Thailand is probably unsurpassed one of the world’s absolute best and most complete destinations. Where else are the beaches so white, the water so blue, the food so good and the people so friendly?
Thailand in a nutshell is our classic trip to Thailand – whether it is the first time you travel or if you have been here many times, you can enjoy Bangkok, Kwai and lazy days on the beach.
You start the journey with a few nights in Bangkok – the friendly, smiling and at the same time noisy city with the world’s best food, lots of culture and adventure and Asia’s perhaps the most delicious shopping! Then it carries off to the river Kwai with jungle adventures and rafting on the river. After a few wonderful days out in nature, you end your trip on one of Thailand’s beautiful beaches. Here is a beach for everyone – Hua Hin, Koh Chang or maybe Phuket? There are plenty of white beaches and also entertainment, shopping and restaurants for quiet evenings!
Day 1: Departure from Scandinavia
Departure with scheduled flights – we always book scheduled flights with all its benefits – more legroom, meals and drinks, the opportunity to get bonus points. For those who have a special diet, you can order special food on board the flight free of charge. The flight time to Bangkok is about 11 hours, you fly east with the constant air currents, which makes the flight time one hour shorter than on the return. Thailand is 5 hours ahead of Sweden in summer and 6 hours in winter.
Day 2: Arrival in Bangkok
You land in the morning at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. After the passport and customs check, you will be met by your English-speaking local guide who will hold a sign with your name on it. You are driven to your hotel – e.g. Ibis Riverside on the Chao Phraya River near the Sky Train.
Day 3: Klonger, Grand Palace and flower market
After breakfast in peace and quiet, you meet up with your English-speaking guide to get to know Bangkok a bit. In the past, the city was crossed by rivers – clumps. Nowadays there are not many left except in the Thonburi district and there you do a boat trip to see how you still live by the water even today. The excursion begins with the constantly open flower market where there are lots and minute sales of orchids around the clock. The journey continues to the Grand Palace – no visit to Bangkok is complete without a tour of gold-clad temples and statues. Here is the Emerald Buddha – Emerald Buddha, one of Buddhism’s most important pilgrimage destinations in Thailand. ( F )
Day 4: Bangkok
A full day to enjoy Bangkok on your own! Take the Sky Train to experience some of Bangkok’s best-preserved neighborhoods and visit Jim Thompson’s house, here is an incredibly beautiful collection of Asian art in a tranquil setting, guided tours in English run every 20 minutes and you can drink Afternoon Tea in the small restaurant. If you want to shop for nice products, clothes and bags, go to Jim Thompson Outlet. You can walk to the klongen (river) and take the river boat down to the oldest parts of the city or just go around for an hour for almost no money at all. If you want to shop, the electronics paradise Panthip Plaza is not far away, large malls such as Terminal 21 and Emporium are across the street. Or take the Sky Train to the Siam Paragon department store, there is a huge “food court” if you want to try food from all corners of the world, here are also Bangkok’s best bookstores and children of all ages can be fascinated by the huge aquarium Ocean World. (F )
Day 5: River Kwai
You will be picked up in the morning and head west today. You go to Kanchanaburi, best known for the Japanese concentration camps here and the movie “Bridge over the River Kwai”. You visit the small war museum and also stop at Chongkai War Cemetery. Lunch is taken on a raft by the bridge, after which the journey continues through an area with crops of tobacco, tapioca and cotton. You are suggested to stay at the River Kwai Resotel, nestled in the jungle by the river. ( F , L , M )
Day 6: River Kwai
Breakfast in peace and quiet and then you go on a rafting trip down the Kwai Noi river. You float still and have time to take in the landscape and nature, with a little luck you also see wild monkeys. Bring swimwear and towel, even if the water is brown, it is clean and fresh and cools nicely. After lunch you also take a ride on the famous railway before it’s time to return to the hotel. ( F , L , M )
Day 7: On to islands and beaches
After breakfast there is time for a visit to Hellfire Pass, the most difficult part of the railway built by Australian prisoners of war. Then you check out and drive to Hua Hin where you suggest staying at the charming Sailom Hotel just north of Hua Hin itself. If you would rather go to Koh Chang, Phuket, Krabi, Khao Lak or Koh Samui, we will of course arrange it! ( F )
Read more about Thailand’s beautiful beaches:
Hua Hin If you are looking for a place in Thailand with a bit of dusty elegance and a feeling of genuine goods, Hua Hin is where you should go. It was here that King Rama VII built his summer palace, Klai Kangwoon Palace, in the 1920s and since then it has been the Thais’ own refuge from the noise and noise of the big city. In addition to its five kilometers of white sandy beach, Hua Hin has a well-developed infrastructure. It is a genuine small town with bicycle wheels and brooms for sale next to air mattresses and restaurants for all tastes line the main streets. There are several night markets and now also a shopping center. Hua Hin also has some of the best golf courses in the country.
