Top Things to Do in Thailand In 10 Days (Suggested Itinerary For Couples)
Imagine you and your beloved one have 11 days to explore Thailand, what will you do? Lying all days on the beaches of Phuket? Take a sunset cruise in Phang Nga Bay or explore all Wat in Bangkok?
Thailand is home to stunning islands with white sand beaches lying beside dreamy turquoise seawater as well as fantastic art experiences and thousands of Buddhism pagoda. This interesting and friendly paradise has too many to “conquer” that if you don’t prepare, you may get overwhelmed. Here are some recommendations from our Thailand travel expert- Ms. Tran Thuy for couples who want to spend at least 10 days in this gorgeous land.
11-day itinerary for a romantic trip around Bangkok - Chiang Mai - Phuket and Koh Yao Noi:
Day 1: Flight to Bangkok and have a magical night at the Deck Restaurant and watch night temple: Wat Arun
Day 2: Visit Grand Palace, some famous temples and explore the food paradise in Khaosan Road
Day 3: Private long-tail boat onto the peaceful Klong Bang Luang. Visit art workshop in Baan Silapin & watch a unique puppet show.
Day 4: Flight to Chiangmai, enjoy the Thai cooking class of Pantawan and visit some famous temples here.
Day 5: Climb to the top of Doi Suthep, trekking to the hill tribe village here and join the water fight in Songkran festival in downtown Chiang Mai in April or release sky lantern in Yipeng and Loy Krathong festivals in November.
Day 6: Flight to Phuket. Embark on "JUNE BAHTRA" for a departure and cruise through Ko Lawa for a spectacular sunset over Phang Nga Bay. Cruise back to Yacht Haven Marina and transfer back to the hotel after the sunset.
Day 7: Take John Gray’s sea canoe by Hong Starlight Joining tour with full-day kayaking and sightseeing adventure.
Day 8: Land transfer to Koh Yao Noi. Arriving at the pier, take a joining boat to the island; check in the hotel then free.
Day 9: Free to relax on the beautiful beaches in Koh Yao Noi and Koh Yao Yai
Day 10: Transfer back to Phuket airport for the flight to Bangkok. Arriving at Bangkok airport, you will take a shuttle bus to your hotel for check-in then free.
Day 11: Breakfast at the hotel. At the right time, take a shuttle bus to the airport for your departure flight.
This itinerary is featured on the tour called Paradise Untouched - our Honeymoon package for anyone who loves Thailand.
1. Romantic Date at the Deck restaurant with the view of Wat Arun from afar
Nothing is more romantic than a dinner with light from candles, your lovers with the background of sparkling Wat Arun - the temple of dawn. A fairytale meal with top-notch food served by 5-star chefs of The Deck restaurants will surely blow your mind. Among countless restaurants in Bangkok standing with the backdrop of the Chao Phraya, The Deck offers a great view of the sunset overlooking the temple of dawn and Chao Phraya river from your table.
Book one in advance and try it yourself the best Thai food in Bangkok together with some Western dishes. Promise you, the food here is mediocre that you may be craving for more. Prepare your “stomach” for a romantic and delicious night like that.
2. Half-day tour at Grand Palace
Used to be the seat of power and spiritual heart of the Thai kingdom, Grand Palace takes pride in its architecture that showcases the glorious beauty of golden pagoda, a modern building where the royal family used to stay and gardens where hundreds of flowers and trees are planted. This dazzling, spectacular complex ranks No. 1 in top must-visit places in Bangkok.
It will take you at least a half-day to explore the whole complex since it is quite huge and contains multiple building insides.
Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall
Among all, Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall and Borom Phiman Mansion are the two most popular constructions. They both symbolize the mixture of western architecture and Thai traditional style. Since Thailand is the heaven of Buddhism, you can surely find some pagodas like Wat Pho and Wat Arun surrounding Grand Palace and even a famous one right inside- Wat Phra Kaew- the temple of the Emerald Buddha. The pagoda is quite similar to thousands of temples or pagoda around Thailand with golden stupas and Buddha statues, however, it’s the small Buddha statue in the center that makes this temple one of the most sacred places in this kingdom. This small statue called Emerald Buddha is believed to be more than 2000 years old and was created in India. Grand Place has still more things to offer so let’s spare more time here to explore them all.
