Thailand, one longtail at a time.
Which floating-market run leaves early enough to beat the coach fleet. Which elephant camp leaves the herd alone. What a day under the Phang Nga karsts really costs. Every tour in Thailand, reviewed.
The tours Thailand books out first.
Every review →More travellers take these than anything else in the country. Here is what each one is actually like on the day.
1
Damnoen Saduak Market and Maeklong Railway Market
A 7-hour day trip from Bangkok to Maeklong Railway Market and Damnoen Saduak Floating Market by train, boat, and great local food stops.
From · $25
Read our review →
2
Maya, Phi Phi, and Bamboo Island with Buffet Lunch
from $61
3
Half-Day Thai Cooking Class at Organic Farm in Chiang Mai
from $29
4
The Old Siam: Damnoen Saduak and Maeklong Railway Market
from $32
5
Ayutthaya Temples Guided Tour with Lunch
from $28
6
Train Market & Floating Market with Boat Ride
from $25
7
Elephant Sanctuary, Waterfall & Bamboo Rafting
from $60
8
Doi Inthanon National Park Eco-Friendly Tour
from $46
Limestone, longtails and the island day trip.
Phi Phi at first light before the fleet arrives, sea caves paddled under the Phang Nga karsts, four islands and lunch on the sand. The Andaman coast is why half of Thailand’s visitors get on a boat.
- 1Maya, Phi Phi, and Bamboo Island with Buffet Lunchfrom $61
- 2Phi Phi Islands Speedboat Day Tourfrom $51
- 3Phi Phi Islands Adventure Day Trip w/ Seaview Lunch by V. Marinefrom $91
The days Thailand is famous for.
Markets on the water before breakfast, elephants in the northern hills, sea caves by canoe, a wok and a basket from the morning market. The handful of days most Thailand trips are built around.
Bangkok rewards an early alarm.
The markets happen at dawn, the canals at first light, the food after dark. Four days in the capital is plenty, but only if the good mornings are booked before you land.
In Chiang Mai the day starts up in the hills.
Elephants at feeding time, a mountain road up Doi Inthanon, a cooking class that begins in the market with an empty basket. The north runs slower than the coast and asks for three days, not one.
- 1Half-Day Thai Cooking Class at Organic Farm in Chiang Maifrom $29
- 2Elephant Sanctuary, Waterfall & Bamboo Raftingfrom $60
- 3Doi Inthanon National Park Eco-Friendly Tourfrom $46
Only in Thailand.
Beaches and temples turn up all over Asia. A market that packs itself away for a passing train, elephant valleys in the north and a stadium card on a Tuesday night belong to Thailand.
Maeklong and Damnoen Saduak
Eight times a day a freight train runs straight through Maeklong market, and eight times a day the awnings fold back, the baskets slide clear and the whole street reassembles behind it. The classic run pairs that with Damnoen Saduak, where the stalls are paddleboats and the noodles are cooked over the water. Both want an early pickup: by ten the canal is bumper to bumper.
- 1Damnoen Saduak Market and Maeklong Railway Market★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 · 26,723 reviews
- 2The Old Siam: Damnoen Saduak and Maeklong Railway Market★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 · 10,992 reviews
- 3Train Market & Floating Market with Boat Ride★★★★★★★★★★ 4.7 · 9,547 reviews
The Elephant Camps
Thailand moved away from elephant riding faster than anywhere else in Asia, and the valleys around Chiang Mai are now full of feeding-and-bathing camps instead. The good ones keep group sizes small, skip the chains and let the herd walk off when it wants to. Mornings sell out first, and the mud always wins.
- 1Elephant Sanctuary, Waterfall & Bamboo Rafting★★★★★★★★★★ 4.9 · 9,160 reviews
- 2Elephant Sanctuary & Waterfall Group Tour★★★★★★★★★★ 4.9 · 5,780 reviews
- 3Elephant Sanctuary Feeding Program Half-Day Tour★★★★★★★★★★ 4.8 · 4,527 reviews
A Night at the Stadium
Muay Thai is not a tourist show: Rajadamnern and Lumpinee are working stadiums with rankings on the line and a betting ring roaring behind you. Cards run on set nights, the early bouts are teenagers and the main event lands late. Ringside seats cost more than the beer and are worth it.
- 1Muay Thai Boxing Tickets at Rajadamnern Stadium★★★★★★★★★★ 4.9 · 4,740 reviews
- 2Patong Boxing Stadium Muay Thai Match Ticket★★★★★★★★★★ 4.7 · 2,203 reviews
- 3Phetch Buncha Boxing Stadium Muay Thai Ticket★★★★★★★★★★ 4.8 · 789 reviews
What a day out in Thailand costs.
Every tour on the site, cheapest first. A great Thai day starts around the price of a plate of noodles and a boat ticket.
Market mornings, temple runs, cooking classes and stadium seats — the everyday best of the country.
The full day trips: island boats with lunch, elephant camps, Ayutthaya and the mountain roads.
Private guides, Similan liveaboards and the chartered speedboat days worth the splurge.
Book these before you fly to Thailand.
Most of Thailand can be arranged at a guesthouse desk the night before. These cannot. They run on national-park seasons, capped headcounts and fight cards that will not move for your flight.
- 01Similan Islands Early-Bird Tour From Phuket and Khao Lak!The Similan Islands national park shuts through the southwest monsoon, roughly mid-May to mid-October.
- 02Phi Phi Islands and Maya Bay Day Trip with LunchMaya Bay closes every August and September to let the reef recover, and daily visitor numbers are capped when it reopens.
- 03Muay Thai Boxing Tickets at Rajadamnern StadiumStadium cards run on set nights of the week, not every evening, and ringside rows are small.
- 04Elephant Sanctuary, Waterfall & Bamboo RaftingThe camps cap how many people join each feeding session, so the morning slots go weeks ahead in high season.
When the monsoon lands, Thailand moves under a roof.
Rain here arrives hard and leaves fast, usually mid-afternoon. The answers are a wok and a market basket, a temple courtyard, an hour face-down on a massage mat, a stadium with a roof over it. None of them care what the sky is doing.
By region — mainland to islands
Bangkok462 tours
Chiang Mai347 tours
Phuket190 tours
Krabi227 tours
Koh Samui98 tours
Khao Lak84 tours
Pattaya70 tours- All 18 regions →
By experience — pick a kind of day
Bangkok to the islands, reviewed end to end.
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