Top 10 Destinations in Thailand

Where do 14 million Thailand tourists go? If you were to poll them, what would they recommend? With so many choices and so little time, who would not want to experience only the best a country has to offer? Fortunately, travelers who have been to Thailand speak out, and here are the top 10 destinations in Thailand they found the nicest.

1. Chiang Mai

Thailand beaches get an inordinate amount of press coverage, and they rightfully deserve so. But this year’s top choice, even among Thais themselves, is Chiang Mai, located in the landlocked, rugged and mountainous Northern Thailand. The region is peppered with more than 300 temples, strewn with historic ruins, carpeted with colorful flowers come February, populated with hill tribes, and home to elephant sanctuaries.

Speaking of temples, Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep is one of Thailand’s most sacred sites for Theravada Buddhism, and no visit to the region is complete without climbing the 309 steps to the temple grounds and viewing the city of Chiang Mai from this height. Recently, Chiang Mai has also been named as one of the four pioneer “green” routes for ecotourism, a distinction that only makes the province more appealing to hypermiling but carbon-footprint-conscious travelers.

2. Ko Phi Phi

This is “The Beach” that gets an unfair amount of zoom lens, and for obvious reasons. Have you watched Leonardo DiCaprio’s 2000 movie without feeling a pang of wanderlust or envy? Travelers voted for this group of six islands as the top beach destination this year, with Maya Bay considered as the most beautiful of sceneries in all of the country. Characterized by limestone formations covered in vegetation, Ko Phi Phi Don, one of the two major islands, is a protected marine sanctuary.

Following the devastation of the Indian Ocean December 2004 tsunami, Ko Phi Phi has rebuilt Western structures to withstand the ravages of nature, cleaned up the beach front, installed rubbish bins, put up water treatment plants, regulated motorized transport, and rebuilt the entire electricity system from scratch (read: the island now relies mostly on generators). The reconstruction of tourist infrastructure has made Ko Phi Phi somewhat more expensive than other Thai islands. But paradise comes at a cost. Ko Phi Phi Leh (the smaller sister of Ko Phi Phi Don) has remained largely untouched because it is only available for day-trips and less so for overnight stays. Granted, huge carbon footprints are left on the islands, but at least the vestige of a tropical paradise is still visible in Ko Phi Phi Leh, not a bad deal when there are $10 a night accommodations amidst a growing luxury destination.

3. Koh Tao, Surat Thani

From a vantage point, Koh Tao sparkles white and is fringed with green. Up close, Koh Tao is fenced in with steep verdant hills, surrounded with emerald waters and lined with white sand beaches. Three hundred (300) days of ideal tropical temperatures make Koh Tao an irresistible summer hideout anytime of the year.

So it’s no wonder then that Koh Tao is a diver hotspot. Sunny days mean calm waters, and calm waters mean plenty of opportunity to learn open-water diving in Koh Tao’s agreeable coral reefs and dive sites that are strewn within longtail (motorized boat) distance. The uninitiated scuba enthusiast would find that Koh Tao waters are easily manageable, and this makes the island a PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) certification mecca in Asia, only surpassed by Cairns in Australia.

4. Pattaya

Because of its proximity to the fabled beaches of Thailand, Pattaya is the second-most visited city after Bangkok. Highly mature and rather overdeveloped compared to other beach destinations, Pattaya is where the standards of the West meets the flavors of the Southeast.

Even with its riotous nightlife, Pattaya gets millions of visitors a year, which includes families. More than the blinking neons that advertise hedonistic pleasures for even the most discerning sybarite, jet skis, golf courses, bars, restaurants, amusement parks and nearby islands are all reasons why Pattaya gets its fair share of wide-eyed tourists looking for fun, adventure and a tropical tan.

5. Koh Phangan

Notorious for its full-blast Full Moon Parties, Koh Phangan is party central not just of Thailand or Asia, but many say, the world. Haad Rin Nok or Sunrise Beach is a riotous kaleidoscope of neon-painted bodies that gyrate to the beat of no-holds-barred partying until the full moon wanes.

A demure white sand island framed with swaying coconut trees after the party heat has died down, Koh Phangan is more than just what meets the eye above the waterline. Equally deserving of praise is its underwater world that teems with wildlife, whether the moon is full or not.

