You’ll be taking planes, trains, and buses, jetting from one city to the next!

With only two weeks and the desire to see as much as possible, I packed a lot in our Thailand trip. After experiencing (and sometimes enduring) it all, these are the top things that I recommend you see and do if you have a limited time in Thailand.

Beach – Jump off from Phuket

It’s likely you chose to come to Thailand because the beautiful beaches caught your eye. As you’re researching which beaches and islands you want to go to, note how touristy (read: busy and crowded) it is and the time it will take get there. Island-hopping will cut your time short quickly if you’re visiting multiple places in Thailand. Koh Phi Phi is the most popular island and I also hear amazing things about Krabi and Koh Sumai. For our trip we stayed on Phuket, and you can read all about those beaches here.

Patong Beach

Wat Rong Khun (White Temple) – Chiang Rai

This modern temple was incredible! It may seem a little controversial and strange, but the thoughts behind the temple’s creation are interesting. I booked a day trip to see the White Temple in Chiang Rai because we didn’t have enough time to stay overnight. It worked out well. I would recommend hiring a private car to take you there and back on your own time. Check out this post for all the details about visiting.

Temples – Chiang Mai and Bangkok

Wherever you go, you’ll likely run into a temple in town. Buddhism is the predominant religion in Thailand and beautiful, ornate temples are plentiful. You’ll find many in Chiang Mai and Bangkok. In Bangkok, the most popular temples are Wat Pho and Wat Arun.

Elephant Nature Park – Chiang Mai

It was a treat to get up close and personal with these magnificent creatures! Elephant Nature Park is an elephant sanctuary that takes care of elephants that have been abused. You’ll be able to walk with them, feed them, and learn all about elephant history and life in Thailand. No riding here! See the post and video about our experience at Elephant Nature Park here.

Scuba Dive – Similan Islands

The Similan Islands are a group of 11 islands in the Andaman Sea off of South Thailand. They’re known for scuba diving. Taking a liveaboard is a great way to dive multiple sites since you’ll be living on a boat and hopping from island to island. Check out our liveaboard experience here.

Yee Peng Lantern Festival – Chiang Mai

We timed our trip to see this cultural celebration! They have changed the official events because of its popularity, but there are unofficial spots where people gather to release lanterns for the holiday. It is a spiritual event, focusing on letting go of the bad. It was so cool to see and experience this event in person. It happens in November for a few days around the full moon. See the post and video about our experience here.

Food – Chiang Mai and everywhere

One of the best things about visiting Thailand is the abundance of incredible food! We got our fill of pad Thai, tom yum soup, curry soup, papaya salad, and more! In most of the big cities, you’ll be able to find food tours to experience the city’s best restaurants and cooking classes to learn how to cook the cuisine. Be sure to look at my travel guides for Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket to get a restaurant list! Check out my best things to eat and drink in Thailand post to see the different dishes you can enjoy.

Itinerary

Not sure how to split your time in Thailand? Here’s what we did for 12 nights in Thailand. It’s hard to squeeze every experience into a short time. If I could go back and change what we did, I would have scheduled time to visit beaches on islands but that would have required adding more days to the trip!

Day 1: Travel
Day 2: Arrive in Bangkok at 11 pm
Day 3: Chiang Mai
Day 4: Chiang Mai
Day 5: Chiang Rai (day trip)
Day 6: Chiang Mai
Day 7: Phuket
Day 8: Liveaboard
Day 9: Liveaboard
Day 10: Liveaboard
Day 11: Phuket
Day 12: Bangkok
Day 13: Bangkok
Day 14: Travel and arrive home

Have you been to Thailand? What activities do you think are must-dos?

P.S. The Thailand fun doesn’t stop here! Check out all my Thailand posts here.

Keep up with me elsewhere! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Bloglovin’. You can also subscribe to the exclusive email list.

The post Best Things to Do in Thailand + Itinerary appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

WHY VISIT BANGKOK?

Chances are, if you’re visiting Thailand, you’ll be flying in and out of Bangkok. While there is certainly more beautiful scenery elsewhere in Thailand, I think a couple of days in Bangkok is a good idea for your trip. You’ll get a feel for the city life and there are many beautiful, historic sights to see in Bangkok.

QUICK TIPS

Leave time for traffic. We had one scheduled meal that we were late for because we didn’t know traffic would be as bad as it would be before lunch. We also sat in traffic a lot in route.

WEATHER

The best time to visit Bangkok is October to March when it’s not so hot and drier, though high temperatures are close to the 90s year-round.

GETTING THERE

The main airport for flying in and out of Thailand is Suvarnahumi Airport, also known as Bangkok International Airport (BKK). Most domestic flights and flights to Asian countries are in and out of Don Mueang International Airport (DMX). We flew AsiaAir here. Get to the airport two hours before your flight leaves.

