can taste local foods from restaurants in this market.
I would like to suggest you visit this place early in the morning. It will help you avoid the heat. Also, an early morning visit will help you catch the liveliest of the market. From Bangkok, it will take around an hour to reach this market. The easiest way to get there is to get help from a trip organizer. On such a typical trip, the bus will leave Bangkok just after 7 am. Your guide would generally give you the potted history of the country and will point out the interesting sites. Do not forget to explore different stalls in this market.
Other places to visit near the floating market:
Are you wondering how to spend the remaining part of the day after covering the floating market? To your surprise, there are many places you can cover near this market. Here, is the list of places that can be impressive for you:
- Coconut Sugar Farm
- Damnoen Saduak Tiger Zoo
- Damnoen Saduak Elephant Village
- Maikaew Pier
- The Cobra Show
- Wat Luang Pho Sot Thammakayaram
After visiting these places, you will still have time. Of course, you might feel tired. So, you can rest for a few hours at your accommodation. Then, you can enjoy the nightlife in Bangkok by partying. Many clubs offer the opportunity to get the utmost partying fun.
The best clubs in Bangkok to a party:
- Glow Club
- Levels Club
- Sugar Club Bangkok
- Insanity Nightclub
- NOIZ Night Club Bangkok
- Bangkok Nightlife
- Route66 Club
These are a few choices. You can include one of them in your Thailand itinerary for your first night in Thailand.
Day Two:
As you spent the previous night partying in a club in Bangkok, you can start this day late. Make sure that you get complete night sleep. So, during the first part of day two, you can relax in Bangkok. Then, you can take an evening flight to reach Phuket.
Affordable flight charges:
Are you wondering whether taking a flight to Phuket will match your budget? Nothing to worry about! You can take affordable flight trips. Most importantly, it will help you save a lot of time as well. Different flight operators charge different transportation charges. But, you can conveniently choose the most affordable option as per your budget. By taking a flight, you can reach Phuket just within one and a half-hour maximum
Skip Pattaya:
Your friends might suggest you plan your visit to Pattaya. The reason is that Pattaya is at a distance of just 147 km from Bangkok. But, I would like to suggest you skip Pattaya. The reason is that it is a place thronged by tourists from across the world. If you visit this place, it will consume a lot of your time due to the crowd. Rather, you can directly reach Phuket and can spend time relaxing for the rest of the day.
Day Three:
You can dedicate this day to explore local attractions in Phuket town in your Thailand itinerary. Here are some places that I would like to suggest:
Monkey Hill:
Have you ever watched monkeys in action? Once you start watching them, you will not notice the time running away. They are highly active and even mischievous that we love to watch them at all times.
Source: Phuket101
You can experience the cuteness of monkeys at Monkey Hill. At the bottom of the hill, you will find a shrine that is highly popular among Thai people. Locals come here to ask for lucky lottery numbers as the place houses the shrine honoring three holy spirits.
Khao Rang View Point:
You can get a panoramic view of the entire Phuket town from this viewpoint. This viewpoint is in the northwest of the city center. Even, you can view the neighboring town, hills and islands that act as the backbone of the entire spine. Also, there are three bars and restaurants at the viewpoint with a panoramic terrace to enjoy eating overlooking breath-taking views.
Walk Around Phuket Old Town:
If you would like to visit Buddhist and Chinese temples, you will find a lot of them when you walk around the Phuket old town. It is the provincial capital of the town and it is a historically rich part of the town. Not just temples, you will find small printing shops, attractive shophouses and many other things in this walk. The town is small and you can cover it by walking around. Also, there is a large selection of restaurants as well to quench your thirst and hunger when walking around.
The big Buddha statue, the Naka Market and Sunday Walking Street Market are other places to visit on this day.
Day Four:
You can dedicate day four in your Thailand Itinerary for a day trip to Phi Phi Island. This island can keep you engaged the entire day and here are some of my choices:
Phi Phi Viewpoint:
Located at a distance of just one km from the city center, this is an observation deck. You can reach this viewpoint after a short trek from Tonsai Village. Just short thirty-minute trekking will take you to the most attractive point from where you can get an eye-catching view of the entire island. You need not have to fear the trek as it contains small steps in some places and narrow trails in some.
Tonsai Tower Rock Climbing:
Again, this is a place, where you can get an excellent panoramic view of the entire island. Located at a distance of about just 2 km from the city center, reaching this place is also easy.
Bamboo Island:
Located at a distance of around 7 km from the city center, this is the ideal place for a day trip. You will love this place if you are interested in snorkeling.
Apart from these places, Phi Phi Island also has many activities and other attractions to explore. In short, this day in Phi Phi Islands in your Thailand itinerary will turn out to be the most enjoyable.
Day Five:
You can dedicate this day to a day trip to James Bond Island. It is locally referred to as Khao Phing Kan and this name is shared by a pair of islands located on the West Coast of Thailand. The huge nail-like rock structure that rises from between the water is a limestone cliff. This island is a significant and unique formation among tourists.
It is a place that will meet your curiosity to explore nature and without any doubt, you can take attractive pictures. This island got its name following the James Bond movie released in 1974. From there on, the island continues to attract tourists as a getaway from Phuket.
