First Time in Thailand: Advice for 15-Day Itinerary

Good evening, Here’s a more readable version, unless I’m mistaken:

Bangkok, 1 night Krabi + Khao Sok, 5 nights Kanchanaburi + Ayutthaya... 1 night 🏴‍☠️ Train to Chiang Rai, 1 night Chiang Mai + Rai, 5 nights Bangkok, 1 night

What’s the point of that first almost useless day in Bangkok when your trip is already limited? From the arrival airport (BKK), there are several flights a day to Krabi (including 5 low-cost options) that would let you connect immediately.

Does this itinerary seem too packed to you?

Yes, Kanchanaburi and Ayutthaya deserve at least 3 nights and 1 night respectively. Similarly, 5 nights for Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai is too little—adding 2 or 3 more wouldn’t hurt to avoid rushing.

Should we cut some things to avoid it feeling like a "race" and fully enjoy the trip?

Clearly, yes.

A few tips:

- Direct low-cost flights exist from Krabi to Chiang Mai (3 on 19/11).

- There are 1 or 2 tourist shuttles from Kanchanaburi to Ayutthaya (book at least the day before with your Kanchanaburi accommodation). This is the only option to connect the two without going through Bangkok.

- Krabi to Kanchanaburi route: Take a night train from Trang or Surat Thani to Ban Pong, then a bus from Ban Pong to Kan (every 20 minutes, 1 hour) to avoid passing through Bangkok (saving about 5 hours). Or, if flying: low-cost flights with AirAsia, Nok Air, or Thai Lion Air from Krabi to Bangkok Don Muang (DMK), then a taxi to the Mo Chit bus terminal for minivans, and a minivan (every 20 minutes) to Kan in 2.5–3 hours (luggage on your lap or rent an extra seat for it).

- During the Loy Krathong festival week, flights and trains book up fast, as do accommodations in Chiang Mai.

- The Loy Krathong ceremony is celebrated by locals everywhere there’s water, so you don’t need to go to a specific city to see it.

- Sai Yok Noi isn’t worth the trip from Kanchanaburi alone (2–3 hours round trip). It’s better to combine it with other interesting sites in the area (Tham Krasae viaduct, a night on a raft in Sai Yok Yai National Park, etc.).

We (...) enjoy (...) meeting locals,

With the places you’re planning to visit and at this pace, you’ll only meet people with direct or indirect commercial interests.

We avoid overly touristy spots.

Even though November is less crowded, your itinerary is still quite tourist-heavy.

Thanks Songsam for your reply. On 11/13, I’ll join my husband who will already be in Bangkok for work for 5 days. We can only start our trip on Saturday, 11/14.

Following your advice, I’m wondering if, with 18 days on site, it might be better to just explore the North and skip the beaches in the South. So, visit Kanchanaburi, the waterfalls, and possibly Ayutthaya, then head to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, and return to Bangkok on 11/26.

Otherwise, option 2: Spend a max of 4 days at the beach, then take a direct flight to the north and visit Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai during the Lantern Festival, and return on 11/25 with the overnight train (apparently, it’s an experience worth having), and spend the night of 11/26 in Bangkok before flying back to France. But in this case, we’d skip Kanchanaburi and its waterfalls...

I’ll admit, I’m a bit lost because people I know tell me the North is stunning and that the beaches of Ko Phi Phi and Ko Lanta are also a must-see...

Thanks in advance

the overnight train (apparently it's an experience you've got to try)

As long as you hurry. Option 1 For a sleeper train Ayutthaya or Bangkok-Chiang Mai on 17 or 18/11, everything is fully booked except for train 109, which gets you there at 4 AM (+ delay, which in some cases can actually be a good thing...). Or seated places.

Return Chiang Mai-Bangkok by sleeper on 25 or 26/11: everything is fully booked, only seated places left (in this case, VIP buses are more comfortable and faster).

All this info is from the official State Railway of Thailand website: https://dticket.railway.co.th/DTicketPublicWeb/home/Home. On their site, Bangkok = Krung Thep Aphiwat.

Otherwise, flights—but hurry there too. Or buses, plenty of companies offering comfortable to VIP options. No train from Chiang Rai to Bangkok.

Both options seem good to me, but personally, I’d go with option 1 because any beach stay feels like a waste of time to me when you consider all there is to see elsewhere in this country.

