Set within gardens in western Hua Hin, the Hua Hin Artist Village (Baan Sillapin) is a colorful community of local artists. Enter the plain-looking gateway into a tropical haven of huts and studios to watch creatives at work, join art workshops, and view and buy paintings, antiques, and crafts in quirky galleries; afterwards, unwind at a waterside café.
For a relaxing beach day, head to Maenam Beach. This isn’t a party atmosphere like you’ll find on other Koh Samui beaches like Chaweng or Lamai. Grab a lounge chair and a good book, and enjoy the gorgeous caramel-colored 2.5-mile (4-kilometer) stretch of beach. This is one of the best spots on the island to relax, but still close to excellent restaurants and resources.
So-called because of the drawings of ships found on its walls, Viking Cave is nestled inside a limestone cliff on Koh Phi Phi Leh in Thailand. Hundreds of swiftlets make their nests here from saliva—these are then harvested for the outrageously expensive bird’s nest soup, an Asian delicacy.
Siam Niramit, or the Enchanted Kingdom of Siam, is a music and dance performance held in a 2,000-seat theater and entertainment complex in Bangkok. The show features acrobatics, traditional costumes, pyrotechnics, and more, and offers an immersive journey into Thailand’s history and culture.
Part of the glorious Phi Phi archipelago in Thailand’s turquoise Andaman Sea, Ko Phi Phi Le is an uninhabited island whose standout feature is Maya Bay—which catapulted to fame after appearing in the 2000 film The Beach. The pristine waters surrounding it are prime snorkel and scuba diving spots, as they’re home to blacktip reef sharks, sea snakes, hawksbill turtles, and octopi.
Fronted by a house balanced on its roof, Upside Down Pattaya is a quirky attraction that’s too small to count as a theme park. Pose for photos inside the upside-down house, where floors work as ceilings and vice versa; spin on an astronaut-style gyroscope; explore the labyrinth; enjoy the leaning castle; or brave the wobbly bicycles.
Samui Water Park Pink Elephant boasts an impressive 15 slides, including the Twister and Superbowl high slides. With a wave pool, lazy river, food and drink outlets, and Jacuzzis, it’s the island’s dominant water park. This family-friendly venue has plenty to offer younger children in particular.
Downtown Phuket’s one-stop shop for fashion, dining, and entertainment, Jungceylon is a megamall with a jungle theme, designed with high, airy spaces and lots of indoor greenery and water features. It’s one of the biggest shopping centers in southern Thailand, where you’ll find more than 200 stores selling everything from clothes and computers to perfume and sunglasses.
The volunteer-run, not-for-profit Gibbon Rehabilitation Project in Phuket rescues gibbons (a type of ape) that have been poached and held in captivity (a serious problem in Phuket). The staff then rehabilitates them before safely reintroducing them to their natural habitats, when possible.
A fun and unusual amusement center, KidZania Bangkok includes a large replica indoor city where children can role-play more than 100 different careers. Kids can choose the activities and professions that interest them most—from working at an airport, bank, hospital, theater, and more—and try them out in costume.
Khao Laem Lake in the heart of Kanchanaburi is an artificial reservoir but has become a vital haven for wildlife. Rich with biodiversity, Khao Lem has mangroves, swampland, and forests along its length of 37 miles (60 kilometers). Locals live on the water in houseboats, and there are houseboat hotels to stay in that keep you close to nature.
Designed by renowned UK hedge maze designer Adrian Fisher, A-Maze Garden is the only garden maze in Phuket. Built from around 10,760 square feet (1,000 square meters) of hedges, A-Maze offers fun for families with kids, and is located next to several other family friendly attractions on the popular Thai island.
The aptly named Magic Eye 3D Museum in Hat Yai isn’t your ordinary museum. The halls of this whimsical attraction are painted floor to ceiling with more than 100 scenes and murals that create a 3D illusion, especially when captured through the lens of a camera; visitors are meant to step inside and become part of the paintings.
Thailand is renowned for its variety and quality of orchids, and the Mae Sa Valley, north of Chiang Mai, is the place to go to see their beauty at the source. At the Suan Bua Mae Sa Orchid Farm, visitors can see more than 50 varieties of orchids and wander through a live butterfly enclosure filled with colorful and fragrant tropical plants.
