10 Days in Thailand – Ultimate Itinerary

Going to Thailand but only have 10 days to explore this huge country?  No problem, we did it. Thailand has many different sides, and it takes some exploring to find all of them in 10 days. The main parts of Thailand we really wanted to see were the craziness of Bangkok, the sereneness of Chiang Mai, and the beauty of the islands. You can find all of the details in our Ultimate 10 Days in Thailand Itinerary.

We traveled to Thailand in April 2017 using this Ultimate 10 Days in Thailand Itinerary and we absolutely insist it is the best way to see Thailand in 10 days! The itinerary is jam packed with culture, adventure, and incredible views! Prepare for some major excitement in the first half of the trip and some relaxation during the last half. The Ultimate 10 Days in Thailand Itinerary includes: flights, accommodations, transportation, and places to eat. You will also find things to do, tips, costs, and pros & cons. Why spend hours planning a trip when we’ve done all the work for you! Cheers!

Exchange Rate & Costs

Thailand is a budget traveler’s dream. The Thailand currency is 1 Baht to .03 USD and everything is super cheap. The largest expense of your trip will be the flight to Thailand. Five star hotels are under $150 or you can even stay in hostels for $10 a night. It’s a perfect place for all travelers, whether you are looking for luxury or on a budget.

Flight – Chicago to Bangkok

If you decide to go to Thailand you will have to fly into Bangkok. We chose to go through EVA Air (Asian Airline) because of price and good reviews. Tickets are $750 from Chicago to Bangkok (layover in Taiwan) whereas American airlines are over $1000 a ticket. The airline is great, they have roomy, leather seats with large TV screens. We requested the exit row each time and got it both on the way there and back. There is about 5 feet of leg room in the exit rows, which is a plus because the flight is just under 20 hours and Faris is 6’1′ . We got three meals with snacks in between. The meals are okay, some interesting choices but overall not bad! We recommend using EVA Airlines, the comfortability level is comparable to Delta.

Bangkok – 10 Days in Thailand

If you are flying to Thailand you will  be flying into the capital, Bangkok. Bangkok is one of the largest cities in Thailand with a population of 8 million and 14 million in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region. Bangkok has quite the character with its ornate shrines and vibrant street life. This is what makes Bangkok such a popular first stop for tourists travelling to Thailand. Below you can find all the details about our stay in Bangkok

Accommodation – Eastin Grand Hotel Santhorn

We stayed at the Eastin Grand Hotel Santhorn, a 4 star hotel in the heart of Bangkok. Eastin Grand Hotel Santhorn is absolutely beautiful and the location is perfect! They have a rooftop infinity pool overlooking the city, even the rooms have humongous windows with incredible views of the city. Breakfast is delicious and service is very dependable. The room, with breakfast included, cost $133 for one night. Thailand is a budget traveler’s dream. You can really get a good bang for your buck  here, so make sure to take advantage of it!

Here’s a link to the Eastin Grand Hotel Santhorn, click here to book at no extra cost to you but it sends a little love our way! —> Eastin Grand Hotel Santhorn

Songkran In Bangkok – Thailand’s New Year     

You don’t have to search hard to find the craziness of Bangkok. We booked our trip around Thailand’s New Years Festival called the Songkran Festival, otherwise known as the water festival.  It is celebrated in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Basically the streets are flooded with water drenched people. Every single person has a massive water gun or a bucket filled with water. Expect to get sprayed with water the minute you step out of your hotel room. If you didn’t think Bangkok could get crazier, IT CAN! I highly recommend booking your trip around a festival or celebration. This way you have no choice but to be totally immersed in the culture (or the water, pun intended).

Songkran Pros and Cons

Do note there are pros and cons to booking your trip over Songkran, and we will cover all of them in our Ultimate 10 Days in Thailand Itinerary. The festival is in April which means two things: shoulder season and high temperatures/humidity. April is a low tourist month which means less crowds and cheaper prices for airfare and hotels. Consequently, April is a hot month in Thailand; we are talking mid 90’s with humidity in the 80’s. But hey, that’s what the water is for! We dealt with the heat by getting up really early to catch the nice 80 degree weather and then took a break around 1-2PM for lunch while the heat was at its peak.

