Where to go in Thailand

Where to start

The best places to visit in Thailand for a group are Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Koh Samui and Chiang Mai. My answer for every group is the same: Bangkok plus one beach.

Two places, done well, beat five places seen from a van.

Bangkok is the start for most trips, because most international flights land there.

From Bangkok, Pattaya is a drive, and Phuket and Koh Samui are a short flight.

Bangkok, for the city and the clubs

Bangkok has the temples, the river, the rooftops and the biggest clubs, and most flights land there.

By day: the Grand Palace, Wat Arun, the river and the markets.

By night: rooftop bars, a private boat on the Chao Phraya, and your own VIP section at a big club.

Licensed entertainment venues in Bangkok's three late zones, Silom, RCA and Ratchada, may open until 4am under Ministerial Regulation No. 3, and so may licensed venues in Chonburi (including Pattaya), Phuket, Chiang Mai and Koh Samui district, and licensed venues inside hotels, the Government Public Relations Department confirms (checked November 2026). Ordinary bars and restaurants close earlier, usually by 2am.

Two or three days is enough for a first visit before the beach.

A driver waits while you're inside.

For the evening on the river, a private dinner cruise is the best seat in the city.

See things to do in Bangkok and the Bangkok dinner cruise.

Plan the days with our Bangkok tours, the Bangkok night markets and the best time to visit Bangkok.

Ask Tanner to set the driver and the river boat.

Phuket, for the boats

Go to Phuket for the best yacht water in Thailand, big sea-view pool villas and beach clubs, with Phang Nga Bay and Phi Phi a boat ride away.

The Andaman Sea is calm and clear from late November to April.

We add the party on board: the DJ, the open bar and the crew.

Maya Bay, on Phi Phi, closes every August and September for the national park's yearly reef break.

The big sea-view villas sit in the hills above the west coast.

Four to five days fits a yacht day, a pool party and a big club evening.

It's a short flight from Bangkok, so it pairs easily with the city.

See Phuket and Bangkok to Phuket.

Boat days and island hops are on Phuket tours.

Ask Tanner to hold a yacht for your date.

Pattaya, for the easy weekend

Go to Pattaya for the easiest beach trip from Bangkok: two hours by road, pool villas, a yacht to Koh Larn and clubs open until late.

Pattaya's pool villas cost the least in the country, and a catamaran out to Koh Larn makes the day.

Koh Larn is 15 to 30 minutes from the marina.

Tomorrowland Thailand runs from 11 to 13 December 2026 at Wisdom Valley, near Pattaya, with six stages, the festival's first full-scale edition in Asia.

The Pattaya International Fireworks Festival is on 27 and 28 November 2026.

Three to four days is enough for a Pattaya stay.

It's the best choice when the group has a long weekend, not a long week.

See Pattaya and Bangkok to Pattaya.

Pick your sand on Pattaya beaches, and your base on where to stay in Pattaya.

Ask Tanner to book the villa and the boat to Koh Larn.

Koh Samui and Koh Phangan, for the islands

Go to Koh Samui for beachfront villas and beach clubs, and Koh Phangan for the Full Moon Party at Haad Rin, a short boat ride away.

Koh Samui has its own airport, a short flight from Bangkok.

The Full Moon Party runs monthly at Haad Rin Beach, from sunset until late. The next dates are 24 November, 24 December and 31 December 2026, the New Year's Eve countdown.

The best move is a villa on Samui and a private boat to Koh Phangan for the party.

The Gulf islands follow a different pattern: Koh Samui is driest from February to April and good through August, and wettest from October to December, worst in November, the Thai Meteorological Department's normals show.

Koh Tao, north of Koh Phangan, is the quieter island, known for diving.

Samui and Phuket link by a short flight for a two-coast trip.

See Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and the Full Moon Party.

For a day off the beach, the swimming pigs are on Pig Island.

Ask Tanner for the boat across on Full Moon night.

Is Chiang Mai worth it?

Yes. Chiang Mai is worth two days for the old city, the temples and the cooler air, and for Yi Peng, with ticketed lantern releases on 24 and 25 November 2026.

It's in the north, a short flight from Bangkok.

It's one of the coolest places in the country in November, so pack a light layer for the evenings.

The Yi Peng lantern events sell out, so book early.

For a party trip, Chiang Mai is the calm stop before Bangkok or the beach.

Avoid March and April, the burning season, when haze settles over the hills.

See the Thailand party calendar for the dates.

The days out are on Chiang Mai tours, and the evenings start at the Chiang Mai night market.

