North & South Thailand Highlights — Self-Launched

Land at Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang and get to your hostel the local way: the Airport Rail Link to Phaya Thai (~60 THB / £1.30) then BTS/MRT, or a Grab car (£7–9). Check into a hostel or budget guesthouse around Khao San, Rambuttri or the Old Town. Spend the evening wandering Wat Pho's exterior, the riverside and Rambuttri for street-food dinner (pad thai ~60 THB). Buy a Thai SIM/eSIM at the airport (~300 THB) and download Grab for the whole trip.

🚌Airport Rail Link + BTS/MRT or Grab (~£2–9)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Old Town / Khao San area (~£12)

• →Arrival and SIM card setup
• →Evening walk around Khao San and Rambuttri
• →Riverside street food

Take the ordinary train from Thonburi (Bangkok Noi) station to Kanchanaburi — around 2.5–3 hours, roughly 100 THB (£2.30), a wonderfully slow, local start. Drop bags at a riverside guesthouse, then ride the Death Railway section from Kanchanaburi to the Bridge on the River Kwai (or walk it) — the train over the bridge and on to Tham Krasae is the classic experience, ~100 THB. Sunset drinks on a floating raft-house on the Kwai. (If you prefer speed, hourly minivans from Mo Chit take ~3 hrs for ~£3–4.)

🚌Thonburi–Kanchanaburi train ~£2.30; local train over the bridge ~£2.30

🛏Riverside guesthouse or raft-house, Kanchanaburi (~£12)

• →Scenic local train from Thonburi
• →Death Railway train ride over the Bridge on the River Kwai
• →Kwai riverside sunset

Early shared songthaew or local bus to Erawan National Park (~£2 each way, park entry 300 THB / £7) — climb the seven tiers of turquoise pools and swim. Come back via the Thailand–Burma Railway Centre and the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery (entry ~£3; cemetery free). In the afternoon take a local bus or minivan to Suphanburi/Ayutthaya (roughly £5–7, 3–4 hrs) — or return to Bangkok and catch a train north. Evening: a budget dinner on the riverside (a DIY alternative to the rice-barge dinner; barge cruises can be booked from ~£10 if you want the upgrade).

🚌Songthaew/bus to Erawan ~£4 return; bus/minivan to Ayutthaya ~£6

🛏Guesthouse in Ayutthaya old town (~£11)

• →Erawan National Park seven-tier waterfall hike and swim
• →Thailand–Burma Railway Centre
• →Kanchanaburi War Cemetery
• →Optional rice-barge dinner cruise in Ayutthaya

Rent a bicycle from your guesthouse (~£2/day) and tour the UNESCO ruins at your own pace: Wat Mahathat (the Buddha head in the banyan tree), Wat Phra Si Sanphet and Wat Chaiwatthanaram — combined ticket ~220 THB (£5). Late afternoon, take a local bus or train back into Bangkok and fly north with AirAsia, Nok Air or Thai Lion Air (booked ahead, ~£25–40 one way, ~1h15). Alternative: the overnight sleeper train from Krung Thep Aphiwat to Chiang Mai (~£20–28 for a second-class sleeper, ~12 hrs) — cheaper and atmospheric if you don't mind a night on rails. Check into a guesthouse inside the Old City moat.

🚌Bicycle ~£2; local transport ~£4; budget flight Bangkok–Chiang Mai ~£30 (or sleeper train ~£24)

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Chiang Mai Old City (~£10)

• →Ayutthaya Historical Park by bicycle
• →Wat Mahathat and Wat Chaiwatthanaram
• →Budget flight or overnight train to Chiang Mai

Book a half-day Thai cooking class through Klook or GetYourGuide (~£22–28) — most include a market tour with the chef, five or six dishes and lunch. Afternoon: take a red songthaew up to Doi Suthep (~50–60 THB shared, 100 THB for foreigners) for the temple and the view over the city; entry 30 THB (£0.70). Monks chant around 5–6pm — you can time it yourself, no guide needed. Evening at the Saturday or Sunday Walking Street market for cheap eats (30–60 THB a plate).

🚌Songthaew to Doi Suthep ~£1.50 each way

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Chiang Mai Old City (~£10)

• →Thai cooking class with market visit (book via Klook)
• →Wat Phra That Doi Suthep and sunset viewpoint
• →Night market / Walking Street food crawl

A free day for your own pace: rent a bike to Wat Umong's forest tunnels, join a cycling tour, or just laze in a cafe. For the evening khantoke experience, the accessible self-booked options are a traditional khantoke dinner-and-dance show (~£14–18, bookable via Klook or at any travel agency in town) or — if you'd rather have the family-home version — book a half-day village homestay/khantoke visit through Chiang Mai tour agencies (~£20–25 including transport). Either way you get northern Thai food served on lacquered trays with music and dance.

🚌Bike rental ~£2, or agency transfer included with khantoke booking

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Chiang Mai Old City (~£10)

• →Free day — Wat Umong or Old City cafes
• →Khantoke dinner and cultural show (self-booked)

Morning flight back to Bangkok (~£30 booked ahead). Check in near the Old Town. In the afternoon, walk to Tha Tien pier and hire a longtail boat yourself for a Thonburi klong tour (~1,000–1,400 THB per boat for 1.5–2 hrs / £22–31 per boat, so split it with hostel mates) to see the canal-side communities that a group boat covers. Then visit Wat Pho and its reclining Buddha (300 THB / £7). Khao San or Chinatown for dinner.

