Best places to visit in Thailand – Top 5 cities in Thailand

Are you looking for the best places to visit in Thailand? After visiting it 4 times, I chose to share with you my top 5 cities in Thailand that I loved! It was a very hard choice, this is why I put my other favorite places at the end of the page. They are also incredibly beautiful, so I would recommend taking a look at them too.

Thailand is one of the most beautiful and incredible countries I’ve ever visited. It’s also one of the cheapest ones, this is why I put it on my list of 10 cheap and beautiful countries you can visit. If you’re interested in traveling cheap, I also have an article with tips for traveling on a budget. 

Now, let’s get started with our list of best places to visit in Thailand. 🌴

1. Pai

One of the best places to visit in Thailand for relaxing and exploring the nature

Pai is such a beautiful and relaxing place to visit! For me, it’s the first one among the best places to visit in Thailand for many reasons. We initially planned to stay there for just 2 nights. But it was not enough for us, so we decided to stay for 2 more nights. We would have stayed even more, but we had other plans for Chiang Mai and didn’t have enough time for everything.

If you love relaxing places where there are not many tourists, then you should totally visit Pai! I was surprised to see how uncrowded it was. Also, nature around is very beautiful, one more reason to love this small village.

How to get to Pai?

We decided to take a bus ride from Chiang Mai to Pai. It’s very easy to book and also very cheap. Many people choose to rent a scooter and ride from Chiang Mai to Pai. It’s for sure a unique experience, but if you’re not experienced, I wouldn’t recommend it. The road seemed pretty dangerous for beginners because of the curves and hills. It’s a very beautiful ride, but you can admire it on the bus too. In conclusion, if you’re very experienced, you can ride on a scooter from Chiang Mai to Pai. Still, I would recommend the bus ride because it’s faster and safer.

Things to do in Pai

1. Visit the Pai Canyon
2. Explore the waterfalls – Mo Paeng Waterfall, Mae Yen Waterfall, Pambok Waterfall
3. Visit The Big White Buddha
4. Explore the Tham Lod Cave
5. See the Chinese Village for the best views
6. See the Elephants

2. Phuket

Great for beaches, parties and beautiful landscapes

It’s pretty funny that before going to Phuket, I’ve read lots of bad things about it. There are many people saying that it’s overrated or a tourist trap. Maybe it’s just my personal opinion, but I think Phuket is actually great and one of the best places to visit in Thailand! It’s true that it may not be kid-friendly in places like Bangla Road or similar. But if you’re a party lover and you’re not traveling with kids, there are plenty of parties there!

If you’re traveling with children, I would recommend the beach and the landscapes! You can rent a car (or a driver) and explore the beautiful island. There are plenty of places that you’ll love! Before going to Phuket, I thought it was all about beaches and parties. But after exploring it more, it has so many beautiful hidden gems! I wanted to put it first on the list of top 5 cities in Thailand, but I think I loved Pai more than Phuket. ❤

Where to stay?

I stayed close to Patong Beach, it’s a very popular area in Phuket. I would strongly recommend that area because it is close to everything! If you’re a party lover, there is Bangla Road very close. If you’re a beach lover, there is Patong Beach. If you’re a food lover and want to taste different traditional meals, there are plenty of restaurants over there.

Best things to do in Phuket

1. Island Hopping – Phang Nga Bay or Phi Phi islands
2. Big Buddha – great views (first photo above)
3. Monkey Hill
4. Promthep Cape (second photo above)
5. Bangtao Beach
6. Green Elephant Sanctuary Park
7. Karon Viewpoint

3. Chiang Mai

One of the top cities in Thailand for the amount of temples to explore

The next one in the list of top 5 cities in Thailand is Chiang Mai. Many people, including me, consider Chiang Mai the land of temples. It’s amazing how in almost every street I could find a temple when just walking around!  I also loved how easy it was to explore, either by walking or by scooter. Even if the streets are full of scooters or cars, it still seemed very safe to ride a scooter. Obviously, I will for sure consider the land of temples as being one of the best places to visit in Thailand.

Another very important suggestion is about the accommodation location. Because the airport is in the middle of the city, you may hear airplanes all day/night. If you have sleep problems, I would recommend making sure you’re getting accommodation away from the airport, even if it’s a bit further from the center. I didn’t have any problems, I actually enjoyed seeing airplanes land all the time. Still, if the sounds disturb you, it’s better to be further away.

Best things to do in Chiang Mai

1. Visit the Wat Pha Lat Temple
2. Have fun at the Grand Canyon
3. See the elephants
4. Doi Inthanon National Park
5. Temple hopping
6. Visit the Doi Suthep Temple
7. Explore local markets
8. Climb the Sticky Waterfalls
9. Paddle downriver with a Bamboo Raft

4. Bangkok

One of the best places to visit in Thailand for nightlife, views and temples

Bangkok is the only city I visited twice in Thailand. For that, I feel like it’s totally one of the best places to visit in Thailand! One of the main things I loved about it was the accommodation. It’s so cheap and beautiful! Both times in Bangkok I got accommodation with an incredible city view. It was also in the middle of the city and also had a pool. All of this costs less than $50 per night, which is amazing! I would totally recommend accommodation on a high floor (25+), with a great view. It’s for sure unforgettable. Bangkok is for sure among the top 5 cities in Thailand, I was thinking of putting it in the first three too.

Best things to do in Bangkok

1. Baiyoke Hotel rooftop (first image from above)
2. Lumpini Park
3. Night markets
4. Floating markets
5. Ride the Sky Train
6. Chatuchak Market
7. Explore the temples
8. Visit Wat Pho
9. Boat Ride in the Chao Phraya River

5. Koh Samui

One of the best places to visit and top cities in Thailand for beaches, especially if you like uncrowded attractions

If you want to visit Thailand off-season, Koh Samui is the best place you need to add on your list! It’s for sure one of the best places to visit in Thailand. There is a very low chance of rain, even in the off-season and also it’s not crowded at all! Many people don’t choose Koh Samui as a top priority, so we didn’t see many tourists. I found Koh Samui to be incredibly beautiful and easy to explore by scooter. There are also great and cheap tours you can book for island hopping. It’s more expensive in general than Chiang Mai and Bangkok, but it’s totally worth it! I put it on the list of top 5 cities to visit in Thailand because I loved it a lot, even if it’s not very popular. They also have a website with lots of information about the island here. 🙂

Things to do in Koh Samui

1. Visit Wat Plai Laem
2. Visit the Big Buddha
3. Relax at Chaweng Beach
4. See the beautiful Silver Beach
5. Visit Hin Ta Hin Yai rocks
6. Secret Buddha Garden
7. Island hopping – Mu Ko Ang Thong National Park
8. Na Mueang Waterfalls

Wrapping up about the best places to visit in Thailand

Thailand is very beautiful and has everything you want. From beaches to mountains to parties, it’s great for each type of person. It’s important to choose the places that fit the best for your needs. For example if you’re not interested in temples, I wouldn’t recommend that much Chiang Mai. If you love exploring, I would recommend Pai and Chiang Mai and explore everything on a scooter. Also, other important mentions, because Thailand is full of incredible places:

• Ayutthaya
• Krabi
• Pattaya
• Koh Phangan
• Chiang Rai
• Kanchanaburi

Do you have other recommendations? If yes, leave them down below in the comments and I will read them all! 🙂