Thailand Travel Guide: Best Time to Visit, Costs, Visas

Two weeks is the length most first Thailand trips need: Bangkok for 2 or 3 days, Chiang Mai and the north for 3 or 4, then one island group for 4 to 6. Pick the coast to match the month, because Thailand’s two southern coasts have opposite wet seasons. Every non-Thai arrival must file the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card at tdac.immigration.go.th within 3 days of landing, and the visa-free stay for most Western passports drops from 60 days to 30 days on 15 September 2026.

Thailand sits in the middle of mainland Southeast Asia, sharing borders with Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia, and covers 513,115 km² (198,114 sq mi) according to the Royal Thai Government, which makes it the third largest country in Southeast Asia after Indonesia and Myanmar. About 70 million people live there, on the 2025 census. The country runs from the foothills below the Himalayas around Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, through the plains and Bangkok, to two long coastlines and several hundred islands.

This guide answers the trip-planning questions in the order you meet them: when to go and to which coast, how many days, what it costs, whether it is safe, the entry and health rules, how to get there and around, where to stay and what to eat.

Thailand quick facts

The Thailand quick facts below cover the practical details a trip needs, from plugs and voltage to the emergency number and the tap water.

The table stops at the practical facts. Quirkier trivia sits in our 89 fun facts about Thailand post, and every Thailand article on the site is filed under all Thailand posts.

Best time to visit Thailand

There is no bad month to visit Thailand, only a bad pairing of month and coast. The Thai Meteorological Department divides the year into three seasons, and it treats the south as two separate climate regions that get wet at opposite times. The seasons are described below.

• Cool season, mid-October to mid-February. The northeast monsoon, and the mildest time in Bangkok and the north, with genuinely cool nights in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai in December and January. This is peak season and prices reflect it.
• Hot season, mid-February to mid-May. April is the hottest month, and Songkran falls in the middle of it. The north is hazy, for reasons covered below.
• Rainy season, mid-May to mid-October. The southwest monsoon, wettest in August and September, usually heavy afternoon downpours rather than all-day rain. Prices drop and the country is green.

Andaman coast or Gulf coast

The Andaman coast is dry when the Gulf coast is wet, so choose the sea by the month. The Thai Meteorological Department’s own wording is that the west coast’s rain peaks in September while the east coast’s peaks in November and runs into January. The 2 groups are set out below.

1. Andaman coast, driest November to April: Phuket, Krabi, Railay, Ko Lanta and Ko Phi Phi. The southwest monsoon soaks this coast, and the department’s 1971-2000 figures give it 1,895.7 mm of rain in the rainy season against 445.9 mm in the cool season. Typical station figures put Phuket at about 23 mm in January and 386 mm in September.
2. Gulf coast, driest roughly February to August: Ko Samui, Ko Pha Ngan and Ko Tao. This coast gets more rain in the official “winter” than in the official rainy season, 759.3 mm against 707.3 mm, because the northeast monsoon lands on it. Ko Samui’s wettest month is November, at roughly 490 mm, and its driest is February.

October is the one month that is poor on both coasts, and tropical cyclones can cross southern Thailand from October to December. The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office puts it plainly: the rainy season runs May to October, but on Ko Samui and the southeast it runs November to March.

The northern burning season

Avoid Chiang Mai and the north from late February to April if air quality matters to you. NASA’s Earth Observatory reports that smoke from small agricultural and forest fires darkens the skies during the dry season, “particularly in March and April”, that fire activity peaks in March and fades by May, and that by one estimate about 70% of Chiang Mai’s fine particulate matter in April comes from biomass burning. The mountains around the city trap it. In late March 2026 the Thai public broadcaster Thai PBS reported an air quality index of 1,357 in Mae Hong Son’s Pai district. Thailand’s Pollution Control Department publishes live readings at air4thai.pcd.go.th, and IQAir carries the same station data if you want to check before you book.

How many days do you need in Thailand

Plan 14 days for a first trip covering Bangkok, the north and one island group, and pick a single region if you only have a week. Travel writers and itinerary guides converge on two weeks as the workable minimum for north plus south, and Lonely Planet’s own flagship Thailand trip runs 12 days. The 14-day shape is below.