If you do decide to book your trip over Songkran, do make sure you are mentally prepared. Bangkok is fast paced city to begin with and the festival can become overwhelming especially if you don’t know where you are going. If you get flustered easily I would not go over the festival especially because you can’t escape it. Almost every single person has a water gun and there is no mercy!

 

Wat Pho – Reclining Buddha

Wat Pho is a Buddhist temple complex located in the Phra Nakhon District. It costs $3 per person to get in. Ladies your shoulders and legs need to be covered up to get in. Make sure to get here at 8 am when it opens because tourists start to pile in around 10 am.

The complex is absolutely stunning. The giant leaning Buddha is absolutely breathtaking! The complex has over 1000 Buddha images and sculptures, and is home to monks. The architecture and art in the complex is extraordinary. Definitely check it out and get some amazing pictures.

Wat Arun

Wat Arun is located on the west bank of Chao Phraya River and is only accessible by boat. The best way to get there is to go to Saphan Taksin pier and take a river boat to pier 8. From there a small shuttle boat will take you from one side of the river to the other for 3 baht or less than one dollar. The entry fee to the temple is $1.50.

Make sure to use these directions because we  had asked some locals for directions and we got scammed into getting a private long tail boat ride to Wat Arun for $45. To make matters worse we used all of  our cash on the boat ride and had no cash left to get a boat ride home. We found an ATM machine but of course our cards got canceled even though we told the banks about our trip before hand. It took about two hours of calling the banks before we able to get some cash from the ATM.

So besides our money debacle the temple is insanely beautiful and lucky for us they were having a new year festival at the temple. They had dancers and vendors set up. You can also climb up the stairs on to the points of the temples. Again ladies you must be covered up to enter. Definitely check it out but just make sure to get there via shuttle boat instead of the private long tail boat.

China Town

Definitely check out China town. It consists of one street, filled with some very delicious food but you can also buy whole pig heads, fried scorpions, and some things I don’t even know what to call! People watching and strolling down the street will keep you occupied for hours!

Once you step onto the street a very strong smell will hit your nose. It’s definitely not a good smell but it actually comes from the fruit, Dorian. Dorian is a very popular fruit in Asia countries but the smell is so pungent, we have never smelled anything like it! A lot of the hotels in Thailand have signs restricting Dorian because of the odor.

Besides the Dorian, Thailand has so much fresh fruit, it is so sweet almost like candy! There is a vendor on every street making fruit smoothies and Faris had at least 5 mango smoothies while we were in Bangkok.

It’s a great place for lunch but beware it becomes a different animal at night. The parties and bars here take it to a whole different level!

Party In Bangkok

Khao San Road is the famous party road for backpackers. There are plenty of bed & breakfasts and hostels here for very cheap, averaging $10-$15 per night. During the day the street is lined with vendors selling knock-off Nikes and Louis Vuitton purses but at night it turns up a level. From the flashing lights, continuous partying, and wild sex shows (if that’s what you’re into), Bangkok offers plenty of entertainment!

Floating Market & Siam Mall

Make sure to  check out the floating market  and use your negotiating skills. It’s amazing  to see how many different foods and spices they have that we have never  heard of.  Also take a walk in Siam Mall. I have never seen a mall this large in my life!

Tailor – Buying a Suit in Bangkok & Our Crazy Story

Thailand is also known for its cheap tailoring. Faris bought a suit from a tailor in the downtown area. The tailor was very knowledgeable. He measured every inch of Faris’ body to get the exact fit. Usually the process takes a couple days for the final product. Since we were only in Bangkok for one night, the tailor promised to meet us in the Bangkok airport for our flight back home.

So basically the tailor took all of Faris’s measurements the first day of our trip and then had the rest of the week to create the suite while we were visiting Chiang Mai and the Islands. The only international airport is in Bangkok so we had to fly from Krabi (our last stop of the trip) back to Bangkok in order to get on our flight back to Chicago. Clear as mud right?! Our flight from Krabi back to Bangkok landed at 10:30 PM and our flight from Bangkok to Chicago left at 11:30 PM. So yes, we decided to risk it.. which leads to almost missing our flight back home.

Faris’ Suit Makes Us Almost Miss our Flight Home

Our flight from Krabi to Bangkok only allowed for an hour in between our flight back to the U.S., so time was extremely tight! To add another obstacle the airport is MASSIVE and jam packed with people.

