Thailand is where almost every trip through Southeast Asia starts, and the route has more or less drawn itself: you land in Bangkok, take the night train north, then drop down to the islands in the south. The tricky part is the rest. Which coast do you pick, how many days does Pai get, and how do you get from the Andaman Sea to the Gulf without losing a day?
Twelve stops, from Bangkok to Koh Tao. For each one you get how many days it needs, how to reach the next stop and which hostel we would start with. Then we cut the whole thing into three sizes: three, four and six weeks.
Every stop links to our page for that place, which is where you will find the neighbourhoods, the hostels and everything there is to do.
The route at a glance
- Bangkok (3 days)
- Chiang Mai (3 to 4 days)
- Pai (3 days)
- Chiang Rai (2 days)
- Khao Sok (2 to 3 days)
- Krabi (3 days)
- Koh Phi Phi (2 to 3 days)
- Koh Lanta (3 to 4 days)
- Phuket (2 to 3 days)
- Koh Samui (2 to 3 days)
- Koh Phangan (3 to 5 days)
- Koh Tao (3 to 5 days)
Add up the low end and you are already past thirty days. The route splits into four pieces: Bangkok, the north around Chiang Mai, the Andaman coast with Krabi and the islands off it, and the three Gulf islands on the other side of the peninsula. Khao Sok sits right between the two coasts and is your jungle break from all the beaches.
Three, four or six weeks?
3 weeks: Bangkok, the north and one coast on each sea
Bangkok (3), Chiang Mai (3), Pai (2), Khao Sok (2), Krabi (3), Koh Phi Phi (2), Koh Phangan (3) and Koh Tao (3). That makes 21 days, and in that time you get the temples and street food of Bangkok, the mountains and elephant sanctuaries of the north, the jungle of Khao Sok, the limestone cliffs of Krabi and two Gulf islands.
Chiang Rai, Koh Lanta, Phuket and Koh Samui wait for a longer trip. From Pai you head back to Chiang Mai and take the night train to Bangkok, then the next evening the night train on to Surat Thani for Khao Sok. From Koh Phi Phi you sail back to Krabi and cross over to Koh Phangan via Surat Thani. From Koh Tao the catamaran plus night train gets you back to Bangkok in one go.
4 weeks: add Chiang Rai, Koh Lanta and Koh Samui
Take the three-week route and add Chiang Rai (2), Koh Lanta (3) and Koh Samui (2). Chiang Rai pairs with Chiang Mai, three hours by bus, and from there you fly to Bangkok in eighty minutes. Koh Lanta is an hour and a half by boat from Koh Phi Phi. Koh Samui is the first of the three Gulf islands and the natural place to arrive from Surat Thani.
That brings you to 28 days: a full month in which you have seen both coasts and all three Gulf islands.
6 weeks: everything, with Phuket and an extension
All twelve stops, at the generous end of each range: count on 40 to 42 days. Phuket then fits between Koh Lanta and the crossing to the Gulf, and Koh Phangan and Koh Tao get the four or five days they deserve. Since 15 September 2026 most passports get 30 days visa free on arrival, so for six weeks you should plan on extending once at an immigration office. Check what applies to your passport on our visa page.
Bangkok: the first day is the hardest
1. Bangkok (3 days)
Almost everyone lands at Suvarnabhumi, thirty kilometres outside the city, and the Airport Rail Link takes you to Phaya Thai for about €1.50. Sleep in Banglamphu: you are close to the temples and to Khao San Road, and a bed costs around €6. Day one is the Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun, with the boat back across the river. Day two is a market and the skyline from a rooftop bar, day three Ayutthaya or a Muay Thai night. There at the weekend? Set aside half a day for Chatuchak.
Give the city two days and the heat, the traffic and the chaos turn into part of the fun. The best known trick in town is someone telling you the Grand Palace is closed today. Do Khao San Road once, then spend your other evenings on Soi Rambuttri right next to it. What to eat here is in our Bangkok street food guide, the neighbourhoods and hostels are on our Bangkok page, and the sights are in things to do in Bangkok.