1. Days 1 to 3, Bangkok. The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Pho and Wat Arun, the Chao Phraya river boats, Chinatown after dark and a day for markets.
2. Day 4, Ayutthaya. The ruined former capital, an easy day trip north by train or minibus, or an overnight stop on the way to Chiang Mai.
3. Days 5 to 8, Chiang Mai and the north. The old city’s temples, Doi Suthep, an ethical elephant project, cooking classes and a night or two in Pai or Chiang Rai.
4. Days 9 to 13, one island group. Fly south and stay put: the Andaman side from November to April, the Gulf side from roughly February to August.
5. Day 14, back to Bangkok. Fly rather than drive, and build in a buffer if your international flight leaves the same day.

One week works if you drop a region. Bangkok plus one island, or Bangkok plus Chiang Mai, beats trying to see everything. Note that from 15 September 2026 the visa-free stay is 30 days, so a trip longer than a month needs an extension or a visa.

Entry requirements for Thailand

Thailand’s entry requirements are an arrival card that everyone must file and a visa exemption that is about to get shorter. Both are new or changing, and both catch people out, so check them again before you fly.

The Thailand Digital Arrival Card

Every non-Thai national must file a Thailand Digital Arrival Card before entering, and it is free. The Thai Immigration Bureau has required it since 1 May 2025, for arrivals by air, land and sea. The rules are listed below.

1. File at tdac.immigration.go.th. That is the Immigration Bureau’s own site, and its page title reads “Official Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) – No Fees Required”.
2. Submit within 3 days of arrival. The window opens 72 hours before your arrival date and you cannot file earlier.
3. Pay nothing. The Immigration Bureau issued an advisory in 2026 about fraudulent sites impersonating the official TDAC platform, which charge fees of around US$10 or more, harvest passport data and file invalid applications. Type the official address rather than following a search advert.
4. It is not a visa. The card is an arrival declaration, and it does not replace a visa or a visa exemption.
5. Exemptions are narrow. Only travellers transiting without passing through immigration control, and those entering on a border pass.

Visa exemption, and the change on 15 September 2026

The visa-free stay for most Western passports drops from 60 days to 30 days on 15 September 2026. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of Consular Affairs published the revision on 1 September 2026, and four Ministry of Interior regulations were published in the Royal Gazette on 31 August 2026 to give effect to it. The position is set out below.

• Until 14 September 2026: 60 days visa-free for nationals of 93 countries and territories, the scheme that began on 15 July 2024. A stay stamped before the change is not cut retroactively.
• From 15 September 2026: 30 days visa-free for nationals of 60 countries and territories, including the United States, the United Kingdom, all 27 European Union member states, Australia and Canada, according to the Royal Thai Embassy in Helsinki.
• Extension: one extension of up to a further 30 days remains available at immigration’s discretion, for a fee of 1,900 baht (about €50, $58, £43), per the US Embassy in Bangkok.
• Visa on arrival shrinks from 31 countries to three, Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia, at 2,000 baht (about €52, $61, £45) for 15 days. Mauritius and Seychelles get a new 15-day exemption.
• Bilateral agreements are separate and unaffected, so China, Russia, Vietnam and others keep their own arrangements.

Four other conditions apply. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after you arrive and have one blank page. Thai authorities may ask for proof of funds of 20,000 baht per person or 40,000 baht per family (about €520 or €1,050), which does not apply to children under 12. Airlines and immigration officers can require proof of onward travel. And entering under the exemption at a land or sea border is limited to twice per calendar year, except for Malaysian, Bruneian, Indonesian and Singaporean nationals.

The sources to check are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of Consular Affairs at consular.mfa.go.th and your nearest Royal Thai embassy, whose sites end in .thaiembassy.org. Note that a similarly named .com domain is a Thai law firm’s marketing site, not a government one, and that the FCDO’s entry page had not been updated for the September change as of early September 2026.

What a Thailand trip costs

Thailand is cheap to be in and the flight is the largest single line in the budget. Prices below are approximate and were converted at 38.2 baht to the euro on 5 September 2026.

