Thailand itinerary

Bangkok plus one beach

Pair Bangkok's clubs and rooftops with one beach for the boat and the villa, linked by a short flight or a two-hour drive.

Two places done well beat five places seen from a van, and most international flights land in Bangkok anyway.

Pattaya is the beach for a short trip, Phuket for a week, and a Koh Samui base, with the boat to Haad Rin on Koh Phangan, when your dates hit a Full Moon.

Every Thailand itinerary below is a day-by-day plan with the evenings in it, because the evenings are why a group comes. Ask Tanner which one matches your days.

How many days should you be in Thailand?

Planning a Thailand itinerary, 7 days or 10 days? Start with the city, then one beach. A week is right for a first group trip: three days in Bangkok and four on a beach.

Five days works for Bangkok and Pattaya, because the drive between them is only about two hours.

Ten days adds a third stop, such as Krabi or the Gulf islands, without the trip turning into transit.

Each move between the two coasts costs most of a day, so stay on one coast for anything under ten days. See our best time to visit Thailand guide to match the coast to your month, and ask Tanner if your dates cross both.

5 days: Bangkok and Pattaya

Two days in Bangkok and three in a Pattaya pool villa, about two hours apart by road.

Ringside at Rajadamnern Stadium is priced by the fight card, and the party van to Pattaya is ฿3,500 each way.

See our Bangkok and Pattaya guides.

Tanner's pick: short on days? This is the one. Ask Tanner to hold the Pattaya villa.

7 days: Bangkok and Phuket

Three days in Bangkok and four in Phuket, linked by a flight of about 1 hour 20 to 35 minutes.

A private Chao Phraya boat for up to 16 is quoted to your plan, with the DJ and the bar on top. In Phuket, Illuzion is our pick for the big club night.

There are about 50 departures a day between Phuket and Bangkok, from both Bangkok airports. See our Bangkok vs Phuket comparison and the Bangkok to Phuket guide.

Got a spare Bangkok day? Ayutthaya's UNESCO-listed ruins are about an hour north by train. See our day trips from Bangkok.

Ask Tanner to put the yacht on day five.

10 days: Bangkok, Phuket and Krabi

Three days in Bangkok, four in Phuket and three in Krabi, all on the Andaman side.

Phuket to Krabi is about 165 km, roughly three hours by road through Phang Nga, or a ferry from Rassada pier, with the first boat at 8:30am. See our Phuket vs Krabi guide.

End in Krabi, and the trip winds down on its own. Ask Tanner to line up the car to Ao Nang.

Two weeks: Chiang Mai, Bangkok, two beaches

With two weeks, do it all: three days in Bangkok, three in Chiang Mai, four in Phuket and four in Krabi.

Chiang Mai is a short flight north of Bangkok, and Phuket to Krabi is about three hours by road, so no day is lost to a long bus.

Tanner's pick: for a two-week Thailand itinerary, end in Krabi, the easy wind-down before the flight home.

Ask Tanner to time Chiang Mai for Yi Peng if you travel in November.

Swap in Chiang Mai

For a 10-day trip in November, swap Krabi for Chiang Mai, a short flight north of Bangkok, for the old city, cooler air and the Yi Peng lanterns.

Yi Peng falls on the November full moon: in 2026 it runs 23 to 25 November, with lantern releases on the 24th and 25th in permitted areas only, the Chiang Mai Office of Tourism and Sports says.

Licensed venues in Chiang Mai can open until 4am under Ministerial Regulation No. 3, so the north still has a big evening.

Skip March and April if you can: Chiang Mai stays hazy from the burning season until the first rains. Two or three days is enough for Chiang Mai inside a 10-day route.

Ask Tanner to time it for Yi Peng.

Swap in the Full Moon

If your dates hit a Full Moon, swap Phuket and Krabi for Koh Samui and the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan.

