A photograph of Thailand

Country guide

Theme: History in Thailand — page 3

Thailand is 513,120 km² and 76 provinces, plus Bangkok, which is not a province at all but a special administrative area with an elected governor of its own. Th...

Photograph · Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 3.0

9,526 Places
3Cities

Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor

Thailand is 513,120 km² and 76 provinces, plus Bangkok, which is not a province at all but a special administrative area with an elected governor of its own. The 65,975,198 people counted in 2024 spread across four regions that behave like four separate trips: the central plain along the Chao Phraya, the north around Chiang Mai and the old Lan Na kingdom, the Khorat Plateau in the northeast, and the long strip of the Malay Peninsula in the south. Most itineraries take two of the four. Taking all four is largely a schedule of internal flights.

Checked 2026-08-25

Cities

Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.

Practical information

Language spoken
Thai
National practical orientation; regional and minority languages may also be used
Dialling code
+66
International calling code; local area and mobile prefixes still apply
Currency
Thai baht (THB)
Use the official local currency; card acceptance varies by place
Emergency number
191 police · 1669 medical
Use only for an emergency; tourist assistance may use a separate number
Plug type
Type A, B, C and O · 220 V
Check that chargers support the recorded voltage before using an adapter
Tap water
Not recorded
No verified nationwide drinking-water statement was recorded

Planning a visit

Seasonal closures come from recorded opening hours.

  1. January: no seasonality data recorded
  2. February: no seasonality data recorded
  3. March: no seasonality data recorded
  4. April: no seasonality data recorded
  5. May: seasonal closure recorded
  6. June: seasonal closure recorded
  7. July: seasonal closure recorded
  8. August: seasonal closure recorded
  9. September: seasonal closure recorded — this month
  10. October: seasonal closure recorded
  11. November: seasonal closure recorded
  12. December: seasonal closure recorded

Top things to see

Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.

  1. Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen
    32 1 hr 15 min

    Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen

    วัดปากน้ำภาษีเจริญ

    Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen is a third-class royal monastery of the ordinary type standing on what is effectively a small square island in the canals west of the Chao Phraya, and it is the home temple of the Vijja Dhammakaya…

    • Must see
    • Place of worship
    • Bangkok
  2. Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles
    33 1 hr 15 min

    Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles

    พิพิธภัณฑ์ผ้าในสมเด็จพระนางเจ้าสิริกิติ์ พระบรมราชินีนาถ

    The Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles is a textile museum inside the Grand Palace, occupying the Ratsadakorn-bhibhathana Building just inside the palace's outer court, and it is the quietest, most air-conditioned room on the whole compound.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Bangkok
  3. Wat Bowonniwet Vihara Wat Bowonniwet Vihara
    34 45 min

    Wat Bowonniwet Vihara

    วัดบวรนิเวศราชวรวิหาร

    Wat Bowonniwet Vihara is the headquarters temple of the Thammayut order, and that single fact governs everything a visitor sees in the compound.

    • Must see
    • Place of worship
    • Bangkok
  4. Wang Lang Market Wang Lang Market
    35 1 hour

    Wang Lang Market

    ตลาดวังหลัง

    Wang Lang Market is a daily market in Bangkok Noi district, on the Thonburi bank of the Chao Phraya beside Siriraj Hospital, and it runs for 300 metres along a narrow lane between the Siriraj pier and Arun Amarin road.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Bangkok
  5. Saranrom Park Saranrom Park
    36 1 hour

    Saranrom Park

    สวนสราญรมย์

    Saranrom Park, or Saranrom Royal Park, is a 23-rai public park directly east of the Grand Palace, run by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, and one of the few green spaces in Rattanakosin that a visitor can simply walk into and…

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Bangkok
  6. Sri Maha Mariamman Temple Sri Maha Mariamman Temple
    37 30 min

    Sri Maha Mariamman Temple

    วัดพระศรีมหาอุมาเทวี

    Sri Maha Mariamman Temple, known to Bangkok as Wat Khaek and formally as Wat Phra Si Maha Uma Thewi, is the principal Tamil Hindu temple in Thailand, standing at the corner of Si Lom Road and Pan Road in Bang…

    • Must see
    • Place of worship
    • Bangkok
  7. National Museum of Royal Barges National Museum of Royal Barges
    38 45 min

    National Museum of Royal Barges

    พิพิธภัณฑสถานแห่งชาติ เรือพระราชพิธี

    The National Museum of Royal Barges is a single covered boat shed on the bank of Khlong Bang Kok Noi, on the Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya, where the Fine Arts Department keeps the royal ceremonial barges out of…

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Bangkok
  8. Wat Yan Nawa Wat Yan Nawa
    39 40 min

    Wat Yan Nawa

    วัดยานนาวา

    Wat Yannawa is the temple on Charoen Krung Road in Sathon whose principal monument is a full-size masonry Chinese junk with two chedis rising from its deck.

