# The 22 Best Places to Visit in Thailand

> 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.

*By YPB Team · Published November 7, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-22-best-places-to-visit-in-thailand*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Bangkok**
   Thailand's capital on the Chao Phraya River, home to the Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun.
2. **Chiang Mai**
   Northern city founded in 1296, with a moated old town and over 100 Buddhist temples.
3. **Phuket**
   Thailand's largest island, on the Andaman Sea, known for Patong Beach and its Old Town shophouses.
4. **Krabi**
   Andaman coast province of limestone karsts, with Ao Nang and the Railay peninsula as its main bases.
5. **Ko Phi Phi**
   Island group in Krabi province that includes Maya Bay, the beach used for the 2000 film The Beach.
6. **Ko Samui**
   Gulf of Thailand island in Surat Thani province, known for Chaweng Beach and the Big Buddha temple.
7. **Ko Pha-ngan**
   Gulf of Thailand island whose Haad Rin beach hosts the monthly Full Moon Party.
8. **Ko Tao**
   Small Gulf of Thailand island north of Ko Pha-ngan, known as a centre for scuba-diving courses.
9. **Ko Lanta**
   Island district in Krabi province with long west-coast beaches and Mu Ko Lanta National Park at its southern tip.
10. **Ko Lipe**
   Small island near the Malaysian border, inside the Tarutao National Marine Park.
11. **Ko Chang**
   Thailand's third-largest island, in Trat province near the Cambodian border, mostly covered by a national park.
12. **Ko Samet**
   Island in Rayong province, a short ferry ride from Ban Phe pier, protected within Khao Laem Ya-Mu Ko Samet National Park.
13. **Khao Sok National Park**
   Rainforest park in Surat Thani province, established in 1980, that includes the Cheow Lan Lake reservoir.
14. **Khao Yai National Park**
   Thailand's first national park, created in 1962, and part of a UNESCO World Heritage forest complex.
15. **Doi Inthanon**
   Thailand's highest mountain at 2,565 m, in Chiang Mai province, protected as Doi Inthanon National Park.
16. **Phang Nga Bay**
   Bay in the Andaman Sea studded with limestone islands, including Khao Phing Kan, called James Bond Island.
17. **Ayutthaya**
   Capital of the Siamese kingdom from 1351 to 1767, whose ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
18. **Sukhothai**
   Capital of the 13th-century Sukhothai Kingdom, whose historical park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
19. **Chiang Rai**
   Northernmost major city of Thailand, home to the White Temple (Wat Rong Khun) and near the Golden Triangle.
20. **Pai**
   Small town in Mae Hong Son province on the mountain road from Chiang Mai, known for Pai Canyon.
21. **Kanchanaburi**
   Western town where the Death Railway crosses the Khwae Yai River, close to Erawan National Park.
22. **Hua Hin**
   Seaside resort on the Gulf of Thailand, home to the royal Klai Kangwon Palace, begun in 1926.

Tags: travel, asia, islands, thailand