Getting to the next stop: the night train to Chiang Mai takes thirteen hours. Book a sleeper berth and you step off in the morning between the mountains. Flying takes an hour and often costs less than €30.
Our verdict: three days, split between your arrival and the end of your trip if you fly home from Bangkok
The north: mountains, temples and 762 bends
2. Chiang Mai (3 to 4 days)
For a lot of backpackers this is where the Thailand trip really starts. Sleep in the Old City, where everything is walkable. Day one is the temples inside the moat and a night market in the evening, day two an elephant sanctuary, day three Doi Suthep and the mountains behind it. A fourth day goes on ziplining or a cooking class that starts at the market.
The choice that matters here is the elephant sanctuary. At a good one you do not ride, you do not bathe with the animals, and the elephant decides for itself whether it wants contact. Coming in March or April? Read up on the burning season before you go. Both are covered on our Chiang Mai page, and the best days out are in things to do in Chiang Mai.
Getting to the next stop: the minibus to Pai takes three hours, costs around €5 and has 762 bends. Take something for motion sickness, even if you never normally need it. The whole ride is in Chiang Mai to Pai.
Our verdict: three days, and on your last morning rent a scooter for the mountains towards Mon Jam at sunrise
3. Pai (3 days)
A mountain village at 600 metres in a valley between green hills, and the place where people come for two days and stay for two weeks. Day one is the scooter loop past Pai Canyon, the Bamboo Bridge, the Land Split and Pembok waterfall. Day two is tubing on the Pai river or the Sai Ngam hot springs. On day three you head into the valley before sunrise, while the sea of mist still hangs below the viewpoints, and ride on to Tham Lod cave.
Pai is where you see the most backpackers walking around with bandages on their legs, and that graze has a name here for a reason: the Pai tattoo. Wear a helmet and proper shoes, photograph your scooter before you ride off, and do not get on it after a few drinks on Walking Street. Why everyone ends up staying longer, and the rest of what you need to know, is on our Pai page.
Getting to the next stop: the same 762 bends back to Chiang Mai, and from there the bus to Chiang Rai in about three hours.
Our verdict: three days, and set your alarm one morning for sunrise over the valley
4. Chiang Rai (2 days)
You do not come here for the nightlife. You come for three temples you will not see anywhere else in this form: the White Temple, the Blue Temple and the Black House, with the night bazaar in the evening. Day two is the Golden Triangle, or a day on the scooter towards Mae Salong and Doi Tung, past tea plantations and hill villages. Rent the scooter on your first morning and ride out of town before eight, while the mist is still hanging between the mountains.
Chiang Rai is also where you can swap Thailand for Laos: via Chiang Khong you cross the Mekong and take the two-day slow boat to Luang Prabang. That route is in Chiang Rai to Laos. Staying in Thailand? Then everything else is on our Chiang Rai page.
Getting to the next stop: heading south, you fly to Bangkok in eighty minutes, or take the night bus of around twelve hours. From Bangkok you catch the night train to Surat Thani that same evening, nine hours, and the next morning you are in the jungle.
Our verdict: two days, exactly enough for the temples and one morning in the mountains
Khao Sok: the jungle between the two coasts
5. Khao Sok (2 to 3 days)
Khao Sok sits halfway between the Andaman coast and the Gulf coast and protects one of the oldest rainforests in the world. Two nights is the minimum: one in the village and one on Cheow Lan Lake, in a floating hut between the limestone towers. Day one is into the park along the river, day two out on the boat to the lake, and with a third day you get Nam Talu cave or an afternoon tubing down the Sok river.
Khao Sok is about the jungle and the quiet, so do not expect a party. Bring shoes with grip, repellent with DEET and cash, because there is no ATM on the lake. Nam Talu cave is for outside the rainy season only. And book your night on the lake as soon as you arrive. The park, the lake and the hostels are on our Khao Sok page, the best days out in things to do in Khao Sok.
