Your Guide To Thailand, from Thailand

Anytime is good to travel to Thailand. Thailand is a country with a tropical climate where you can enjoy a trip at any time of the year. The famous monsoons are not so bad.

Broadly speaking, we can divide the climate of Thailand into three seasons or seasons:

▶ ️ Dry and cooler season: From November to February. It is for many the best time to visit the country, since it is less hot and the probability of rain is lower. As it is the high season, the prices of the tourist offer will be higher.

▶ ️ Hot season: In March and April. The temperature can reach 37º (in Bangkok) and the probability of precipitation is still low.

▶ ️ Rainy or monsoon season: From May to October. It corresponds to the low season and coincides with the monsoon season. Although precipitation is more likely to occur, it is usually short and intense. You can continue traveling to the country and enjoying it. As for the southern islands, a different trend can be seen depending on the geographical area; in the Andaman Sea (west coast) there is more rainfall from May to October, while in the Gulf of Thailand (east coast) they are more frequent between October and December. Thus, on the islands of Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao it does not usually rain in July and August.

If you want to witness special events or cultural expressions of interest, it may be good to consider visiting the country on Thai New Years (Songkran, in April) or during Loy krathong and Yee Peng, the famous festival of the flying lanterns (November ).

On a sightseeing trip, it is best to have the accommodation in a central location – or close to the metro in the case of Bangkok – to have easy access to points of interest. The type of accommodation to choose will depend on the budget and type of trip that is being made. If it is a backpacking trip, the best option will be the hostels, which are in great quantity and of varied quality in Thailand, and the prices are usually very good. From hostels to super luxury 5 * + hotels. We have a section dedicated to hotels in Thailand.

If you choose hotels from 3 stars, the offer in Thailand is very good and the quality of the hotel agrees with the number of stars attributed to the property. However, in this case it is best to book in advance due to the high demand for them.

When choosing the hotel, it is recommended to bear in mind the following
▶ ️ Location. Ideal if you are near the center or the main tourist attractions.
▶ ️ If you travel alone, as a couple, with friends or as a Family. Some hotels have a family room option, and areas for children.
▶ ️ Additional services. Some hotels offer transfers to and from the airport, tours or excursions in and around the city and vehicle rental, among others.

If you have the time, the more you can enjoy in Thailand, the better. This will depend on the interests of the traveler, their budget, and the limitations of their visa.

If you are traveling from Spain or, especially, from a Latin American country, a visit of a few days does not make much sense, considering the long flight distances and the cost of the ticket. It could be said that from 10 days it is possible to take a trip in which you can enjoy the country and visit the most representative places – usually the capital, a northern city and some beach destination – being able to enjoy different aspects of the landscape natural and cultural of Thailand.

The optimal travel time could be between 15 and 20 days, considering a trip whose main purpose is recreation and knowing its main attractions and more. If you have more time and resources, adding a visit to a neighboring country is an interesting option.

If you travel to Thailand from Europe it can take between 12 and 22 hours approximately (some times you might need to stop over) which generally means arriving the next calendar day. From here, the most recommended airlines are Swiss Airlines, AirFrance, Lufthansa, Finnair, Thai Airways, British Airways, Emirate Airline, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines or Singapore Airlines. Most airlines from Middle East make a stopover, usually in Qatar or Dubai.

From America, on the other hand, the trip will be longer, approximately 25 to 40 hours between flights and stopovers – two to three -, and an arrival in Thailand should be considered two calendar days later. If the trip is from South America, airlines such as British Airways, Emirate Airline and Turkish Airline will be a good option, while from Central America and Mexico, you can find flights with Air China, Aeroméxico, China Southern, China Eastern and Japan Airlines, among others. . The routes can include stopovers that, in general, will be made in Europe or Oceania (if traveling from the South) and in Asia if traveling from Central or North America.

In Thailand transport works well and connectivity is usually quite good between the most important points of the country. To travel by plane, there are many airlines (most are low cost) that offer domestic flights from the main cities, especially from Bangkok.

The bus service works well too although the quality of the buses can vary a lot. They are a good option for the backpacker, for those who travel to a nearby place (in this case, for faster trips, vans may be a good option) or for those sections that cannot be covered by – or it does not make sense to do so – by air route (for example, the Sukhothai – Chiang Mai section).

You can also travel by train. It is a slower option, more outdated infrastructure and therefore less punctual, but in many cases cheaper and a good option for night sections. In Bangkok the most accessible station is Hua Lamphong, which can be reached using the metro (MRT).

Renting a vehicle for long trips or traveling through the city is only recommended if you have experience driving in another country and with a handlebar on the right side of the vehicle, since vehicular traffic is usually chaotic in cities.

Finally, you can hire an organized trip with a travel agency that includes all the trips you have to do by land.

If you travel to Thailand for 10 days and the objective of the trip is tourism and recreation, you can make an itinerary that contains the most characteristic natural, urban and cultural landscapes of this beautiful country.

For this, a trip with the following stages would be recommended.

▶ ️ Start in Bangkok. Considering the arrival at the airport and the most characteristic excursions in the city and surroundings, you can spend about 3 days in the capital of Thailand. Excursions such as the Royal Palace, Wat Pho temple, Market on the railway line and Floating Market are recommended. Some of the aforementioned excursions could be replaced by – or combined with – a visit to the Ayutthaya Ruins.

▶ ️ Continue to Chiang Mai. Flying from Bangkok, or traveling by night train, you can reach this city, and with 2-3 days you can see its main attractions. In the historic center you will have a series of temples to visit and in the surroundings a visit to the Doi Inthanon park or a visit to an elephant sanctuary that gives a good treatment to the pachyderms is recommended (and thus avoid disappointment and sadness once the excursion ends) .

▶  Finish on the Beach. From Chiang Mai you can fly to a beach destination and enjoy the remaining days. In Thailand there are many, but in this case, for time, we recommend one where it does not take you quickly by plane. In this case, the beaches of Ao Nang (in the province of Krabi), Phuket, or the island of Koh Samui are recommended.