Thailand itinerary: 7 days, day by day

A week is tight for Thailand, but it doesn't have to feel rushed if the travel days do the work for you. The route below leans on the Bangkok to Chiang Mai sleeper train and a direct flight from Chiang Mai to the Gulf, so you only lose a few daytime hours to transport across the whole week. For the bigger picture on what fits at other lengths, see the Thailand itinerary guide.

The recommended route: Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Koh Phangan

This shape works because the two long moves both happen on transport that would otherwise cost you a hotel night or a lost afternoon: the sleeper train saves a night's accommodation, and the direct Chiang Mai to Koh Samui flight avoids a full day of buses and boats back through Bangkok. If you want more time in the north or on the islands than a week allows, the Northern Thailand itinerary and the Gulf islands itinerary cover each region's own 1-week and 10-day versions in full.

Day 1: Arrive in Bangkok

Land whenever your flight gets in and check into a hostel near the Old City or Khao San Road. Keep the evening easy: a walk around Chinatown's Yaowarat Road covers dinner and your first taste of Thai street food, from grilled seafood skewers to mango sticky rice.

Day 2: The Grand Palace, then the night train

Get to the Grand Palace for its 8:30am opening, before the heat and the coach groups. From there it's a short walk to Wat Pho and its 46-metre reclining Buddha, then a two-minute ferry across the Chao Phraya to Wat Arun. All three need shoulders and knees covered. The afternoon is free for a massage or a nap, because at 18:40 you board Special Express 9 at Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal, the overnight sleeper train to Chiang Mai. Published 2nd-class fares are about 940 baht for an upper berth and about 1,040 baht for a lower one, so check D-Ticket for today's price. Tickets go on sale up to 180 days ahead on the State Railway's D-Ticket site.

Day 3: Chiang Mai's Old City

The train is due into Chiang Mai at about 07:15, though it often runs 30 to 60 minutes late. After a slow morning and coffee, walk the temples inside the Old City moat, then take a red songthaew up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep in the late afternoon for the gold chedi and the view over the valley as the sun goes down.

Day 4: An ethical elephant morning, then a cooking class

Spend the morning at an observation-only elephant sanctuary such as ChangChill in Mae Wang, where you watch a small group of elephants graze and cool off in a mud pit, with no riding and no bathing them yourself (prices vary by programme, so check the sanctuary's current rate). In the evening, at a farm cooking class outside the city (about 1,200 baht), you pick herbs, pound your own curry paste and cook dinner from scratch.

Day 5: Fly south to Koh Phangan

Bangkok Airways flies direct from Chiang Mai to Koh Samui in about 1 hour 30 to 1 hour 45 minutes. From Samui's small open-air airport, it's a short transfer to the pier for a Lomprayah or Seatran boat to Thong Sala on Koh Phangan, about 30 to 45 minutes and roughly 250 to 370 baht. Stay on the quieter side of the island, away from Haad Rin, and settle in with dinner near your hostel.

Day 6: A boat day, or a Full Moon Party

If your dates line up with a Full Moon Party at Haad Rin, tonight is the night: go with people you know, buy sealed drinks and share transport home. On any other date, spend the day on the water instead: snorkel the sandbar at Koh Ma, swim at Bottle Beach (a longtail from Chaloklum, about 15 to 30 minutes, with fares quoted from about 150 to 400 baht each way), or just pick a quiet beach and read.

Day 7: Depart

Have a last breakfast before heading to the airport. The boat back to Koh Samui takes about 30 to 45 minutes, so book a flight home leaving from about 13:00 onward. Surat Thani airport is usually cheaper to fly from but adds a bus and boat transfer, so weigh the saving against the extra hours.

Other ways to spend 1 week

• 

  1 week · November to January

  Northern Thailand itinerary

  Bangkok, then the train north to Chiang Mai and on to Pai, skipping the islands entirely.

  Best for Mountains and temples, no beach

• 

  1 week · November to April

  Andaman coast itinerary

  Ao Nang, Koh Lanta and Koh Phi Phi, no Bangkok temples or northern travel day.

  Best for Beaches and limestone cliffs

• 

  1 week · February to September

  Gulf islands itinerary

  Fly straight to Koh Samui and boat to Koh Tao for a PADI Open Water course.

  Best for Diving, one island properly

Northern Thailand only, no beach

If mountains matter more than sand, skip south altogether: 2 nights in Bangkok, then the sleeper train to 2 nights in Chiang Mai and 2 to 3 nights in Pai, the small valley town about 3 hours further on a winding road. This is the Northern Thailand itinerary's 1-week version in full, and it suits November to January best, when the air is cool and clear; avoid it from about February to April, when farm-burning smoke settles over the valley.

Andaman islands only, no north

If you'd rather skip the north and Bangkok's temples entirely, fly straight into Krabi (KBV) and spend the week among the Andaman islands instead. This is the coast to pick from November to April, when it's dry and the seas are calm; the Gulf islands variation below is the better choice the rest of the year, since the two coasts run opposite seasons.

Maya Bay allows timed visits only, with no swimming (400 baht entry, usually included in boat-tour prices), and it closes every August and September.

Gulf islands only, dive-focused

If diving matters more to you than a second region, fly Bangkok to Koh Samui on Day 2 instead of taking the train north, then boat straight to Koh Tao. That leaves 4 clear days on the island, enough for a PADI Open Water course (about three to three and a half days, roughly 9,500 to 12,500 baht in 2026) with a spare day either side. The boat from Samui to Koh Tao takes about 1.5 to 2.75 hours. This suits February to September best, and November is the roughest month on the Gulf; the Andaman coast above is the swap if you're travelling outside that window and want islands rather than mountains.

Choosing between them

Costs, best time and getting around

Excluding flights into and out of the country, budget 1,000 to 1,500 baht a day for food, drinks and local transport, plus your accommodation, the train berth, the domestic flight and any activities. Mid-December to about 20 February is the safest window for this exact route, when the north is cool and dry and both island coasts are calm. June to August also works if you pair the north with the Gulf islands. Avoid the north from about February to April because of smoke, and the Gulf islands in November. The sleeper train and the Chiang Mai to Koh Samui flight are the two bookings worth making before you land: book the train as soon as sales open, up to 180 days ahead, and the flight once your dates are fixed.

Keep planning

• Thailand itinerary guide
• 10-day Thailand itinerary
• 2-week Thailand itinerary
• 3-week Thailand itinerary
• 1-month Thailand itinerary
• Chiang Mai guide
• Koh Phangan guide
• Koh Tao diving guide