3. Bangkok food tour in the old city
Exploring Thai cuisine is the fastest and most unique way to true stories behind Thailand's mysterious beliefs, history, culture, and traditions. You don’t need to eat your way throughout Bangkok but just follow a local guide and “conquer” the Old City area or Rattanakosin, a part of the Kingdom's rich past, with shimmering, spire-shaped eye-candy on nearly every corner.
Most of the food tours include a wide range of mouth-watering food tastings that may satisfy your stomach for both lunch and dinner, from Thai and ethnic specialty eateries, renowned street food stalls, to historic fine dining restaurants. Keep in mind the name of Thai signature dishes below before going:
- Tom Yum Goong: well-known for its special hot and sour flavor, this is the most famous soup paste with shrimp, lemongrass, chili, and some Thai special herbs or spices.
- Papaya Salad or Som Tam is made from grated green papaya and a few carrots mixed with sugar, dried shrimps, cherry tomatoes, lime juice, fish sauce, garlic, and chilly pepper.
- Thai green curry (Geng Kheaw Wan Gai) with chicken is the top two most stunning curry in the world besides Indian curry.
- Mango sticky rice (or Kao Niew Ma Muang) You can feel the sweetness of mango, combined with the scent of sticky rice and the fatty taste of coconut sauce in your first bite.
- Pad Thai: Stir-fried noodles with scrambled eggs, veggies with somehow sweet and sour flavors.
4. Khlong Bang Luang Artist House with a puppet show
Though this house was built 200 years ago as a hub of arts and traditions in Thailand, not many tourists let it go in their travel plan in Bangkok. What a pity! This old house of artists is a treasure along with one of Bangkok’s old canals- Khlong Lat Mayom. This house is often reached by a Bangkok Klong longtail boat tour from the Chao Phraya river, during which you may have a great view of two riverbanks portraying the normal lives of Bangkok people.
Baan Silapin (บ้านศิลปิน) or Klong Bang Luang (คลองบางหลวง), or in English known as Artist’s House is an L shape wooden building with two floors. The first one is for artworks of different types of photography, printing, printed art, and sculpture while the top one is reserved to feature painting exhibitions. The most interesting experience here is a unique Thai shadow puppet shows which tell stories of humor in a traditional way.
Don’t forget to take a look at their workshop and buy some art products here since they are much cheaper and more unique than those in Bangkok center.
The most interesting experience here is a unique Thai shadow puppet shows which tell stories of humor in a traditional way.
5. Chiang Mai Thai Cooking Class
During your stay in Chiang Mai - the citadel of Lana kingdom, enroll in a cooking class here to learn how to cook some Thai main dishes. Chiang Mai is home to hundreds of culinary schools which offer from street food short training to royal cuisine cooking class instructed by 5-star chefs.
Here are top culinary school and classes for your reference:
- Asia Scenic Thai Cooking School
- AZabb E Lee Thai Cooking School
- Pantawan cooking class
- Thai Farm Cooking School
- May Kaidee's Cooking School
Pantawan cooking class
For me, the best one is Pantawan cooking class. Though it’s not the most famous culinary class, it still offers sessions for some authentic Thai dishes that no other schools have. Most importantly, you will have a chance of learning from 5-star chefs who work for Michelin star restaurants in Chiangmai. The program starts with a tour of the local fresh market. There, our instructor will teach you the techniques of how to choose the perfect ingredients for your Thai cooking lesson.
6. Climb to Doi Suthep
Lying on the western outskirt of Chiang Mai old city, Doi Suthep is one of the twin peaks of a granite mountain range which is renowned for the wondrous and holy temple of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. This temple looks quite new, however, actually, it was built in 1383 and still used as a monastery until now. Like Grand Palace, in the most sacred part of the temple, a green Emerald Buddha statue is on display (but it is just the copy of this holy statue). There is not much to say about the architecture of this temple since it looks like any other one all over Thailand with golden spires and colorful porcelain. What makes this temple stand out from the crowd is one of the world's largest gongs, which makes an earthly rich sound when struck.
Besides the temple, you may also enjoy the park surrounding it with night safari or trek to the hill tribe village nearby where you may meet long neck women in traditional clothes. They belong to the same ethnic minority as in Myanmar.