Getting to the next stop: from Surat Thani you are here in two hours by minibus, and Krabi is three hours on. Nearly every hostel arranges the transfer for you.
Our own pick
Overnight on Cheow Lan Lake
Two days on the lake with Rungfah Farm Stay: longtail boat out, a jungle trek, and a night in a floating raft house. You go out on safari twice, at dusk and again just after dawn, while the day-trip boats are still two hours away.
See the two day tripOur partner in Khao Sok
Our verdict: three days, and the night on the lake is worth every hour of the journey
The Andaman coast: limestone cliffs, longtails and three islands
6. Krabi (3 days)
Krabi is a whole province, and as a backpacker you sleep in Ao Nang, walking distance from the beach and the boats. Day one is Railay and Phra Nang Cave Beach, reachable only by longtail from Ao Nang beach. Day two is the four islands trip, and day three the scooter out to Tiger Cave Temple, the Emerald Pool and the hot springs. Book your longtail to Railay for early morning and you have Phra Nang almost to yourself until around eleven, when the day boats arrive.
Stay out of the water at Railay when the red flag is up, because the current between the rocks is strong, and take water and proper shoes for the 1,237 steps of Tiger Cave Temple. Where to stay and what to book is on our Krabi page, the best days out in things to do in Krabi.
Getting to the next stop: the ferry to Koh Phi Phi takes an hour and a half. In low season there are a lot fewer boats.
Our verdict: three days, and that first longtail to Railay is the best morning on the Andaman coast
7. Koh Phi Phi (2 to 3 days)
Limestone walls, clear water and a village with no traffic. Sleep in Tonsai Village, near the pier and the tour shops. Day one is a boat trip past Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, Viking Cave and Monkey Beach, day two the climb to the viewpoint and on to Long Beach, day three snorkelling at Bamboo Island or diving at Koh Bida. Whatever you do, stay the night rather than coming on a day trip from Phuket or Krabi: Phi Phi is at its best early in the morning and after four in the afternoon, once the day boats have gone.
This is a party island, and most accidents happen on the beach at night. Keep your shoes on at Loh Dalum Beach because of the glass, stay well away from the burning ropes, and stay out of the water once you have been drinking. The boat trips and the hostels are on our Koh Phi Phi page, the best days out in things to do on Koh Phi Phi.
Getting to the next stop: Koh Lanta is an hour and a half by boat. Heading straight to the Gulf? Then you sail back to Krabi and travel overland via Surat Thani.
Our verdict: two nights minimum, with one alarm set for sunrise at the viewpoint
8. Koh Lanta (3 to 4 days)
After Krabi and Koh Phi Phi, this is the island where the pace finally drops. Thirty kilometres long, one main road, and you need a scooter to see any of it. Sleep near Long Beach. Day one is the beaches from north to south, day two Old Town and the east side, day three the national park or a snorkelling trip, and with a fourth day you dive at Koh Haa or Hin Daeng.
On your second day, ride all the way south towards the national park, past beaches, viewpoints and beach bars where hardly anyone stops. The main road is narrow and there are dogs on it, so take it slowly at night. Koh Lanta has a Muslim majority, so cover up in the villages. The beaches and the hostels are on our Koh Lanta page.
Getting to the next stop: Phuket is three hours by boat. In low season the speedboats run less often, and then you go overland via Krabi, with two short car ferries on the way.
Our verdict: three days that quietly turn into five
9. Phuket (2 to 3 days)
The biggest island in Thailand, and much more than Patong: beaches, an old town, hills and the best boat trips on the Andaman coast. Sleep in Kata, on the beach but away from the noise. Day one is Old Town and a beach on the west coast, day two a boat trip to Phang Nga Bay, day three the southern tip with the Big Buddha, Promthep Cape at sunset and the quiet beaches around Rawai. Already stayed on Koh Phi Phi? Then you have seen the best of it, and your boat day here goes to Phang Nga Bay.
