10 day Thailand Itinerary

Happy New Year! It feels good to be out of 2020, but I still feel vastly different right now than I did a year ago. A year ago I was with my friend Allison spending the remaining ~10 days of our winter break in Thailand. We spent New Year's Eve in Bangkok, waking up to what we thought would be a fresh and exciting year. Ahhh how carefree and clueless we were!

While this year has been one of the most difficult (if not the most difficult) year many of us have been through, it WILL come to an end and we WILL be able to travel again! Thailand is one of my favorite places that I've been, and I thought that Allison and I covered a lot of territory effectively. For that reason, I decided to write down our Thailand itinerary in case you are thinking of going one day (it was also an excuse to look through Thailand photos again).

So if you, like me, are dreaming of future travel, take these next few minutes and bathe in glorious pictures of a far-off place, and maybe pick up some ideas for your next trip!

The time of year we went (late December - early January) is ideal in terms of weather; it's always going to be hot, but this time of year it's dry. #10dayThailanditinerary

Stop #1: Bangkok

Travel:

Flight San Francisco SFO -> Taipei TPE

Flight Taipei TPE -> Bangkok BKK

Total travel time: ~19 hours

Accommodations:

AirBnB in Old Bangkok

Bangkok Day 1: Exploring the city

Flying into Bangkok is the easiest way to get to Thailand and allows you to start your journey in a vibrant, electric city. We used Grab Taxi (Thailand's Uber) to get from the airport to our AirBnB. Throughout the trip we used a combination of Grab Taxi, tuk-tuks, and walking to get from place to place.

We arrived at our AirBnB during the day on December 31, 2019. We were determined to not take a nap and spend as much time in the sun so we could try to get our sleep schedules aligned quickly. After dropping off our luggage in the AirBnB (and taking much needed showers after our long journey), we set out to explore a bit. We started by hitting up Khaosan Road (walking distance from our AirBnB) for a bit of lunch. Khaosan Road is a famous destination for backpackers and has a young, energetic, grungy vibe. While both of us were determined to expand our Thai food horizons on this trip, for our first meal neither of us were feeling particularly adventurous and settled on fried rice (which was delicious and cheap - like many things in Thailand).

Next we took a cab through the city to Lumphini Park, a large public park where Bangkok residents go to walk, relax, and paddle around the artificial lake. We particularly enjoyed seeing the outdoor gym equipment and the people (some of them quite elderly) pumping iron.

After a Thai iced tea break (we drank one of these almost every day on this trip), we went to the Banyan Tree Hotel to check out the rooftop bar called "Moon Bar". We discovered that the top area was closed off for New Year's Eve celebrations, but we were still able to go to the next level below the roof and take in the views of the city.

After Moon Bar, we took a stop to recharge and get our nails done. Our manicures were unsurprisingly something much cheaper in Thailand than I've ever seen in the U.S.

For dinner, we took a public ferry to the Asiatique riverfront marketplace, an open air market on the river filled with hundreds of food stalls and shops. We were overwhelmed by the sheer amount of food at the outdoor food court and spent a good long while doing laps and taking in all the options. After eating and poking around the shops, we considered staying to watch the New Year's Eve fireworks that were to be set off later that night, but in all honesty we were both spent from being up for going on 36 hours and decided to call it a night.

Bangkok Day 2: Modern Bangkok

We woke up in 2020 after some much-needed sleep. We spent day 2 exploring modern Bangkok, starting with Bangkok's largest shopping malls in the Siam area. We neglected real breakfast in favor of more Thai iced tea and food from the food court of the Siam Paragon (the mall with supposedly the best food). We were astounded by the seemingly endless number of options and the high quality of each food stall (there were some stalls that had Michelin stars). I'm not even sure what either of us ate, but everything was delicious, including our mango sticky rice dessert.

After exhausting our capacity for shopping malls, (and me buying a pair of elephant pants along the way), we went to the Jim Thompson House, a historic house and museum a short walk away. We signed up for a tour and walked around, learning about Jim Thompson, his work in Thailand, and his art.