Hi there! We’ve decided to stick to the mainland, so here’s our plan: - 2 full days in Kanchanaburi - 1 full day in Ayutthaya, then an overnight sleeper bus to Chiang Rai - 2 nights in Chiang Rai - 3 free nights - 3 nights in Chiang Mai for the Lantern Festival, then a return flight to Bangkok. Any suggestions for those 3 free nights? Thanks! Virginie

Hi,

2 full days in Kanchanaburi 1 full day in Ayutthaya then an overnight sleeper bus to Chiang Rai

So if I understood correctly, that makes about 6 nights: 3 in Kanchanaburi, 2 in Ayutthaya, then one on the bus. Is that right?

Hi! On the 14th, we’re renting a car. We’ll spend the night in Kanchanaburi. We’ll spend the 15th and 16th there, then head back to Bangkok in the mid-afternoon to catch a bus to Ayutthaya for the night. On the 17th, we’ll visit Ayutthaya, and in the evening, we’ll take an overnight sleeper bus to Chiang Rai. Do you know any good tips for renting a car? Ideally, we’d pick it up at our hotel on the 14th and drop it off near Mo Chit Station on the 16th. And what do you recommend doing between Chiang Rai (where we’re staying for 2 nights) and Chiang Mai (where we’ll be for 3 nights during the Lantern Festival)? The Mae area? (Our daughter’s name is Mae, by the way 😊—it must be a sign!😇)

Then in the middle of the afternoon, we return to Bangkok to take a bus to go sleep in Ayutthaya

Coming back from Kanchanaburi, returning the car, getting to Mo Chit, and then continuing to Ayutthaya will cost you a lot in time. Plus, it’ll happen during Bangkok’s worst traffic hours.

Ayutthaya, and in the evening, we take an overnight sleeper bus to Chiang Rai.

From my experience, sleeper buses don’t exist in Thailand. If you’ve found info saying otherwise, I’d love it if you could share a link. In reality, there’s no direct bus from Ayutthaya to Chiang Rai, but what *might* work is taking one that goes from Bangkok to Chiang Rai on the 2x2 highway that bypasses Ayutthaya, with transport included from the city center to the highway. It’s a common practice for Ayutthaya-Chiang Mai, but I’m not sure about Chiang Rai. Talk to your host in Ayutthaya as soon as you arrive in the evening, and if it’s possible, they’ll sort it out for you. Otherwise, you’ll have to go back to Mo Chit.

Do you know a good tip for renting a car? The ideal would be to pick it up at the hotel on the 14th and return it near Mo Chit station on the 16th.

No, I don’t drive. I don’t know if it’s possible to pick up a car in one place and drop it off in another—maybe with a big rental company?

Chiang Mai (where we spend 3 nights and celebrate the lantern festival at that time)?

Chiang Mai during Yi Peng (Loi Krathong)? I hope you’ve already booked accommodation because, while there are plenty of places to stay, both Thai and foreign tourists flock there during this period. Expect crowds!

What do you recommend doing between Chiang Rai (...) and Chiang Mai (...)? The Mae area? (Our daughter’s name, by the way 😊... it’s a sign!🙌)

*Mae* is pronounced *may* and means "mother," among other things. I don’t know of a city called *Mae* on its own. In the north, there are Mae Hong Son*, Mae Sariang**, and Mae Sai***, all worth a visit (especially the first), but none are geographically between Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai. Which one are you thinking of? * 12h round trip by minivan from Chiang Mai ** 8h round trip by minivan from Chiang Mai *** 3h round trip by bus from Chiang Rai

Between the two Chiang cities, Phayao would be a nice and well-located stop. It’s a quiet provincial capital with a relaxed vibe, a pretty setting, a lively lakeside promenade in the late afternoon, accommodations, and easy, genuine interactions with locals. Tourism is mostly Thai and only on weekends. It’s 1h15 by minivan from Chiang Rai and 2h30 by bus from Chiang Mai.

You're right—it doesn’t make sense to go back to Bangkok just to catch a bus. We’ll rent a car in Bangkok on the 14th, spend 2 days in Kanchanaburi and the surrounding area, then on the 16th we’ll drive to Ayutthaya and return the car there. It’s simpler and saves time. For the bus from Ayutthaya to Chiang Rai, I just attached the photo.