The table covers a typical tourist day. Restaurant, beer and transport figures come from Numbeo’s Thailand page, updated 2 September 2026 on more than 4,000 entries; the Grand Palace price is from the Bureau of the Royal Household’s own site; the train fares are Thai Train Guide’s and match Seat61 to within 3 baht; the dorm and daily-budget ranges are Hostelworld’s. One warning: Bangkok’s 20-baht flat rail fare is for Thai nationals with a 13-digit national ID number and does not apply to visitors.

Is Thailand safe?

Thailand is safe for ordinary tourism, with two border regions that governments tell you to avoid. It ranked 101st of 163 countries in the 2026 Global Peace Index published by the Institute for Economics and Peace, down 7 places, and the US State Department calls it “generally a safe destination for travelers” at Level 1, “Exercise normal precautions”, in an advisory dated 7 July 2026. The 7 things to know are listed below.

1. The deep south. The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat provinces, the districts of Chana, Thepa, Na Thawi and Saba Yoi in southern Songkhla, and the Hat Yai to Padang Besar train line, because of regular attacks near the Malaysian border. The State Department rates the same three provinces Level 2.
2. The Cambodian border. The FCDO advises against all but essential travel within 20 km of the land border with Cambodia after fighting in July and December 2025. Land border crossings between the two countries remain suspended, border temples including Khao Phra Wihan and Ta Muen Thom are closed, and there are unexploded landmines in the area.
3. The roads, which are the real everyday risk. The World Health Organization puts Thailand’s road death rate at 25.4 per 100,000 people in 2021, about 18,218 deaths a year or 50 a day, among the highest rates in Asia. The figure that matters to you is that motorcyclists account for 83.8% of those deaths. If you have never ridden a scooter at home, Thailand is not where to learn.
4. Vapes are illegal. The FCDO states it is illegal to possess or use any vape, e-cigarette, pod, e-liquid or heat-not-burn device in Thailand, with fines typically 5,000 to 30,000 baht and possible detention, and no exceptions for tourists or for personal use.
5. Methanol in drinks. The FCDO reports deaths and serious illness from drinks containing methanol. Buy from licensed bars, avoid free-pour buckets, and be aware that drink spiking risk is highest around full moon parties.
6. The monarchy. Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code punishes defaming, insulting or threatening the King, Queen, Heir-apparent or Regent with 3 to 15 years in prison per count, and counts are charged cumulatively. It applies to everyone on Thai soil, foreign nationals included, and covers online posts. Stand for the national anthem, do not deface banknotes and do not comment.
7. Petty crime and scams. Violent crime against tourists is rare; bag theft, overcharging and the gem and tailor scams are not. Do not hand your passport to a motorcycle or jet-ski rental business as a deposit, which the FCDO warns against directly.

One change worth knowing: Thailand legalised same-sex marriage in January 2025.

Health and vaccinations for Thailand

No vaccinations are required to enter Thailand and malaria tablets are usually unnecessary. The UK’s NaTHNaC service, which publishes TravelHealthPro, sets out the position, and it is summarised below. See a travel clinic four to six weeks before you fly rather than relying on any web page, including this one.

• Recommended for most travellers: hepatitis A and tetanus.
• Recommended for some travellers, depending on activities and medical history: chikungunya, dengue, hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, measles, rabies, tuberculosis and typhoid.
• Yellow fever: there is no yellow fever risk in Thailand, but a certificate is required for travellers aged 9 months or over arriving from a country with transmission risk, or transiting such an airport for more than 12 hours.
• Malaria: low risk in the rural, forested borders with Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, where awareness and bite avoidance are advised rather than tablets; very low risk elsewhere including Kanchanaburi; and no risk at all in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Ko Pha Ngan, Ko Samui and Pattaya. There is mefloquine resistance in Thailand.

Dengue is the mosquito-borne illness most visitors actually meet, and its mosquitoes bite by day, so repellent is a daytime habit rather than an evening one. Tap water is not drinkable, which is what the refillable bottle and filter in the packing list are for. Air quality in Chiang Mai during the March burning season can worsen asthma and sinus conditions, as the FCDO notes.

