Hello! It is great you are thinking about going to Thailand. It is an amazing place to visit, offers a lot of beaches (all types!), many many water sports, parties or peace, whatever you're looking for. We loved the hospitality we got from locals, loved the amazing resorts and couldn’t get enough of the really breathtaking sunsets!
TLDR itinerary - 7 days
4 days Phuket
2 days Krabi
1 day Phi phi
If you want shorter itinerary, reduce 1 day in Phuket, skip staying in Phi phi - that makes it 5 days. But it can be hectic if you decide to do all the tours.
In this blog you will find the key spots you should visit. Thailand is a little less about checking the list of ‘tourist spots’ and more about the experiences you can have - which are MANY.
We did a 7 nights trip and it cost us ~₹2L (so ₹1L per person) including flights which were ₹35K per person.
In general about Thailand trip
The whole country is pretty touristy and you will find a lot of souvenir shops, massage centres, cannabis shops and restaurants - of all cuisines, especially Thai and Indian. You might face some issues if you’re looking for vegetarian food but generally there are some options in all restaurants. There are lot of vendors on street, especially in the more touristy places.
Let’s get into day wise travel itinerary. Happy reading and planning!
Recommended itinerary
See below for more details
Day 1: Phuket -
- Sunset at Patong Beach
- Get a massage (many near Patong Beach)
- Optionally Visit Old Town (good vibes, only shops - don’t shop here, it is more expensive than all other places)
- Visit Bangla Street (generally post 9 PM)
- Optionally do a sunset tour (generally around Promthep point)
Day 2: Phuket -
- Do a morning snorkeling tour (E.g. 3 Khai islands)
- Visit Wat Chalong, Big Buddha, Promthep point
- Go to a beach club (e.g. Cafe del Mar)
- Visit Bangla Street again
Day 3: Phang nga Tour -
- Do a Phang nga tour on the way to Krabi or do one from Phuket itself
- You will reach Krabi / Phuket around 4 PM after the tour (more details below)
- Get another massage
Day 4: Krabi -
- Visit Ao Nang Beach, Railay Beach
- Relax in Krabi - do some shopping - it is generally cheaper than Phuket
- Visit the Ao Nang night market
Day 5: Maya Bay tour -
- Do a Maya Bay tour from Krabi / Phuket / Phi Phi
- You will also do snorkelling in Viking Caves, visit Pileh Lagoon and more in this tour
- If you are not staying in Phi Phi, you will also visit Phi Phi islands in this tour
Day 6: Phi Phi islands or Tours -
- Either transfer to Phi Phi islands or stay longer in Krabi / Phuket
- There’s great parties at night in Phi Phi island
- Optionally do a 4 islands tour or a 7 islands tour or a bioluminescent plankton tour if you’re in Phuket / Krabi (more details below)
- Maybe get another massage
Day 7: Transfer back near airport -
- Whether you’re going back from Krabi or Phuket the airport is generally far and flights to India are generally in the morning - so stay in a nice place before your flight
Details about cities and places
City 1: Phuket
You will find both very crowded and very peaceful places in Phuket - based on where you stay. Preferably stay somewhere where beach is on walking distance so you can walk to the beach to see the sunset.
We stayed in multiple resorts here
10/10 especially for Indians - lot of Indian food options, an amazing pool and a great view
7/10 - a little basic in amenities etc, but close to the beach and Bangla Street (700 m) - which is a great party place. We wanted to spend more time outside hence stayed here for a few days.
Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon beach
10/10 - superb resort near the airport. The pool and view is out of the world, totally worth it as we only wanted to relax in the hotel before flying back.
Going around: We mostly walked and took cabs.
Below are all the places to visit while you’re in Phuket.
Tourist attractions, restaurants and beaches
-
Frankly, skippable. A quite nice temple, can get a few pics clicked. You can go if you are nearby.
Time spent - 15 mins
Entry fee - free
Timing - closes 5 PM
Attire - need to have shoulders and knees covered to go into main temple
-
This is the most famous beach club in Phuket, and totally worth it. Ideally you reach by 1 PM so you can get good seats / you can pre book your seats. Ideally pre book if you’re going between Nov - Feb. The best ones are B4, B5 - beach sofa seats, which overlook the ocean. If it rains they will move you to the restaurant side. There is a cover charge - but you will mostly spend that money. The beach is beautiful - you should watch the sunset here. The pool is nice - not for swim - more for just going in for a dip and some party dance. When it is sun down there are some performances.
Tip: Tell it is someone’s birthday - the waiters come in and dance for your birthday. They also get a small cake but they charge 300 baht for it.
Time spent - 3 hours
Entry fee - 3000 baht per beach sofa
Timing - preferably reach by 1 PM
Attire - take your swim dress and few extra change of clothes for good pics on the beach
-
Bangla Street
Definitely visit one night atleast. Start around 9 PM and you can easily spend 3-4 hours here. This street is a mix of random street artists, lots of clubs, restaurants and many adult clubs too. So based on your interests you can spend as much time as you like. Beware of the salesmen for adult clubs here - and do bargain. There are many parallel streets where you can find a lot of street food and great places to shop. We didn’t find anything great to eat in Bangla Street - but did find good things on the side streets. Do try the banana roti and fried icecream.