    • Must see
    • Place of worship
    • Bangkok
  9. Children's Discovery Museum Children's Discovery Museum
    40 1 hr 30 min

    Children's Discovery Museum

    พิพิธภัณฑ์เด็กกรุงเทพมหานคร

    Children's Discovery Museum is an educational attraction in Bangkok designed for young visitors to learn through interactive play. The museum focuses on hands-on experiences rather than traditional exhibits.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Bangkok
  10. Bangkok Folk Museum Bangkok Folk Museum
    41 1 hr 30 min

    Bangkok Folk Museum

    พิพิธภัณฑ์ชาวบางกอก

    Bangkok Folk Museum, locally called พิพิธภัณฑ์ชาวบางกอก, preserves the domestic world of Bangkok families during the early and mid-twentieth century. Set within a historic residence, it offers a close look at household routines, architecture and personal possessions.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Bangkok
  11. Wat Traimit Wat Traimit
    42 45 min

    Wat Traimit

    วัดไตรมิตรวิทยารามวรวิหาร

    Wat Traimit stands at the western gate of Yaowarat, where Chinatown meets the road in from Hua Lamphong, and it exists in the guidebooks for one object: a Sukhothai-style Buddha image of solid gold.

    • Must see
    • Place of worship
    • Bangkok
  12. Wat Pathum Wanaram Wat Pathum Wanaram
    43 40 min

    Wat Pathum Wanaram

    วัดปทุมวนารามราชวรวิหาร

    Wat Pathum Wanaram is a royal temple standing in its own belt of old trees between Siam Paragon and CentralWorld, in the middle of Bangkok's densest shopping district.

    • Must see
    • Place of worship
    • Bangkok
  13. Bangkok Doll Museum
    44 1 hr 30 min

    Bangkok Doll Museum

    Bangkok Dolls Museum

    Bangkok Dolls Museum is a specialised museum in Bangkok dedicated to the art of doll-making. It showcases traditional Thai and international dolls, reflecting cultural heritage and craftsmanship.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Bangkok
  14. King Prajadhipok Museum King Prajadhipok Museum
    45 1 hr 30 min

    King Prajadhipok Museum

    พิพิธภัณฑ์พระบาทสมเด็จพระปกเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว

    The King Prajadhipok Museum is a Bangkok institution dedicated to the life and reign of King Prajadhipok, Rama VII, the last absolute monarch and first constitutional king of Siam.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Bangkok
  15. Wat Mangkon Kamalawat Wat Mangkon Kamalawat
    46 45 min

    Wat Mangkon Kamalawat

    วัดมังกรกมลาวาส

    Wat Mangkon Kamalawat is the largest and most important Chinese Buddhist temple in Bangkok, standing on Charoen Krung Road between sois 19 and 21 in Pom Prap Sattru Phai.

    • Must see
    • Place of worship
    • Bangkok
  16. Wat Hua Lamphong Wat Hua Lamphong
    47 40 min

    Wat Hua Lamphong

    วัดหัวลำโพง

    Wat Hua Lamphong is a third-class royal monastery of the ordinary type in Bang Rak, pressed directly against Sam Yan station on the MRT Blue Line, and it is best known in Bangkok as a place to make merit by…

    • Must see
    • Place of worship
    • Bangkok
  17. Thai Labour Museum Thai Labour Museum
    48 1 hr 30 min

    Thai Labour Museum

    พิพิธภัณฑ์แรงงานไทย

    The Thai Labour Museum presents Thailand’s social history through the experiences of workers and the development of labour movements. Its subject is useful for travelers who want to understand the country beyond royal, religious, and commercial narratives.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Bangkok
  18. Wat Prayurawongsawat Worawihan Wat Prayurawongsawat Worawihan
    49 1 hour

    Wat Prayurawongsawat Worawihan

    วัดประยุรวงศาวาสวรวิหาร

    Wat Prayurawongsawat Worawihan is a Buddhist monastery on the Thonburi bank of the Chao Phraya whose claim on a visitor's attention is a restoration rather than a relic.

