Why this route
Most Thailand packages are beaches with a hotel-night in Bangkok bolted on the front. That's a shame, because Bangkok is one of the best cities on earth, and because the north — Chiang Mai, the mountains, the night markets — is a completely different and completely excellent trip. So we built the route that does all three properly, with the transfers done for you. The internal logistics in Thailand are where package trips usually fall apart; it's the bit we're proudest of.
Priya, who runs our Asia desk, worked hotels in Colombo for years and has personally tested more beach shacks on these islands than she'd admit to her accountant. The island picks on this route are hers.
Sample itinerary
- Day 1 — Fly into Bangkok. Evening river crossing on the Chao Phraya ferry (10 baht, better than any tourist boat) and dinner in Chinatown's Yaowarat street stalls.
- Day 2 — Grand Palace and Wat Pho early before the heat, khlong longtail boat through the old canals, rooftop drink after dark.
- Day 3 — Day trip across the river to Wat Arun and the artist's houses of Thonburi, then the weekend market if your dates line up — we'll tell you which weekend.
- Day 4 — Morning flight to Krabi (booked), ferry to Koh Phi Phi (booked). Check in, find the beach bar, lose track of the day.
- Day 5 — Longtail boat to Maya Bay and the lagoon — early start to beat the crowds; it's worth the alarm.
- Day 6 — Snorkel trip to the coral around Bamboo Island, or a do-nothing day. Both are correct answers.
- Day 7 — Viewpoint hike in the morning (two peaks, brutal in humidity, magnificent at the top), fire-show beach in the evening.
- Day 8 — Free day. Optional: dive trip for certified divers, cooking class for everyone else.
- Day 9 — Ferry back to Krabi, flight to Chiang Mai (booked). Evening at the Sunday walking street market if the calendar cooperates.
- Day 10 — Old city temples by bicycle in the cool of the morning; Doi Suthep at sunset.
- Day 11 — Ethical elephant day at a no-riding sanctuary in the Mae Wang valley. Feeding, mud bathing, far too many photos.
- Day 12 — Northern Thai cooking class — you'll come home able to make khao soi, which is the whole point of travelling.
- Day 13 — Morning at the artisan villages of San Kamphaeng, last-night dinner in the old city, massage, packing.
- Day 14 — Flight to Bangkok (booked), connection home. Landing at a European airport in February is a known medical condition.
What's included
- Return flights from major EU airports plus all internal flights (Bangkok–Krabi, Chiang Mai–Bangkok)
- All ferries and speedboats, every airport and pier transfer
- 3 nights Bangkok, 6 nights Koh Phi Phi, 4 nights Chiang Mai — hotels below
- Maya Bay longtail trip, elephant sanctuary day, cooking class
- Breakfast daily, plus our street-food notes — the single most-requested thing we produce
Not included: travel insurance, visa-on-arrival fees if your passport needs one, dives, and the second cooking class when you realise you forgot everything by the following Tuesday.
Hotels we use
Chakri Residence, Bangkok
4★ · Riverside, rooftop pool, Skytrain station 300m · Rooms are small; the location is not.
Coco Palm Beach, Koh Phi Phi
3★+ · Hillside bungalows, pool, five minutes from Loh Dalum · The generator occasionally grumbles during storms; the view forgives it.
Tamarind Villa, Chiang Mai
Boutique · Inside the old city moat, saltwater pool · Breakfast mango sticky rice is a legitimate reason to get up.
Thailand FAQ
When's the best time to go?
November to March — the dry, cooler season everywhere on this route. April and May get seriously hot (40°C in Bangkok is normal), and from June the southwest monsoon pushes rain onto the Andaman coast in bursts. It's still a lovely trip in the green season and a good €200 cheaper; you'll just plan around afternoon downpours instead of around heat.
Do I need a visa?
German, Austrian and most other EU passports get visa-free entry for tourism (currently up to 60 days), but rules drift, so we check your passport's exact nationality at quote stage and tell you what applies — including the six-months-validity rule and the online arrival card. Passport with under six months left is the number one check-in desk tragedy; don't be that person.
Isn't Koh Phi Phi a bit of a party island?
Parts of it absolutely are — Loh Dalum after 11pm is not subtle. Our hotel sits on the quieter hillside end, and the boat trips leave at 7:30, which naturally filters the clientele. If you want a quieter island altogether, we swap in Koh Lanta and knock the price down slightly. Say the word.
Is the elephant day ethical, actually?
The sanctuary we use is no-riding, no tricks, observation and feeding only, and we've visited unannounced — twice. There are nicer-looking photos from riding camps. There are better-feeling mornings from this one.
Any vaccinations I should think about?
Standard advice: check that routine vaccinations are current, and hepatitis A plus typhoid are commonly recommended for Thailand. Ask your GP or a travel clinic six weeks before departure. We're travel agents, not doctors — we'll remind you, they'll decide.
Book it
From-price is for November–March departures with flights from major EU airports. Long-haul prices move weekly, so treat it as a starting point — send us your dates and we'll quote properly, within a day. Travellers who've done this exact route have things to say about it.