GETTING AROUND

• Use Uber. No need to get frustrated with taxis or tuk tuks!
• Try out the subway system. It’s fairly clean and direct.
• Taxis and open air tuk tuks are available. Flag these down as you see them.
• Negotiate a price or ask to use the taxi meter before you get in. During rush hour, taxi drivers will refuse to use the meter, so know the estimated cost of getting to where you’re going to negotiate a price. Expect traffic always!

WHERE TO STAY

Mandarin Hotel
We arrived to Thailand late at night, so we happily went straight to our hotel and ordered a late night snack. We also did room service breakfast since we were going straight to the airport to Chiang Mai that morning. It was a quick stay but we were able to relax in this quiet hotel. The room was a comfortable size with a nice view of Bangkok. While our interactions with staff were minimal, each was friendly.

Centra Central Station Hotel
Bangkok was the last leg of our trip before heading back to the U.S. so we stayed at a centrally located hotel. This modern hotel was recommended by a friend, and we were very pleased with the room, restaurant, and front desk service. They also have a nice spa that we indulged in. We each got two-hour treatments for about $40 each! The hotel is near a subway stop though getting a taxi was difficult downstairs. I would definitely recommend staying here while in Bangkok.

WHERE TO EAT/DRINK

Nahm
We had an incredible Thai meal at Nahm, one of the top 50 restaurants in the world. Every detail from the plating to the service was flawless and it was one of our best meals in Thailand. Read all about our experience here.

Gaggan
I tried to make a reservation at Gaggan, another one of the top 50 restaurants in the world. I made a request online five months before our trip thinking it was a reservation but got an email a month later saying they were full. We tried calling day-of to fill a cancellation but no luck there either. I hear the restaurant is exceptional Indian cuisine, and they were featured in an episode of Chef’s Table.

Thip Samai Pad Thai
The most incredible pad thai I’ve ever had! I’m pretty sure no other pad thai will ever come close. It was served wrapped in an egg like an omelette. This place is “legendary” for their pad thai.

Ann Guay Tiew Kua Gai
The stir-fried noodles with chicken and a runny egg was mouth-watering good! The dish is called Guay Tiew Kua Gai Aob Kai.

Craft
We arrived here when we were in search of craft beer! They have craft beers from all over the world here, and it’s pretty interesting to see all the destinations. We also enjoyed a Thai version of chili fries here. They have two locations.

Sky Bar at Lebua Hotel
This is said to be one of the best views of Bangkok!

Junker and Bar
This is a craft beer bar where you can get local crafts, including Pheebok Beer.

Tan-Yu Tofu
You can get a popular jelly dessert here.

Steve Café and Cuisine
This place is hard to find but has great Thai food.

Rocket Coffee Bar
Such a cute place with pastries galore! They have a few locations but go to Rocket S.49.

Khao San Road
This is a very touristy road known as a backpackers hang-out (watch out for scammers) but it’s a huge mix of cultures with its restaurants and bars. If you want to see the nightlife, you can do it here.

Want to see what kind of dishes to expect in Thailand? Check out this post about the best things to eat and drink in Thailand!

Craft

WHAT TO DO

Grand Palace
This place is incredible and so crowded! We went before lunch time and while it wasn’t shoulder to shoulder all the time, the number of people visiting at the same time was astounding. It was also about a month after the king passed, so locals were lined up to pay their respects, though that was a separate area and line. See intricate buildings with colorful detail.

Wat Pho
We visited this well-known temple complex at night (during a private tour) and during the day. It’s expansive and around every corner is a new view. You’ll look up a lot to marvel at the tall structures, wondering how they built them. If you can, get a guide (a person or a narrative from the internet) to share all the details of what you’re seeing.

Bangkok Food Tour
As foodies, the Best Eats Midnight Food Tour was one of our favorite parts of visiting Bangkok. Our tour guide was very informative about Thai food and culture. We went to A+ spots that had us holding our stomachs from eating too much by the end. Also, your transportation is by tuk tuk! As with any food tour, I liked that we tried the best dishes and didn’t need to wait long for food after arriving at each restaurant. We also got detailed explanations of the dishes and saw behind-the-scenes looks. I would recommend this!

Wat Arun
The other popular temple in Bangkok is Wat Arun. It is one of the oldest temples in Thailand.

Khao Yai National Park
Thailand’s first national park is now its third largest. It’s three hours away from Bangkok, and it’s filled with wildlife, waterfalls, and beauty.

Shopping Mall
The mega malls are insane in Bangkok. Multiple stories (seven plus!), TONS of vendors, and things to see. I recommend going to CentralWorld, the largest mall in Thailand. Come here hungry and you will be VERY satisfied because there are more than 100 restaurants and photo-worthy food everywhere. You’ll also find trendy stores like Zara here.