Time spent - 3 hours
Entry fee - free, if you want to sit in a club you’ll have to keep spending money
Timing - start around 9-10 PM
Attire - people dress up well, but check if it is raining, wear something that dries quickly
-
Patong beach
A very nice and lively beach. We walked around for around an hour - there are so many shops and street food options. You can try out different shakes here. There are also swings and other photo ops that you can get pics clicked on.
-
Karon beach
Lovely sand on this beach. This is a very quite beach, especially around evening and sunset time. Nothing much to do here - there’s a big snake sculpture, but it is really far from the parking - so if you’re up for a long walk, you can go there.
-
Naithon beach
Beautiful clear waters (especially on the side where there is Pullman hotel) - you will also see Pelicans and you can go for a swim here
Places we didn’t visit but are other potential options that you can visit if you have time
-
Yona Beach Club
This is a floating club and really famous - you need to book well in advance. It was not available for the days we were in Phuket. As expected this is expensive, so good to book a cheaper table and go early (~1 PM) to enjoy the place.
-
Big Buddha
This is closed for few months in 2024 for maintenance. But as we heard, this is also skippable - good for a view from the top and a few pics.
-
Promthep Cape
This is the south most point of Phuket - you can see water from both sides of Andaman Sea meet. Known for fabulous sunsets. You can also do a sunset tour here.
-
Amusement parks
There are many parks like Carnival, FantaSea etc. We skipped as it is generally recommended with kids or while on edibles.
-
Tiger Kingdom
A place where you can get pictures with tigers. But it is generally done by drugging the tigers, and we didn’t want to be a part of that.
Tours to do
-
3 Khai islands
This was an amazing tour. We had a lot of fun. The snorkel was better at point 2 when we swam in between the sea and not on the beach. There are many colorful fishes, we didn’t see any corals here though.In general on all beaches there’s a 150 baht charge to take a pair of chairs where you can sit and keep your stuff. You can keep things on the sand also, but frankly they haven’t left much space there.
Would recommend to buy sea shoes that they sell before the tour on the pier along with mouthpiece for the snorkel (50 baht). They have life jackets, snorkel masks and give some food and water on the boat itself.
Timing - 9 AM to 1 PM (starts ~7 if you’ve pickup from hotel)
Cost - ₹1200 on Klook + 150 baht on each beach + food
Attire - Go in a swim dress with coveralls, take your towels, sunglasses etc.
-
Phang Nga Bay tour
This tour can be done from Phuket or Krabi too. We did this on our way from Phuket to Krabi - started at Tadan Pier, because this was not an official ‘tour’ - ours was more of a private tour. Took overall 4.5 hrs for the tour, if you do from Phuket / Krabi - add another 3 hours of total travel time.The tour was good - it included going through mangrove forests, seeing a lot of stalagmite caves on a canoe. We went around by a long tail boat got down on James Bong island and a Muslim Village where you can eat and shop (ok prices, can shop here)
Contact number: +66 991321160 (Name: Min) - you can give my reference
Timing - 9 AM to 1 PM
Cost - Boat + national park fee + canoe 2900 baht for 2 people
Attire - Go in a normal dress (preferably something which can dry quickly if it gets wet), sunglasses, hat etc.
Contact of the driver who took us from Phuket → Phang Nga → Krabi. Great cab.
Don +66 817975781
City 2: Krabi
I liked Krabi more as it was quieter and more scenic than Phuket. It is also cheaper than Phuket, you can stay in some nice beach resorts.
We stayed in 2 resorts
Sofitel Phooketra Krabi
10/10 - this was a very big and lovely resort, has a direct beach access and can watch beautiful sunsets from here. It has the biggest swimming pool in Thailand. There are many facilities like sauna, steam and have many activities like Thai boxing, yoga etc.
Ibis near Ao Nang Beach Krabi
2/10 - well it is a very budget hotel, view is ok from some rooms. It is extremely basic though - very very small room though, it is ok if you want to spend most of your time out in the city.
Going around: We mostly walked and took cabs.
Below are all the places to visit while you’re in Krabi.
Tourist attractions, restaurants and beaches
-
Klong Muang Beach
Simple beach - good to walk around, there are some small shops for food and massage. Sofitel hotel has a few beach chairs here to sit and watch the sunset here.
-
Ao Nang Beach
Simple beach with a market nearby.
Places we didn’t visit but are other potential options that you can visit if you have time
-
Ao Nang Night Market
Known to be a good lively market. However we skipped as there was a market near our hotel and we just walked around on the street.
-
Railay Beach
Tours to do
-
Phi Phi and Maya Bay tour - This tour takes you to many places - Bamboo beach (can swim here), Monkey Beach, Maya Bay (can get down and see baby sharks on the beach here), Phi Phi islands (can swim here), Viking cave (will do snorkel here)
Found the best water for sea swimming on this tour. The waters of Bamboo Beach and Phi Phi Island are amazingly clean and perfect for swimming.
Timing - 9 AM to 4 PM (starts ~7 if you’ve pickup from hotel)
Cost - 3200 baht for 2 people (this was the cheapest, we asked around in 2-3 places) + food
Attire - Go in a swim dress with coveralls, take your towels, sunglasses etc.
-
7 islands tour - This is a full day tour which you should do if you have time. We didn’t have time for this but is generally recommended.
Below is the link if you want an excel sheet for all the places
Thailand is an amazing place to relax. There are many many things to do, and you should try to go on some tours once in every 2-3 days along with some awesome massages. Have an awesome trip!
Read the below blog for some of the best massage places, restaurants and more tips about Thailand.