This is the island where the most tourists get hurt, because of the sea and the traffic. Do not swim on a red flag and do not ride a scooter after drinking. Photograph and film your scooter or jet ski from every side before you take it, because the damage claims here are notorious. Where to stay and how to get around is on our Phuket page, the best days out in things to do in Phuket.
Getting to the next stop: overland to Surat Thani, where the boats to the Gulf islands leave from Don Sak. Not done Khao Sok yet? Then split the journey there: from Phuket it is four and a half hours to the jungle, then two hours on to Surat Thani.
Our verdict: two days, one early boat trip and the rest on the southern tip
The Gulf islands: the other side of the peninsula
10. Koh Samui (2 to 3 days)
The most developed and the most expensive of the three Gulf islands, and at the same time the one with the best hostels. Sleep in Chaweng. Day one is Chaweng and the temples in the northeast, day two the fifty-one kilometre ring road past the Na Muang waterfalls and the rocks at Lamai, day three the day trip to Ang Thong Marine Park. Ride the ring road on a Sunday and you finish at the night market in Lamai.
The ring road is busy and carries real cars, so riding a scooter at night is not a good idea here. Book taxis through an app, because the meters are almost never on. The beaches, the hostels and the costs are on our Koh Samui page, the best days out in things to do on Koh Samui.
Getting to the next stop: Koh Phangan is half an hour by boat.
Our verdict: two days as a stepping stone, and the third only for Ang Thong
11. Koh Phangan (3 to 5 days)
More versatile than its reputation: one day you are riding a scooter past beaches and viewpoints, the next night you are up until sunrise. Sleep in Baan Tai, central enough for both sides of the island. Day one is Haad Rin and the south, day two Srithanu and the northwest with sunset at Zen Beach, day three the scooter past Bottle Beach, the waterfalls and the viewpoint at Khao Ra. A fourth day goes on snorkelling at Koh Ma, a fifth on a yoga class.
Coming for the Full Moon Party? Arrive at least a day early and give yourself a day afterwards to recover. Book your bed around the full moon at least two weeks ahead. Everything you need to know about the party, and the rest of the island, is on our Koh Phangan page.
Getting to the next stop: Koh Tao is an hour and a half by boat.
Our verdict: three days minimum, and end your night at Zen Beach rather than at the party
12. Koh Tao (3 to 5 days)
An island of 21 square kilometres where backpackers stay longer than anywhere else. You come here for the water, the bays and the evenings on Sairee. Sleep near Sairee Beach, with the dive schools around the corner. Not diving? Spend a day snorkelling or island hopping to Koh Nang Yuan, and a day on the scooter past the bays in the south, finishing at a viewpoint for sunset. Going for your Open Water? The course takes three to four days, and you will want one more day after that for the island itself.
Only book your dive course on the day you arrive, and walk past a few schools first. How the course days fit into your stay is on our Koh Tao page. Check your insurance, because plenty of policies only cover diving to eighteen metres, and do not fly within eighteen hours of your last dive. The best days out, above and below the water, are in things to do on Koh Tao.
Heading home: the catamaran to Chumphon takes an hour and a half and connects with the night train to Bangkok, around eight hours. With the waiting added in, count on fifteen to eighteen hours door to door. That combined ticket is by far the easiest way back.
Our own pick
Diving with Below Zero Divers
Small groups, and instructors who take the safety briefing seriously instead of reciting it. You can go from a first try dive all the way to divemaster with the same school, which means the people teaching you actually know how you dive.
Reader discount with the code REBELSONTHEROAD. Mention it when you book, because they will not apply it for you.