How to get to Thailand

Almost everyone flies into Bangkok, and the two Bangkok airports are not the same airport. The routes are described below.

Flights to Thailand

Suvarnabhumi (BKK) is the main international gateway and the base for Thai Airways, Bangkok Airways, Thai AirAsia and around a hundred foreign carriers. Don Mueang (DMK), about 30 km (18.6 mi) away, is described by Airports of Thailand as a secondary hub for low-cost flights, and it is where Nok Air, Thai Lion Air and most Thai AirAsia domestic services operate. A free shuttle bus connects the two every 30 minutes from 05:00 to midnight, for transferring passengers only. Booking a long-haul arrival at Suvarnabhumi and a domestic connection from Don Mueang on the same day is the most common trip-planning mistake on this page, so leave a generous gap. Phuket, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Hat Yai also take international flights. Compare fares on Trip.com for flights to Thailand once your dates are fixed.

Overland and by sea

Thailand has land borders with Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, and buses and trains cross most of them. Two caveats apply right now. The Cambodian land crossings are suspended and the FCDO advises against all but essential travel within 20 km of that border. And entering under the visa exemption by land or sea is limited to twice a calendar year for most nationalities.

The Malaysian border at Padang Besar, between Penang and Hat Yai, is the busiest and easiest crossing, served by buses from Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Butterworth. From Laos, the crossings at Vientiane to Nong Khai, Houay Xai to Chiang Khong and Pakse to Ubon Ratchathani are the ones travellers use. From Malaysia you can also cross by sea between Langkawi and Ko Lipe, and carry on by boat to Ko Lanta and Phuket. Look here for ferry routes and prices to Thailand.

Getting around Thailand

Book long-distance travel online, compare modes before you book, and treat scooters with respect. The 5 options are listed below.

1. Trains. The State Railway of Thailand runs sleepers north to Chiang Mai and south towards the Malaysian border, bookable from 3 hours to 180 days ahead at dticket.railway.co.th. Special Express, Express and Rapid services are bookable online; ordinary and commuter trains are not. Long-distance trains now leave Bangkok from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal rather than Hua Lamphong.
2. Buses. The state operator Transport Co. runs the main intercity network, alongside private companies such as Nakhonchai Air and Sombat Tour. Buses reach places trains do not, and overnight coaches are cheap.
3. Domestic flights. Thai Airways, Bangkok Airways, Thai AirAsia, Thai Lion Air, Nok Air and Thai VietJet fly a dense domestic network, and a flight south saves a day over the train. Check which Bangkok airport your flight uses.
4. Comparing all of them at once. Thailand’s booking aggregator is 12go.asia, which sells trains, buses, ferries and transfers from 30,000 operators and is the fastest way to see whether a route is better done by train, bus or plane.
5. Cars and scooters. Driving is on the left and an International Driving Permit is required for non-ASEAN licences. Scooters are how most visitors get around the islands, and they are also how most road deaths happen, so wear a helmet, insure yourself properly and never hand your passport over as a deposit. If you want a car, compare rental car prices on DiscoverCars.

In Bangkok itself, the BTS Skytrain and MRT beat taxis at rush hour, the Chao Phraya express boats are useful and cheap, and Grab removes the fare argument.

Where to go in Thailand

Bangkok, Chiang Mai and one island group are the shape of a first trip, and the provinces below are what people add to it. Thailand has 76 provinces plus Bangkok, and the ones most likely to appear in your plan are listed below.

Bangkok

Bangkok is where most travellers land, and it holds the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, the river, the markets and a food scene that runs from 40-baht street stalls to Michelin-starred kitchens on the same street. Two or three days covers the sights and leaves time to eat. The activities below are the ones the site has linked for years.

• A 3-hour bicycle tour including a river crossing by ferry.
• A 2-hour river cruise with dinner and a show.
• Entry to Thailand’s highest observatory deck at Mahanakhon.

Chiang Mai and the north

Chiang Mai is Thailand’s second city and the base for the mountains, with forest treks, waterfalls and Doi Inthanon, the country’s highest peak. It is also where you can visit an elephant retirement home rather than an elephant ride. The city has a growing coffee scene and a long-standing digital nomad community drawn by cheap rent and good food. Chiang Rai, further north, holds the Golden Triangle where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet, boat trips on the Mekong and the White Temple.