Things to do in James Bond Island:
- Kayaking
- Swimming
- Sailing
- Exploring the great flora and fauna
- Scuba & Snorkelling
- Canoeing
- Boat tours
- Speed Boat Tours
- Explore Phang Nga Bay, Hongs of Phang Nga and Ko Panyi
After spending some valuable day time on James Bond Island, you will have time to party in Bangla Road in the evening. Bangla Road has an attractive nightlife and clubs like Tiger Nightclub, Gossip Nightclub and Illuzion can provide the best facilities for partying.
Day Six:
Visit Kata Beach:
Kata Beach is located on the West Coast of Phuket Island. It holds the pride of being one of the most visited beaches after the Patong Beach in this part of Thailand. This beach will provide the best chance for your family to chill out. The awesome views you can get when you hike at this beach will stay in your thoughts for eternity. Remember not to forget to capture breath-taking sunset photos at this destination.
Activities in Kata Beach:
Kata Beach is a popular destination among surfers. Even, this place hosts a surfing competition that attracts surfers from across the world once a year. Even, if you are interested to learn surfing, this place will help you with this. There are many surfing shops on the beach that rent surfboards and you can learn the basics of surfing at this place. Here are some things and places to explore on this beach:
- Parasailing
- Wat Kitti Sangkharam
- Surfing
- Visit the Surf House Phuket
- Visit the Dino Park
- Karon Viewpoint
- Kata Noi Beach
- Spend time in the Kata Beach
In addition, the beach offers hiking opportunities as well. Not just when walking around the Phuket Old Town, you can hike to the Big Buddha statue from Kata Beach as well. The starting point of this hike will be the Street Patak Soi 12. You can walk via this road to reach Suanwat Road. When you take a sharp left from this road, you will get to see the signs of Big Buddha Walk. If the day is not too hot, you will get a relaxing walk to the statue.
Day Seven:
Head To Krabi:
When you are heading to Krabi from Phuket, you have different modes of transportation to choose from. Here are some details to know about the modes:
Taxi trip:
Most people prefer this mode of transportation. The reason is that they can enjoy the scenic view and also the comfort of traveling in a private vehicle. The good thing about this mode is that a taxi can pick up and drop you at any of your convenient locations. But, remember that you should book a taxi for at least a day in advance. There are chances that some taxi drivers tamper with their meters and even some charge dishonest rates. So, do not get carried away. It is better to check with the hotel help desk to choose a reliable taxi service. It will take around two to two-and-half hours to reach Krabi by taxi from Phuket.
Bus Trip:
This mode will help you save money. The good thing here is that buses depart frequently from Phuket to Krabi. You can buy tickets directly from the bus terminal. The first-class air-conditioned buses are worth the charge due to the convenience. These buses are frequently operated all through the day. Buses start every half hour between 7 am and 1 pm. Again, the buses start every one hour until 5 pm and finally at 6.30 pm.
Ferry Trip:
It will take around two-and-half hours to three hours to reach Krabi by ferry. As both these places are almost covered by water, taking a boat across Phang Nga Bay is the most comfortable way to cover the distance between them. However, there is a single ferry operated per day even during peak season. In low seasons, ferries run about three times a week.
You can take tickets to the ferry straight at the pier. Every day, the ferry departs at 8.30 am from Phuket to Krabi. If you cannot catch the direct ferry, you can also travel from Phuket to Phi Phi by boat and then from Phi Phi, you can take another boat to Krabi. However, in this case, you will have to wait for around 4 or 5 hours to catch the boat.
The other options available are speed boats that will take around 1.5 hours travel and flights are also operated from Phuket to Krabi.
After reaching Krabi, you can relax for the rest of the day. Otherwise, if you have time, you can visit some local attractions like Khao Kanab Nam, Tiger Cave or Railay Beach.
Day Eight:
On this day, from Krabi, you can visit the following two places that you should never miss visiting:
Klong Thom Hot Springs:
How about taking a thermal bath in naturally-occurring hot water? In the middle of the rainforest, Klong Thom Hot Springs will take you to a mesmerizing world. The good thing here is that the water is loaded with mineral salts with healing properties. You can choose a soft rock to settle on and can immerse yourself in the relaxing and warm bath under the cool trees. There is also a cool stream nearby to relax if you find the warm water to be hot for your skin.
Wat Tham Sua Temple:
Otherwise called Tiger Cave Temple, it is located at a distance of around three km from Krabi Town. Inside the cave, you will find tiger paw prints in the stone. There are many smaller caves in this temple to spend valuable time.
Day Nine:
You can spend the first half of this day relaxing in Krabi as a part of our Thailand itinerary. Then, you can visit the local attractions if you have missed anything the day before the previous day. Finally, you can end this day by partying in Krabi. There are night clubs in Krabi to help you relax.
Day Ten:
You can dedicate this day for return travel. Based on your flight timing, you can relax in the first part of the day. Then, you can take a flight in the evening or the following day to reach your home country.
I Hope, this Thailand itinerary that I have shared will help you enjoy your vacation in Thailand!
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