See Below Zero DiversOur partner on Koh Tao
Our verdict: four days if you dive, three if you do not, and either way one spare day for the island itself
Practical: transport, timing, visa and budget
Getting around Thailand between the stops
Thailand is one of the easiest countries in Asia to travel on your own. The night train is the classic: asleep from Bangkok to Chiang Mai in thirteen hours, or to Surat Thani in nine. Buses and minivans go everywhere, cheap and often, and the ferries to the islands connect with the trains and buses, usually on a combined ticket. Flying saves you half a day on the big jumps: Bangkok to Chiang Mai, Krabi or Phuket in just over an hour, often for less than €30.
One thing to remember: the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand are on opposite sides of the peninsula. From Koh Phi Phi or Koh Lanta to Koh Phangan you always go back overland via Surat Thani, and that takes a day.
The best time to visit Thailand for this route
For Thailand as a whole, November to February is the best time to go: dry and pleasant, with cool mornings in the north. But the two coasts each have their own season. The Andaman coast is at its best from November to April, while the Gulf islands only dry out in February and then stay good through August. October to December is monsoon over there. And in March and April the smoke of the burning season hangs over the north.
Want one window for the whole route? Start in January in Bangkok and the north, and be on the islands in February. That gets you a clear north, a calm Andaman coast and a Gulf that has just dried out. And if you are there from 13 to 15 April, the whole country turns into a three-day water fight for Songkran.
Visa and onward ticket
Most nationalities can enter Thailand visa free, and you can extend your stay once by thirty days at an immigration office. Since 15 September 2026 the stamp on arrival is 30 days instead of 60, so check what applies to your passport on our visa page just before you fly. In the three days before you land you fill in the Thailand Digital Arrival Card, and the airline will want to see a ticket out of the country at the gate. How to get one without locking in your route is on our onward ticket page.
What to pack
Pack warmer for this route than you think. In December and January it is around ten degrees at sunrise in the north, so a thin jumper and long trousers come along, even if you are on the beach a week later. Beyond that: something to cover your shoulders for the temples, reef-safe sunscreen without oxybenzone for snorkelling over the coral, a waterproof pouch for your phone on the longtails, and your international driving permit if you want to ride a scooter in Pai or on Koh Lanta.
The full list, plus what you can simply buy when you get there, is in the Thailand packing list.
What this route costs
Count on about €30 a day if you backpack normally: a bed around €8, a meal for €2 and a beer for €2. In the north you get by on less, with beds around €5 in Chiang Mai and €4 in Pai, while Phuket, Koh Samui and Koh Phi Phi cost a bit more. A dive course on Koh Tao and the night on Cheow Lan Lake are the big extras. That puts three weeks at around €630, not counting your flights.
Got time to spare?
If you have days left over, there are a few great side trips ready and waiting. From Bangkok, Ayutthaya is a day out by train. From Pai you can ride the Mae Hong Son loop, a multi-day circuit through the mountains with another 1,864 bends. South of Koh Lanta are Trang and the Koh Mook islands, where far fewer travellers go. And from Chiang Rai you are almost in Laos: the slow boat to Luang Prabang is two days on the Mekong. Carrying on to Laos, Vietnam or Cambodia? The order and the border crossings are in our route through four countries.
Short on time instead? Pick one coast and do it properly. Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pai and three Gulf islands is a whole trip in two weeks.
Andaman coast or Gulf islands: which side do you pick if you can only do one sea?
The honest answer: it depends on the month. From November to January the Andaman coast is dry and the Gulf is still wet, so that is when you pick Krabi, Koh Phi Phi and Koh Lanta. From June to August it is exactly the other way round, and Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao are the better side. In February, March and April you can do both, and that is why we use those months for the whole route.
If it is not about the weather but about the feel: the Andaman coast has the limestone cliffs, the longtails and the boat trips, the Gulf has the diving, the parties and the islands people never quite leave. Coming for the scenery? Go to Krabi. Coming for the water and the nights? Go to Koh Tao.
Our advice: in three weeks, do one island on the Andaman coast and two in the Gulf, exactly like the three-week route above. That way you see the limestone of Krabi and Koh Phi Phi, and you finish on Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, which you were never going to want to leave anyway.
