Thailand for Solo Travelers: Bangkok, Phuket & the Islands

Board your overnight flight to Bangkok today.

Welcome to Thailand! As you arrive at your hotel tonight, you might receive a wai: a traditional greeting where the hands are placed in a prayer-like position, followed by a gentle bow of the head. Return the greeting (or offer a warm smile back), then settle into your room.

Join your Tour Director for a sightseeing tour of Bangkok, the bustling capital city set on the banks of the Chao Phraya River.

• Explore the sprawling Grand Palace, home to the kings of Siam from 1782 to 1925. The landmark’s exterior elegantly blends traditional Thai architecture with inspiration from the European Renaissance.
• While roaming the complex, pass by Wat Phra Kaew. Also known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, this structure is the spiritual core of Thai Buddhism and a pilgrimage site for the devout.
• Step inside the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, or Wat Pho, to admire the grandeur of the gilded, 150-foot-long statue depicting the Buddha’s passing and attainment of nirvana. (It’s the biggest reclining Buddha statue in the city!)
• Look over the nearby flower market’s rainbow-hued rows of blooms before taking a walking tour of the Chinatown neighborhood, one of the largest in the world. It’s bursting with food stalls, ornate temples, and the rich history of its immigrants; take it all in as you go.
• Visit the Amulet Market. Blessed by Buddhist monks, these charms are believed to protect their wearers from harm and, in some cases, bring good fortune. Learn about their cultural significance, then shop around and see if any call to you.

Pause for an included welcome lunch, then tour the city’s canals, or klongs, on a converted rice barge, sampling local fruits as you do. Finally, end your first full day on tour with an evening mixer and share your favorite moments so far.

Leave the bustle of Bangkok behind for a day and go to the city’s outskirts. Then, dive into a pair of uniquely Thai sites.

• Climb aboard a long-tail boat and glide past villages to the canal-crossed Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. Here, shoppers and merchants do business on the water, placing orders and transferring goods between vessels.
• Swap water for land, and one shopping hub for another, when you visit the Maeklong Railway Market. Built on an active rail line, it experiences a flurry of activity whenever a train comes rumbling by. Vendors will hurriedly pack up their stalls and duck out of the way; once the locomotive passes, they set back up and keep on selling.

From there, continue to a local organic farm to learn about eco-friendly agricultural practices from the farmers who till the land. Sample freshly picked fruit and a refreshing coconut drink; take part in a hands-on planting workshop to help your visit leave a lasting, positive impact; then head back to your hotel for some well-earned rest.

Craving some of Thailand’s world-famous cuisine for dinner? Link up with your Tour Director on our optional evening excursion and eat your way through one of Bangkok’s night markets.

Fly to Phuket this morning—Thailand’s largest island, rising out of the Andaman Sea—then get to know this slice of heaven on a walking tour.

• Learn about Phuket’s importance to trade routes between Europe and China, and how that cultural exchange helped shape the island today.
• Admire the restored, candy-colored shophouses along Dibuk Road in the Old Town. The cafe-lined street is a feast for the eyes.
• Spot the ornate, Sino-Portuguese-style Chinpracha House peeking through palm trees, then stop to sample regional snacks in a restored coffeehouse. Don’t miss the o-aew, a shaved ice and jelly dessert that originated on the island.

Tonight, enjoy an included dinner, served with beer or wine, alongside your groupmates and gear up for tomorrow’s island cruise.

Looking for a textbook definition of paradise? You’d be hard-pressed to find a better example than the tropical Phi Phi Islands. Today, you’ll board a speedboat to Phi Phi Don and spend some time hopping from beach to pristine beach with an expert guide.

• Dive into the crystal clear waters of the Andaman Sea for some snorkeling, and admire one of the world’s most abundant coral reef systems up close.
• Gaze up at staggering limestone cliffs as you head to Monkey Island. Drop anchor to take some photos and keep an eye out for the island’s resident long-tailed macaques. (They love the water as much as you do!)
• Soak in the laidback atmosphere of the islands as you enjoy an included lunch of local specialties, then motor back to Phuket.

Spend your last day in Phuket however you’d like. For more structure, push off the island on our optional excursion and cruise the jungle-crowned isles of Ao Phang Nga National Park. Alternatively, stay behind and see where the waves take you.

Fly to Bangkok this afternoon and spend your free time exploring the city at your leisure.

Tonight, head to a local restaurant and celebrate your trip with your fellow travelers during a farewell dinner, served with beer or wine.

Transfer to the airport today, either for an international flight home or a domestic trip to Chiang Mai. Soaring mountain peaks and divine regional eats await should you choose the latter—and with a few more days in Thailand in the cards, why wouldn’t you?