INTRODUCTION FOR THAILAND TRAVEL GUIDE
- Capital: Bangkok
- Population: 69.04 million (2017)
- Area: 513,121 km² (198,117 mi²) Spoken Language: Thai
- Location: Southeast Asia
Being the most mature tourist destination in Indochina area for Thailand travel guide, Thailand has almost everything from unique history and culture, crystal blue beaches, outstanding scenery, delicious food to dazzling nightlife to be the top holiday destination for any travel budget and interest. With a highly developed hotel industry, here you can stay at some of the best luxury hotels in the world or a cozy and affordable beach bungalow. Equipped with convenient international flight connections, many travelers like to start or end their tour to Southeast Asia in Thailand.
Our Thailand travel guide has compiled a collection of practical information & tips about visa, weather, hotels, tourist attractions, food, shopping etc. all come helpful to your upcoming holiday in Thailand. To have a totally carefree travel experience and make the most out of your stay there, why not let us be your personal travel guide to Thailand and make your trip a lifetime journey.
POPULAR DESTINATIONS
- Bangkok
- Ayutthaya
- Chiang Mai
- Chiang Rai
FOOD OF THAILAND
Thailand cuisine is influenced by the elements of several neighboring or Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam, Myanmar, and India. Though many consider it a variation of the Indian food, Thailand cuisine has its own unique flavor with the addition of local spices and ingredients. Thus five basic tastes can be found in each Thai meal: spicy, sweet, sour, bitter and salty.
Curry is the most loved food of the Thais. Curry in the southern region usually contains coconut milk and turmeric; the northeastern Thai cuisine tends to include lime juice; the northeastern Thai food is alike the food in Laos while the dishes in the northern region are similar to those in Laos and the food of Myanmar.
The staple food of the Thais is rice, which is glutinous or ordinary with many accompanying dishes that shared by all. The strong tantalizing fish sauce is applied in Thai cuisine and plays an important character. Vegetables and herbs are used as garnish embellishments. They serve fruits after the meal as dessert and eaten freshly.
POPULAR DISHES
Tom Yam Goong : As the essence of Thai cuisine, it is a classic soup made of shrimps. mushrooms, tomatoes, lemongrass, spice, lime leaves, and fish sauce. That is such an appetizing fish that can fit in any meals. Since the unique smell reminds one of exotic perfume, making one can’t help sipping and want to cry out “Thailand”!
Kuay Tiew: This is a popular noodle soup, different vendors serve in different ways . The broth boiled for hour poured over tender meat with noodles is the best option for breakfast or lunch. Beef, pork, chicken or seafood is changeable depending on your choice.
Som Tam : It is a fresh salad made of papaya, tomatoes, peanuts and green beans, which are spiced up by garlic, peppers, lime juice, and palm sugar. Seafood sometimes is included in some regions. Fish sauce is dispensable upon your request.
Pad Thai: The Thai-styled fried noodles enjoy an international fame. Due to its delicious taste that visitors hardly skip it during their Thailand tours. The stir-fried rice noodle dish comes with ingredients like peanuts, shrimps, tofu, pepper, green onions, and lime juice, etc..This is the most famous dish outside Thailand, like a street food and at casual local eateries around the country.
Green Chicken Curry: You can make it a vegetarian curry using eggplant or nuts instead of chicken meat, which quite suits vegetarians who also want a culinary experience in Thailand. The sauce used includes green chili paste, lemongrass, garlic, galangal, and Thai basil.
Guay Teow Lui Suan: It’s called ‘Thailand spring rolls’ that are stuffed with pork, carrots, lettuce and wrapped with huge, think rice noodles. Dipping sauce for the dish is a mixture of sweet, sour and chilly flavors, which makes the food more refreshing.
SHOPPING IN THAILAND
For Thailand travel guide , Very few visitors leave Thailand without any souvenirs in bags because the country is a supermarket that offers amazing choices, good quality, and cheap price! Some even granted Thailand ‘the shopping mecca’ for all kinds of shopaholics: shopping malls, department stores, local markets, quirky boutiques, etc.. Before your Thailand tours end, if you want to bring home something that is really good to read this.
Thai Silk: Thai people introduced their specials to the market of the world after World War II, Thai silk had already gained recognition in the whole of Asia. The texture is beautiful and the weave is gorgeous with outstanding quality. It’s either hand reeled or hand woven, which gives it a natural uniqueness that people turn it into clothes, shawls, neckties and even photo frames.
Jewelry or Gold: Some provinces in Thailand, for instance, Kanchanaburiare, are famous for its rich resource of valuable jewels like rubies and sapphires. Moreover, even in small towns, you’ll notice the great number of gold shops due to the reason that the Thais prefer to keep their money in gold. The quality would not let you down!
