Thailand 2-Week Itinerary: A Perfect Guide for Your First Time in Thailand

Are you planning your first trip to Thailand? Look no more! I am bringing you my 2-week itinerary for your first time in Thailand! This itinerary is the exact one I did fairly recently when I also visited Thailand for the first time. 😊 It covers the best places in Thailand: Bangkok, north and south of Thailand.

So without further ado, let’s dive into it!

Spoiler alert: you will fall in love with Thailand. ❤️

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How to get there

Most likely you will fly to Suvarnabhumi Airport (the airport is amazing btw! 🤩).

If you are flying from London, you may find direct international flights with Thai Airways for a reasonable price. When I was buying my flights, it was cheaper to fly with one layover than going directly, whereas my work colleague shortly after found the best prices with direct flight. With that, always check the best options here.

I was flying for the first time with Qatar Airways and had an amazing experience. Both my layovers were rather short (2h to Bangkok and 1h back to London), which was just enough time to stretch my legs. But rest assured, even if your layover is longer, the airport at Doha is awesome with plenty of things to do, so you won’t be bored! And, if your layover is too long, why not check Qatar Airways Stopover Program and explore Doha too? That is something I’d love to do next time!

How to get around Thailand

Personally, I’d say domestic flights are your go to transport when travelling in between cities/places. Not only is it most convenient because going from north to south would take you 2h flight as opposed to 13h+ train/bus, but also direct flights are really inexpensive! There are many budget airlines (Asian versions of Ryanair, WizzAir). I flew with both NokAir and AirAsia and have 0 complaints!

NokAir is the most original airline, right!?

Alternatively, you can check other options on 12GoAsia, but my personal recommendation is flying, especially if you have only 2 weeks and are not backpacking without a strict schedule and/or limited time.

When to visit Thailand

Thailand has 2 distinct seasons: dry & rainy season.

We talked with locals quite a lot about it and here are conclusions:

February – April: officially Thailand winter is over, but the monsoon season hasn’t started yet, which means plenty of sun, hot temperatures up to 37 C or 98 F (with March being the hottest month according to many locals) and no rain. Many of them suggested April because of the Songkran Festival when Thais celebrate their New Year splashing each other with water, similar to Holi in India.

May – September: pretty much a monsoon period. With that, most locals said that this part of the year is very enjoyable because there are not that many tourists then, so if you are visiting a lot of things will be cheaper (flights, accommodation, tours). Most of them told us that it only rains for 3h in the morning and then the rest of the day is sunny. So, if you want to take advantage of lower prices, maybe consider the monsoon season instead? Do note that Thailand in general is very cheap!

October – January: mainly considered as Thailand’s winter time, but it is never that cold in Thailand! We found it even funny when one local in Chiang Mai told us how it gets cold in winter with temperatures of 21 C (69 F) being the lowest (and that is in the north of the country!). Obviously they have never been to London if they think that it is cold… 😅 The prices might be more expensive during Christmas and New Years Eve. Also in November during the Thai Lantern Festival. Also, most people prefer this period for visiting.

I was there from February 25 – March 9 and while hot and humid, you could still sightsee and enjoy every minute there. The sun still didn’t hurt like in Miami…

So, I would personally suggest this period, especially if you’re looking to escape the European winter and trade it for tropical summer! That is always my choice, I would always rather go somewhere hot than skiing in Europe…

Nope, not hot at all 🤣

Where to stay in Thailand

Here are the best hotels in Thailand for this exact itinerary, covering Bangkok, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and Krabi.

Where to stay in Bangkok

📖 I have a detailed blog post covering Top 11 Bangkok Hotels with Infinity Pool for The Best Views, so have a look.

Where to stay in Chiang Rai

Most people visit Chiang Rai as a day trip from Chiang Mai which is a big mistake! It’s such a tranquil place, perfect for recharging your batteries after a busy few first days in Bangkok!

📖 For a more extensive list, read my Top 17 Boutique Hotels in Chiang Rai blog post. Additionally, if you’re interested in staying at the riverside hotel, check my Top 5 Riverside Hotels in Chiang Rai with Incredible River Views blog post.

Where to stay in Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is one of my favourite places in Thailand. I didn’t expect much, but its laid back vibe got me addicted to it!

Where to stay in Krabi

Krabi is a definition of heaven if you ask me. 😍

📖 Interested in more eco-friendly resort options in Krabi? Check out my 10 Best Eco-Friendly Resorts in Krabi for a Sustainable Stay You’ll Love blog post.

Is 2 weeks in Thailand enough time

Short answer – yes, 2 weeks in Thailand is enough time to cover major sights/places without feeling rushed!

Personally, I wish I could have stayed there at least 2 more weeks! As I told you at the beginning, you will fall in love with Thailand. So probably, no matter how many days or weeks you have, it won’t be enough. I know I will be back pretty soon to this beautiful country!