So once we got off our flight we ran to the baggage claim area dodging people left and right. Lisa waited for the bag while Faris sprinted to meet the tailor at the baggage drop off. Faris then turned around and ran back towards the baggage claim area to find Lisa. Lisa started to walk towards the baggage drop off to find Faris and somehow out of a movie we made eye contact and picked each other out in a humongous crowd of people.

And that was it, full sprint from there to get our tickets and board the plane with one minute to spare! Faris did not even get to try the suit on but was just so relieved to pick it up. Phew, almost had a heart attack Faris finally tried it on when we got back home and amazingly, it fit like a glove. Faris wore the suit to a wedding as you can see in the picture below.

Buying a Suit in Bangkok Conclusion

Overall, Faris chose a European style suit made out of the best available fabric, cashmere and wool. The suit cost $250, it included a jacket, pants, a shirt, and a tie. If you were to buy the same exact suit in America or Europe it would cost over $1000.

If we were to do this again, we would go to a tailor in Krabi just so we wouldn’t but cutting it so close on time. This way Faris would be able to go to the tailor and make sure the fit was right. Luckily, everything turned out perfect! Hey nothing wrong with a little risk 🙂

Overall Thoughts About Bangkok    

Overall, one night and two days in Bangkok was plenty. This was our least favorite city out of the whole trip. It was a great experience and a huge culture shock, but it could be overwhelming at times.

It’s also easy to get swindled here because the natives are very used to tourists and jack up the price of everything. It took us a couple times of getting swindled to realize we got ripped off. Never pay more than $5 for any sort of ride boat, taxi, or tuk tuk (especially tuk tuks). The only time you should ever pay more than $5 is for a taxi ride from the airport to your hotel. These are pretty much a fixed rate. If you are going to Thailand you will  be flying in through the Bangkok airport, I definitely recommend checking out the city. Even though it was not our favorite, we are really glad we got to experience the culture. One to two nights is plenty of time for this city.

Chiang Mai – 10 Days in Thailand

Chiang Mai is the biggest city in Northern Thailand and is known history and culture. It is located in a mountainous area and is home to many temples and animal sanctuaries. The vibe here is almost opposite of Bangkok, it’s very relaxed and easy going.

Songkran – Thailand’s New Year  

Now I know I said Chiang Mai is very relaxed and easy going and it is .. but just not during the Songkran festival. We were able to catch the last day of the festival and then we did some relaxing the next few days after the festival ended.

We mentioned the water festival in the Bangkok portion of the Ultimate 10 Days in Thailand Itinerary, but we wanted to mention it here again. The Songkran festival dates in Bangkok are April 13-15. We decided to go to Chiang Mai next because the festival continues for one more day. Basically the streets are flooded with water drenched people. Every single person has a massive water gun or a bucket filled with water. Expect to be sprayed with water the minute you step out of your hotel room. I highly recommend booking your trip around a festival or celebration. This way you have no choice but to be totally immersed in the culture.

Our Songkran Story

But, I will say the festival was a little intense. When we flew from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, we got a tuk tuk from the airport to our hotel. We got DRENCHED!! The kids LOVE to spray the tuk tuks with water, even if you ask them not to. This would be ok if we did not have our luggage and camera equipment with us. To make things more complicated the tuk tuk driver dropped us off in the middle of the main street. He did not speak any English and could not understand where we wanted to go. We had a mile hike to our Bed and Breakfast. In the end we loved the festival but if we were to do it over again, we would take a taxi our Bed and Breakfast.

Amaka Café Bed & Breakfast

We arrived in Chiang Mai around 9 pm and on a Sunday and we stayed at Amaka Café Bed and Breakfast. It is about a ten minute walk from downtown. The building is super cute and the service is great. The room is pretty simple, just a bed and a bathroom, but it is updated and very clean. You also get a delicious breakfast. The owner helped us with all of activities and had great recommendations. The room cost $30 and night. I recommend Amaka Café Bed and Breakfast.