If you’re looking for cheap and affordable souvenirs like keychains and t-shirts, go to MBK Center. It has more than 2,000 vendors, and it made me want to throw away everything in my house. Aisles and aisles of…stuff, and most of the vendors had the same stuff. It was baffling and sad. Consumerism at its ugliest.

Floating Market Tour
We went on a half-day floating market tour with Tour with Tong. It was very cool to see the train market in motion. Vendors have their stalls set up on the train tracks and four times a day, they move their stalls so the train can go through. You are literally an arm’s distance away from the train rumbling through. We also went to the floating market that let us ride in a gondola, observe the market, and visit a coconut sugar plantation. The destination is about an hour away from Bangkok, but we went by a private car so the whole sight-seeing was very efficient.

Jim Thompson House
One thing we ran out of time for was visiting the Jim Thompson House. This museum shows the art collection of Jim Thompson, an American businessman and architect that disappeared in 1967. This sight is popular because of the architecture and the air of mystery.

And that’s Bangkok! You’ve got to see this city for at least two or three days on your trip to Thailand, especially to go see the Grand Palace and Wat Pho.

P.S. The Thailand fun doesn’t stop here! Check out all my Thailand posts here.

Keep up with me elsewhere! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin’, or Snapchat (@wanderlustanita). You can also subscribe to the exclusive email list.

The post Bangkok, Thailand Travel Guide appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

*This post was originally posted in December 2016, and updates were made in May 2026.

About Nahm

As I was researching restaurants for our Thailand trip, I found that Nahm, a restaurant in Bangkok, was number 37 on the world’s 50 best restaurants list for 2016. (edit: they were on this list for 7 years!) I immediately made a reservation for us! Nahm was awarded a Michelin star in the inaugural Bangkok list in 2017 and has retained it every year since.

This Thai cuisine restaurant was opened and led by Chef David Thompson, an Australian trained in classical French cuisine with a long-standing passion for Thai cuisine. In addition to Nahm in Bangkok, he also has Thai restaurants in Singapore and Perth. Nahm in Bangkok was opened after Nahm in London, which once had a Michelin star but is now closed. As of 2018, Chef Thompson has exited the restaurant, and Thai-American chef Pim Techamuanvivit now leads it.

In 2016, the lunch tasting menu cost 1,600 baht per person, which was about $45 USD per person. In 2026, they only offer an 8-course dinner tasting menu, and it costs 3,767 baht per person (about $116 USD) for the vegan tasting and 4,591 baht per person (about $145 USD) for the heritage tasting.

This was easily one of our favorite meals of the trip!

Tasting Menu Experience

Let’s talk about the experience. The service was spot-on! Though we did wait a little longer than usual for our second round of drinks to arrive, everything else was flawless. Their attentive team moved like a well-oiled machine on the floor, serving guests with a keen eye. If they saw a way to serve, it was done without question. The flow of the dishes arriving was also timely.

In November 2016, Nahm offered a tasting menu for lunch, but they only offer dinner now. Here are the dishes we enjoyed on the tasting menu.

Amuse – This bite involved pineapple on the bottom and pork on top.

Egg Nets with Prawns, Wild Almond, and Kaffir Lime

Pork and Lobster with Shredded Ginger and Thai Citron

Scallop Salad with Coconut and Lemongrass

Hot and Sour Soup of River Prawn and Termite Mushrooms
and
Clear Soup of Roast Duck with Thai Basil and Young Coconut
(shown in the bowls below)

Panaeng Curry of Wagyu Beef with Peanuts, Shallots, and Thai basil

Steamed Coral Trout with Bang Rak Yellow Beans and Pickled Garlic

Sweet Thai Wafers with Poached Persimmon and Golden Duck Egg Noodles, Egg Yolk on the side

The soups of this meal made a big impression. They were absolutely incredible. While every dish was a brilliant explosion of Thai flavors, the soups were more complicated and demanded our attention. I also loved the panaeng curry with wagyu beef.

We also enjoyed some tasty cocktails.

This experience was the perfect meal to make my Chef’s Table dreams come true. The food was adventurous yet familiar, fancy yet approachable. The creativity, presentation, and flavors made Thai food shine and will be one of the best meals I’ve had so far. Cheers to more culinary adventures!

• Nahm is located in the COMO Metropolitan Bangkok Hotel. Address: 27 S Sathon Rd, Thung Maha Mek, Sathon, Bangkok 10120, Thailand
• Open for dinner daily 6 – 10 pm.
• See MAP for address and directions.
• Nahm Website Link

Want to see more Thailand eats and drinks? See my post about the best things to eat and drink in Thailand. See all the Thailand posts here.

Curious about other tasting menus I’ve enjoyed? See these posts:

• Dining at Room 4 Dessert in Ubud, Indonesia
• Dining at The French Laundry in Napa, California
• Eating at Pujol and Quintonil in Mexico City

The post Dining at Nahm in Bangkok, Thailand appeared first on Fearless Captivations.