Our bodies had begun to ache after all the walking and we took the opportunity to get massages. I am not normally a big massage person (I tend to be kind of ticklish), but boy was the Thai massage a good decision. The massage was almost incomprehensibly cheap compared to what you would pay in the U.S. and after those 60 minutes, my body felt like rolled out jelly in the best way possible.

Bangkok Day 3: Old Bangkok

Our last day in Bangkok was spent exploring the brightly colored ancient architecture that Bangkok has to offer. We started at the Grand Palace, wandering through the throngs of people and admiring the opulent, glimmering temples. I was floored by how colorful everything was! I'd seen my share of European cathedrals with their colored stained glass windows (Sainte Chapelle in Paris is often described as a "jewel box" of color), but this was on another level. I couldn't get over how brightly the tiles shone in the sunlight and how much work was put into every detail, down to the last step.

We saw Wat Pho, and inside the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. I enjoyed the relaxed position of this larger than life statue (and its intricately patterned feet) so much that I bought myself a tiny replica of it.

We finished our temple tour at Wat Arun, perhaps my favorite of the temples. The white, green, and burgundy tones climbing upwards and upwards really felt other-worldly - it was easy to feel worshipful walking amongst a structure like that.

On our way home we stumbled across a truly beautiful building tucked away on a random street. It clearly wasn't a popular tourist destination, but the architecture was absolutely stunning. We enjoyed wandering around, alone in this gorgeous hidden gem.

We stopped by the Giant Swing (not a real swing, but a large red archway) before getting a delicious meal at Krua Apsorn, an acclaimed family-run restaurant in Bangkok. We had the famous crab curry (which was my favorite thing I ate in Bangkok) and shrimp Pad Thai. We finished off our meal by getting refreshing apple and coconut ice cream at a place near our AirBnB.

To conclude our time in Thailand's bustling capital, we returned to Moon Bar for drinks. We enjoyed spectacular nighttime views while leisurely sipping on delicious cocktails and picking at snacks.

Stop #2: Phuket

Travel:

Flight Bangkok DMK -> Phuket HKT

Shuttle to hotel (provided by hotel)

Total travel time: ~2.5 hours

Accommodations:

Pacific Club Resort, Karon Beach

From Bangkok we were finally off to what felt like the real vacation part of our vacation - the beaches! We flew south to Phuket and took a shuttle bus to our hotel. After the hustle and bustle of wild Bangkok, it was a relief to get out of the city. Both Allison and I felt like we had stepped into paradise as we first took in the sunset from our rooftop pool.

As I serenely swam laps while admiring the orange sky, I thought about how beautiful our planet is and how lucky I was to be able to see this corner of it.

Phuket Day 1: Phang Nga Bay

The next day we were off on a boat adventure! Through our hotel we booked a tour run by a company that picked us up and took us out on a boat ride. Allison and I managed to snag a seat on the outside of the boat (a savvy move) and we were thus able to enjoy the breathtaking views and the wind through our hair.

We rode through Phang Nga Bay, ogling the amazing rock structures that grew up out of the impossibly light blue-green water. We made a stop at James Bond Island, named because it was featured in a (supposedly not very good) James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun.

After exploring some of the surrounding caves, we stopped midday for lunch at Ko Panyi, a village built entirely on stilts on top of the water. I later saw this village on an episode of Travels with My Father on Netflix and was able to excitedly point at the television yelling that I'd been there.

After lunch we had the opportunity to kayak around the bay a bit. We had a guide who did 95% of the kayaking work, pointing things out to us and explaining as best he could. Clearly experienced with these tours, he knew the best heart-shaped photo stops!

This was definitely one of my favorite days of the trip. It was so refreshing to get out onto the water and be surrounded by such immense natural beauty. If there is a paradise, I think it looks a lot like Phang Nga Bay in Thailand.