Ayutthaya and Sukhothai

Ayutthaya was the second capital of the Siamese kingdom, founded in 1350, and UNESCO records that the Burmese army razed it in 1767 and that it was never rebuilt on the same site. The ruins, including the Buddha head held in tree roots, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an easy day trip from Bangkok, although a night there is better. Sukhothai, the earlier capital, is the other ruined-city stop and sits between Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

Phuket, Krabi and the Andaman coast

Phuket is Thailand’s largest island and its busiest beach destination, with an old town, nightlife at Patong and quiet bays at the other end. The island also has an elephant sanctuary you can visit, and a small group tour of Phuket’s highlights covers the island in half a day. Krabi is the limestone-cliff-and-longtail-boat image of Thailand, with Railay Beach, rock climbing, caves and diving, and the standard day out is a boat trip to the Phi Phi Islands. For James Bond Island, book this early bird tour to get there before the crowds.

Surat Thani and the Gulf islands

Surat Thani province is the gateway to the three Gulf islands. Ko Samui has the beaches and the airport, Ko Pha Ngan has the full moon parties at one end and yoga retreats at the other, and Ko Tao is where most of Southeast Asia’s divers learn. Remember the coast rule: these islands are at their driest when the Andaman side is wettest.

Kanchanaburi and the west

Kanchanaburi holds the bridge over the River Kwai and the Death Railway, built by prisoners of war and forced labourers under Japanese occupation, and the war cemeteries and museums that go with them. Erawan National Park’s seven-tiered waterfall is the other reason to stay a night rather than come as a day trip from Bangkok.

Where to stay in Thailand

Agoda has the deepest inventory in Southeast Asia and is what most people use for Thailand. Guesthouses, hostels, boutique hotels and resorts all list on it, and small family-run places that never appear on Western booking sites often do. Start your search here.

Where to base yourself depends on the stop. In Bangkok, staying near a BTS or MRT station matters more than the neighbourhood name, because traffic will otherwise decide your day. In Chiang Mai, inside or just outside the old city walls puts the temples and the night markets on foot. On the islands, pick the beach before the hotel, because moving between beaches costs an hour each way. When an apartment suits the trip better than a hotel, Vrbo is the alternative.

What to eat in Thailand

Thai food splits by region and the street stall is usually better than the restaurant. The 10 dishes to eat are listed below, with the Thai name first.

1. Pad thai: stir-fried rice noodles with egg, tamarind, fish sauce, peanuts and prawn, chicken or tofu, and the dish everyone starts with.
2. Pad si ew: wide rice noodles with dark soy sauce, Chinese broccoli and egg, not spicy, and the one to order if chilli is not your thing.
3. Tom yum goong: hot and sour prawn soup with lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaf, served clear or with coconut milk as tom yum nam khon.
4. Som tam: green papaya pounded in a mortar with lime, chilli, peanuts, tomato and fish sauce, from Isaan in the northeast and eaten nationwide.
5. Kai med ma muang: chicken stir-fried with cashew nuts, dried chilli and whatever vegetables the kitchen has, mild and reliable.
6. Gaeng keow wan, gaeng phet and gaeng kari: green, red and yellow curry, made from a pounded paste fried in coconut cream. Green is usually the hottest of the three.
7. Massaman: a mild southern curry of chicken or beef with potato, peanut and warm spices, closer to a stew than a curry.
8. Pak boong fai daeng: morning glory flash-fried with garlic, chilli and soybean paste, ordered as a vegetable side with almost anything.
9. Khao soi: the northern Thai curry noodle soup, with soft and crisp egg noodles, pickled mustard greens and shallots, and the reason to eat in Chiang Mai.
10. Khao niao mamuang: mango with sticky rice and coconut cream, the national dessert, at its peak from March to May when the mangoes are in.

Vegetarians do well here. Ask for “jay” for strictly vegetarian and “mai sai nam pla” to leave out the fish sauce.