You can also do Thailand in a week, or combine it with some other country (Malaysia or Singapore), but if however possible, do plan 2 week-itinerary in Thailand only.

So, let’s see now what you can do with 2 weeks in Thailand! Are you ready? 😃

Day 1: Bangkok

Your 2 week itinerary in Thailand will start with one the most awesome cities on Earth – Bangkok! 🤩

📖 Additionally read my How to Spend 4 Days in Bangkok – Perfect Itinerary to help you plan your activities there.

You won’t be doing much on your first day in Bangkok because you will try to survive a jet lag.

My advice: assuming you’ll be coming from Europe or the States, you will probably arrive in Bangkok in the morning or in early afternoon, but don’t get to sleep as soon as you check into your hotel no matter how long your flight was and how little to no sleep you’ve had. Rather, take a short nap of 2-3 hours just to reset your body a bit, wake up, have some dinner and drinks and then go to bed. That way you will go to bed when it’s night time in Bangkok and wake up in the morning Thailand time.

That’s how we did it in India too and we didn’t experience that bad jet lag neither there nor in Thailand. As soon as you get your body used to the local time zone, it will be easier for you.

📖 Btw, interested in what to do in India for 2 weeks? Check this blog: Hot 2024 Travel Destination: India Travel Guide.

Alright, lecture time is finished! 😄

We arrived in Bangkok around 6:30 am and we were in our hotel around 9 am once we passed immigration, collected our luggage and took Grab to the hotel.

Obviously, our room was not ready yet, so we just left the luggages and went to do a little bit of sightseeing.

Grand Palace

Our first stop on this Thailand 2 week itinerary was Grand Palace aka THE MOST touristy place in Thailand (and Bangkok). 😅

Maybe the problem was that it was Sunday, so not only tourists were visiting, but also locals. It was SO BUSY!!! (see below)

Which kinda ruined the vibe a bit, but it was still worth visiting. It’s really beautiful, but it’s a shame you can’t go inside.

The complex is big and it consists of 2 parts: Grand Palace and The Temple of The Emerald Buddha or Wat Phra Kaew.

The best is to buy tickets on the spot. Even though it was super busy, the queue was okay, you buy it within 5 minutes, so there’s no need to pre-book the tickets, unless you want to have a guide to learn more about the complex.

Wat Pho

Or as it is called The Reclining Buddha.

The temple complex houses the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand, including a 46m long reclining Buddha.

This temple has been on my bucket list ever since I first saw it on social media. It is really impressive. You are literally walking around it for 5-10 minutes (with stops for taking photos), that’s how huge it is! (That’s what she said. Any Office fans?)

The only con: it is again super busy. At this point I thought that every tourist location will be crazy busy like it was in India, but on the next day I found some hidden gems (keep reading to find out about them). 🤫

You need to adjust your camera to 0.6 to be able to take photo like this

By now you are probably hungry and thirsty and tired, so it’s time to fuel up!

Next to Wat Pho you will find a lot of restaurants and not all of them serve beer, so it took us a little bit to find one that does (cuz we needed it!!). I recommend Pad Thai La Cuisine. When you see an old grandma making pad thai, you know it’s gonna be good! 😋

Below you will find an exact location on map + the video of me eating my first pad thai in Thailand! 😄

Nope, it is not hot outside at all 🤣

Hotel check-in

Now is the time to check into your hotel and take a shower and a nap.

I am highly recommending Eastin Grand Hotel Phayathai – it has 2 pools, on 22nd and 37th floors. The pool on the 22nd floor is great for sunset and is bigger, while the pool on the 37th floor has better views of Bangkok, but is smaller. Rooms are spacious with modern design. We stayed in their Superior Panorama room and loved it a lot!

✅ My tip: don’t come to Bangkok (or Thailand in general) without booking a hotel with the pool. Trust me, you will need it to refresh. Plus, nothing beats that feeling of swimming while enjoying the views. Therefore, I would always rather book a hotel that has an infinity pool than those that have them on their ground levels. You can find my top recommendation in my Top 11 Bangkok Hotels with Infinity Pool for The Best Views blog post.

Remember, take a nap no longer than 3h, so you can get through your jet lag faster and easier. After you’ve rested, go and enjoy that swimming pool at your hotel. We also decided to have dinner in one of the restaurants at the hotel because it was more convenient, but it was pricier than compared to what we were usually paying for food in Bangkok, but in the end, Eastin Grand Hotel is a 5⭐️ hotel, therefore higher prices.

Look at these sunset views at Eastin on 22nd floor 🤩

P. S. If you think it can’t get any better than this, then scroll down and check our 12th and final day in Thailand when we came back to Bangkok for a day before our flight back home and treated ourselves with an even better 5⭐️ hotel!!

Day 2: Bangkok

Alrighty, if you listened to my advice, then by now you are well-rested and ready for your day 2 of this 2-week itinerary in Thailand, which will be full of… TEMPLES. 😄

Hey, you know I am all about Culture Travel, so visiting as many temples as possible is what defines me as a person, and most likely you too (otherwise why would you be reading this, right?), so let’s get started!

