Thailand Holidays guide – from maps and weather to the best attractions and restaurants – here’s what you need to know
At a glance
Thailand holidays are great for...
- Adventure tourism and eco-tourism in the rainforests
- Partying on perfect white-sand beaches
- Brilliant value and a low cost of living – a great long-haul stag destination
Introducing Thailand
Thailand is called the “land of smiles” and is famously friendly and welcoming. The country’s people have a lot to be happy about; they live in a colourful, exotic, sometimes weird and always wonderfully beautiful country.
The coast is lined with white-sand beaches with jungle islands seeming to float in the perfect blue waters off shore. Those sunrise raves aren’t just a figment of the backpacker’s imagination! Inland you’ll find rugged beauty and wild rain forests with the occasional farming village. Both environments are home to some spectacular wildlife that it’s possible to get up close and personal with.
Thailand was never colonised and has its own distinct culture. And don’t forget Bangkok, one of the world’s great cities, buzzing with life, from floating markets to mega clubs and with millions of – mainly young – visitors passing through.
Getting Around in Thailand
Thailand is divided into 76 provinces called changwats. These are split into amphoes, as districts are called – there are 795 of these – and these into communes called tambons. Finally, the nearly 70,000 moobans are village-level local communities.
Bangkok, the capital is in the south, and as a general rule, the country gets quieter and more rural the further north you go. Bangkok itself is split into 50 districts (it’s a big place!), but these official lines on the map are of more use in posting a letter than getting around. Areas like Siam Square, the business and shopping district, Sukhumvit with its posh and risqué nightlife, and Silom, where the locals go to party make more sense.
In Bangkok there is good modern public transport, with an elevated Skytrain (the BTS) and an underground MRT system. A variety of boats will get you to riverside attractions, and taxis are plentiful and cheap. Elsewhere you’re most likely to travel by bus, many of them run by BKS, the government’s own transport company.
The railways system (SRT) is not extensive, and will get you to the main cities and on into neighbouring countries. Ferries run to all the major islands, and they are very cheap. There are more than 20 airports in the country, with internal flights run by a number of operators.