    • Must see
    • Place of worship
    • Bangkok
  19. Santa Cruz Church Santa Cruz Church
    50 30 min

    Santa Cruz Church

    วัดซางตาครู้ส

    Santa Cruz Church is a Catholic parish church on the west bank of the Chao Phraya in Thon Buri District, in Khwaeng Wat Kanlaya, at the heart of the Kudi Chin neighbourhood.

    • Must see
    • Place of worship
    • Bangkok
  20. Wat Pariwat Wat Pariwat
    51 30 min

    Wat Pariwat

    วัดปริวาสราชสงคราม

    Wat Pariwat, also known as วัดปริวาสราชสงคราม, is a working Buddhist temple in Bangkok. It is a place of worship and community life, so the visit is shaped by religious practice rather than by a formal museum route.

    • High
    • Place of worship
    • Bangkok
  21. Wat Phra Sing Wat Phra Sing
    52 30 min

    Wat Phra Sing

    วัดพระสิงห์

    Wat Phra Singh is a historic Buddhist temple in Chiang Mai's old city, regarded as one of the most significant religious sites in northern Thailand.

    • High
    • Place of worship
    • Chiang Mai
  22. Old Phuket Town Old Phuket Town
    53 45 min

    Old Phuket Town

    เมืองเก่าภูเก็ต

    Old Phuket Town is Phuket's historic commercial quarter, where streets of Sino-European row houses show the island's trading and tin-mining past.

    • High
    • Historic monument
    • Phuket
  23. Sampeng market Sampeng market
    54 45 min

    Sampeng market

    ตลาดสำเพ็ง

    Sampeng Market is a historic wholesale and retail market in Bangkok’s Chinatown, running through a narrow lane parallel to Yaowarat Road.

    • High
    • Historic monument
    • Bangkok
  24. Wat Si Suphan Wat Si Suphan
    55 30 min

    Wat Si Suphan

    วัดศรีสุพรรณ

    Wat Sri Suphan is a Buddhist temple in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand. The temple is commonly known as the Silver Temple due to its distinctive silver-colored exterior decoration.

    • Notable
    • Place of worship
    • Chiang Mai
  25. Chiang Mai City Art & Cultural Center Chiang Mai City Art & Cultural Center
    56 1 hr 30 min

    Chiang Mai City Art & Cultural Center

    หอศิลปวัฒนธรรมเมืองเชียงใหม่

    The Chiang Mai City Arts and Cultural Centre is a museum and cultural institution located in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

    • Notable
    • Museum
    • Chiang Mai

Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·

Common questions

How long should a first trip to Thailand be?

Ten to fourteen days allows three or four days in Bangkok, about three in Chiang Mai, and a separate southern base. If an island follows an international arrival, keep a spare transfer day because the last road or ferry connection may not align with the flight.

What entry documents are needed for Thailand?

Thailand's entry permission depends on the traveller's passport, purpose, and stay length. Use the linked Thai immigration guidance to confirm the applicable visa route and whether a Thailand Digital Arrival Card is required for the arrival date.

What is the best way to travel around Thailand?

Bangkok anchors Thailand's transport network. The Tourism Authority of Thailand lists buses, trains, urban rail, vans and songthaews for land journeys, alongside domestic aviation and boat services. Check any island's final sea or road connection separately before booking the inbound leg.

When is a practical time to visit Thailand?

November through February is the broad starting point for this route, not a nationwide weather guarantee. Northern conditions and the monsoon timing on each coast differ, so choose dates around the island or ferry leg rather than Bangkok alone.

What money and payment basics apply in Thailand?

Thailand uses the Thai baht (THB). Cards may work in larger hotels and businesses, but market purchases and some island transport can require cash, so retain a modest baht reserve without assuming a particular exchange fee.

What practical safety details should I save for Thailand?

Record 191 for police and 1669 for medical emergencies in Thailand. Power is 220 V with Type A, B, C, and O sockets; tap-water safety is not recorded here, so ask the accommodation rather than treating the missing entry as approval.