Phuket Day 2: Green Elephant Sanctuary

Our second adventure in Thailand was at an elephant sanctuary. Unlike the elephant attractions of old in which visitors rode elephants who were (often) in chains, abused, and mistreated, our tour at Green Elephant Sanctuary was very educational and modern in its approach.

We were told that the vast Green Elephant Sanctuary was built to protect elephants that had faced terrible conditions and give them a new, safe home. I found it interesting that the sanctuary not only rescued the elephants, but also their mahouts (trainers). The mahouts are usually paired with the elephant at a young age, growing up with it and thus forming a deep bond.

There was no elephant-riding on this tour, but we were able to feed some of the elephants and bathe them in mud and enormous outdoor showers (fun for all of us).

We ended the day with some delicious Thai rolled ice cream on the beach. I usually don't like strawberry ice cream, but this was so fresh and sweet!

Stop #3: Ao Nang

Travel:

Ferry from Phuket to Ao Nang (booked through Phuket hotel)

Bus to hotel (included with ferry ticket)

Total travel time: ~3 hours

Accommodations:

DusitD2 Ao Nang

Our last stop on the Thailand trip was Ao Nang, across the bay from Phuket. We took a ferry and then a bus to our hotel and didn't do much else that night except enjoy the view from our room and eat evermore Thai food.

Ao Nang Day 1: Koh Phi Phi & surrounding islands

My other favorite day from the trip was this one, in which we took another boat tour, this time of the Krabi area. Knowing from experience that the front of the boat was the best, Allison and I snagged a spot up there again and enjoyed more jaw-dropping views.

Somehow the water seemed even bluer than before. We made a stop in a small bay and took a dip in the water, a pleasant temperature for a hot day.

We also stopped at Maya Bay, an idyllic island made famous by the (also supposedly bad) Leonardo di Caprio movie, The Beach. This island looked unbelievably perfect, the type of island that contains buried treasure or something.

The next stop was Monkey Beach which was appropriately overrun with adorable if not shockingly bold monkeys. These monkeys were very used to tourists and were not afraid to steal water bottles, drink wine from people's cups, and bite at people who got too close.

We ended the day at Koh Phi Phi Don, considered one of the most beautiful islands. We did some snorkeling and sun-tanning (by this point I already looked like a baked potato) before heading back to Ao Nang.

I just love the color of this water...

Ao Nang Day 2: Wandering around Ao Nang

Our last full day in Thailand we took it easy, sleeping in before grabbing some breakfast and spending much of the day searching for souvenirs. I had my eye on a particular shirt with the Chang Beer logo on it (a beer brand we saw everywhere in Thailand along with the accompanying souvenir shirt).

We picked up presents for friends and walked a mile to a particular store that carried some souvenir snacks to bring home.

That night we ate a last fancy meal at our hotel restaurant. I thought the shrimp Pad Thai was fantastic, some of the best I'd had, though I was glad that I was going to be done with Thai food for a while (too much of anything gets tiring!)

ลาก่อน (Goodbye) To leave Thailand we flew out of Krabi KBV back to Bangkok BKK. From there we took a flight to Doha DOH (in Qatar) and then finally to New York JFK, completing almost a full circle around the globe.

Thailand is definitely a place I would recommend visiting. It is both foreign, yet feels incredibly warm and safe, especially given that it's a popular tourist destination. It is also probably the most beautiful place I've seen in my life. When I think of Thailand, I'll think first of the water; those shades of blue are unlike anything I've seen anywhere else. The food is incredible (and incredibly cheap) and above all, the people are so nice. I don't know if it's because they are so used to swarms of tourists every year or if it's more of a cultural thing, but the people we interacted with there are some of the kindest, humblest people.

I hope this post was helpful in thinking about your future travels. At the least, I hope you enjoyed looking at photos of this beautiful place. If you are interested in subscribing, you can do so on the right tab :)

Happy travels!

- Evan

#thailand #10daythailanditinerary #travel #travelguide #itinterary #thailanditinerary