Wood Carving: Wood carving has a good reputation for its ancient patterns and delicate craftsmanship. It can be made into aesthetic forms from animals, buildings to figures you see on the wall of traditional temples. Chiang Mai is a good place to shop this item.
Dried Fruits: As a tropical country, Thailand owns abundant lists of exotic fruits that will tease your taste buds. If you want to bring some for your friends or relatives, why not try the dried fruits? They are convenient to carry and do not spoil for a short time. The best thing is that they taste just like the real fresh ones you have in Thailand!
Lacquerware : For Thailand travel guide, Chiang Mai has the best lacquerware to shop due to its distinctive style and unique dark-red-on-black coloring. The intricate decoration presents the ancient tradition that once had an impact on the lacquerware industry of Myanmar. You can choose vase, cup, bowl made from wood or woven bamboo with the different forms of lacquerware.
THE WEATHER AND CLIMATES
For Thailand travel guide offers one-stop tour packages for travelers of all kinds of interest from beach lovers, temple explorers, and snacks chowhounds. One of the most critical factors that have an impact on their mood must be the weather, which partially decides your itinerary and packing preparation.
Northern Thailand has a tropical climate that is split into two distinct seasons, dry and wet. The dry season runs from November to May, when it rains least and the temperature is mild. The wet season begins from June to October, when the monsoon arrives with most downpours between September and December. The temperature may climb over 40°C within this season and roads to the rural area might be hard to access by transportation. In a word, the Thailand climate varies according to specific areas and latitude. If in a hope of doing a great trip, one needs to dig the exact weather report of the region he is going to visit.
Thailand’s high season for tourists kicks off from November to March, which is the dry season everyone prefers. The second favored season to visit Thailand is July and August, when hotels and flights are in great demand.
BEST TIME TO VISIT THAILAND
Generally, the dry season is the recommended time to visit Thailand for the weather is pleasant although the temperature might boil up to 30°C at noon, it’s still manageable. If you want to hit the beach, visit Phuket or Samui between March and May when the sun shines heavily and the skies are super clear. For rain lovers or photographer seeking rain-themed works, from April to September they would find what they want in Thailand – no worries, the rainfalls lasts only within half an hour and the rest of the day is cloudless and wonderful.
Visiting Thailand when festivals take place will be an unforgettable experience of a lifetime. Among the most popular we think Christmas and New Year is a good time to do your Thailand tours. Malls and shops will be dressed up for the holiday and the Thais absolutely love the blissful atmosphere. The Thai Lunar New Year is in late February or early March with traditional outdoor parties that will impress you. The Loy Krathong (floating crown) on the full moon of the 12th in the Thai calendar is the most romantic festival, which people celebrate in the way of sending crown-shaped leaves down the river and flying lanterns into the sky for best wishes.
HOW TO GET TO THAILAND
By Flight: The most used international airports are located in Bangkok and Phuket, while Chiang Mai and Ko Samui mainly receive flights from Southeast Asian countries. Since Bangkok has the largest airport in Thailand, thus making it a busy gap for plenty of services. Thai Airways and Bangkok Airways are the national carriers that well connect the nearby regions. The latter has free WIFI when you are waiting to board the plane. Thanks to the powerful airway service, Thailand is a convenient gap for anyone who wants to extend their Thailand tours.
By Train: Railway travel is not an ideal way to get to Thailand for the ride. It is slow and the route, is not well-connected with hot Southeast Asian destinations like Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia
TRAVEL AROUND THAILAND
By Flight: Due to the large scale of Thailand, domestic flights are good choices to make when you need to travel between cities. The price is reasonable and there are often nice deals to snatch because competition on the routes is fighting hard. Book air tickets early if possible, seats can be reserved online for you don’t want to see the fares rocket high after a while. To save your time, we would love to help you make the booking.
By Train: Railway trips are cheap to make but it will cost more time on the road since Thailand is a large country. Delays can be expected. The prices of the best train class are sometimes equivalent of budget airfares.
By Bus: Although with good roads, but it’s not suggested take bus for travel for your safety. Bad driving habits are prevalent among bus drivers, who often take drugs to fight against work shifts. In contrast, a private van is more considerable. We offers private vans with air-conditioned, insured, clean, and regularly maintained to make your visit to Thailand attractions more pleasant. Your private driver drive well and safely
Tuk-tuk or Songthaew: Tuk-tuk is a small three-wheeled vehicle that can be found in all Southeast Asian countries. Songthaew is truck-converted and equipped with bench seats in the back, which is translated into ‘minibus’ in English. The two transportations are easy to hail everywhere, but remember to haggle with the price first. English works with some drivers but not all.
By Taxi: In major tourist cities like Bangkok and Chiang Mai, taxi is available. Don’t take those without a meter.for Thailand travel guide
By Long-tail Boats: Long-tail boats are generally ferries that are great Thai trademarks. They are long, thin wooden boats powered by diesel engines at the end of a long drive shaft, which is quite noisy on the journey. They may take longer hours to get to your destination, but the experience for short distance cruise is interesting and worth trying.