Created by a Korean messaging app, the LINE FRIENDS cartoon characters are the focus of LINE Village Bangkok. Divided into 23 zones with features such as interactive games and selfie kiosks, the large indoor digital theme park attracts kids and anime enthusiasts and makes a good rainy-day activity.
Run by a nonprofit organization, the Hilltribe Museum contains a wealth of information on Thailand’s hill tribes and the issues that threaten their preservation. All of the major hill tribe cultures, including Karen, Akha, and Hmong, are represented by information panels and artifacts.
In a city of ever-increasing skyscrapers and highways, the Banglamphu area of Bangkok suggests what the city used to look like. Also known as Old Bangkok, Banglamphu is a mixture of budget backpacker digs and temples, nightclubs and wet markets. Don’t skip Banglamphu while in Bangkok.
Dedicated to the artifacts of the Lanna Kingdom, the private Oub Kham Museum has a collection that features carved thrones, embroidered costumes, Buddha images, and antique jewelry.
Built in 1904 as part of the Dusit Palace Park complex, the Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall originally hosted state occasions under Chulalongkorn (also known as King Rama V). In 1993, the royal family reopened the restored hall as a handicraft museum sponsored by the Support Foundation. Please note: Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall and the larger Dusit Palace Park are closed for construction. The reopening date has not been announced.
Don’t let the name deceive you: Hat Yai Municipal Park (Hatyai City Park) is both larger and less urban than the name would suggest. Home to lakes, pavilions, a cable car, a playground, a waterfall, an astronomical observatory, and a range of temples—one featuring a towering golden Buddha—it sprawls around and over lush hills just east of Hat Yai city.
Deepen your understanding of northern Thailand’s diverse hill tribe cultures at the Highland People Discovery Museum, formerly Chiang Mai Tribal Museum. The ethnographic exhibition showcases the costumes and tools of the region’s nine hill tribe groups. Outside among the tropical gardens, you’ll also find examples of traditional dwellings.
An organic tea estate in the hills outside Chiang Mai, Araksa Tea Garden produces award-winning teas on the site of one of Thailand’s first tea farms. The range spans the gamut from white and black brews to floral and herbal varieties. The garden hosts an on-site tea house with a shop, and offers tours and tea workshops.
The Thai organization Elephant Parade draws attention to the plight of the Asian elephant by exhibiting brightly painted elephant statues in international cities. At Elephant Parade House in Chiang Mai, visitors can admire sculptures painted by artists and celebrities and buy souvenirs to help save these endangered animals.
Home to migrating birds and vast fields of hot pink lotus blooms in season, Bueng Boraphet is Thailand’s largest freshwater lake, spanning over 80 square miles (210 square kilometers). A tourism complex features an aquarium, a crocodile farm, an indoor food hall, a walking loop trail, and a dedicated waterfowl park for bird watchers.
Ko Chang’s most popular waterfall, Klong Plu Waterfall tumbles down three tiers of rocks into a swimmable pool. But it’s not really the falls that are the star attraction here: It’s the fish. Freshwater critters, including tiny “doctor fish”, frequent the swimming hole’s clear waters. The doctor fish nibble on dead skin to deliver a natural pedicure.
One of a wave of 3-D galleries that’s taken southeast Asia by storm, Country of Arts 3D Gallery occupies three stories in downtown Ubon Ratchathani. Visit to take a wealth of pictures against backdrops, often utilizing props, for hilarious trick-eye photos.
Translated from the Thai as “temple with no top,” this Buddhist structure got its name when the golden stupa that used to top it was removed more than a hundred years ago. The lush gardens and babbling river surrounding the off-the-beaten-path temple are ideal for meditation.
As well as serving as a center for marine research, Bang Saen Aquarium (Institute of Marine Science) is a creatively curated museum dedicated to underwater wonders. It’s split into three zones, where you can marvel at rock pools, watch films about the sea in a theater, see models of whales and sharks suspended from the ceiling, and more.
The quiet town of Lamphun offers travelers a charming escape from the busier streets of Chiang Mai. Shallow moats and the peaceful River Kuang border the provincial capital, where local longan fruits are said to be the sweetest in the country; each August the town comes to celebrate its harvest during the annual Lam Yai festival.
On the outskirts of Chiang Rai, Akha Hill House is a guesthouse in the hill tribe village of Akha. Though the bungalows are made from natural materials such as mud and bamboo, they still offer creature comforts such as hot showers, fans, and Wi-Fi.