Festivals and public holidays in Thailand

Songkran and Loy Krathong are the two festivals worth planning a trip around. Thailand’s public holidays follow both the Gregorian and the lunar calendar, so most of them move each year. The ones to know are in the table below.

Two practical notes. Alcohol cannot legally be sold on Buddhist holidays, so buy the day before if you want a drink. And Songkran’s statutory holiday is 13 to 15 April, although the government has added days in some years and festival programming runs longer than the holiday. Phuket’s Vegetarian Festival is not the food event its name suggests, and our post on the Phuket Vegetarian Festival explains what actually happens there.

Culture and etiquette in Thailand

The head is the highest part of the body and the feet the lowest, and most Thai etiquette follows from that. The 6 customs that matter are listed below.

1. The wai is the greeting, palms together and a small bow. Return one when it is offered, and bow deeper for elders and monks. You are not expected to initiate one with staff.
2. Do not touch anyone’s head, including a child’s, and do not point your feet at a person or at a Buddha image. Step over a doorway threshold rather than on it.
3. Take your shoes off before entering a home, a temple building and many shops and guesthouses. This is why flip flops beat laced boots for a Thailand trip.
4. Dress for temples. Shoulders and knees covered, for men as well as women, and a scarf in your bag solves it.
5. Monks do not touch women and do not accept objects handed directly from a woman. Keep a respectful distance and leave the front seats of a bus free.
6. Never insult the monarchy. Stand for the national anthem, which plays before films and at sports events, and see the safety section for what the law actually says.

Kathoey, sometimes called ladyboys in English, are a visible and long-established part of Thai society well beyond the cabaret shows aimed at tourists. Treat people as you would anywhere, and skip the personal questions. Thailand legalised same-sex marriage in January 2025.

What to pack for Thailand

Pack for heat and humidity, temple dress codes and the fact that you will take your shoes off constantly. The essentials are listed below.

• Flip flops, because shoes come off many times a day, plus hiking shoes or boots if you plan to trek in the north.
• A refillable water bottle, since tap water is not drinkable and refill stations are common.
• A converter plug and a universal adapter for the hybrid type A, B, C and O sockets.
• Light cotton trousers and a shawl or scarf to cover shoulders and knees at temples.
• Insect repellent and high-factor sun cream, applied in the daytime because dengue mosquitoes bite by day.
• A microfibre towel, swimwear and a sturdy backpack with a rain cover for the wet season.
• A light rain jacket for the rainy season, and a sweater for northern nights, because December and January get genuinely cold in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.

Leave the vape at home. Possession is illegal in Thailand and there is no exception for tourists.

Money, cards and tipping in Thailand

Thailand still runs largely on cash, and the ATM fee is higher than most guides say. The 4 money rules are listed below.

1. Expect a 250 or 350 baht ATM fee per withdrawal. Kasikornbank’s fee schedule effective 1 March 2026 and Krungsri’s effective 11 March 2026 both charge foreign cards 250 baht for Visa, UnionPay and JCB and 350 baht for Mastercard, on top of whatever your own bank adds. Older guides quoting 200 or 220 baht are out of date.
2. Withdraw large amounts, less often. The fee is flat per transaction, so a small withdrawal costs the same as a big one. Kasikornbank’s limit is 30,000 baht per transaction.
3. Decline the machine’s currency conversion. Choosing to be charged in your home currency hands the exchange rate to the ATM operator.
4. Carry small notes. Street stalls, songthaews and markets do not want a 1,000-baht note for a 50-baht plate.

Tipping is not compulsory in Thailand, but it is appreciated, and one baht is worse than nothing because it reads as an insult. Our tipping in Thailand section covers who to tip and how much.

Staying connected in Thailand

Buy Thai data rather than roaming, because roaming outside your home region is expensive. The 3 options are listed below.

1. A Thai SIM from AIS or True, which absorbed dtac in 2023 and still sells under both names, on sale at both Bangkok airports and in every mall. This is the cheapest data by a distance.
2. A travel eSIM installed before you fly, which works the moment you land; our eSIM for travel review explains how they work.
3. A data eSIM. Sofie carries the Airalo eSIM and buys day passes for the length of a trip, and uses it as a backup when a phone plan runs low on data. Check out Airalo here. Use code HARRY5578 for €3 off your first eSIM.