Wat Arun

I actually wanted to visit this temple on Day 1, but I quickly came to realise that: a) I am super tired, and b) I have extra space/time on my Day 2 to squeeze it in.

Wat Arun or Temple of Dawn is alongside the Grand Palace and Wat Pho one of the most popular temples and sights in Bangkok and therefore it’s very busy there too.

I liked it a lot. There are different stores nearby where you can rent Thai traditional clothes + they do your hair and make up too. I skipped it this time because it was too hot and I was already sweaty, so I couldn’t imagine taking off my clothes, putting on some other one that was maybe used by someone already. BUT, it looks very nice. See below for reference (at this point I thought I may be getting a photo with Thai lady, but it could’ve been just some random tourist in a traditional clothes, so 😅).

Wat Ratchabophit

After Wat Arun, we crossed the Chao Phraya River with a local ferry and then grabbed tuk-tuk to the next temple.

Remember how I told you there will be hidden gems on Day 2?

Well, Wat Ratchabophit is exactly that – a hidden gem of Bangkok where tourists rarely go, so you will really have a chance to enjoy it peacefully. Best part – it’s completely free to visit.

No people were deleted, it was EXACTLY like you see it here!

Wat Suthat

Wat Suthat is one of the most important and one of the oldest temples of Bangkok. It is one of the six temples in Thailand of the highest grade of the first class Royal temples.

It is also one of the largest in Bangkok covering 10 acres.

The murals and 8m tall Buddha are really impressive. By that point I really fell in love with Buddhist temples. I remember in India how I really liked Hindu architecture, but the interior of temples was meh. So I was already preparing myself for something similar in Thailand, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. They go on par with the world’s most beautiful cathedrals and mosques.

Here you’ll also find 0 to little crowds.

Loha Prasat (Iron Palace)

Least impressive, but still nice to visit if you have extra time. I liked the hall with messages from Buddha and the views from the top weren’t bad either.

Golden Mount Temple

And the last temple for today! 😄 (Btw, while writing this blog, I’ve just realised we missed to see the Marble Temple 🥲; probably we got lost with all the names that sound similar and where they are on Google Map and completely missed to see that we skipped one on the list! Next time, Megi, next time. 🥹).

This one was so cool though!! As the name says, it is on a little hill and the whole area around it is really tranquil and beautiful. You have to climb 344 steps to the top. The main interior is closed for renovation until summer this year (2024), so what we’ve seen was not that impressive. I am also not sure if the main area is more beautiful, but regardless, I still suggest adding it to your 2 week itinerary.

Chinatown

By now you are probably very hungry, so it’s time to take tuk-tuk and go to Chinatown – the biggest Chinatown in the world!

While searching for a place to eat, we stumbled upon an amazing temple (oh yeah, another temple, you betcha! 🤣). And of course we had to check it out.

We were left in awe. Make sure to check Wat Mangkon Kamalawat when in Chinatown, it’s such a great place.

For lunch we went to HAGOW Yaowarat and the food was DELICIOUS! 😋

Coffee Time

Initially I wanted to go to Unicorn Cafe, but it is closed on Mondays!!

So, we went to some random cafe close to King Power Mahanakhon which was our next activity.

King Power Mahanakhon

The best is to buy tickets in advance because they are timed and limited, but you are given an open time slot (i.e from 4 pm to 6 pm you have to show up etc.).

I would suggest you come an hour before the sunset, so you get to experience day, sunset and night time. 🤩

The views are just amazing from there, there’s a rooftop bar too, so you get to enjoy the views while sipping your favourite drink. 😍

For the brave hearts, make sure to try skywalk – it is a bit scary at first, but I love the experience! I’ve done it in NY, now in Bangkok and I am really looking forward to skywalking in Dubai. 😁

Khao San Road Night Market

And to conclude your busy day of this 2 week itinerary in Thailand, go to Khao San Night Market for dinner and drinks. Maybe even try some exotic food? 🦂🤭

📖 Read my 43 Unique Things to do in Thailand for Any Kind of Traveller blog post for more unique and unusual experiences you can have in Thailand!

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A post shared by Magdalena Jelec | Culture Travel | London (@megi_vorera)

💡Tip: Tuk tuks are the best and most convenient type of transport in Bangkok.

Day 3: Bangkok

My initial plan was to do a day trip to Ayutthaya – UNESCO World Heritage Site and an ex-capital of Thailand that was attacked and razed by the Burmese army in 1767 who burned the city to the ground and forced the inhabitants to abandon the city. The city was never rebuilt in the same location and remains known today as an extensive archaeological site.  

However, I really fell in love with Bangkok, and as we had another day trip planned for tomorrow too (which I didn’t want to miss!), we have decided to relax on Day 3 after all the sightseeing on Day 2.

