thailand travel itinerary, best of thailand, 2 weeks thailand travel itinerary

Thailand travel itinerary, which shows you some of the best parts in Thailand, even though you only have less than 3 weeks to explore this amazing country. 

Most travel blogs write about long term traveling, what is great, but most of the people reading them, cannot really travel long term. We are travel bloggers having a full time job, so we exactly know that sometimes it is extremely hard to get more than 2 weeks off. Even though we have only 2 weeks for traveling, we enjoy every minute on the road. You might be surprised how much you can see and experience if you know how to plan well.

thailand travel itinerary, best of thailand, 2 weeks thailand travel itinerary

The long neck woman (Thailand travel itinerary)

Getting lots of questions about Thailand lately, we have decided to write our suggestion for a 17 days Thailand travel itinerary. The Thailand travel itinerary includes all the must tourist attractions, which travelers should visit when traveling to Thailand for the very first time.

thailand travel itinerary

Maeklong train market (Thailand travel itinerary)

3 weeks Thailand travel itinerary

Day 1 – Flight to Thailand

If you can get a budget flight to Bangkok you will be able to do Thailand travel low budget without saying no to commodity.

Day 2 – Bangkok

Lots of people say Bangkok is loud and crowded and they are right. But we just love Bangkok and we definitely recommend you to stay there and get to know it better.

Find your accommodation around Khao San Road, especially if you want to be in the middle of hustle and bustle (cheap food, cocktails, shopping, night clubs, massages …). If you don’t feel comfortable to travel by yourself around Thailand, there are also lots of travel agencies, who can arrange you all kind of trips. The best spot for finding a room is few streets away from Khao San Road, as the nights can get loud. We stayed at KS Guesthouse – it was nothing special, but it was cheap, pretty clean, with our own private bathroom, hot water and AC. Also the location of KS Guesthouse is just few minutes by foot from Khao San Road.

thailand travel itinerary

The guard at the Grand Palace (Thailand travel itinerary)

Day 3 – Bangkok

Make a day trip to the floating market near Bangkok. There are different floating markets and we chose to visit Amphawa as it is less touristy than the most famous Damnoen. We would also recommend you to stop at the Maeklong Railway market.

thailand travel itinerary

Amphawa floating market (Thailand travel itinerary)

Stay the night at KS Guesthouse.

Day 4 – Bangkok

Visit the Grand Palace, but make sure to have the right clothes on (no shorts, tops or skin-tight clothes). There are also few temples around the Grand Palace worth your attention – Wat Phra, Wat Arun, Wat Pho.
Instead of staying another night in Bangkok, take the night train to Chiang Mai. You should buy the train ticket as soon as you reach Bangkok, as the night trains can be very busy. If you cannot get a ticket for the night train, consider traveling with a night bus.

thailand travel itinerary

A view from Wat Arun (Thailand travel itinerary)

Day 5 – Chiang Mai

If you can plan, make sure to be in Chiang Mai for Sunday night market. You will love the vibrant atmosphere there with lots of street food vendors, where you can find all kind of cheap, but delicious food.

thailand travel itinerary

Local Thai restaurant (Thailand travel itinerary)

Chiang Mai is much more relaxed than Bangkok, so it is easy to stay there for a while. We would recommend you to stay somewhere around the old town. Check out accommodations here.

Day 6 – Chiang Mai

Rent a scooter/motorbike and drive to Chiang Mai Zoo, Tiger Kingdom, Doi Suthep temple. If you are not feeling like driving yourself, you can also take a taxi or the local bus – just bargain well.

thailand travel itinerary

Traditional umbrella making (Thailand travel itinerary)

If you have time, you can also visit a town near Chiang Mai – Bo Sang. Bo Sang is known for traditional umbrella making. You can read more about our visit here.