Here’s a link to the Amaka Cafe Bed and Breakfast click here to book at no extra cost to you but it sends a little love our way! —> Amaka Cafe Bed and Breakfast

Sunday Night Market & Foot Massages

When we arrived in Chiang Mai we went straight to the Sunday night market. It is a huge market that fills up the whole main street! So many goodies to buy,  from sweets to bugs, and clothes to massages, the items are endless. Make sure to use your negotiating skills on the prices. Three dollar 30 minute foot massages were our absolute favorite! There are rows of chairs for foot massages lined up down the street. I recommend grabbing a smoothie, and getting a foot massage after a long day. People watching while getting a massage was fascinating enough!

Transportation – Scooter

If you are going to Chiang Mai rent a motor scooter for your whole stay, it only costs $7 a day. Chiang Mai is not a small city and you can’t walk everywhere.  A scooter allows you to explore all different areas even the mountains!

Wat Chedi Luang Temple

Once you get a scooter check out Wat Chedi Luang. It’s a historical Buddhist temple built in the 1400’s. It’s home to many monks and if you get there early enough you can see them before their morning prayer. We got there at 6 am and the gates were cracked open enough for one person to fit through. It was open to the public, but only a few early riser joggers were there. Conversation with the monks is welcomed and it was really cool to learn about their lives. It turns out that they weren’t much different than us. They have their routines with meditating and prayer, besides that they have cell phones,  enjoy sports and have their own group of friends. Definitely get there early because this is a main tourist spot and by 8:30 am it starts to fill up quickly.

Umung

We also took the scooter to Umung. This was a cool spot because there were multiple sights to see. They had underground temples with Buddha meditation spots and massive ancient buildings and sculptures. This was a great place for some fun photo shoots. Although Umung had some good views it was not the highlight of our trip. If you were running short on time this is probably something you could cut out. I only say that because I believe some of the other spots had even better views and were less touristy.

Doi Suthep Mountain & Wat Phra That Temple

We took a scooter ride up Doi Suthep Mountain to the market and What Phra That Temple. Make sure you are comfortable with the scooter before you make this drive. Cars and other scooters weave in between each other constantly so you always need to be on the lookout. The drive up the mountain was a blast and the views were incredible. The drive took about 45 minutes with a couple stops.

At the top of the mountain there was a really cool market. We got lunch at the market. Lisa ordered pad thai and Faris order hot massaman soup. The locals keeled over laughing and took pictures of Faris because his face was on fire. His face was beat red and he couldn’t even talk because the soup was so hot. Faris will never turned down food but he did chug three water bottles.

After the market we headed up 300 stairs to Wat Phra That Temple. The temple had some amazing views but it was so packed. It was filled with people and monks.

Zabbelee Cooking Class

After the mountain we went straight to Zabbelee cooking class. We did the six hour cooking class and it was very informative and organized. The first part of the class starts in the local market.  The guide explained all the unique foods and spices. You get to make a curry sauce, appetizer, entrée, and dessert.

Overall the class was very informative and the food was delicious but it was long. We had already had a long day with the scooter ride. If we were to do this again we would not climb a mountain earlier in the day so we could enjoy the class more.

Elephant Sanctuary

We saved the best for last. We visited Elephant Nature Park – Freedom Option on our last day in Chiang Mai. You have to do this. This was the ABSOLUTE best part of our trip! But make sure to book this months in advance because they fill up fast. For more tips and details about our visit to the elephant sanctuary check out our blog –> “The Best Thailand Sanctuary Chiang Mai – Elephant Nature Park.”

Overall Thoughts About Chiang Mai

Best city in Thailand! No joke, this was our favorite spot. Chiang Mai had so much to offer and so many sides to see just in itself. Going from Bangkok to Chiang Mai was a 180 degree turnaround. Bangkok was filled with people and excitement. Chiang Mai was definitely on the more relaxed and easy going side. We also felt like there was so much more history and character to explore. We could easily spend more time here!

Koh Phi Phi – 10 Days in Thailand

Papaya Phi Phi Resort             

We flew into Krabi early in the morning and took a ferry to Koh Phi Phi.  We stayed at the Papaya Phi Phi Resort. It was a hike to get there! They do have a worker who will meet you at the dock and grab your bags. The resort was located on a cliff and you had to take stairs all the way up.

Here’s a link to the Papaya Phi Phi Resort, click here to book at no extra cost to you but it sends a little love our way! —>Papaya Phi Phi Resort

But the view from our room made it SO worth it! We paid a little extra to get the double window room with a balcony. The view overlooked the two bays. Definitely stay here if you are willing to make the climb!