So, it’s really optional for you how you want to spend your day 3 out of this 2 week itinerary in Thailand, but let me show you how the more relaxed version looks like in case you also don’t feel like doing a day trip.

P. S. Ayutthaya will wait for my 2nd visit to Thailand – all the more reasons why to return. 😊

Pool Time

On Day 3 we decided to spend time at the pool on the 37th floor.

Remember, book a hotel with the infinity pool now and thank me later! 😉

Lunch & Coffee Time

I love street food markets and nothing beats street food in Bangkok!

I suggest you go to Grandmother and enjoy some delicious Thai food made by Thai grandma!

We realised that the Cat Cafe was nearby (2 minutes walk), and as someone who really loved cats, I was so excited about it.

However, cats were overweight and the only interaction they had with humans was when they were feeding them. They didn’t seem happy AT ALL. So, as a cat person, I decided to leave after a few minutes because I didn’t feel comfortable there. We both had just a few sips of iced tea.

Unicorn Cafe was on my bucket list for years after I first saw it on YouTube, so we gave it another try. Slaven was thrilled about it. 🤣

Cocktails at Lebua

Did you watch Hangover 2? When they end up with a tiger in their hotel room?

Welcome to Lebua – hotel, sky bar and Hangover 2 filming location! 😁

Btw, you can also stay in a hotel. When I checked the prices, it was similar to Eastin Grand Phayathai, but while they do have a pool, it is not an infinity pool. Check it here for comparison (it is kinda unique to stay there, I might do it another time just for the experience). 😊

2 week in Thailand itinerary, Bangkok

Day 4: Bangkok

Our last day in Bangkok before we move to the north and check interesting locations there in this 2 week itinerary in Thailand. 😊

I highly recommend a day trip to the Railway and Floating Market!

It is very touristy (but you are a tourist/traveller, aren’t you?), but it is also offering a sneak peek into how people lived in the past and how they still do.

Railway & Floating Market

I suggest you book a tour with GetYourGuide because both markets are about 1h from Bangkok, and you want to be at the Railway Market when the train arrives at the train station, so you can witness how vendors move their shops from the railway tracks and put them back together once the train leaves. As this only happens a few times a day, local agencies know when to pick you up and get you to the market, so you don’t miss the show.

🫶 I booked this tour and cannot recommend it more, our guide A was AMAZING!

At the Floating Market, make sure to buy something while on the boat, it is such a fun experience! Also, you will see people offering you to hold exotic animals. I held the cutest little being on Earth, slow loris, and only afterwards I read it is THE ONLY venomous mammal! 😱 Apparently its poison causes your muscles to rot. 😬 But look how cute… 🥹

Day 5: Chiang Rai

It is time to catch a flight to Chiang Rai and explore a little bit of the north. You will spend 4 days in the north too, out of 2 weeks in Thailand.

📖 Read my How to Spend 2 Days in Chiang Rai – Travel Itinerary blog post.

Hotel check-in

Firstly, check into your hotel. Chiang Rai is not the most touristy place in Thailand. Yes, it has visitors, but most of them visit Chiang Rai as a day trip from Chiang Mai. I would highly recommend not to do that because it’s 3h drive per one way! It is much better to stay in Chiang Rai for at least a night (my recommendation is 2 nights).

With that, the city centre of Chiang Rai is not offering a lot, so I would recommend staying in a nice hotel a little bit outside the city centre.

I stayed at Le Meridien and cannot recommend it more! 😍

It is stunningly decorated in Lanna style, has an amazing swimming pool and it is next to the river. I enjoyed dinners at the Italian restaurant there, the sunset views were simply amazing. 🥹

Lalitta Cafe

Guys, you have to add this cafe/restaurant to your Thailand itinerary! 😍

It is almost unbelievable that a place like this exists and that is no more or less a cafe!

On top of it, the food is really delicious + it’s an instagram heaven! ❤️

You need to pay 60 baht to enter, but you can use this credit for food/drinks.

Wat Huay Pla Kang

When Game of Thrones comes to real life. 🤩🐉

Wat Huay Pla Kang in Chiang Rai, also known as Big Buddha of Chiang Rai, is known for its enormous white statue of Guanyin, the Chinese Goddess of Mercy.

It is 90m tall and you can also go inside the statue. The interior is pretty cool and you have nice views of Chiang Rai. The lift to the top will cost you 40 baht, otherwise it is free to visit. To get there, take a Grab to Lalitta Cafe and then walk or take tuk-tuk from the cafe. It’s a 15 min walk distance, but it goes uphill.

The assembly hall and pagoda next to it are pretty cool too.

My favourite part: the dragons. 🤩

The Blue Temple

Next up in Chiang Rai on your 2 week itinerary in Thailand is The Blue Temple or as it is officially called Wat Rong Suea Ten, which translates into The House of The Dancing Tiger. Apparently tigers once roamed in the area. 😬

Really, really impressive temple. I just love all the dragon motifs. 🤩

And it has the most beautiful interior from all the Thai temples I have seen during this trip.

