Help plan 9 days in Thailand?
This is my wife’s and my first trip to Thailand. We’ve got 14 days in Thailand although we’ve already committed 5 of them to Phuket at the end of our trip so that leaves 9 days to allocate between Pattya, Chiang Mai and Bangkok. We’re both 40-something and well travelled so we don’t need to see the touristy stuff- more interested in the culture, people and adventure.
Is Pattya a good place to chill for a few days after our flight into Bangkok?
How many days to allocate between Pattya, Chiang Mai and Bangkok?
Thanks so much for your help!
Great answers!!
I just got back from Thailand last month. I went to Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket. I thought these 3 were a lot and I was planning to do Pattaya but I cancelled it because it was just too much travel within one vacation. Also, there isn’t a whole lot to do in Pattaya unless you like to visit the girls in the Go Go Bars and sit on a dirty beach.
My favorite was Chiang Mai. It was relaxed, it was cheap, the food was varied and delicious, and the vendors were far less aggressive and anxious to rip me off.
I also enjoyed Phuket, but the difficulty in getting around the island made things less fun. There’s plenty of water sports like parasailing, snorkeling, diving, etc. Renting a moped could be an adventure (don’t give them your passport) but it’s cheap ($6 US for 24 hours – brand new scooter).
Decide on how you will travel between the different cities before you ask this question. I had already decided to take the overnight train to Chiang Mai which killed a day because I was so tired getting in I spent half the day sleeping catching up on shut eye.
If you have the chance to be picked up at the airport for 600 baht or less (from your hotel), take it. The taxi situation is totally jacked up over there. They are impossible to identify because they don’t have Meter signs and the red songthaews (which you see everywhere) will not take you to the airport.
Anyways, Jan 7 was spent doing nothing because I was spent from all the travelling on the previous day. So your itinerary can definitely have an affect on what you do.
http://stevenq.blogspot.com/
Look at my blog. If I were you, I would take a hard look at my essentials packing list because you’ll need it. Even if you take airplane, you’ll be hauling your bags all over the place. A heavy bag will add to the stress.
I have added some info on Phuket and Chiang Mai for you because it’s much easier for me to convey my opinions through my blog. Sorry but the info I added for you is after the packing list so you will have to scroll down the page a bit to get to the info. You can skip the entry on the toothbrush as it’s for a different audience.
Judging from what you’ve described, I would highly recommend the Damnoen Saduak market, even though it’s a bit touristy, it’s still far away from downtown Bangkok and you can see how real Thai’s live. The Rose Garden Cultural Show is also a good one to see. Many tour operators will make this a one day package.
I would also recommend seeing all the temples, because those are not just touristy places. Even the locals visit Wat Po, Grand Palace, and Erawan Shrine to pay respect to Buddha.
I would also recommend the River Kuai Bridge.
If you really want to delve into the culture you can do like me and eat lots of street food. Thai’s do not think like Americans. The street food is not dirty and you are more likely to get sick eating restaurant food. I got sick once, when I ate at Dosa King (a vegetarian restaurant).
From what I understand there isn’t much to see in Pattaya which is why I crossed it off my list. If you do Chiang Mai make sure you visit Doi Suthep. It’s a temple located high on the mountain, one of the most revered temples in all of Thailand.
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Someone needs to silence the Unsilenced Liones because I didn’t see any young girls being traded openly in Phuket, just ridiculous. It’s as touristy and family safe as you can possibly imagine.
Raya Island – 15 minutes from Phuket Thailand