Thailand has all the makings of a picture perfect vacation – the city, the jungle, and the beach. Taking 3 weeks to travel through Thailand will give you the time to get to know each lace and immerse yourself in the culture. This 3 weeks in Thailand itinerary allows you to explore 4 places in-depth, while also giving the option of taking side trips from each location.
We’ve explored all these places as a family throughout our 13 years living in Thailand and recommend this itinerary as giving you the broadest view of Thailand’s culture, landscape, and history.
Overview of 3 Weeks
Day 1-3 Arrival and Visit Bangkok
Day 4-6 Sukhothai (with day trip options to Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park, Phitsanulok, or Ramkamhaeng National Park
Day 7-12 Chiang Mai (with day trips to an elephant sanctuary and Doi Inthanon)
Day 13-18 Khao Lak (with optional trip to Similan Islands)
Day 19-21 Bangkok and Departure (with day trip option to Kanchanaburi)
Week 1
Day 1-3 Arrival and Visit Bangkok
You’ll arrive at one of the two international airports in Bangkok – Suvarnabhumi International Airport (airport code BKK) or Don Muang International Airport (airport code DMK).
The first few days in your 3 week itinerary to Thailand will be an introduction to Bangkok and Thailand in general. Bangkok is the capital city and the very heart of Thailand. Everything in Thailand revolves around Bangkok. Here are some awesome options for you to see and do during your first few days in Thailand.
For even more options, we have entire posts on things to do in Bangkok ranging from a 1-day itinerary to a complete 10-day Bangkok itinerary.
Ancient City
Ancient City will give you an overview of famous Thailand buildings around the country.
Grand Palace and Wat Pho
These two locations will introduce you to the history, culture, and religion of Thailand.
King Power Mahanakhan
One of the tallest buildings in Bangkok, you can see Bangkok from the 78th glass floor viewing area.
Lumpini Park
The largest city park where you can relax and the kids can play on the playground.
Central World Mall and Paragon Mall
Two downtown malls with lots of shopping, eating, entertainment, and of course, plenty of people watching.
These first few days in Thailand are a perfect time to try out all the different types of Thai transportation. Here is a list to help you make sure you try all of them!
Tuktuks – the classic three wheeled motorized vehicle known internationally as a symbol of Thailand
BTS Skytrain – BTS short for Bangkok Metro Transit System and is the name for the skytrain that runs on different lines throughout the Bangkok metropolitan area.
MRT – This is the underground train in Bangkok. Not as large a network of trains, but goes certain locations that the BTS skytrain does not.
Bus
Taxi or Grab Grab is as the app you use to get around. It is much like Uber or inDrive.
Motorcycle taxi
Accommodations
We recommend staying downtown in the middle of everything to truly experience the hustle and bustle of Bangkok. Here’s our extensive list of family accommodation options in Bangkok.
Day 4-6 Historical Visit
Sukhothai
Driving from Bangkok to Sukhothai will take around 6 hours by car. For public transportation, you have three different options. You can fly from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport to Sukhothai. You can also take a direct bus. Or last, you can take a train to Phitsanulok and then take a bus to Sukhothai. We do not recommend taking the train unless you love train rides as this is the slowest way to get there!
The main attraction of the area is the Sukhothai Historical Park. The historical park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It dates back to 13th to 15th century when the people groups of Thailand first became united under one ruler.
Sukhothai Historical Park is a huge space with the different buildings in different stages of ruins. There has been a lot of restoration devoted to the many buildings. The buildings are well labeled with names and historical information.
We’ve created a full overview of just the Sukhothai Historical Park to help in trip planning.
We loved that hotels near the park provide bicycles to rent for the day, so that it is easier to get around town with kids.
If you still find yourself with time to explore outside of the historical park, we recommend visiting:
Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park, another UNESCO world heritage site with ruins from as long ago as the 14th century.
Phitsanulok, a busy city on the Nan River found halfway between Bangkok and Chiang Mai. We really enjoyed visiting the Sergeant Major Thawee Folklore Museum and buddha foundry in Phitsanulok.