With the easy access to the neighbors of Thailand, we have also designed tours combining Thailand and neighboring countries, a sample itinerary here may give you some inspiration. Or if you prefer a designed tour, just drop us a line to make it.
THAILAND TRAVEL GUIDE’S GOOD TIP BEFORE YOU COME
1.Telephone
Local calls from pay phones cost 1 B for 164 seconds (add more coins for more time). Domestic long-distance rates vary from 3B to 12B per minute, depending on the distance. Hotels add surcharges for international long-distance calls. Private phone offices charge less, but still usually higher than the government rates.
A prepaid Thailand SIM card with an international cell phone is the most convenient and economical solution for staying in touch while in Thailand. All incoming calls while in Thailand are FREE, regardless of where they originate. Pay the local rate for local calls and use a cellular phone in Thailand as you do at home. And unlike home, so there is no need for a contract.
2. Internet
You will find plenty of Internet cafes in most larger towns and cities, and in many guesthouse and hotels as well. The going rate is anywhere from 30B to 80B an hour. Bangkok typically has fast connections and new machines, while the provinces are a little bit behind. Wi-fi is available in some upscale hotels but the daily charge is usually around 500B to 600B.
3. Voltage
The voltage in Thailand is 220Volts. Most of the sockets are 3 flat plugs in a triangle; some outlets accept round plugs or combined round/flat holes. Please bring an international adaptor with you.
4. Money
Thailand money comes in several colorful notes – 1000, 500, 100, 50, and 20’s. Coins available are 10, 5, 1 (and the rare 2-baht coin).
Don’t damage Thailand money because it has a picture of the King on it. Take care not to wad up notes unnecessarily.
Keep your larger baht notes (500’s and 1000’s) in your money belt so that vendors and others don’t see them in your wallet or money bag while you are trying to negotiate for better prices!
Never accept faded, worn out, or torn notes from taxi drivers or in shops – they are difficult to spend and people try to pawn them off to foreigners to get rid of them.
If you have large notes to break, you can usually break them in one of the omnipresent 7-11 stores or McDonalds. Bars will also have change later into the evening.
Taxi and tuk-tuk drivers in Thailand do not carry a lot of change or will claim that they do not have change in order to get a bigger tip. Try to hold on to smaller denomination notes for paying these guys.
Large notes are very difficult to spend, so try entering in odd numbers at ATM machines to get smaller bills. (ie… 4900 baht instead of 5000 baht) Some ATM machines will give 100-baht notes, but many rarely give smaller than 500-baht notes.
In Thailand, you can try to negotiate for nearly everything that isn’t a fixed price – saving a little here and there adds up at the end of a long trip!
If you know you will be staying in one place at least four or five days, try negotiating a discount on your room total then pay up front. Tipping isn’t really necessary but it is OK to let drivers keep the change, etc. Don’t rely on the signs for money changers to find out the current exchange rate.
5. Credit Cards
Credit cards, as well as debit cards, can be used for purchases at many shops, hotels, and restaurants with roughly 4-5% service charge. The most commonly accepted cards are Visa and MasterCard, followed by Amex and Japan Card Bureau.
6. ATM
You can find ATM machines nearly everywhere in the tourist parts of Thailand. This is usually the best way to get the local currency, just check with your bank on international exchange fees.
Update: ATM machines across the country now charge 150 Baht fee (around US $5) to take more money out with each transaction!
ATM machines will typically dispense 1000 and 500-baht notes but sometimes you can find the very handy 100-baht notes as well.
7. Clothing & Shoes
For thailand travel guide, don’t wear shorts, short skirts or revealing clothing when visiting temples; Lightweight, easy to care clothing of cotton and fabrics are ideal all year round. You need the winter sweater or jacket for Chiang Mai area or cool season; When visiting temples & pagodas, shoes must be taken off, thus suggest you bring a pair of slippers. Check out the weather of Thailand and the best time to visit.
8. Drinking Water & Food
Drink only purified bottled water. Many hotels provide complimentary bottled water in rooms, and if not, it is very convenient to buy in the local store; only eat well-cooked meat and fish; eat cooked vegetables and peeled fruit. Take a look at the tips of eating in Thailand.
9. Immigration
Receipt of purchase and an export permit voucher for locally bought goods such as gems and jewelry may be required upon departure.
10. Time
Thailand is 7 hours before Greenwich time.
11. Photos
Generally, the Thais do not have any objections against being photographed. However, courtesy commands to obtain his/her approval. Many pagodas charge a minimal fee for cameras; video cameras might be a little expensive. Some museums restrict photograph. It is not a problem anymore to bring along video cameras.
