The perfect itinerary for three weeks in Thailand

The perfect itinerary for three weeks in Thailand

Posted on February 1, 2023

Thailand is a country where many backpackers go and for good reason! It is a beautiful country and it has everything: beautiful nature, beaches, good parties and you can do a lot of activities. The people are also very nice and the food is delicious and cheap. Are you planning to go to Thailand? Then read our perfect three-week Thailand itinerary!

Best travel time

Thailand is a large country and it is difficult to indicate for a few months that the entire country is easy to travel. In general, the weather is good everywhere between November and February, although there may be some rain. We ourselves traveled in December and we had a day of rain, but otherwise great weather!

Visa

Before you travel to Thailand, you don’t have to worry about a visa if you stay in Thailand for a maximum of 45 days. You will receive a stamp in your passport upon arrival that allows you to stay in the country for 45 days. If you are staying longer or if it concerns a business trip, you must apply for a visa in advance.

Travel schedule

We stayed in Thailand for a total of three weeks and have done our best to map out the perfect itinerary that shows you North and South Thailand. The itinerary is a combination of looking for adventure in nature and relaxing on beautiful beaches.

Day 1 – 4: Bangkok
Day 4 – 7: Chiang Mai
Day 7 -10: Pai
Day 10 – 12: Khao Sok
Day 12 – 15: Ao Nang
Day 15 – 19: Koh Phi Phi
Day 19 – 21: Bangkok

Day 1 – 4 Bangkok

Our journey started in Bangkok. We enjoyed staying here for a few days to recover from the journey and acclimatize. Fortunately, there is also plenty to do and see in Bangkok, so you can certainly enjoy yourself here for a few days! Visit the temples Wat Arun and Wat Pho or go shopping in one of the huge malls such as ICONSIAM. There is also a food market in this mall, where you can enjoy delicious food. We did the Co van Kessel bike tour and we really recommend this! And do you want to escape the hustle and bustle a bit? Then walk around Lumphini park, but watch out for the monitor lizards. In the evening you can take a look at the busy Khaosan Road and enjoy delicious food at Madam Musur.

Accommodation

We slept in CHERN Bangkok. A centrally located hostel with swimming pool and spacious rooms. We moved around Bangkok by metro and there is a metro station nearby, so that was very nice. Khaosan Road is also only a fifteen minute walk away.

Do you want to know more about Bangkok? Then read our blog about it!

Day 4 – 7 Chiang Mai

After a few days in Bangkok we took the night train to Chiang Mai! Chiang Mai is a lot quieter and has a nice atmosphere. There are countless coffee shops and restaurants to choose from and plenty to do. For example, visit the temples Wat Phra Singh, Wat Pha Lat or Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep or stroll through the night market on Saturday or Sunday! You will find many street food stalls and handmade souvenirs here. It is also great fun to take a cooking course. We took one full day at Smile Organic Farm Cooking School, highly recommended!

We stayed at My Chiangmai Boutique Lodge . A very nice hotel with swimming pool, just outside the hustle and bustle of Chiang Mai. The staff is very helpful and we can definitely recommend this hotel if you go to Chiang Mai!

Day 7 – 10 Pai

Due to circumstances we stayed longer in Chiang Mai and skipped Pai, but we heard good stories about it! The road from Chiang Mai to Pai consists of more than 700 bends, so keep this in mind, but once in Pai you can relax for a few days and enjoy the surroundings.

Day 10 – 12 Khao Sok
Then it's time for one of the highlights of the trip, Khao Sok National Park! You can sail through this beautiful park on a longtail boat and we were amazed. You have different options in terms of tours, but we chose the one-day tour where you saw a cave and did a hike through the jungle of about an hour. After hiking, lunch was ready in one of the floating restaurants and then you had a few hours to relax! We went kayaking and lay in the sun. It really was a great day and we would definitely recommend adding Khao Sok to your itinerary!

We slept in Chillax Khaosok hostel , a hostel in the village of Khlong Sok from where many tours to the park depart. We thought this was a very nice hostel and the owner does everything she can to make you happy! You can also arrange the tour with her and you can have breakfast at the hostel. We will then ensure that the food is ready so that you can leave on time. Highly recommended!

Day 12 – 15 Ao Nang

Ao Nang is a tourist town on the coast in the south of Thailand. From here you can go to the most beautiful islands and, for example, to Railay beach. But there is also plenty to do and see in Ao Nang and the surrounding area! We thought it was the perfect base. We rented a scooter for a day and drove to the Tiger cave temple. The temple is about half an hour by scooter. We climbed 1260 steps and at the top you have a beautiful view! You can also go to the Emerald pool and Blue pool, two natural water sources that are bright blue. These sights are an hour and a half drive from Ao Nang. You can go here by taxi or tour or you can take the scooter, but it will take a little longer.

Railay beach
From Ao Nang you can also take a taxi boat to one of the most popular beaches in the area, Railay beach. On the boulevard you can buy a ticket for the taxi boat and it leaves when there are enough people. This usually does not take long. For the return journey, you can walk to one of the boats and then you will be directed to a boat that goes to your destination. Railay beach is a beautiful beach with rocks protruding from the water. Railay beach itself can be busy, but you can also walk a bit to Phra Nang beach, where it is a bit quieter. It is definitely recommended to go here, because despite the crowds it is beautiful and you can relax here.

Boat & Beyond

Another really fun activity we did was sailing with Boat & Beyond. This is a private tour with a large longtail boat, which takes you to beautiful islands where you have a picnic on the beach. We opted for a half-day tour to Hong Island, Hong Lagoon and Koh Lao Lading. It is a more expensive activity, but we really enjoyed it for once and highly recommend it!

We stayed at COSI Krabi Ao Nang Beach and thought this was a very nice place! They have a large lobby where you can also buy snacks, a swimming pool on the roof, a gym and it is located in the street with all the nice restaurants.

Day 15 – 19 Koh Phi Phi

Time to relax on the most beautiful beaches! For example, go to Tonsai beach or Long beach. There is also plenty to do on Koh Phi Phi. Walk to the viewpoint and enjoy the view. We have also booked a tour to Koh Phi Phi Leh. There are many beautiful things to see here, such as Phi Leh Lagoon, Maya Bay and Monkey beach. Snorkeling among the hundreds of fish was also a real highlight! End the day at one of the beach bars and watch a fire show. We went to Carlito's ourselves and this was a very nice bar with good cocktails!

We slept at Phi Phi Villa Resort . The resort was just outside the hustle and bustle and on the beach, so the location was great! The pool was nice, the breakfast good and there is a shop open 24 hours in the resort. We also found the resort a bit outdated, for example the fitness equipment also needed to be replaced, but otherwise it was a good place to sleep!

Day 19 – 21 Bangkok

Before it was time to go home, we stayed in Bangkok for two more days. This way you don't have to travel all at once, because the flight home is already long enough. In Bangkok we rested by the pool and had a delicious meal. We also went to the rooftop bar Vertigo and took a ride in a tuk tuk! The perfect ending to a very beautiful trip.

This time we slept in Travelodge Sukhumvit 11 . A good hotel with wonderful beds (the beds in Thailand are quite hard, so this was a relief), a swimming pool on the roof and close to the metro and various restaurants. Highly recommended!