Mu Ko Ang Thong National Marine Park, the 42-island archipelago off Koh Samui, closes to visitors from 1 November to 15 December 2026 for the north-east monsoon. Here is what shuts, what stays open, what the park costs when it reopens, and the best island alternatives from Samui in the meantime.
Vijit Chao Phraya returns for a fifth edition from 13 November to 13 December 2026, lighting 13 riverside sites between Rama III and Rama VIII bridges with projection mapping, drone formations and fireworks. It is free, it runs for 31 nights, and here is how to plan an evening around it.
The Golden Mount Temple Fair returns to Wat Saket in Bangkok's Old Town from 17 to 29 November 2026, opening with the red-cloth procession up Phu Khao Thong and overlapping Loy Krathong on 24 November. Here is what happens, what it costs, how to get there and how to fit it into a Thailand itinerary.
Pattaya City has confirmed a full-scale Halloween Festival for Saturday 31 October 2026, with a ghost parade, a costume contest and a free concert across Walking Street and Pattaya Beach. Here is what is planned, how to get there from Bangkok, what it costs and what else is on in Pattaya this high season.
Thailand has put its proposed 1,000-baht departure tax on ice. The finance minister confirmed on 22 October that the levy will not go ahead for now, to protect a high season the government expects to be strong. Here is what the tax would have cost, what is still on the table, and how to plan around it.
Thailand's festival of floating lights falls on 24 November 2026, and Sukhothai stretches that single full-moon night into ten, from 15 to 24 November inside its UNESCO-listed historical park. Here are the dates, the Light and Sound Show ticket prices, what the park costs, how to reach it from Bangkok and how to build a trip around it.
Virgin Atlantic flew its first London Heathrow to Phuket service on 18–19 October, a three-times-weekly winter route that adds 774 inbound seats a week to the Andaman coast. It arrives in the same fortnight that Maya Bay, the Similan Islands and the rest of the marine parks reopen. Here is the schedule, the fees, the transfers and how to build a trip around it.
Friday 23 October is Chulalongkorn Memorial Day, a national holiday that gives Thailand a long weekend running into Ok Phansa on Monday the 26th. Here is what closes, where the expressway tolls are waived, where the alcohol ban bites, what the rain is doing and how to plan around all of it.
Pattaya has confirmed a free two-night jazz festival on the sand for 6–7 November, and it lands between a city-run Loy Krathong on 23–24 November and the international fireworks festival on 27–28 November. Here are the dates, the venues, what each one costs and where to stand.
Thailand's eastern seaboard islands open their main season this month, and Bangkok Airways switches to its winter Trat timetable on 25 October. Here is how to reach Koh Kood, Koh Mak and Koh Chang, what the boats and the national park cost, and how many days each island is worth.
Thailand's tourism authority has widened its shopper rewards campaign through to the end of November, putting 500 to 2,000 baht of mall, dining and hotel privileges in front of visitors from ASEAN and South Asia. Here is what is on the table, who qualifies, and how to work Bangkok's four shopping districts whether you qualify or not.
Twelve illuminated boats, one for every district of Nakhon Phanom, will be pushed out onto the Mekong after dark on 26 October. They are the climax of a twelve-night festival that starts today — the most spectacular thing on the Thai calendar this month, and one almost no foreign visitor has heard of.
• 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
