What Are Thailand's Main Tourist Attractions and Activities?

Bangkok

Most people spend a few days in the Thai capital, but many find the pollution, traffic congestion and chaotic street life extremely wearing. There's plenty to take you off the street, however, including the glittering Grand Palace compound and its beautiful gigantic Reclining Buddha; the comprehensively stocked National Museum; the massive Chatuchak weekend market; with over eight thousand different nightlife that suns the full range from cutting-edge clubs to depressing strip joints.

Beaches

Beach resorts in Thailand are among the world's best. You'll find the most developed and expensive resorts, and some of the finest sands, on the islands of Ko Samui and Phuket, while backpakers tend to head for the more budget oriented Ko Pha Ngan, Ko Tao, Ko Lanta and Ko Mook. Krabi's Railay beaches are nothing short of stunning, Ko Samet makes and easy and economical break from Bangkok and Ko Chang is handy for travelers heading in and out of Cambodia.

Trekking

Unlike the organized treks in the Himalayas, Thailand's "hill-tribe treks" focus on the ethnic-minority villages that you walk to, rather than on the walking itself or the scenery. The hill tribes live way out in the sticks, but their villages are connected by tracks, so the hiking is not difficult. Most treks last two to four days and feature nights in the villages, as well as an elephant ride and river rafting. The main trekking centres are the northern cities of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, but routes out of both are hugely over subscribed, so it's better to start from Mae Hing Sin, Pai, Kanchanaburi or Umphang instead, where trails are quieter and more rewarding.

The ruined former capitals of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya

Dating from the thirteen century, Sukhothai is a beautiful example og thoughtful city planning enlivened by lakes and elegant statues of the Buddha. The 300-year-old temples and palaces of Ayutthaya display a refined mix of Hindu and Buddhist sculpture and are fun to explore by bicycle. Both sets of ruins are now conserved as historical parks. There are plenty of sobering World War II sights in the town, as well as reasonable range of trekking, rafting and cycle options that make the most or the fine river scenery, plus some appealing rafthouse accommodation too.

Kanchanaburi

Sited on the banks of the River Kwai, the town is most famous for its role as a POW camp in World War II and for its bridge, whose destruction by the Allied Forces was immortalized in Davis Lean's movie. There are plenty of sobering World War II sights in the town, as well as a reasonable range of trekking, rafting and cycling options that make the most of the fine river scenery, plus some appealing rafthouse accommodation too

Khao Sok National Park

Here you can sleep in a tree house under limestone karst, wake to the sound ogf the hooting gibbons, and take an adventure tour via waterlogged caves and jungles trails to a lake

The ancient Khmer temple of Phanom Rung

This exquisite pink sandstone complex was built in the tenth century as a blueprint for the Angkor temples across the border in Cambodia

Thai massage

Enjoy a traditional massage at Bangkok's Wat Pho temple, then learn the techniques yourself at a course in Bangkok or Chiang Mai.

Snorkelling and diving off the remote Similan Island

The turquoise water, powdery sands and banks of coral are regularly visited by sharks, rays and turtles

The Mae Hong Song loop

Hire a motor bike and spend as many days as you can spare on the circular 600-kilometre route through the glorious upland scenery of the remote northwest

Kayaking along the Krabi coastline

An exhilarating way of exploring the spectacularly craggy outcrops and remote uninhabited islands of the south west-coast

Sang Khom

It's great to just chill out in this idyllis tree-shaded little town on the Mekong river, where you can hire bicycles to visit traditional local villages and mess about on the water in inner tubes and dugout canoes

Pai

This laid back north-Thai town has a distinct New Age air and is the perfect place to take some courses in alternative therapies, browse the art shops and arrange a trek.

Full-moon beach party

Join the hordes for the monthly full-moon parties on Ko Pha Ngan, an infamous back-packers' beach rave attracts up to 30,000 clubbers.

By Farazila Abu