The itinerary that covers Thailand properly: Bangkok (3 nights) for the temples and the street food and the specific Bangkok that 48 hours gives you the framework of, Chiang Mai (3 nights) for the elephant sanctuary and the khao soi and the cooking class that shows you where the 19 ingredients of the nam prik pao paste come from, the Sukhothai day trip that most Thailand itineraries omit because it is equidistant between Bangkok and Chiang Mai and requires a night rather than a dash, three nights on the Andaman coast (Ko Lanta or Krabi), and four nights on the Gulf coast islands (Ko Samui or Koh Phangan) — and why the north-to-south circuit gives Thailand in its full cultural and geographic register rather than the Bangkok-islands version that misses everything in the middle.
Reading time: 11 minutes | Last updated: 2026
Thailand is the most visited country in Southeast Asia and the one most often visited incompletely — the Bangkok arrival followed immediately by the flight to the island, the two weeks spent in Bangkok and Ko Samui without the north and without the centre and without the understanding of what Thailand actually is beyond its two most internationally marketed components.
The two-week circuit below covers four distinct Thailand regions: the Rattanakosin-era capital (Bangkok), the Lanna Kingdom former capital (Chiang Mai), the Sukhothai Kingdom ruins (the ancient capital between them), and the Gulf and Andaman coasts. This is not all of Thailand. It is the beginning of the correct understanding.
The Route
Bangkok (3 nights) → Sukhothai (1 night, overnight train from Bangkok or flight) → Chiang Mai (3 nights) → Ko Lanta or Krabi (3 nights, fly from Chiang Mai) → Ko Samui or Koh Phangan (4 nights, ferry from Krabi or fly)
The 14 Days
DAYS 1-3 — Bangkok
Full guide: Bangkok in 48 Hours and Thailand — The BGGD Guide.
The specific Day 3 Bangkok addition:
The Chatuchak Weekend Market (if Day 3 falls on Saturday or Sunday — the 8,000 stalls, the antique section, the vintage section, the plant section): the full-day Bangkok market as the third day alternative to the temple circuit second visit.
The Jim Thompson House (6 Kasem San 2 — the preserved silk merchant’s house with the Thai antique collection).
DAY 4 — Bangkok to Sukhothai
The overnight train or the VIP bus:
The overnight train from Bangkok Hua Lamphong to Phitsanulok (the sleeper train, the 3A air-conditioned sleeper: THB 600-900 / £13.25-19.88, 6 hours, departing 6pm arriving midnight): then the local bus from Phitsanulok to Sukhothai (1 hour, THB 40-60 / £0.88-1.33).
The VIP bus from Bangkok’s Mo Chit bus terminal direct to Sukhothai (7 hours, THB 350-550 / £7.73-12.15).
Sukhothai:
Sukhothai (the ancient capital of the first Thai kingdom, 780km north of Bangkok — the Sukhothai Historical Park, the UNESCO-listed ruins of the 13th-14th century city, the most important historical site in Thailand outside Bangkok):
The Sukhothai Historical Park at dawn (6am — the park opens at 6am, the bicycles available for hire at the park entrance for THB 30-50 / £0.66-1.10 per day): the temple ruins in the morning mist, the lotus flowers on the moat water, the Buddha images in the temples before the tour groups from Chiang Mai arrive.
Entry: THB 100 / £2.21 for the central zone + THB 100 / £2.21 for the bicycle hire.
Where to stay: The Orchid Hibiscus Guest House (the correct choice — the guesthouse with the pool in the garden, the bicycle to the park in 10 minutes): THB 600-1,200 / £13.25-26.51/night.
DAYS 5-7 — Chiang Mai
Full guide: Chiang Mai in 48 Hours and Chiang Mai for Digital Nomads.
The specific Day 7 Chiang Mai addition:
The Doi Suthep at dawn (the temple on the mountain above Chiang Mai at 6:30am, the monks completing the morning chant, the city below in the mist — the Doi Suthep dawn is the most specific Chiang Mai experience): full guide in Chiang Mai in 48 Hours.
The Elephant Nature Park (Day 6 — the full-day visit to the ethical elephant sanctuary, 2,500-3,000 THB / £55.23-66.27 per person, book 2 weeks ahead): the most specific Chiang Mai activity and the one worth building the schedule around.
DAYS 8-10 — Ko Lanta (Andaman Coast)
Fly Chiang Mai to Krabi (1.5 hours, Thai Lion Air or Bangkok Airways):
Then the taxi or minivan from Krabi Airport to the Ko Lanta ferry pier (45 minutes), ferry to Ko Lanta (30 minutes): the full arrival in 3.5 hours from Chiang Mai.
Ko Lanta:
The specific 3-day Ko Lanta circuit:
Day 8: Arrive, Long Beach afternoon, the sunset from the beach restaurant.
Day 9: The Four Islands tour (the day boat from the Ko Lanta pier — the snorkel at the Emerald Cave, the Ko Muk island, the swim through the cave to the interior beach, the boat back at 5pm): THB 700-1,000 / £15.46-22.09 per person.
Day 10: The Ko Lanta Old Town (the morning in the Malay fishing village at the island’s eastern end, the stilted wooden houses over the water, the Muslim community that predates the tourism economy by 300 years), afternoon return to Long Beach.
DAYS 11-14 — Ko Samui (Gulf Coast)
The ferry from Ko Lanta to Ko Samui:
The direct ferry option (the Lomprayah or Seatran ferry from Ko Lanta via Ko Phi Phi to Ko Samui — 4-5 hours, THB 800-1,200 / £17.68-26.51): the sea crossing that gives the Andaman-to-Gulf transition visible as the boat rounds the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula.
Ko Samui:
Full guide: Thailand — The BGGD Guide.
The specific 4-day Ko Samui circuit:
Day 11: Arrive, the Fisherman’s Village (Bophut — the northern coast village, the walking street Monday evening): the most characterful Ko Samui arrival.
Day 12: The Ang Thong Marine National Park (the 42-island national park accessible by day boat from Ko Samui — the Emerald Lake in the caldera of Ko Mae Ko, the snorkel at the coral gardens): THB 2,500-3,500 / £55.23-77.32 per person.
Day 13: The Samui interior (the Big Buddha (Wat Phra Yai), the Hin Ta and Hin Yai (the grandfather and grandmother rocks — the natural rock formations at the Lamai Beach south), the Na Muang waterfalls in the island interior): the Ko Samui beyond the beach circuit.
Day 14: Beach morning, fly home from Koh Samui Airport (the direct Bangkok Airways flights to Bangkok for the international connection).
What It Costs
| Category | Budget | Mid-Range |
|---|---|---|
| Return flights (UK-Bangkok, Ko Samui-Bangkok-UK) | £500-800 | £650-1,000 |
| Internal flights (Chiang Mai-Krabi) | £35-80 | £50-120 |
| 14 nights accommodation | £280-560 | £560-1,120 |
| Food (14 days) | £120-250 | £280-560 |
| Activities (elephant sanctuary, boat days, etc.) | £100-200 | £200-400 |
| Transport (taxis, buses, ferries) | £80-150 | £120-250 |
| Total | £1,115-2,040 | £1,860-3,450 |