November and the lanterns are the reason to go north.

Ask Tanner to hold the rooms for lantern week.

Linking the stops

One drive or one short flight links them all: Bangkok to Pattaya by road, and Bangkok to Phuket or Koh Samui by air.

Bangkok to Pattaya is about two hours by road, and the party van is ฿3,500 each way.

Bangkok to Phuket and Bangkok to Koh Samui are short flights.

For Koh Phangan, fly to Samui and take a boat across.

Phuket to Koh Samui is a short flight too, for a two-coast trip.

Keep it to two or three places, so the group isn't spending the trip in transit.

Tanner books the cars, the boats and the transfers around your flights.

See Bangkok to Koh Samui and Koh Samui to Koh Phangan.

Where to go, month by month

Go to Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya from November to April, and to Koh Samui and the Gulf islands from February to August, when they're drier.

December to February is the peak season for most of the country.

March and April are hot, with Songkran from 13 to 15 April.

From May, the rains reach the Andaman coast.

November is the Gulf islands' wettest month, and the best month for Chiang Mai.

Book villas and boats early for December, New Year and Songkran.

The dry-season calm is what makes a yacht day, so match the coast to the month.

See the best time to visit Thailand.

Get the coast right, and the weather does the rest.

How long to stay

A week to ten days is the right length for a group trip to Thailand: two or three days in Bangkok and four to six on the coast.

Seven days fits Bangkok and one beach.

Ten days fits Bangkok, one beach and a second island or Chiang Mai.

A long weekend fits Bangkok and Pattaya.

Plan the big evening for the day after a yacht day, when everyone is rested.

With everything handled, the group just turns up.

Plan it with Tanner, and he sends back one price for the whole trip.

What it costs

A full party week for a group of 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 from ฿12,500 a day in Pattaya, a DJ at ฿8,000 a day, and an open bar at ฿1,500 a person.

A yacht's price depends on the boat, Tanner quotes it to your plan, and we add the party. 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.

The cheapest months are June to October, when hotels and villas drop their prices. See what a Thailand trip costs, line by line.

Book the big pieces first: the villa and the boat.

Short on time: near Bangkok

Only a long weekend? Stay close. Pattaya is two hours by road, Hua Hin about three, and Ayutthaya, the old capital, about 90 minutes.

See Hua Hin for golf and a calmer beach, Khao Yai for the hills and the vineyards, and day trips from Bangkok for the rest.

Tanner's call for a first trip with four days: Bangkok, then Pattaya, with no flight in between. Ask Tanner to set the van.

More places worth the trip

Past the big five, these are the places most lists add, and each one fits a group with an extra two or three days.

Krabi and Railay: limestone cliffs, Railay's beaches by longtail and the Hong Islands by boat, a short flight from Bangkok. See Krabi.

Phi Phi: the postcard bay, by boat from Phuket or Krabi; the Department of National Parks charges foreign adults ฿400 to land. See Phi Phi.

Ayutthaya: the old capital's temple ruins, about 70 minutes by car from Suvarnabhumi Airport; entry is ฿50 per temple, or ฿220 for the Fine Arts Department's combined ticket. See Bangkok to Ayutthaya.

Chiang Rai: the White Temple, about 3 hours 25 minutes by car from Chiang Mai, ฿200 for foreign visitors since 1 January 2026. See Chiang Rai.

Koh Lanta: long, quiet beaches south of Krabi, for the slow days after a big week. See Koh Lanta.

Every place on this page is in our things to do in Thailand guide, and the whole trip is in Thailand holidays.

Ask Tanner which one fits around your two main stops.

Where to go in Thailand in short

• For a group: Bangkok plus one beach, linked by a drive or a short flight.

• Phuket for the boats, Pattaya for the easy weekend, Koh Samui for the islands, with the boat to Haad Rin on Koh Phangan for the Full Moon.
• Chiang Mai is the calm stop, best in November for Yi Peng.
• Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya are best from November to April.
• A week fits two places; ten days fits three.
• Most passports get 30 days visa-free since 15 September 2026.

Checked November 2026.

What you need to land

To enter Thailand you need a passport with at least six months left, a free arrival card, and a visa exemption or a visa.

Since 15 September 2026, travellers from 60 countries and territories, including the UK, US, Canada, Australia and the EU, can stay up to 30 days without a visa.

Every visitor files the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card online within the 3 days before arrival, and one submission covers up to 10 travellers.

Read our arrival card and visa guide and is Thailand safe before you fly.