The blue colour of the ceiling reminded me of tombs in the Valley of The Kings in Egypt. 💙

The entrance is free and take Grab or tuk-tuk to get there.

Day 6: Chiang Rai

A day when my Pinterest board finally came to life. 🥹

Day 2 in Chiang Rai (and the 6th day in our 2 week Thailand itinerary) was pretty relaxing, we slept a little bit, enjoyed our breakfast and then did some sightseeing from 11 am to 1 pm. Then we had a snack and went back to Le Meridien and enjoyed the pool.

White Temple

Or in Thai Wat Rong Khun is the temple I have saved to my Pinterest board ever since I first saw it on social media. I remember how I was shockingly impressed and intrigued by its architecture, the hands coming out of the ground and skull. I knew that if I ever get to Thailand, I will have to go there. And that day finally came. 🥹❤️

The Temple is completely white with pieces of glass in the plaster that are sparkling in the sun. The white colour signifies the purity of the Buddha, while the glass symbolises the Buddha’s wisdom and the Dhamma, the Buddhist teachings.

The temple is truly stunning and even exceeded my expectations, however, this is the most popular sight in Chiang Rai and therefore the busiest. However, you can always find good corners to take a beautiful photo and enjoy it peacefully (you guys know I never wake up early to beat the crowds, I just love my sleep too much 🤣).

The entrance is around 100 baht and it’s open daily from 8 am until 6 pm.

💡You can easily explore Chiang Rai and the White Temple on your own with Grab rides, but if you prefer guided tours more, here’s a good one for you: Chiang Rai Guided Tour.

Cave of Art

A lot of people make a mistake and once they’re done with seeing the White Temple, they just exit and leave. DON’T be one of these people!

When you’re done with the White Temple, instead of going left to exit, walk right. After 3 min you will find a Cave of Art. Honestly, once more I felt like I was in a Game of Thrones or Lord of The Rings scene.

It’s just unbelievable that places like these exist.

It’s the newest installation in White Temple. You can pay 50 baht to go inside, which I skipped this time. What I’ve seen from the outside was pretty amazing too. 😍

Golden Temple

From the Cave of Art and opposite of the White Temple is a Golden Temple.

It is fairly small, you can’t go up close, but it is overlooked and therefore very peaceful.

There was only one other couple with us there, so it was pretty enjoyable.

That’s what I mean by telling you not to exit immediately. The Cave of Art and Golden Temple are part of the White Temple complex, so if you leave, you can’t just see them from the street. You would need to buy another ticket again. Or you wouldn’t even know that there’s more to the complex than just the White Temple.

After a little bit of sightseeing, we had a snack. There’s a nice little market next to the White Temple with street food options too. We had a good breakfast, so we went with Mango Sticky Rice to try it for the first time (really delicious 😋), but all the food looked really amazing.

Pool Time

If you didn’t already know, it is HOT in Thailand, especially if you’re in March like I was!

So, having a pool if there’s no sea around you is really a must!

We enjoyed the rest of the day by the pool at Le Meridien. I really cannot recommend this hotel more to you. 😍

2 week in Thailand itinerary, Chiang Rai

Day 7: Chiang Mai

After you’ve spent 2 days exploring Chiang Rai, it is time to go to Chiang Mai where you’ll spend the next 2 days.

As a reminder, we ordered a driver with Grab and paid around £50 for a 3h drive. Alternatively, you can go via public transport (refer to the beginning of this blog).

Hotel Check-in

Contrary to Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai is a very touristy place and its heartbeat is in the city centre. For that reason we opted for a hotel in the centre, so we can easily enjoy all Chiang Mai has to offer without being dependent on Grab or tuk-tuk (Chiang Mai is pretty walkable!).

I highly recommend Thai Akara – Lanna Boutique Hotel. It is designed in a traditional Lanna style architecture. We booked a room with access to the private pool that we shared with 2 other rooms (all the other rooms could only access the main pool which we didn’t even try because we had our own. 😊). It was also pretty affordable, but luxurious, just the way I like it! 🥰

Lunch Time

After 3h drive and check-in we got hungry, so we had lunch first (priorities 😝).

We chose Nun’s Restaurant and I highly recommend it. All the food is bought on the day at the local market and is done by Nun who is the owner, cook and waiter. Needless to say, it was delicious. 😋

Wat Phantao

After lunch it was time to explore the best of the temples Chiang Mai has to offer. They were all beautiful, but compared to temples in Chiang Rai they were less impressive. However, they are much older and therefore have more history.

Wat Phantao is one of the older temples of Chiang Mai in the old walled centre of the city, which first structures were most likely built towards the end of the 14th century.

The vihara of the Wat Phantao was originally a throne hall for one of Chiang Mai’s Kings built in 1846.