For more outdoor exploration, visit Ramkamhaeng National Park, a tiny national park that would be enjoyable to hike around for a few hours.
Accommodations while in Sukhothai: We stayed at the Thai Thai Sukhothai Resort and highly recommend it! Off the main road which kept it quiet, easy with kids, a ten minute bike ride to the historical park, and bikes to rent!
Week 2
Day 7-10 Chiang Mai
Week two in your 3 weeks in Thailand itinerary has you moving up into Northern Thailand to the city of Chiang Mai.
Again, you have options when traveling from Sukhothai to Chiang Mai. Driving will take slightly under 6 hours. You can take a direct bus from the Sukhothai Bus Station to Chiang Mai. This choice will take a little less than 6 hours. You can take a bus from Sukhothai to Phitsanulok and then take the train from Phitsanulok to Chiang Mai. Last, you can fly from Sukhothai to Chiang Mai with a layover in Bangkok.
Chiang Mai is a spread out city in the north of Thailand known for its close proximity to hill tribe people groups and jungles full of elephants. While this has created a vast amount of tourism, we believe Chiang Mai is the best introduction to northern Thailand. Chiang Mai has many opportunities to experience Thai culture, religion, and gastronomy.
If you are ready for an even more off the beaten path experience with less English and more of an experience of how local people live, we recommend skipping Chiang Mai and visiting a smaller city around Thailand such as Udon Thani, Ubon Ratchathani, or Tak. We will not visit those here, as this 3 weeks in Thailand itinerary is for the less confident visitor to Thailand. You can explore our Thailand page for more options.
Our recommended list for your time in Chiang Mai:
Doi Suthep
Doi Suthep is a popular mountain just outside of the city of Chiang Mai. On the mountain you can visit the very popular Wat Pra That temple and also go on some cool hikes.
Elephant Poo Poo Paper
If you really want to have a unique experience on your 3 weeks in Thailand, you could add the Elephant Poo Poo Paper Park to your list. As the name suggests, they make paper from elephant poo. The kids always love it.
Thai Cooking School (choose the farm school option!)
What better way to learn Thai culture but to learn how to cook. There are many cooking schools to choose from. There are some in Bangkok as well as in Chiang Mai, but we recommend the ones in Chian Mai!
Night Market
The night market in Chiang Mai is very popular. You can get all sorts of fun things there.
Walk around the city center (inside the city walls)
Chiang Mai is an ancient city that used to have a massive wall and moat around it. The remains of the wall and moat is still visible along the inside of the center of town. It is amazing to walk around and see the history.
Food
Your time in Chiang Mai is a great time to try some classic Thai food. Here are several that should not be missed:
Khao soi is a northern Thai curry. One of our favorite Thai dishes!
Mango and sticky rice is a perfect tropical dessert.
Fresh fruit smoothies is a good way to cool off from the heat.
Fried bugs (the bamboo worms are our teens favorite!) They are actually pretty good.
Thai coffee (with sweetened condensed milk)
Thai tea
Accommodation
We have stayed various places around Chiang Mai over the years, but our favorite is by far Riverside House Chiang Mai. It is right over the Ping River from the downtown area. You can walk to the night market in just 10 minutes. The staff is incredibly helpful with questions regarding tours and transportation. You can also easily get a Grab taxi there.
Day 11-12 Around Chiang Mai
We have carved out 2 days of your 3 weeks in Thailand itinerary to take day trips from Chiang Mai. As you will see when you arrive in Chiang Mai, there are many different options of activities to do with your kids. Chiang Mai is an incredibly diverse and kid-friendly city. But here are our two that we wouldn’t miss on a visit to Chiang Mai!
Elephants
First is to spend the day with elephants. There are many elephant centers to choose from and the conditions vary between the elephant sanctuaries. Do your research and find a place that matches your values in how elephants are treated by humans.
Doi Inthanon
Second is to visit Doi Inthanon, the highest point in Thailand. Doi Inthanon National Park is up in the mountains near Chiang Mai. There is a road that leads to the top of the peak, which you can go and explore. The national park is also home to several different waterfalls. It is beautiful and the weather is always much colder in Doi Inthanon than down in the city of Chiang Mai.