But Haad Rin is not the only beach in Koh Phangan, although it is one of the few that has waters ideal for swimming during the dry season. Bottle Beach makes a nice getaway spot from the crowds, hosting many affordable accommodations right on the beach. Because of its isolation, there are no ATMs nor 7-11s in the area, and the cost of food could easily cancel out the savings you would enjoy from cheap lodgings. Other quiet escapes include Haad Yuan and Thong Nai Pan, the latter being the most scenic in the island, family-friendly, and relatively unspoiled.

Recent updates, however, reveal that there is an increasing incidence of unprovoked violence against party-goers, so it is critical to be on your guard at all times and be out of the party zone well before 3AM. Koh Phangan, as in other touristy places in Thailand and elsewhere, is one place worth the experience if you just keep your wits about.

6. Patong

If Pattaya is all a-glitter come nighttime, so is southwest Phuket on the shores of Patong. Soi Bangla is a must-visit for all night owls, and if you can’t abide with the noise and the confusion of which “girl” is which (Soi Bangla is famous for its LGBT scene at night), then perhaps Patong by day is more in keeping with your beach sensibilities. Parasailing, kayaking and jet skiing are just some of the activities that kick up the adrenaline, while lounging and lingering by the fine sands are equally agreeable if you just want to hang ten.

7. Bangkok

Will your visit to Thailand ever be complete without spending a good portion of your time in Bangkok? The country’s capital is both home to the mundane and sublime: Bangkok is world-renowned as a backpacker’s mecca (think Khao San Road), a gourmet’s culinary haven (cheap but savoury street food), a shopper’s delight (floating markets), and a party-goer’s must-visit (Sukhumvit Road, Patpong and beyond). The sublime portion of the bargain is the staggeringly rich architectural legacy that Thais showcase in their many elaborately decorated ‘wats’ or Buddhist temples that are both revered for their religious significance and highly regarded for their artistic achievements.

To top it all off, Wat Pho is holy ground not just for the religious but also for the tired and weary. Nothing soothes better than the gentle pummeling and stretching of Thai massage after a day of wat seeing and a night hard partying.

8. Krabi

What do you get when you combine lush jungles with white sand beaches, limestone massifs, weird rock formations, dense mangroves, Buddhist shrines inside a cave, colorful underwater world and manageable tourist traffic? You get a destination that offers convenience to creature comforts but not in a massive scale that it tramples the undergrowth of Thai culture underneath, that’s what.

Krabi, however, is no longer just a secret to a select travel circle. Krabi has an increasing tourist trade catering to the Western expatriate (but not in a scale like that of Phuket or Koh Samui) which means that you can really enjoy paradise without the discomfort of cold shower or the inconvenience of crappy Internet connection. Rock climbers of all colors and stripes have found their way to Rai Leh, and this has somewhat opened up Krabi to an international audience so that accommodation and transport cater to budgets of all range. If you are a vertical thrill seeker with a healthy beach appetite, Rai Leh will never disappoint.

9. Hua Hin

Closely linked to Thai royalty because of its endorsement as a beach town in the 1920s, Hua Hin is the commoners’ favorite holiday destination too. Slowly getting a more cosmopolitan vibe with high-rise hotels and golf courses, Hua Hin still has pockets of sleepy fishing village charm that it originally sported before its 1920s transformation as a beach resort town.

10. Isaan

It’s hard to imagine that Thailand – with its wide open access to Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, and the hundreds of islands strewn all over these bodies of water – could be landlocked at some point and shares a border with two other countries: Laos and Cambodia. Because Isaan is located in this region in the northeast, it has no beaches to dangle in front of sun-worshipping travelers and therefore remains largely under-touristed. It also doesn’t help that it is considered the poorest of all Thai regions (statistically, it is indeed) and that the Isaan people are largely of Laotian descent and not central Thai (which makes them a sort of an outcast). But to students and enthusiasts of culture, Isaan is as irresistible as the Similan Islands down south are irresistible to open-water divers. Khmer temples are found in Surin, a city also known for its elephant parades. Nong Khai is gateway to Vientiane, the capital of Laos, and the greater Mekong Valley. Udon Thani is an archaeological hotbed and Khao Yai National Park is Thailand’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. Isaan is also the first of the four “green route” that Thailand has started to develop for its ecotourism efforts, so travelers are going to get a front row seat in seeing the greenest Thailand has to offer.

Article by Chris

Chris had a passion to contribute to society especially to fellow travelers like himself. He also had a passion for Southeast Asia and frequently visited. While brainstorming ideas, he decided that a travel blog dedicated to his favorite countries, Thailand and Singapore, could be more beneficial than any guidebook. Only one year later did the blog’s success bring in more writers, more countries, and more readers.

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