The temple is free to visit.

I wanted to visit Wat Chedi Luang too, but for some reason we missed it, I have only realised it now that we didn’t go there! Oh well, another reason to go back. 🤣

Wat Phra Singh

Wat Phra Singh is also known as The Monastery of the Lion Buddha or The Temple of the Lion Buddha. It is an active temple with hundreds of monks and novices living there.

It dates back to the 14th century when Chiang Mai was the capital of the Lanna Kingdom, and is one of the finest examples of classic Lanna style temple architecture in Northern Thailand.

The entrance is also free.

It was very beautiful there, there are several buildings in the complex, so you can easily spend an hour there. You can feel the history while walking around its grounds. 🥰

Dinner Time (and party time)

After exploring a little bit of Chiang Mai, we went back to our hotel and refreshed ourselves in the swimming pool. And then it was time for dinner.

Next to our hotel was a pretty good restaurant/pub that had vintage British pub style, so we enjoyed it quite a lot (even rock & roll was playing!). 😎

The food was so AMAZING! Probably the best we tried in Chiang Mai. Try their pineapple rice, you WILL NOT REGRET IT!

We wanted to have a peaceful and relaxing evening because the next day we had an amazing day trip. We were heading towards the 7 eleven to buy some beers to have next to the pool at our patio, when we heard the disco music. It was an open-place with bars, street food and live DJ.

Important thing to note: we NEVER party. When I say never, I mean NEVER! Last time we went out was 6y before that evening in Chiang Mai. BUT, the atmosphere was so addictive, we couldn’t just walk away. We said, let’s have one whiskey each and that’s it. But one whiskey led to another and another and then to some beers. We were just having the best time of our life! Dancing practically on the street, in jeans and t-shirt and slippers, it was so bohemian. 😁

Long story short, we left just on time before we got too drunk, otherwise I don’t know how we would have woken up for our day trip. We were anyway hungover, but we could manage it.

👉 I’m not going to show any clips of that night here, but if you’re interested, check my Thailand 1 highlights on Instagram. 🙈

This is the exact location if you’re keen: click here.

Day 8: Chiang Mai

Yep. We woke up hungover. To make things worse, the day before we pre-ordered a floating breakfast which meant we had to go into the swimming pool (we did not feel like it lol).

Obviously, the floating breakfast saga took 5 min to take photos and videos for IG 🤣, and then we ate from the table on our patio.

P. S. If you want to have a floating breakfast, it will cost you an additional 250 baht per set even though you might have had a room with breakfast.

The breakfast was really delicious. We were already feeling a little bit better.

It was finally time for an adventure! 🥰

Elephant Sanctuary

One thing I knew I will always do in Thailand was visit an Elephant Nature Park & Sanctuary.

💡Please, please, please, never ride an elephant or book a tour with an operator that is offering that service! These elephants are 99% abused and not well taken care of!

I was carefully researching which tour operator to book and when I found this tour on GetYourGuide that had over 1.5k reviews and 4.9 score, I knew they were the one. Honestly, CANNOT RECOMMEND THEM MORE. 🫶

The owner of this sanctuary is an older lady who is saving elephants on the border with Burma (Myanmar). She has around 20 elephants on her farm, but you only play with females as males are bigger and more aggressive since they’re territorial.

First we met with mama elephant and her baby girl Mali who was 13 months old and already weighed 350 kg. 😅

We fed mama and played with the little one. She was so funny, we were laughing so much with her, especially when she was trying to fit into her swimming pool which she has obviously outgrown. 🤣 (ignore me laughing haha).

After that we had lunch at the farm and then went to feed 3 other grown up elephants.

Later we bathed them in mud and played with them in the river. They were hilarious, like little kids playing and joking with us and splashing us with their trunk! 🤣

It was once more time for feeding and then we left them to relax.

We had one more activity and that was swimming in the waterfall (so refreshing!).

2 week in Thailand itinerary, Chiang Mai

Afternoon & Evening in Chiang Mai

The rest of the day was spent in Chiang Mai. We had late lunch again at Annie’s (and 2 coconuts each 😋).

Then we headed to the hotel to take a shower, refresh and then we went to the Night Market where we had a coffee, bought some souvenirs before we got a bit hungry (again!).

This time we went to Archer’s, which was very similar to Annie’s.

We both got beers which we could barely drink (cuz of the last night if you forgot 🤣), and some nachos.

It was finally time to relax on that patio before we leave the north and head to the southern Thailand where we will spend 4 days of this 2 week in Thailand itinerary. 😊

Day 9: Krabi

Initially I thought we’re gonna go to Phuket, but as I was researching about and comparing it to Krabi, I realised Krabi was the best choice. We wanted a little bit of peace while still being in a lively place with easy access to beautiful beaches. And it was a good decision. Next time I’d like to visit Phuket though and spend a few days on the islands itself. My itinerary in southern Thailand is covering Krabi with island hopping from there.