Scuba Dive/Snorkel

If you are looking to scuba dive or snorkel in Thailand this is the place to go. Thailand is the second cheapest/fastest place in the world to get your diving license. It costs about $250- $300 for a 3 day course whereas the price in the U.S. is around $500 and takes a couple weeks. We chose not to do this just because we only had 10 days in Thailand. The courses take up the whole day. But, if this is something you are passionate about it is a great option!

Koh Phi Phi is known for their reefs, so you can still go diving with a guide. You can even do diving with whale sharks. This is something we wish we would have done. We did go snorkeling and the fish and reefs were incredible!

Monkey Beach

We bartered with one of the boat drivers to take us to Monkey Beach. It cost about $15/person to get there. We went around 5 PM. The beach had a limited coast line. There were a couple monkeys that a group of people followed around. The beach used to be filled with monkeys but there was a new rule that people were not allowed to feed them anymore. The monkeys relied on people as their food source so now they are starving and not the friendly monkeys you see in pictures. Do be careful if you have any food. They are not scared of people and will jump on you and scratch you to get it. Honestly, we left the beach with a fear of monkeys. But if you do not have any food or are taunting the monkeys you will be fine.

Sunset at Viewpoint

Make sure you make it to the viewpoint for the sunset. This is 100% worth the climb. The view is insane. You can get there two different ways; the stairs or a hike up the back of the mountain. Go the stair route unless you are looking for an extremely intense workout.  We made that mistake. Lisa almost passed out and we were dripping with sweat once we reached the top. This spot is filled with backpackers so get there a little early to find a spot.

Downtown Bars

Koh Phi Phi is a huge hub for backpackers and partiers. There are multiple hotels with huge pool parties and drinking games during the day. The downtown is a full of bars and clubs to go to. But, they can get a little rowdy and can be heard from your hotel at night.

Maya Bay and Pileh Lagoon

We got up early in the morning and bartered with one of the boat drivers to take us and another couple to Maya Bay and Pileh Lagoon. This was awesome! But make sure to get to Maya Bay as early as possible as this is a huge tourist destination. We paid $30  for both of us to take the long tail boat and an additional $6 each (400 Baht) to get onto Maya Bay.

The lagoon was amazing. We basically had the whole lagoon to ourselves. We swam in crystal blue water surrounded by massive cliffs.

Overall Takeaways from Koh Phi Phi

We really enjoyed Koh Phi Phi. The sunset at viewpoint was one of the most stunning sunsets we have ever seen! The beaches were beautiful and it was a great place to relax. The lagoon was one of our favorite part.  Koh Phi Phi is definitely the party of Thailand. You can find tons of backpackers here looking to stay up all night. The main goal of our trip was to find adventures and be active. We had some beers and relaxed but one night was enough for what we were looking for.

Aonang Krabi & The Islands – 10 Days in Thailand

Accommodation

The next morning we took another water taxi to Krabi. We stayed at Ban Sainai resort. They picked us up from the water taxi  docking station. The resort was amazing! It was a 5 star resort in the jungle. We had our own bungalow suite. It was beautiful and we highly recommend it. The bungalow was massive with a large patio and huge Jacuzzi. Breakfast was included. The resort also had a massive infinity pool overlooking the mountains. Originally, we wanted to stay on the water but the prices were significantly higher.

Here’s a link to the Ban Sainai Resort, click here to book at no extra cost to you but it sends a little love our way! —> Ban Sainai Resort

Railay Beach

The first day we took a boat ride to Railay beach. Try and get there early in the morning since this was a touristy destination. It also gets extremely hot in the April. Averages are in the high 90’s with humidity in the 80’s. We went at 8 am to get the 80’s weather and empty beaches. We relaxed on the beaches and did some swimming. The sunset on Railay beach was amazing. We grabbed a couple beers and just relaxed. Be careful though, the latest boat ride was 7 PM, so make sure you do not get stuck on the island.

Phra Nang Beach

Aonang Beach was on the same island as Railay but just opposite sides. It’s about a 15-20 minute walk from Railay. Again, super touristy so get there early. It’s a pretty unique beach because there are two amazing focal points. One one side there is a cave with stalagmites hanging into the water.