Coming to Doi Suthep, don’t forget to stop by the middle road to take a photo with the background of beautiful Chiang Mai city from afar and enjoy chicken BBQ here for just 1 dollar. A stunning lake named Huay Tung Tao, which you may encounter along the way will see then the heat of summer and deliver a stunning view of two banks with small houses of local people.
To reach Doi Suthep from Chiang Mai old city, let's try Songthaew - A red "taxi" in Chiang Mai which offers a negotiable fixed price for a tour regardless of a number of people. That means the more people in a Songthaew, the less money you need to pay. Therefore, if you go alone or in a small group, just wait a few minutes for other tourists or local people to fill up the Songthaew. By the way, it is easier for you to chitchat with some local people and even end up with something new and more interesting than the trip.
7. Water-fight in Songkran festival
The best tip to visit Thailand is to travel the right place at the right time. The right time to travel to Thailand is when events like the Songkran festival happens. Often held in the middle of April to celebrate the new year based in Buddhism calendar, Songkran is one of the biggest and most important events of Thai People, which marks the beginning of a new year.
This is called Water Festival because it names as the largest water fight in the world but you probably won’t mind the drenching. The festival originates from a belief of Thai people: Water will wash away bad thought and action of the old year and bring good luck in the new year, so the festival is all about cleaning and fresh starts.
This festival is definitely a must-join party for any couples who love exciting experiences and want something wild!
People clean their houses and wash the Buddhist statues with flower-scented water and the young folk pays their respect to the elder by respectfully pouring water over their hands. But nowadays, the festival becomes popular worldwide. Locals and travelers rush to the street, spend whole days splashing water on each other. If you’re out and about on Songkran, don’t expect to return to your hotel room dry!
8. Lantern festivals in Chiang Mai
If you once saw the movie Rapunzel or watched the video clip of the song I see the light, you may wish to lock the lips of people you love in the background of sparkling sky lanterns as in the movie. Why not come to Chiang Mai in November and try it?
The most jaw-dropping moment in Loy Krathong and Yi Peng is when the sky is full of thousands of sky lanterns released by Chiang Mai monks and tourists reflected by the Mae Ping River. This ceremony is believed to send a person’s bad luck and misfortune away into the air, especially if it disappears from view before the fire goes out.
Actually, this event is just a part of two festivals called Loy Krathong and Yi Peng. Loy Krathong is not only held in Chiang Mai but celebrated throughout Thailand but Yipeng is a unique event that only Chiang Mai has. During Loy Krathong, Chiang Mai features activities at various venues throughout the city such as boat races on the Mae Ping River, Yi Peng lantern procession as well as the contest, Beauty contest, and Krathong parades and contests.
Book the tour to Chiang Mai and Thailand in November from today since the best place to catch the spectacular view of lanterns will soon run out.
The best tour is Lantern Festival in Thailand. Let's Join the cheering atmosphere coated with mellowing lights from water lanterns, sky lanterns, candles, strings of lights from local houses, and the happy glow in their eyes.
9. Sunset cruise around Phang Nga Bay
This is an idyllic cruise sailing through the stunning scenery of the Phang Nga Bay - one of Thailand's most wanted spots. Nothing is more romantic and memorable than sitting on the deck of the cruise with your lovers, sipping top-notch champagne when the sun is setting.
For a special cruise trip for a couple, we recommend JUNE BAHTRA which will go through Ko Lawa for a spectacular sunset over Phang Nga Bay. Delicious Thai buffet dinner is served on board with seafood in western style and Thai traditional dishes.
10. Scuba diving and snorkeling in Phuket
If you are an adventure lover, you will definitely go to Phuket and try scuba diving or snorkeling here. Phuket is home to various white sand beaches with crystal clear seawater, which makes it a perfect place to view gorgeous coral reefs right around the island.
Definitely, take advantage of the private spa experiences around the island—this is one of the things which Phuket is most renowned for. You’ll also find that many resorts offer private fitness classes like yoga for couples. This can be a fun and relaxing way to strengthen your romantic bond while enjoying the Phuket experience. For those who have never dive before, be sure to take a short class first before getting it going.
Thailand still has more things to offer like elephant interacting and training class, windsurfing, dinner at a rooftop bar..... Come to Thailand right now for your honeymoon in heaven on earth.
Talk to us if you still hesitate anything or want to design a tour on your own.