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Thailand

The region’s best air connections, two coasts with opposite weather, and land bridges into Laos that still work — but a Cambodian border that has been shut since 2025.

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Thailand

The hub, whether or not it is the destination

Almost every six-country itinerary touches Bangkok at some point, because Suvarnabhumi connects to everywhere in the region several times a day and because a Thai domestic flight costs less than a long road transfer anywhere else. That makes Thailand the country travellers most often under-plan: two nights in Bangkok as a connection, and nothing else.

It is worth more than that. The north — Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and the small towns between them — is a different country from the beaches, cooler, slower and much cheaper. The two coasts are on opposite weather cycles, which means Thailand has a workable beach in every month of the year if you know which side to be on.

Tourists stroll along Khao San Road at sunset, lined with shops, tattoo parlors, and street vendors in Bangkok.

Ornate red and gold carved eaves of a temple roof against a blue sky in Chiang Mai

Bangkok · Chiang Mai

Destinations

Where people actually go

2 – 3 nights

Bangkok

The region’s connecting airport, and a city worth three nights of its own.

3 nights

Chiang Mai

Temples, night markets, cooking schools and the cool season.

1 – 2 nights

Chiang Rai

The northern tip, the Golden Triangle and the road to the Lao border.

Day trip

Ayutthaya

The ruined capital, an hour north of Bangkok by train.

3 – 4 nights

Phuket

The Andaman gateway and the easiest island to reach.

3 – 4 nights

Krabi

Limestone cliffs, quieter sand and the boats to the smaller islands.

4 nights

Koh Samui

The Gulf coast, dry when the Andaman is wet.

Seasons

When to come, and which coast

The mainland is straightforward: November to February is dry and comparatively cool, March to May is very hot, June to October is the southwest monsoon. The islands are not so simple. The Andaman side — Phuket, Krabi, Phi Phi — is at its best from November to April and can be rough and grey in September. The Gulf side — Samui, Phangan, Tao — runs a month or two behind and takes its heaviest rain in November, exactly when the Andaman is perfect. A trip in late October or November should be on the Andaman; a trip in July can be on either, but the Gulf is calmer.

A wooden longtail boat rests on the shore near limestone cliffs at Railay beach in Krabi, Thailand.

The Andaman coast, January

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Three means the month usually works everywhere in that region, two means it works with a plan, one means rain, heat or sea conditions will shape your days. No month is closed to all six countries: when the Mekong is in flood, Bali and the Philippines are at their driest.

Borders

Crossing in and out by land

Thailand’s Lao border works well and is used on most Thailand – Laos routes. The Cambodian border does not work at all: every crossing has been closed to tourists since June 2025, and at the last check it had not reopened. Routes that used to run Bangkok – Siem Reap by road now fly, which costs about an hour and saves a day.

Border	Crossing	Route	Time at the border	Status	What it means for your visa
Thailand – Laos	Friendship Bridge I	Road, Nong Khai – Vientiane	30 min	Open	Lao e-visa valid. The Lao digital arrival form runs here.
Thailand – Laos	Friendship Bridge II	Road, Mukdahan – Savannakhet	30 min	Open	Lao e-visa valid.
Thailand – Laos	Friendship Bridge IV	Road, Chiang Khong – Huay Xai	30 min	Open	Lao e-visa valid. This is where the Mekong slow boat to Luang Prabang starts.
Thailand – Cambodia	Aranyaprathet – Poipet	Road, Bangkok – Siem Reap	—	Closed since 23 June 2025	Closed to tourists. Fly Bangkok – Siem Reap instead.
Thailand – Cambodia	Hat Lek – Cham Yeam	Road, Trat – Koh Kong	—	Closed since 23 June 2025	Closed to tourists.

Checked 20 September 2026

Two rules changed recently and catch people out. From 15 September 2026 the visa exemption is 30 days, not 60; and entering overland on that exemption is limited to twice in a calendar year. If your route crosses to Laos and back, the second re-entry is your last for the year.

Planning

How many days it needs

5 daysBangkok and one island, or Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Enough for a stopover with substance.

8 – 10 daysBangkok, the north, and a beach at the end — the shape most first trips take.

12 daysThe same, with time for Chiang Rai or Kanchanaburi and four nights rather than two on the sand.

As part of a longer routeThree or four nights, used as the arrival and departure point for the whole region.

Combinations

What it joins well with

Laos, by land: the bridge at Chiang Khong puts you on the slow boat to Luang Prabang, which is the most enjoyable border crossing in the region and the only one people look forward to. Cambodia and Vietnam join by air — Bangkok to Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City are all short hops, several a day. Indonesia and the Philippines also connect through Bangkok, which is often the reason a six-country trip starts here.

Build Thailand into something longer.

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Tell us your dates

We will tell you which coast they suit, and what a second country would add.

Plan My Trip

Common questions

Questions travellers ask most

How long is Thailand’s visa exemption now?

Thirty days, for sixty countries and territories, since 15 September 2026. It was sixty days until then, and a lot of older advice still says so. It covers tourism only, and overland entries on it are capped at two per calendar year.

Can I still go overland from Bangkok to Siem Reap?

No. The Thailand – Cambodia land border has been closed to tourists since June 2025 and remains closed. The flight takes an hour and is the only sensible way across at the moment.

Andaman or Gulf?

Between November and April, the Andaman — Phuket, Krabi, Phi Phi. In October and November, the Gulf takes its own heavy rain, so that is the one month where neither coast is reliable and we would rather put your beach days at the other end of the trip.

Journey ideas