After the 2h flight we arrived at Krabi. It is so lush and green! 😍💚

📖 Read my The Perfect 4 Days Krabi Itinerary blog post.

Lunch Time

Our room was not ready yet and Megi The Piggie was hungry 🤣🐽, so we had lunch first.

We went to Haweli which was close to our hotel where we had Indian food. It was delicious! If you like Indian food, this is a place to go.

Hotel Check-in

We booked Pakasai Resort for 4 nights and absolutely LOVED IT! 😍

It’s an eco-resort, so the ground is full of trees and flowers and little lakes.

On our balcony we had an open bird cage with little birds inside whose mama was coming often to feed them. I mean, how cute is that!? 🥹

But the main surprise was when we saw an endemic monkey climbing from one tree to another. They are called dusky leaf monkeys and their babies are all YELLOW! 💛

I’ve never seen a monkey like that!

If you want to connect with nature while still staying at Ao Nang, the heartbeat of Krabi, definitely choose Pakasai. It is also very affordable too!

Ao Nang Beach

While our hotel had a big pool, and we spent some time there a little bit later, I am a beach-kinda person. No swimming pool can replace the sea.

However, Ao Nang serves mainly as a port connecting Krabi with other islands, so the beach at Ao Nang was not the best. The sea was not clear nor turquoise blue as you would have expected it. The beach itself didn’t have any shade nor a place where you can just lay down and relax.

We took a dip in the sea, but then decided to go back to the hotel and refresh at the pool. That was the only time we spent some time at the pool, the next 3 days were focused on island hopping and enjoying the postcard-perfect beaches.

2 week in Thailand itinerary, Krabi

Night Market

To conclude our day 9 of this 2 week in Thailand itinerary, we explored the Night Market at Ao Nang where we had dinner.

We went to the Palm Tree Restaurant. It had good reviews, but it was not as good as other restaurants during this trip. Have a look at the map below.

Day 10: Phi Phi Islands & Maya Bay Boat Trip

We had early breakfast and then got ready for our first day trip to do some island hopping.

Maya Bay was so high on my bucket list, so I knew I had to visit it when in Thailand.

The best is to go on a guided tour with a speedboat or long-tail boat.

🫶 We booked this tour which was really good: check here.

Maya Bay

Maya Bay has a sad and warning story to tell. It gained on its popularity after the movie with Leonardo DiCaprio, The Beach.

Maya Bay was attracting 5000 visitors daily who were coming on speedboats. It all led to the destruction of coral reef. Only 8% of it survived when the authorities decided to close it to renew the reef. It was closed in 2018 and reopened again in 2022, with a big change.

The maximum number of tourists allowed on the bay at a time is limited to 300 people, while visits are capped at 1 hour, allowing for 7 to 8 daily rounds of visitors from 10 am to 4 pm. The shores of Maya Bay will be off-limits for boats, which are only allowed to dock at the new piers. You also need to pay 400 baht to enter the bay.

The beach is truly stunning. It is such a shame what we’ve done to it and because of that, we are no longer allowed to swim in it. And boy, how inviting the water is. ❤️

💡Important: There were some tourists ignoring the rules and were going further away, even dipping their full body into the sea, while it’s clearly said you can only go as far and dip your ankle only.

Pileh Lagoon

Pileh Lagoon is situated on the idyllic island of Koh Phi Phi Leh. It is a popular swimming and snorkelling location.

We spent around 45 min there and really had a great time!

Viking Cave & Monkey Beach

Then we had a photo stop at Viking Cave and Monkey Beach.

Viking Cave is privately owned, so you can’t explore it, only enjoy it from the boat.

On the other hand, Monkey Beach is, well, populated with monkeys who are known for biting and stealing, so you can’t really relax and enjoy the beach. 😅

Ko Phi Phi Don

After that we had lunch at Ko Phi Phi Don which was included with the tour. It was a buffet style lunch and the food was really good.

After lunch we had around 30 min to enjoy the beach. The sea was beautiful, but the beach mainly serves as a port and a lunch-stop, so it was crowded and the scenery was meh. But it was nice to refresh, lay down and enjoy a coconut. The sand was really soft though.

Next time I would like to stay at least a day at Phi Phi, so that’s an option for you too!

Bamboo Island

My favourite beach of the day.

White sand beach soft as a wheat flour. Turquoise water and stunning scenery.

We spent 1h there, but I wish we had more time.

2 week in Thailand itinerary

Evening at Ao Nang

We were picked up at 9 am and returned back to our hotel around 5 pm.

We had coffee in the hotel bar and then got ready for dinner.

This time we went with Italian at Umberto’s Cuisine. Highly recommending this place.

And that’s pretty much concluding our day 10 out of this 2 week in Thailand itinerary. What a day! 🤩

Day 11: Hong Island Boat Trip

Next up on our 2 week itinerary in Thailand was a day trip to Hong Island.