Fly from Bangkok to Samui, base the group in a pool villa, and take the boat across to Haad Rin on the night. Koh Phangan is 20 to 30 minutes from Samui by fast boat.

Build the week around the date: three days in Bangkok, then four based on Samui, with the boat to Haad Rin on Koh Phangan for the Full Moon in the middle.

To island-hop on the Gulf side, add Koh Tao for diving: Thailand Boat Tickets puts it about 1.5 hours from Samui by Lomprayah catamaran. See the Full Moon Party guide and Koh Samui.

Ask Tanner to build the week around the Full Moon.

Getting between the stops

Every leg in these itineraries is one short flight or one drive, never a long day of buses.

For a group, a luxury van takes up to 4 from ฿6,500 for 10 hours, a party van up to 10, and a coach 20 or more. See VIP transport.

Book the flights first, then build the days around them. Ask Tanner to match the cars to the flights.

When to go

December to March is the heart of the dry season on Phuket's coast, with November and April good edge months.

December is the biggest party month, with Tomorrowland Thailand near Pattaya from 11 to 13 December and EDC Thailand in Phuket from 18 to 20 December 2026.

Koh Samui and Koh Phangan run on their own season: the rain comes from October to December, wettest in November, and February to April is driest, so check the month before the Full Moon swap.

From May to October the Andaman gets the southwest monsoon and red flags on Phuket's west-coast beaches, and some boat trips cancel. Ask Tanner which month suits your route.

Phuket or Bangkok?

Bangkok is better for big-city evenings, food and a long weekend, and Phuket is better for yachts, beach clubs and villas.

That's why the best itineraries do both: the city first, then the beach.

Licensed clubs in Bangkok's three late zones (Silom, RCA and Ratchada) can stay open until 4am, and Phuket has the yacht days.

See our full Bangkok vs Phuket comparison, or ask Tanner how to split the week.

What it costs

A full party week for 12 in Thailand starts from about ฿300,000, covering the villa, the boat, the cars and the parties.

The big pieces are easy to price: a pool villa from ฿18,500 a day, or ฿12,500 in Pattaya, a DJ at ฿8,000 a day and an open bar at ฿1,500 a person.

Your own Pattaya boat for up to 16 is from ฿49,000 for 8 hours, VAT included. Every other boat, in Samui, Phuket or Krabi, depends on the boat; Tanner quotes to your plan, with the DJ and the bar on top. A weekend VIP section at a big Bangkok club runs about ฿10,000–30,000 for the group; the club bills it directly, and Tanner confirms the club's total.

A five-day Bangkok and Pattaya trip costs less than a ten-day, three-stop route. See what a Thailand trip costs, line by line, or ask Tanner for your all-in price.

Before you fly

Before you fly, check three things: your visa, your arrival card and your phone.

Since 15 September 2026, travellers from 60 countries and territories can stay up to 30 days without a visa, TAT News confirms (checked November 2026).

Every visitor files the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card within the 3 days before arrival. See our arrival card guide.

Install a Thailand eSIM before the flight, so the group is connected from the gate. Ask Tanner what else to sort before you fly.

Thailand itinerary in short

What it is: a day-by-day route through Thailand, built around the evenings.

• Five days is Bangkok and Pattaya, about two hours apart by road.
• Seven days is Bangkok and Phuket, a flight of about 1 hour 20 to 35 minutes.
• Ten days adds Krabi, Chiang Mai in November, or the Full Moon on the Gulf.
• For anything under ten days, stay on one coast.
• December to March is the Andaman's dry heart; the Gulf islands are driest February to April.
• Most visitors get 30 days visa-free and file the free arrival card online.

Checked October 2026.

Pick your Thailand itinerary

Pick your number of days and your month, then the route that fits both.

Five days is Bangkok and Pattaya, seven is Bangkok and Phuket, and ten adds Krabi or a Full Moon on the Gulf.

Plan it with Tanner, and he sends back the route, the villa, the boat and the cars for your dates.