It is built for backpackers on their first trip to Thailand who want company along the way. Every night is at a Mad Monkey hostel, so there is always a pool, a Meet Up and somebody heading the same way as you.
The pace follows real trips: across the 268,000 Thailand trips planned with Stippl, a typical stop gets three nights, which is exactly the rhythm of this route.
Plan Thailand in Stippl
Day-by-day planning, stays and budget in one app, with every place from this guide already on the map.
Download the appWhy this route works
It does the north properly and saves the beach for last, so you end the trip relaxed rather than rushing back to Bangkok. The one long leg, from the mountains to the sea, is a single flight from Chiang Mai to Phuket instead of a day and a night on buses. Pai is the stop most travellers wish they had stayed longer, so if you have a spare night, give it to Pai.
The route at a glance
4 stops, 13 nights, one Mad Monkey at every stop.
| Stop | Nights | Sleep | How you get there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bangkok | 3 | Mad Monkey Bangkok | Your arrival flight |
| Chiang Mai | 3 | Mad Monkey Chiang Mai | Night train or a short flight |
| Pai | 3 | Mad Monkey Pai | Minivan up the mountain road, about 3 hours |
| Phuket | 4 | Mad Monkey Phuket | Minivan back to Chiang Mai, then a flight to Phuket |
Best time: November to March, when the north is dry and cool and the Andaman coast around Phuket is at its calmest.
Bangkok
Bangkok is where most Southeast Asia trips begin, and where most travellers realise on day one that the traffic, not the distance, is what sets the pace. Base yourself near Khao San Road and the old royal island is on your doorstep.
Day 1Arrive and settle in at Khao San
Land, drop your bags and do nothing ambitious. Walk the lanes around Khao San Road and Rambuttri, find your first pad thai and be at the hostel bar for the evening Meet Up, which is the fastest way to find people heading the same way as you.
Day 2Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun
Be at the Grand Palace when it opens, before the coach groups and the heat, and keep walking south to Wat Pho for the 46 metre reclining Buddha. Then take the little cross river ferry to Wat Arun, one of the few temples in Bangkok you can actually climb.
Day 3Golden Mount, Chinatown and a night train
Climb the Golden Mount for a free view over the old city, then spend the evening in Yaowarat, Bangkok's Chinatown, which only really wakes up after dark. On a weekend, swap the morning for Chatuchak, one of the biggest markets in the world, and go early.
Sleep: Mad Monkey Bangkok sits in Rambuttri Village, a street back from Khao San Road: close enough to walk to the noise, far enough to sleep. Pool, nightly events and the old town a short walk away. Book a bed at Mad Monkey Bangkok.
Read more: things to do in Bangkok
Chiang Mai
The north shows you a completely different Thailand: temples inside a moated old city, cooler mountain air and a slower rhythm than Bangkok.
Getting there: Night train or a short flight.
Day 4Arrive and walk the Old City
Walk the Old City from the hostel: Wat Chedi Luang, a ruined fourteenth century stupa ringed by stone elephants, and Wat Phra Singh with its Lion Buddha and the city's finest Lanna architecture.
Day 5Doi Suthep above the city
Head up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep early, the city's most sacred temple, with a golden chedi and the whole of Chiang Mai spread out below. In the evening the Night Bazaar has souvenirs, street food and a Muay Thai ring.
Day 6Doi Inthanon or the Sunday market
Spend the day on Doi Inthanon, Thailand's highest peak, with its twin royal pagodas, waterfalls and cloud forest. If your stay covers a Sunday, finish on the Walking Street, when Rachadamnoen Road closes to traffic for stalls and street performers.
Sleep: Mad Monkey Chiang Mai is a pool hostel just outside the Old City moat, so the temples are a walk away and the nights out start at the bar. Book a bed at Mad Monkey Chiang Mai.
See our Chiang Mai guide for more on what to do there.
Pai
Pai is a small town in a mountain valley that travellers plan one night for and stay a week. Rent a scooter if you ride, because almost everything worth seeing is a short ride out of town.
Getting there: Minivan up the mountain road, about 3 hours.
Day 7Up the mountain road to Pai
The minivan from Chiang Mai climbs the famous road with hundreds of bends, so sit near the front if you get carsick. Once you arrive, slow down, and spend the evening on the Walking Street, where the main road turns into a lantern lit market every night.
Day 8Bamboo bridge, White Buddha and the canyon
Ride out to the Kho Ku So bamboo bridge, an 800 metre walkway across the rice paddies built for the monks. Climb the 353 steps to the White Buddha for the best free view of the valley, then finish at Pai Canyon for the sunset everyone comes for.
Day 9Sunrise, waterfall and the cave
Get up for sunrise at Yun Lai viewpoint, above a sea of morning mist. Cool off on the natural rock slides at Mo Paeng Waterfall, or ride further out to Tham Lod Cave and raft its underground river.
Sleep: Mad Monkey Pai sits across the river from town, with a pool and the mountains all around, so you get the quiet of the valley and the Walking Street within reach. Book a bed at Mad Monkey Pai.
Read more: things to do in Pai
Phuket
Phuket is the reward at the end of the route: four nights of beach, with enough culture on the island to fill a day when the sun gets too much.
Getting there: Minivan back to Chiang Mai, then a flight to Phuket.
Day 10Fly south and hit the beach
Fly down from Chiang Mai, check in and head straight for the sea. Patong is busy and loud, which is the point if you came for Bangla Road after dark.
Day 11Old Phuket Town and the Big Buddha
Spend a day off the beach: Old Phuket Town has Sino Portuguese shophouses, street art and the island's best food on a few walkable streets. Then ride up to the Big Buddha, a 45 metre marble statue with the best free view on the island, and stop at Wat Chalong on the way back.
Day 12Kata and the three bays
Head south to Kata Beach, the all rounder: swimming in high season and beginner surf in the monsoon. Stop at Karon viewpoint for the classic photo of three bays in one frame.
Day 13Sunset at Promthep Cape
Keep the last day for the beach and end it at Promthep Cape, Phuket's southernmost headland and its most famous sunset. Arrive early and stay past the show.
Sleep: Mad Monkey Phuket is in Patong, a few minutes from Bangla Road and the beach, with a pool bar for the hours in between. Book a bed at Mad Monkey Phuket.
See our Phuket guide for more on what to do there.
Getting between stops
| From | To | How |
|---|---|---|
| Bangkok | Chiang Mai | Night train or a short flight |
| Chiang Mai | Pai | Minivan up the mountain road, about 3 hours |
| Pai | Phuket | Minivan back to Chiang Mai, then a flight to Phuket |
Times are a guide. Check the day before you travel, because boat and minivan times change with the season and the weather.
Turn these stops into a route
Pick your favourites and Stippl orders them, adds travel times and builds the day-by-day.
Frequently asked questions about Thailand
Two weeks is enough for Bangkok, the north and one stretch of beach if you fly from Chiang Mai to the coast. It is not enough for the whole country, so pick a handful of stops and stay three nights in each.
There is no direct way. Take the minivan back to Chiang Mai and fly from there to Phuket.
It is long and winding, with hundreds of bends. It is safe, but sit near the front of the minivan and take something for travel sickness if you need it.
Yes. Krabi and the islands off it are a good alternative on the same coast, and a flight from Chiang Mai serves both.
Book the sleeper berth a few days ahead in high season, because the berths on the night train to Chiang Mai sell out first.
Want this route with the nights already filled in? Open it in Stippl, change the nights, add a stop or swap the order, and keep the whole trip in one place. Or build your own Mad Monkey route on our Mad Monkey page.
