Thailand is well-known for being a fantastic travel destination worldwide; not only is this nation full of amazing and diverse tourist destinations, but also cultural experiences that will delight the senses as well. For example, budget vacations usually provide a unique opportunity to learn and experience how the people of Thailand live their day-to-day lives. However, whether you want to stay close to the well-known beaches, temple sites, and other tourist attractions or do something different like ride elephants, experience local wildlife or tribal culture, or visit the River Kwai, holidays to Thailand offer enough options that anyone can take that once-in-a-lifetime trip that they will remember fondly forever.

The country is found in the heart of mainland Southeast Asia and features four different natural terrains with forests and mountains in the North, stepped farmlands in the Northeast, vast rice fields in the Central Plains, and a tropical island paradise in the South. While the people are extremely friendly, the fact that English is widely understood in the tourist cities also attracts quite a few travellers but if you can, please learn a few phrases in Thai as it makes people warm up to you even faster. There are three main cities that people head to when they visit.

Bangkok
Thailand's capital, Bangkok is many people's first choice in destinations for holidays to Thailand as it is where the main airport for the country is located. Considered one of the world's most exciting cities it has a lot going for it due to its amazing array of culture, history, extravagance, nightlife, and a blended mixture of the old with the new, the rich with the poor, men and women. In the 1980's and early 1990's, Bangkok as well as most of the major Asian cities, saw an investment boom which made Bangkok quickly become the regional financial and business capital. As the years have progressed so has the development of the city, its politics, fashions, entertainment, and importance on the world's stage. Add 11 million international visitors each year (pre-COVID) and you have a very lively city that is growing exponentially.
Chiang Mai
Rich in history, cultural festivals, local restaurants, Buddhist temples, and entertainment, this lively city is part of the "Golden Triangle" due to its proximity to Burma and Laos. Besides the other two countries, it is close to hillside tribal villages, the Mekong River, and more rustic scenery then you can imagine. If you are looking for "authentic Thailand" then this is the city you cannot miss!
Beach Vacations from Bangkok
While this is technically not one city but a couple, not everyone wants to go to the beach so I thought I'd loop them together. Once ground zero for the 2004 tsunami, Phuket and Krabi have gained from the redevelopment and added safety measures that are slowly attracting tourists back. Another very popular beach destination is Koh Samui in the south. If you are looking for a more rural, off the beaten path beach then head to Songkhla in the far south for natural, windswept beaches that are rarely ever visited by outsiders.