Thailand might almost have been designed with holidays in mind, so blessed is the country with attractions from bustling modern cities to golden tropical beaches. It’s a famously friendly country. Thanks to the renowned hospitality of the Thai people it’s known as ‘The Land of Smiles’.

The capital city Bangkok is full of life. Roads are packed with cars and noisy tuk tuks, pavements are crammed with ramshackle food stalls and shrines are laden with fragrant flowers. North of Bangkok, Kanchanaburi offers a green getaway with mountains, rivers and WWII sites including the famous Bridge over the River Kwai. The crumbling wats and palaces at Ayutthaya, once the royal capital of the Siamese Kingdom, create an atmospheric insight into this once-magnificent city. The beach resorts of Phuket and Koh Samui offer world class hotels, luxury spas, upscale boutiques and high-end restaurants. Less-visited Krabi’s coastline is dotted with limestone cliffs and pinnacles which rise steeply out of the turquoise sea, offering endless opportunities for snorkelling, diving and rock-climbing.

THAILAND

BANGKOK

HUA HIN

KANCHANABURI

AYUTTHAYA

KOH SAMUI

KRABIPHUKET

PHITSANULOKE

LAMPANG

CHIANG MAI

CHIANG RAI

CAMBODIA

LAOS

SUKOTHAI

In the north, Chiang Mai is encircled by hills and displays its distinctive Lanna inheritance through architecture, cuisine and handicrafts. Chiang Mai, known as Thailand’s cultural hub, is home to wood carvers, silk weavers and artists. Its quieter neighbour, Chiang Rai, is an excellent base for visiting ethnic minorities in remote villages. Not far away is the notorious Golden Triangle, the former centre of opium growing in this border area.

THAILAND :

NATION, RELIGION, KINGชาติ ศาสนา พระมหากษัตริย์

Sep/Oct: Vegetarian Festival

Nov: Loy Kratong Floating Basket Festival

Jan/Feb: Chinese New Year

April: Songkran (Thai New Year)

Aug: Birthday of Her Majesty the Queen

Dec: New Year’s Eve

Jun: Hua Hin Jazz Festival

Jul: Phi Ta Khon (Loei Province)Do- Do respect the King and the royal family- Do greet people by pressing your palms together and bowing slightly- Do remove your shoes and step over a threshold, not on it- Do dress modestly, despite the heat- Do, if sitting on the floor, avoid pointing your feet towards an altar

- Don’t touch a monk or directly hand anything to him - Don’t use your feet to touch, move or indicate anything- Don’t touch anyone on the head, as the head is considered sacred- Don’t lose your temper, as this is considered very rude- Don’t show intimacy in public

Don’t

GREETING

ETIQUETTE

SAWASDEE

The custom of pressing one’s hands together - accompanied by a slight bow - is called a “wai.” The positioning is determined by social class.

FESTIVALS & HOLIDAYSWEATHER

WHEN TO GOTHAILAND

JAN

MAR

JUL

MAY

SEP

FEB

APR

AUG

JUN

OCT

NOV

DEC

Bangkok 69 million Thai

GMT +07:00 Baht Taxis, tuk tuks

CAPITAL POPULATION LANGUAGE

TIME ZONE TRANSPORTATION

(Indochina Time Zone)

220V.50Hz

33O

/22O

33O

/22O

35O

/26O

35O

/26O

35O

/26O

35O

/26O

33O

/25O

33O

/25O

33O

/25O

33O

/22O

33O

/22O

33O

/22O

ELECTRICITY

CURRENCY