Temple cities, karst bays and party beaches share one list here, along with quieter mountain towns and rainforest lakes. Pick the stop you'd book again.
1BangkokThailand's capital on the Chao Phraya River, home to the Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun.
2Chiang MaiNorthern city founded in 1296, with a moated old town and over 100 Buddhist temples.
3PhuketThailand's largest island, on the Andaman Sea, known for Patong Beach and its Old Town shophouses.
4KrabiAndaman coast province of limestone karsts, with Ao Nang and the Railay peninsula as its main bases.
5Ko Phi PhiIsland group in Krabi province that includes Maya Bay, the beach used for the 2000 film The Beach.
6Ko SamuiGulf of Thailand island in Surat Thani province, known for Chaweng Beach and the Big Buddha temple.
7Ko Pha-nganGulf of Thailand island whose Haad Rin beach hosts the monthly Full Moon Party.
8Ko TaoSmall Gulf of Thailand island north of Ko Pha-ngan, known as a centre for scuba-diving courses.
9Ko LantaIsland district in Krabi province with long west-coast beaches and Mu Ko Lanta National Park at its southern tip.
10Ko LipeSmall island near the Malaysian border, inside the Tarutao National Marine Park.
11Ko ChangThailand's third-largest island, in Trat province near the Cambodian border, mostly covered by a national park.
12Ko SametIsland in Rayong province, a short ferry ride from Ban Phe pier, protected within Khao Laem Ya-Mu Ko Samet National Park.
13Khao Sok National ParkRainforest park in Surat Thani province, established in 1980, that includes the Cheow Lan Lake reservoir.
14Khao Yai National ParkThailand's first national park, created in 1962, and part of a UNESCO World Heritage forest complex.
15Doi InthanonThailand's highest mountain at 2,565 m, in Chiang Mai province, protected as Doi Inthanon National Park.
16Phang Nga BayBay in the Andaman Sea studded with limestone islands, including Khao Phing Kan, called James Bond Island.
17AyutthayaCapital of the Siamese kingdom from 1351 to 1767, whose ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
18SukhothaiCapital of the 13th-century Sukhothai Kingdom, whose historical park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
19Chiang RaiNorthernmost major city of Thailand, home to the White Temple (Wat Rong Khun) and near the Golden Triangle.
20PaiSmall town in Mae Hong Son province on the mountain road from Chiang Mai, known for Pai Canyon.
21KanchanaburiWestern town where the Death Railway crosses the Khwae Yai River, close to Erawan National Park.
22Hua HinSeaside resort on the Gulf of Thailand, home to the royal Klai Kangwon Palace, begun in 1926.
Photo credits
- Bangkok — Ninara from Helsinki, Finland, CC BY 2.0
- Chiang Mai — Nawit science, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Phuket — Bennypc, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Krabi — kallerna, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ko Phi Phi — Luxure, CC BY 3.0
- Ko Samui — Manfred Werner, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ko Pha-ngan — Manfred Werner (User:Tsui, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ko Tao — kallerna, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ko Lanta — Wanjak Atikomchakorn, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ko Lipe — VascoPlanet World Photography, CC BY 3.0
- Ko Chang — Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0
- Khao Sok National Park — BerryJ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Khao Yai National Park — Nawit science, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Doi Inthanon — Lester Mathias Andersson, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Phang Nga Bay — Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0
- Ayutthaya — Nord794ub, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sukhothai — Khunkay, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Chiang Rai — JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Pai — Unnawut Leepaisalsuwanna, CC BY 3.0
- Kanchanaburi — Nomad Tales, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Hua Hin — josef knecht, CC BY 3.0
