Things to do in Thailand

How the country is laid out

Thailand covers 513,120 square kilometres. It hangs from the mainland down a long isthmus, which leaves it two coasts facing different seas. That one fact governs when to go where.

• The centre. Bangkok on the Chao Phraya, with Ayutthaya's ruined capital upriver and Kanchanaburi's river and waterfalls to the west.
• The north. Chiang Mai and the hills behind it, cooler than anywhere else and the only part of the country with a real winter.
• The Andaman coast. Phuket, Krabi, the limestone towers of Phang Nga and the Phi Phi islands, facing the Indian Ocean.
• The Gulf coast. Pattaya, close enough to Bangkok for a day, and Koh Samui further south, facing the other way entirely.

Crossing between them

Domestic flights are cheap and frequent. They are how most people move between the four regions. Bangkok to Phuket is an hour and a half in the air against twelve on the road.

• Planes. Two Bangkok airports; Don Mueang carries most of the budget traffic and is the older of the pair.
• Boats. Islands are reached by ferry or speedboat, and rough seas cancel crossings in the wet months.
• In Bangkok. The BTS and MRT beat the traffic, and the river boats are transport as much as sightseeing.

What the country puts on sale

Four separate catalogues. Bangkok sells temples, markets and food after dark, with day trips to Ayutthaya and the floating markets. Krabi and Phuket sell island-hopping; Samui and Pattaya sell the other coast, and Chiang Mai the hills.

Practical

• The coasts rain at different times. The Andaman side is wettest from May to October and peaks in September; the Gulf side from October to December, peaking in November. There is nearly always a dry coast.
• The north's difficult season. February to April brings agricultural burning and poor air around Chiang Mai. November to January is the north at its best.
• Temples. Shoulders and knees covered, shoes off at the door; sarongs are lent where they are needed.
• Songkran. Mid-April, and the country stops to throw water for three days. Book early or avoid it on purpose.
• Money. Baht. Cards are normal in the cities and useless at markets and on boats.
• Weather and refunds. Speedboat trips are cancelled at short notice in the monsoon months, and a refund is not the same as another day.