For the 4 days that you have in Krabi, I recommend that on this day you choose between Hong Island and Four Islands.

🫶 We chose Hong Island and booked this tour which was great too!

If you’re in the Krabi area, Hong Island is one of the most popular day trips you can do an for a good reason.

Hong Lagoon & Hong Island

This day trip was more relaxed and easy-paced compared to the previous day when we went to Phi Phi islands.

We first visited Hong Lagoon due to its low tide from noon.

We only admired it from the boat, it would have been nice if we could have swam in there, but regardless, it was beautiful to see.

After that we went to Hong Island where we spent 2h swimming and chilling.

The beach was really beautiful. Another gorgeous white sand soft as flour, turquoise clear water with amazing coral. The only minus: jellyfish. Be mindful of them!

Note: Hong Island is an uninhabited National Park, you will need to pay an additional 300 baht to enter.

2 week itinerary in Thailand

Ko Pak Bia

Our guide wasn’t pretty clear that we will have lunch on Hong Island, so we missed it. Luckily, he packed our lunch (we were not the only couple who didn’t quite get it), so we ate it when we came to Ko Pak Bia where we had 45 min to spend.

It’s a pretty small island, but even though the beach is sandy/pebble-y, as soon as you enter the sea, it has big slippery rocks and it is shallow for metres. We skipped swimming here and just enjoyed our lunch in the shade.

Ko Lao Lading

Ko Lao Lading is another popular island in the Krabi region.

It is very cute, like a smaller version of Hong Island, but the jellyfish were a nightmare there! 😱

I went to swim once and I’m pretty sure I stepped on one. 😵‍💫

And all I could hear were people “screaming” whenever they saw one around them. I just couldn’t relax, so that was it from my side. Slaven also went once only.

Later I heard our guide explaining how they won’t hurt you if you step on them (like I did!), i’s their bottom parts that burns you.

We had 45 min there too and then it was time to head back to our resort.

Sunset & Dinner Time

The first 2 days in Krabi we missed to watch the sunset at the beach, so we made sure we do it now.

We found a nice beach bar with a live band. It was really beautiful, but the sky wasn’t promising at this point, it was too cloudy. And then all of a sudden this happened. 🥹💜

💡Save this bar.

We had dinner at Sandee’s Thai Restaurant which I highly recommend. We came there the next day too. That’s how good it was. 😋

Day 12: Railay Beach

This was our last day in Krabi, so we had to check its most popular beach – Railay Beach.

You can only access it via long-tail boat, there’s a pier at Ao Nang where you buy the tickets (100 baht round trip pp). The boats go every 15 min and the whole journey takes 20 min one way.

Railay Beach is divided into 3 parts: the west part that is surrounded by limestone cliffs, the east part is popular for rock climbing and the third part is Phra Nang Cave Beach. Initially I wanted to go to Phra Nang, but in the end we stayed on the west side because it was most convenient. And we loved it. 😍

Railay Beach is truly beautiful, make sure to include it to your 2 week itinerary in Thailand!

There’s also a restaurant with great food where you can go for lunch & coffee. I don’t know why it has such low reviews, it was quite good if you ask me!

2 week in Thailand itinerary

Day 13: Bangkok

The last day in this 2 week itinerary in Thailand we will again spend in Bangkok before our flight the next day.

To treat ourselves before we get back to reality, we decided to stay in a luxury 5 star hotel with the highest infinity pool in Bangkok! 🤩

The hotel is: 137 Pillars Suites Bangkok

You need to book Sukhothai Suite which will give you access to this private infinity pool on the 35th floor, which is THE HIGHEST INFINITY POOL in Bangkok!

And what is even better, the room was not that expensive either given it’s a 5 star hotel where you’ll have your own butler, bar and even your little balcony with stunning views of Bangkok. We paid £270 for 1 night! That’s what I call affordable luxury.

I’m definitely staying there again, but next time I will book at least 2 nights. 

Watch my Instagram Reel about it. 😍

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A post shared by Magdalena Jelec | Culture Travel | London (@megi_vorera)

And pretty much after we’ve enjoyed our last day by the pool, we got ready for dinner. Usually a night before the flight home (and especially after being food-poisoned in Barcelona the night before the flight) we eat something simple to reduce the risk of being food-poisoned. We went to the Greek restaurant Helena and loved it a lot.

And there you go, your ultimate 2 week in Thailand itinerary covering Bangkok, north and south. 🥰

Is Thailand worth visiting

Before going there, and even after I returned, I heard from some people how Thailand succumbed to the mass tourism and lost its authenticity. I can’t speak for how it was 10 years ago, but I can tell that it is ABSOLUTELY WORTH VISITING THAILAND. It is my favourite country in the whole world and yes, it is very much authentic and so different from Europe, US or any other Western place! You can experience so many different things and the culture is just amazing!

So, who’s planning Thailand this year? 😃

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