Week 3
Day 13 Travel from Chiang Mai to Khao Lak
Week 3 in the itinerary to Thailand finally brings us to the beach. We know you’ve been antsy to get to the beach, because let’s face it, Thailand and beaches go hand in hand. Luckily, we have lived in Thailand for over a decade and know which beaches you should and should not go to! For this itinerary we have you going to the beautiful Khao Lak.
To get there you will fly from Chiang Mai down to Phuket to start your beach vacation. It is really far, so we do not recommend driving. We’ve done it and you can read all about it in Road Trip from Bangkok to Phuket. It can be a ton of fun, but for a 3-week itinerary it is a no-go. Flying is the way to go.
Flights are very affordable in Thailand. Khao Lak is a beach area about 1 hour north of Phuket International Airport. You can get an airport transfer there from your accommodation or look for public transportation or taxi from the airport.
Khao Lak has a lot of opportunities to experience Thailand besides just sitting by the beach. It also draws a lot less tourists than Phuket does which is awesome. And the beaches are better.
Day 14-18 Khao Lak (Beach)
The beach in the Khao Lak area is beautiful. The coastline has accommodations all along it with many great family options.
Our favorite choice for staying in Khao Lak is the JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort and Spa. The location is a short distance from all the activities and they have great amenities for families, including family room options!
Our favorite experience in Khao Lak was our children getting to learn the basics of surfing. One beach within the Khao Lak area is where Memories Surfhouse is located. The beach also has Memories Beach Bar. This is a perfect beach for beginning surfing. You can rent surfboards and boogie boards depending on what your kids want to experience. They will also help give you surf lessons!
Khao Lak is also a national park. The full name is Khao Lak-Lam Ru National Park. On one of the days at the beach, we recommend taking a Grabtaxi to the national park.
There are two parts to the park, one on each side of the road – the part on the ocean side has bungalow and tent sites on a mountainside overlooking the ocean. It also has a trek through the mountainy jungle lining the ocean to a private beach adequately called “Small Sandy Beach”. The other side of the road has several waterfalls you can hike to. This is a fun activity away from the beach.
The other non-beach activity during your time in Khao Lak is visiting the Khao Lak Elephant Home where you can interact ethically with elephants if you weren’t able to in Chiang Mai.
Day 17-18 Optional Trip to Similan Islands
If your family needs a few more days to relax by the beach, then don’t take an extra trip. Enjoy all relaxation on the beach that Khao Lak gives.
However, if you are looking for an island adventure, and more beach, a day trip or overnight stay on the Similan Islands could be a great option for your family.
Day 19-21 Bangkok and Departure
On Day 19 of your 3 weeks in Thailand itinerary, you are headed back to Bangkok. You can take a flight directly from Phuket to either Suvarnabhumi International Airport (airport code BKK) or Don Muang International Airport (airport code DMK).
Your last two days can be filled with shopping and eating around Bangkok. We suggest trying to fit in the Bangkok activities we mentioned on Day 1. You can find many other options on our 10 day itinerary of Bangkok. We also have a list of kid activities found in Bangkok for different size budgets.
Day 20 Optional Day Trip to Kanchanaburi
If you aren’t feeling like hanging out in the city and want one last day trip, we suggest a trip out to Kanchanaburi and the River Kwai to learn about WWII in Thailand the Death Railway.
Take the public bus, rent a car, or join a tour. We do not suggest taking the train as it can be very slow.
Departure
Leaving out of Bangkok is very chaotic, especially if you are leaving from Suvarnabhumi International Airport. We recommend arriving 3 hours before your scheduled departure time. This will give you enough time to get through all the lines before arriving at your gate.
Final Tips and Recommendations
Thailand has so much to offer every visitor. Three weeks will begin to show you the beauty of its food, landscape, culture, and people.
We recommend looking at the age of your kids and working in as many of these places in your three-week trip as possible, without overwhelming them. Remember each place you visit will have new sights and smells.