The Tourism Authority of Thailand has confirmed that Chiang Mai is the safest city in Southeast Asia for 2026, scoring 77.9 on Numbeo's Safety Index by City and placing nineteenth worldwide — the second year running the northern capital has led the region, and ahead of Singapore. The ranking lands at the start of the cool season, the best three months of the year to be in the north. Here is what the score actually measures, what a few days in Chiang Mai costs, when to go and when not to, and how the city fits into a wider trip.
Bangkok has published its Loy Krathong programme for 2026: thirteen nights, 17 to 29 November, across five official riverside and canal-side venues, with the full moon itself falling on 24 November. There is a free three-night cultural festival at Mahakan Fort, a walking route linking three temples and a fort, and a city-wide push for krathongs made only from natural materials. Here are the venues, the dates, what it costs, how to reach each site and the rules worth knowing before you float anything.
The MICHELIN Guide Thailand 2027 was revealed in Bangkok on 10 November 2026, and the tenth edition is the biggest yet: 507 dining establishments, 53 of them starred, and 151 Bib Gourmand entries spread across twelve provinces. Phuket has its first two-star restaurant, Chiang Mai its first star of any colour, and 26 new Bib Gourmand picks give budget travellers a vetted list that runs from a fifty-year-old stall near Khao San Road to seafood shacks in Phang-nga. Here is what changed, where the new names are, and how to build a trip around them.
Khao Phanoen Thung, the sea-of-mist viewpoint inside Kaeng Krachan National Park, reopened on 1 November 2026 after its annual rainy-season closure — and it is running on a stricter system than before. Four-wheel drive only, two timed uphill windows a day, one-way traffic on the mountain road and a capped number of visitors. Here is how the new arrangement works, what it costs, how to book a place, and why Thailand's largest national park deserves a day of your trip.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand has listed the Miracle of Faith at Phanom Rung Festival for 13 to 15 November 2026 at Phanom Rung Historical Park in Buriram. It is the one week of the year when Thailand's finest Khmer temple, perched on an extinct volcano in southern Isan, fills with visitors. Here is what the festival is, what it costs to get in, how to reach the hill without a car, and why the famous sunrise-through-fifteen-doorways spectacle is not part of it.
At World Travel Market London the Tourism Authority of Thailand set out its 2027 strategy: fewer crowds in the famous places, more visitors spread to lesser-known ones, new long-haul flights and a wellness push. Here is what the plan actually changes for anyone booking a trip, from new routes and openings to the quieter destinations now being promoted.
Thailand has been voted the world's most desirable country for gastronomy at the 25th Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards in London, beating Italy and France. Here is how to eat your way round the winner: Yaowarat after dark, what each dish should cost, and the Michelin-starred stall that still takes cash only.
River Kwai Bridge Week runs 27 November to 7 December 2026 in Kanchanaburi, two hours from Bangkok. Eleven nights of free light and sound shows against the steel bridge, a Red Cross fair and the Death Railway make it the easiest big festival to bolt onto a November trip.
Thailand's highest mountain has been named in the Green Destinations Top 100 Stories 2026, one of sixteen Thai entries. The award lands as the Kew Mae Pan ridge trail reopens and the cool season begins. Here is what a day on Doi Inthanon costs, how to get there from Chiang Mai, and when to go.
Lopburi lays several tonnes of fruit in front of two thousand macaques on Sunday 29 November 2026. It is free, it is two hours by train from Bangkok, and this year's edition comes with a changed venue and a changed railway station. Here is the plan that actually works.
The Bangkok Art Biennale 2026 opened on 29 October and runs until 28 February 2027, putting more than 200 artworks into temples, museums and shopping malls across the capital. Most of it is free. Here are the eleven venues, the opening hours, the days to avoid and a two-day route that works for a short stop in Bangkok.
Pattaya Beach turns into an open-air concert hall on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 November 2026, with two nights of free jazz, soul and funk on the sand and Kenny G closing the Saturday bill. Here is the full schedule, how to reach the beachfront, what to budget and what to do in Pattaya between sets.
• Visa: Many nationalities get a 60-day visa exemption — confirm yours before booking flights.
• SIM/eSIM: Grab an AIS or TrueMove eSIM at the airport for cheap, fast data nationwide.
• Overland: You preferred to avoid flights — we've kept legs shorter, but a few long-distance transfers are unavoidable over 60 days.
• Getting around: Book domestic flights early; use Grab in cities and licensed minivans between towns.
• Cash: Keep baht for markets and islands; 7-Eleven ATMs are everywhere.
My selections
The perfect mix
City, beach & island
Bangkok, Krabi, and the Phi Phi Islands — from exploring temples and street food to island hopping, staying connected the whole way.
🏙️ The City
Bangkok
Bangkok is pure electricity — a city where golden temples rise beside glass skyscrapers and every street corner smells like something delicious. Start at dawn with monks collecting alms near Wat Pho, spend the afternoon gliding along the Chao Phraya River, then dive into the legendary street-food scene of Chinatown after dark. Rooftop bars, floating markets, tuk-tuk rides, and the dazzling Grand Palace — Thailand's capital rewards the curious at every turn. It's also the perfect launchpad: two airports, easy rail links, and ferries south mean your whole adventure starts here.
Krabi is what screensavers dream of being — towering limestone karsts erupting from jade-green water, hidden lagoons, and beaches you reach by longtail boat. Railay's cliffs draw climbers from around the world, while Ao Nang serves up sunset dinners on the sand. Kayak through mangrove forests, soak in the Emerald Pool, climb 1,260 steps to the Tiger Cave Temple for a panorama you'll never forget, then island-hop the Hong Islands by day and feast on fresh seafood by night. Laid-back, affordable, and impossibly photogenic, Krabi is southern Thailand at its absolute best.
The Phi Phi Islands are the Thailand you've seen in the movies — literally. Maya Bay, framed by sheer 100-metre cliffs, starred in "The Beach," and it's even more breathtaking in person. Snorkel with blacktip reef sharks in gin-clear water, watch monkeys patrol their own beach, and dive some of the Andaman's richest coral reefs. Hike to the Koh Phi Phi Don viewpoint for the iconic twin-bay panorama, then let the evening slide into beachfront fire shows and barefoot bars. No cars, no roads — just boats, beaches, and the kind of blue water that doesn't seem real.
🏙️ The City