For calls home rather than data, our guide to cheap international calls covers the apps and services that avoid roaming charges.

Travel insurance for Thailand

Travel insurance for Thailand needs to cover motorcycle riding if you intend to ride one, and most standard policies do not. Check the wording before you rent a scooter, because a policy that excludes motorcycles, or that requires a licence category you do not hold, will not pay for the hospital. Given that motorcyclists are 83.8% of Thailand’s road deaths, this is the single clause worth reading twice.

The rest is the ordinary case for insurance: a cancelled flight, a stolen phone, a bag that does not arrive, dengue that puts you in a Bangkok hospital for a week. Our guide to the best medical travel insurance compares what policies actually cover, and our post on long-haul flight essentials covers the flight itself.

A short history of Thailand

Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia never colonised by a European power, and that shapes much of what you see. The 5 periods are listed below.

1. Early settlement. Stone tools found in Mae Hong Son province put people in what is now Thailand tens of thousands of years ago, and Indian and Hindu influence ran deep in the early kingdoms, which is why so much Thai ritual and vocabulary is Sanskrit-derived.
2. Sukhothai and Lanna, 13th to 15th centuries. The Sukhothai kingdom ruled the central plains while the Lanna kingdom ruled the north from Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. Both left UNESCO-listed ruins and a distinct northern art and architecture.
3. Ayutthaya, 1350 to 1767. The second Siamese capital grew into one of Southeast Asia’s most powerful states, traded with Europe, China and Japan, and was razed by the Burmese in 1767.
4. Rattanakosin, from 1782. King Rama I moved the capital to Bangkok and rebuilt the state. Siam kept its independence through the colonial century by playing Britain and France against each other, and modernised its railways, roads and postal service.
5. The 20th century onwards. Absolute monarchy ended in 1932. Japan invaded in December 1941 and the occupation produced the Burma railway, in which more than 100,000 labourers and prisoners of war died. The country was renamed Thailand, and its modern politics have been marked by repeated military intervention. Tourism is now one of its largest industries, with about 33 million international arrivals in 2025 according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

Thailand travel FAQ

What is the best time to visit Thailand?

November to February is the time to visit Thailand overall, when the whole country is at its driest and coolest. For the islands, match the month to the coast: November to April for Phuket and Krabi, roughly February to August for Ko Samui and Ko Pha Ngan.

Do I need a visa for Thailand?

Most Western passports get visa-free entry, but the length is changing. From 15 September 2026 the visa-free stay is 30 days rather than 60, for nationals of 60 countries including the US, UK, all 27 EU states, Australia and Canada. Everyone must also file the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card within 3 days of arriving.

How many days do you need in Thailand?

Fourteen days covers Bangkok, the north and one island group without rushing. A week is enough for one region, and trying to do north and south in seven days means spending most of it in transit.

Is Thailand expensive?

No. A street meal costs 45 to 60 baht, a dorm bed 150 to 550 baht and a mid-range meal for two about 900 baht. Hostelworld puts a Bangkok backpacker day at roughly 660 to 1,150 baht. The long-haul flight is the expensive part.

Is Thailand safe for tourists?

Yes for the parts of the country tourists visit. The US State Department rates Thailand Level 1, “Exercise normal precautions”. Both the UK and the US advise against or urge caution in the three deep-south provinces, and the UK advises against all but essential travel within 20 km of the Cambodian border. Scooters, not crime, are the main risk to your holiday.

Can you drink the tap water in Thailand?

No. Bottled and filtered water is cheap and sold everywhere, and refill stations are common, so a refillable bottle saves both money and plastic.

About the author. This guide is written and maintained by the Wonderful Wanderings editorial team. Wonderful Wanderings was founded in 2012 by Sofie Couwenbergh, and the booking habits in this post, from Agoda for Southeast Asian hotels to the Airalo eSIM she travels with, are hers. The team covers Thailand for independent travellers, including the Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Krabi tours worth booking, the islands, the food, the packing gear and the travel insurance, and updates this page when prices, dates and entry rules change.