On the other side there is a a massive rock sticking out of the water.We explored this area for a couple hours. The beach was great and was huge so plenty of room. You can also rent canoes there and go paddling around the island. We went to Aonang Beach a couple times just because it was so relaxing and beautiful.

Island Day Trip

We took a long tail boat to Koh Poda for $15/person. We went super early in the morning and the island was already busy. It’s a very small island for a lot people. We would not recommend going to any of the little islands. As soon as it hit 10AM boats from everywhere were pouring in hundreds of people. It was really overwhelming. The worst part was the boat drivers will leave you on the island for at least 5 hours and will not take you back. We had to beg and pay twice as much money to a boat driver to take us back to Aonang beach. These islands were just way too packed for us.

Tiger Temple

Tiger Temple was about a 45 minute scooter ride. The ride was through some back roads, a highway, and up a smaller mountain. The ride itself was a sight. Tiger temple was at the top of the cliff, it’s about 2,000 very steep steps. Also remember its 100 degrees with 80% humidity. Get there early to beat the heat! We got there at 7am and it was still hot. Ladies have to wear a long skirt and covered shoulders so prepare yourselves! Bring plenty of water.

Monkey Attack

WARNING – DO NOT BRING FOOD! The climb up the stairs were through a jungle/forest. There were starving monkeys who could smell food from miles away. Lisa had bananas at the bottom of her closed backpack. On our fifth step we saw hundreds of monkeys cascading down the trees and railings. They jumped on her back and head. They stole all of our water, Lisa’s sandals, and of course the bananas.

Once the food was gone they left us alone, but it was scary for those 10 minutes. After the monkeys disappeared we climbed the stairs for about an hour. We actually ran into a woman who just happened to have 6 huge water bottles and gave us two (I swear Buddha was on our side that day .. excluding the monkey part).The view was crazy. Definitely worth the monkeys and sweat. This is a must do!

Natural Hot Spring/Lagoon

The natural hot springs were about another hour from Tiger temple. We decided not to go to these because it would be a 2 hour scooter ride back to our hotel. After doing some research the ratings were about a 3.5. One day we will return to Krabi and check out the lagoons. If you have the time check them out and let us know how they are!

Overall Takeaways for Aonang Krabi

We choose to visit Krabi because it had the more remote feeling. Krabi was stunning and had a relaxed vibe. It was still touristy but not as much as some of the other cities near the water. Railay beach and Aonang beach were the best beaches to go to. Avoid the little islands. They were way too packed and full of tourists. Four days in Krabi was enough time. If we were to do it all over again we would spend the last two nights in Koh San Moy.

Overall Takeaways & Tips for Thailand

Faris and I loved our trip to Thailand, but there are a few things you should know before you book your own 10 Days in Thailand trip! I listed our conclusions in this section.

When to go to Thailand

Book your trip around the Songkran festival! You really get to be immersed in the culture. This is also a good time to go because it’s the low season for tourists. The beaches were still packed when we went so we can’t even imagine the high season. Get up early to avoid the crowds and the heat. We set our alarms for 5:30 – 6 AM every day. By 1 PM the sun is way too hot and most people are in the shade or taking a lunch break. Also, Thailand is very touristy if you are looking for more of a remote vacation wake up early and get those couple hours to yourselves.

If We Were to Change Something About Our Trip

If we were to change anything about our 10 Days in Thailand trip, we would stay in Krabi for two days and then head to Koh San Moy. Krabi was awesome and you definitely get that more remote feeling but there are just so many more places to explore in Thailand. After doing some research Koh San Moy has very high reviews.

Why we choose Krabi over Phuket for our main Hub

Why didn’t we go to Phuket? Phuket is very known, and packed with tourist. One side is very family oriented and filled with resorts while the other side is dirtier with many partiers. We were looking more for that serene remote feeling, that’s why we chose Krabi as our main hub.

Conclusion – 10 Days in Thailand

Overall we would definitely take another trip to Thailand. It’s a great place to explore varying scenery for a cheap price. The three main spots: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Krabi are so drastically different that it feels like you are in 3 different countries. The best part is that it is the price of one! We hope you enjoyed the Ultimate 10 Days in Thailand Itinerary! Please leave a comment below and let us know what you think!