2 Week Itinerary in Thailand
Have you ever dreamed of beach hopping, insane nature, bustling cities, and seeing elephants in sanctuaries? Thailand is perfect for you. Thailand is a backpacker paradise with something going on at all times, affordable food and housing, and one of the easiest countries to meet likeminded people.
I wanted to create an itinerary that makes sense in terms of the route of where to start because it’s overwhelming with where to even start and choose from. If I were to go back to Thailand this is exactly what I would do and tell people to go to for the first time. 2 weeks is not a lot of time in Thailand because it takes a long time to get around the country. This is an accelerated itinerary if you only have two weeks, but if you have more time then you can stay in each place longer and not have as many long travel days by adding more islands into the route.
When To Visit
The best time to visit for dry season and lower humidity is from November to February. The temperatures average from 84 - 95 degrees fahrenheit.
The rainy season is from June to October with heavy downpours and fewer crowds.
The hot season is from March to May and temperatures reach above 95 degrees.
Best Way to Get Around
I used 12Go Asia religiously when I was in Southeast Asia. It made it so easy to book overnight buses and public transport for longer destinations.
For around the city I used grab or tuk tuks.
The last mode of transportation I used was flights for long hauls such as Bangkok to Phuket. Flights are very affordable within southeast asia and with flight benefits it made it easy.
What to Pack
Coming from dry Colorado the humidity in SE Asia hit me like a truck. I would recommend breathable and quick drying material clothing, sunscreen, clothes to cover legs and shoulders for temples and shrines, shoes you can walk in and also wear to the beach.
2 Week Itinerary
Day 1-3 Bangkok
Day 3-5 Khao Sok
Day 5-12 Krabi and other beaches
Day 12-14 Chiang Mai
Day 14 Back to Bangkok or if you have an extra day for just travel that is so ideal to spend another day in chang mai
Day 1: Bangkok
Most flights will arrive in Bangkok and so to adjust to the time difference I would stay put for the first few nights
Start the morning at the Grand Palace before it gets super crowded. Make sure to have your legs and shoulders covered
Head to Lumphini Park late morning
Escape the heat and check out the many floors of the Iconisiam mall
End the evening and watch the sunset at a Rooftop Bar
Day 2: Bangkok
Start the morning at Wat Pho
Book a Floating market tour for the afternoon
Finish the evening at Chinatown at night
Day 3: Bangkok + Travel
Walk around old town and grab breakfast at a Cafe
Take a flight to phuket and a bus to khao sok national park
This night we stayed at 99 Camp and Cafe for 2000 thai baht. It was hard to get to and we almost got ripped off from the taxi driver charging too much, but I talked him down. The place itself was incredible and the tour company we booked picked us up the next morning.
Day 4: Khao Sok
Overnight Water bungalow tour I booked with Seek Sophiabut there are so many other tour companies out there. It felt like an adult summer camp, but my only complaint were the cockroaches infesting our room where we slept. I somehow slept through the night, but my poor sister sat outside all night.
Pack in any snacks you need but meals are included with the tour! We did a hike, kayaked, and had a community dinner included on the tour.
Day 5: Khao Sok + Travel to Koh Phi Phi
Wrap up your overnight water bungalow tour and head back to phuket
Take a ferry to phi phi islands
Walk around, grab dinner at Garlic 1992, and catch the sunset
We stayed in a hotel right outside of town at the Andaman resort. The stays looked like mini bungalows and was perfect for two people.
Day 6: Koh Phi Phi
Hopefully you got some good rest this morning because we have another tour ahead
Book an iconic sunrise Long tail boat tour to maya bay and monkey beach. I booked all of our excursions with GETYOURGUIDE.
I did make the mistake of booking a boat tour instead of the longtail boats so make sure you have the right tour. Also I highly reccommend the sunrise tour so there are less crowds on all the stops.
We just relaxed on the beach for the rest of the day until dinner which we ate at Basil Bistro which was very affordable.
Try to watch a fire show which happen on different places like the Slinky Beach Bar and Freedom Bar
Finish the night at the Fighting bar which is actually called the Phi Phi Reggae bar where you can fight for drinks. We only watched and made some friends there, but it definitely something you have to see for yourself.
Day 7: Koh Phi Phi and Krabi
Spend one last morning in phi phi and grab breakfast at the Mango Garden and catch the ferry to krabi
Visit Phra Nang Beach when you arrive after dropping off your luggage at your hotel or hostel
Watch the sunset at Ao Nang Beach and head t the night market in krabi
Day: 8 Railay beach and Ao nong
Spend the day exploring railay beach with the four island day trip tour also with GETYOURGUIDE
Tours are such an easy way to experience different beaches and everything is pre planned so all you have to do is show up
Day 9: flight to kho Samui and get to koh tao
Take a flight from Krabi to Koh Samui
After landing in koh samui take the ferry to Koh Tao. They have high speed ones for a little more thai baht. This will be another decent travel day so I would take it easy this evening and grab another dinner and sunset before getting some sleep
Day 10: Kho tao
If you're scuba certified then this would be the perfect day to dive and if you aren’t you can either skip kho sok or the krabi section of the itinerary and get your license in Koh Tao
Day 11: Koh Tao
Get another dive in the morning if you’re not flying for 18 hours.
If not hike to the John - Suwan Viewpoint
Snorkel With reef sharks at sharks bay is another option if you don’t scuba dive
Day 12: Get to Chiang Mai
Take a ferry from Koh Tao to Koh Samui
Take a flight from Koh Samui to Chiang Mai
Night market in the evening
this is the best meal I had in Thailand and it’s called Khao Soi
Day 13: Chiang Mai
This is the perfect day for an elephant tour. I have heard mixed things on which ones are ethical, but I asked my hostel and they recommended one to me. I’ve heard only observing is the way to go however the one I booked had feeding and bathing. The tour I went through was Elephant Jungle Sanctuary
There’s also options to do a combined tour with the sticky waterfalls and bamboo river float which I also thought about doing
Day 14: Chiang Mai
Start the morning at a cafe which chiang mai is known for having so many cute ones. I went to the fern forest cafe and had a lovely time there.
If you don’t have to travel this day I would enjoy chiang mai and either do the sticky waterfall tour or temple tour. I signed up for a temple tour with the hostel I was staying at. Stamps Backpackers is one of the most famous hostels there also and was booked out when I went.
Alternate Route for 2 weeks
If you’re more of a beach person or want a less insane itinerary I would recommend skipping chiang mai this time and focusing more on the islands. Another idea is to stay in koh tao and get your scuba license for 4 days. I usually travel very fast paced and this works for me, but do keep in mind getting around in Thailand takes longer than you think so factoring in the travel days to each place is important
