Thailand

Thailand is decided, and what remains are the practical choices. You need to work out which coast suits your month, how many days to give Bangkok and which area of the resort to stay in. The whole route depends on these answers. We have arranged this section so that you can go through these questions in order and not have to come back to them on the road.

Most of the articles deal with seasons. We go through the country's weather month by month, from February to September: where it is dry, where it rains, where smog lingers in the north. Separate pieces explain when to go to Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket and Samui. There is also a comparison of the two coasts: the Andaman Sea or the Gulf of Thailand, depending on the month of your trip.

The second large group is about where to stay. Phuket, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Krabi and Samui are broken down by area, and for Ko Lanta we describe the beaches and the hotels near them. Transport is covered by separate how-to guides: getting from Suvarnabhumi, Chiang Mai, Samui and U-Tapao airports, the Phuket Smart Bus, the night train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Each guide compares several ways of getting there.

Next come sights and itineraries. These include the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, lists of places in Phuket and Pattaya, island tours around Krabi and an overview of the country's islands. There is a selection of places that make it worth leaving the beaches behind. We work out the budget per day: in Phuket, in Pattaya, in Bangkok. Pieces on street food in Pattaya and Phuket Town and on what to bring home complete the picture.

Every article opens with a short answer to the main question. Below it are practical sections: how to get there, how much to pay, what to buy in advance, which rules apply on site. Prices and opening hours come with a source and the date they were checked. We name the downsides plainly: rain, heat, smog, the dress code in temples. That way you see the full picture before you buy tickets.

The section is meant for people who put their trip together on their own. It works for a first visit as well as for a return to the country with a new route. If you are still choosing between countries, start one level up. We do not cover entry rules or insurance here. Check those on official government websites before you travel.

Start with the month of your trip. Open the article on the weather for your dates and the comparison of the coasts, and the choice of resorts narrows right away. Then read the piece on the areas of the place you picked and decide where to stay. After that, move on to the route from the airport, the list of places and the budget calculation. The pieces on food and shopping are best read last, once the main plan is ready.

The island of Samui has its own subsection, "Samui": it covers the areas, hotels of different categories, the airport transfer and the island's seasons. This section itself belongs to "Asia" within the "Destinations" section. If you are comparing Thailand with other countries, take a look at the neighboring sections "Vietnam", "Indonesia", "India" and "Maldives". "Turkey" and "United Arab Emirates" are close by as well.

We update the articles. Ticket prices, opening hours and transport timetables are checked against the official websites of the sites and carriers. When the data changes, the check date in the text changes too. Pieces on budgets and hotels are tied to a specific year, which is clear from the headline. The section keeps growing: new pieces appear on the same topics, from seasons to transport.

Before your trip, open the official website of the place you need anyway, because timetables and fares may change after our check. Our job is simpler. We gather in one place what you usually have to look for piece by piece, so that you can put a plan together faster and estimate your costs more accurately.