🚌Budget flight ~£30; river ferry crossing ~£0.60

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse, Old Town / Khao San (~£12)

• →Chiang Mai–Bangkok flight
• →Thonburi klong longtail boat tour (self-hired)
• →Wat Pho reclining Buddha

Do the Bangkok classics under your own steam: Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew (500 THB / £11.50), Wat Arun across the river (100 THB), and the National Museum (200 THB) if you want the art and textiles. Alternative: a bike tour of hidden temples and parks (~£24–27 via Klook/GetYourGuide) or the Bang Krachao green lung by ferry and rented bike. Eat at a Chinatown street stall for under £4.

🚌River boat and short Grab hops ~£3

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse, Old Town / Khao San (~£12)

• →Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew
• →Wat Arun
• →Optional Bangkok cycling tour or Bang Krachao

Fly Bangkok to Koh Samui (~£40–55 booked a few weeks ahead — Samui's airport is privately owned so fares are pricier than other Thai routes; a cheaper option is flying to Surat Thani (~£20) and taking the Seatran or Raja ferry/bus combo to Samui, ~£7 and 4–5 hrs total). Settle into a budget bungalow or hostel in Chaweng Noi, Lamai or Bo Phut. Afternoon on the beach, evening at the Fisherman's Village walking street if it's a Friday.

🚌Budget flight ~£45 (or Surat Thani flight + ferry ~£27)

🛏Budget bungalow or hostel, Chaweng Noi / Lamai (~£16)

• →Beach afternoon
• →Fisherman's Village night market

Book a day trip to Ang Thong National Marine Park through Klook, GetYourGuide or your guesthouse (~£22–30 including pick-up, speedboat, park fee, lunch, kayaks and snorkel). You'll kayak at Koh Mae Ko, climb the steep staircase to the Talab Nai 'Green Lagoon' viewpoint, and snorkel the reefs — the same experience the group tour visits, with a different operator. Pick the smaller-boat operators to avoid the crowds; a national park entry fee applies and is usually bundled in.

🚌Hotel pick-up included in tour price

🛏Budget bungalow or hostel, Chaweng Noi / Lamai (~£16)

• →Ang Thong National Marine Park speedboat day trip
• →Kayaking at Koh Mae Ko
• →Green Lagoon viewpoint climb
• →Snorkelling stops

Use the day for optional extras you can simply book locally: a Thai massage (200–400 THB / £5–9), a snorkel trip to Koh Tao or Koh Nang Yuan (~£25), or hire a scooter (~£6–8/day, bring an IDP and go carefully) to loop the island past Na Muang waterfall and the Big Buddha. Cheap lunch at a local shophouse, night market dinner in Lamai.

🚌Scooter rental ~£7 or songthaew hops ~£3

🛏Budget bungalow or hostel, Chaweng Noi / Lamai (~£16)

• →Scooter loop or snorkel trip (optional)
• →Thai massage
• →Lamai night market

Whether by flight (from ~£35–50) or the cheaper ground-and-sea combo — ferry to Don Sak plus bus to Krabi town, roughly £12–15 and about 5–6 hrs — get to Krabi in the afternoon. Stay at Ao Nang (beach and boats on the doorstep, ~£16–20) or Krabi Town for a cheaper base (~£11). Evening: seafood at a local restaurant and a walk along Ao Nang beach road.

🚌Ferry + bus combo ~£13 (or flight ~£40)

🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Ao Nang (~£18)

• →Transfer to Krabi
• →Ao Nang beach evening
• →Seafood dinner

Book the longtail-boat Four Islands tour (~£20–25, direct with a boatman at Ao Nang beach or via Klook) or the Phi Phi day trip that lands at Maya Bay — note Phi Phi park fees add ~400 THB and Maya Bay has timed-entry rules, so use a licensed operator. Snorkelling, Railay-style limestone cliffs and beach time all day. Kayak rental at Ao Nam Mao or Railay is cheap if you want extra water time (~£5/hr).

🚌Tour boat pick-up / longtail from Ao Nang beach ~£2

🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Ao Nang (~£18)

• →Four Islands longtail boat tour
• →Phi Phi / Maya Bay day trip with snorkelling
• →Optional kayaking at Railay

Ferry or longtail over to Railay (~£2, 15 mins) for its cliff-lined beach and Phra Nang cave, watch climbers, swim, and eat at the beach shacks. Or take a local bus out to Krabi's hot springs and Tiger Cave Temple (climb the 1,237 steps, free). Pack in the evening; grab a night bus or early flight mentally sorted for tomorrow's return to Bangkok.

🚌Longtail to Railay ~£2 each way; local songthaew ~£2

🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Ao Nang (~£18)

• →Railay Beach and Phra Nang cave
• →Optional Tiger Cave Temple climb or hot springs
• →Beach time

Fly Krabi to Bangkok (~£25–40 for the 1h20 hop) in time for an afternoon or evening international departure, or take the overnight bus/sleeper train back if you're on a tighter budget and a later flight. Leave buffer — the group version spends the whole last day on the airport run, and budget flights into Don Mueang (DMK) require a transfer to Suvarnabhumi if you're flying out internationally from there (~1 hr, ~£8 by Grab or the free shuttle bus).

🚌Krabi–Bangkok flight ~£32; airport transfer ~£3–8 if needed

🛏None (departure day)

• →Transfer to Krabi airport
• →Flight to Bangkok and onward departure