Day 7 and 8 – Trekking around Chiang Mai

Book a 2 day trek which includes elephant ride, waterfall swim, white water rafting, a ride on a bamboo rafts and a visit to an open air museum/village, where different Northern Thailand’s tribes can be seen – most famous are the long necks.

thailand travel itinerary

Two days trekking (Thailand travel itinerary)

Day 9, 10 and 11 – Phuket

Book a direct flight from Chiang Mai to Phuket with Air Asia (booking in advance is advisable). Rent a scooter and enjoy driving around the island. Don’t forget to visit the Big Buddha, which is 45 meters high and is known as the tallest in Thailand.

thailand travel itinerary

Renting scooter is the best to explore Thai islands (Thailand travel itinerary)

Traveling to Thailand was the first travel after our wedding, so we spoiled ourselves with a two nights stay at Kata Lucky Villa hotel. If you are looking for a romantic, but still affordable place, don’t think twice and stay there. Kata Lucky Villa is few minutes by foot from the Kata Beach, different restaurants, bars, night clubs, but still surrounded with local life and also cheap restaurants, where you’ll find locals eating. Last but not least, the hotel rooms have their own private terraces with pool access. We loved it!

If you are interested in festivals, make sure to be at the Phuket Island for vegetarian festival. This is the bizzarest festival we have ever seen. More about it here.

Day 12 and 13 – Phi Phi Island

Take the morning ferry to Phi Phi Island from Phuket. You will reach Phi Phi for lunch. We stayed in a hotel in the town, but the choice is wide – from low budget accommodations to luxury resorts. Check out what suits best for your budget here – we would recommend you to book your stay in advance, as we hardly got a room, when we were there.

thailand travel itinerary

Magical sunset at Phi Phi Island (Thailand travel itinerary)

During your stay at the Phi Phi Island you can hike to its viewing point, relax at the beautiful sandy beach, which most people know after the dreadful tsunami. You can also book a snorkeling or diving trip to a nearby coral reef or you can rent a kayak and explore surrounded bays yourself. Don’t forget to visit the monkey beach, but don’t leave your backpack or camera from your sight.

Day 14 and 15 – Krabi

Leave the Phi Phi Island and continue to Krabi with a ferry. You’ll be able to enjoy Krabi’s famous white limestone cliffs. For most of you, this will be the end of the Thailand travel, so enjoy to the fullest. Drive around on a rented scooter or relax on the beach. Look for your accommodation here.

thailand travel itinerary

Golden leafe for good wishes (Thailand travel itinerary)

*If you have more days to spend, you can first travel to Kho Lanta from Phi Phi and from there to Krabi.

Day 16 – Bangkok

Take the flight with Air Asia from Krabi to Bangkok. You will be landing on Don Muang domestic airport. You will probably have your flight back home from Suvarnabhumi international airport, so just grab a free shuttle to reach it. Go on the terminal 1, ground floor, where the free shuttle stands. If you are traveling from Suvarnabhumi to Don Muang, you will find the free shuttle on the 2nd floor, between gates 2 and 3. The drive will take you around one hour – more during the rush hours. Free shuttle drives between 5am to midnight.

You can also travel between airports with a local bus nr. 555 – it drives every 30 minutes between 4am and 11pm. If you are traveling between airports during the night, your best bet is taking a taxi.

Day 17 – Flight home

*If you can spend one more day in Thailand and you are already on Don Muang domestic airport, make sure to visit Ayutthaya. Ayutthaya was once the capital of Siam Kingdom. You will reach Ayutthaya from Bangkok by train in about 90 minutes. The train station is right opposite Don Muang domestic airport. Your luggage can be left at the Ayutthaya train station for a small fee. You can explore Ayutthaya and its temples by bicycle, but rent it when you will already cross the river, as the renting prices are lower on the other side and you will also avoid paying for the bicycle transport over the river.
If you decide to stay the night in Ayutthaya, check accommodations here.

thailand travel itinerary

Beautiful Ayutthaya (Thailand travel itinerary)

This 3 weeks Thailand travel itinerary is pretty intense, but it gives you the best of Thailand, including free time for relaxing and wandering around. If you want to see more of Thailand, we are afraid 17 days is not enough and you will need to come back again or take more time for traveling. But to be honest, it is always great to return to Thailand.