Phuket
Phuket has something for everyone, here are some of the world’s most beautiful beaches. Child-friendly beaches like Kata, small hidden beaches like Panwa, beaches with or without entertainment & shopping and elegant beaches lined with luxury hotels like Mai Khao Beach. The sporty can cycle, surf, dive or play golf on some of the island’s fantastic courses. Here you will find cooking classes, excursions to waterfalls, retreat & SPA, shopping, elephant riding and lots of excursions. Take the opportunity to visit Phi Phi Island or see James Bond Island in the suggestive Phang Na archipelago.
Krabi
Krabi is located in Phang Na province with its characteristic terrain consisting of limestone cliffs that rise from both sea and land in unexpected and incredibly beautiful formations. The seaside resort of Krabi has its starting point from Aonang Beach. Here you can stay well and eat well while having the beach with the boats that take you out to the fantastic archipelago. Once out, you can do beach hikes on beaches such as Poda Island, Long Beach and Railay Beach, known as some of the world’s most beautiful beaches. Around lunchtime, the boats lie side by side on the most popular beaches, but in the afternoon they disappear one by one and in the end you are almost alone to watch the sun go down into the sea.
Khao Lak
In Khao Lak consists of a string of pearls of white beaches lying edge to edge with the rainforest – here meet sea, sky and land. Few places have as high and clear air as in Khao Lak. The kilometer-long white sandy beaches are lined with boulders reminiscent of a tropical archipelago and in the background is the deep, green jungle. Similan Islands and Surin Island – a few hours boat ride away are some of the world’s best dive sites. The world-famous oceanographer Jaques Costeau had the Similan Islands as one of his favorite places in the world.
Koh Chang
Here there are lots of excursions and opportunities for adventure. Elephants – Chang does not mean elephant in Thai for nothing, visit the adorable village of Bang Bao on stilts in the water or go out in a canoe in the mangrove swamp and watch fireflies, kayak or swim in waterfalls. On the beautiful White Sands Beach is the main part of the island’s limited range of restaurants and shops. Klong Prao Beach and Kai Bae Beach are calmer and if you want to be even more at peace, you can look up Lonely Beach. You can also take a boat trip or make day trips to the islands of Koh Wai, Koh Maak and Koh Kham.
Koh Samui
From backpacker to luxury – 20 years ago, the rumor began to spread from the backpackers that there was a fairytale island in the Gulf of Siam. In recent years, Koh Samui has developed from a small island with beach huts into a sophisticated destination with exclusive luxury hotels, shopping, nightlife and a paradise for sports enthusiasts. You now also have your own golf course, as stunningly beautiful as it is challenging to play on. But you can still take a boat over to Koh Phangan once a month to dance the night away at the beach at a Full Moon Party. Chaweng and Lamai were the two beaches that were built first and have everything you could want in terms of sun, swimming, shopping and restaurants. Up north, the development is somewhat slower and on Bophut Beach you see a slow expansion of hotels.
Day 13: Return trip
There is plenty of time for a dip in the pool or the sea before you are picked up to start the journey home.
Day 14: Homecoming
Overnight stays
Felt nights in hotels
