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I’ll be in Bangkok for 4 nights and was thinking of doing a day trip to somewhere else (fly out morning, fly back evening) but wasnt sure if any of the options would be practical/worthwhile.
Depending on destination, there’d be between 9 and 12 hours between arrival and departure times, does anyone know if any of the following would be a decent option? One of the main considerations is travel time between airport and destination as if its going to take 90 mins each way in airport travel, that would take up a big portion of available time.
I was considering one of ho chi min city, hanoi, da nang, phuket, chiang mai, krabi or phnom penh 🙂
Unless you’re absolutely desperate to get on a plane, I would instead recommend taking the train up to Ayutthaya. It’s an incredibly rewarding side trip from Bangkok. There’s so much incredible history just lying around and hardly any tourists when you get outside the top couple sights.
You could also get the train to Kanchanaburi to see the area which Bridge on the River Kwai is based upon and the associated historical sites. I’d also recommend Ayutthaya.
If you are desperate to get on a plane, I’d probably suggest Chiang Mai as the sights and city are relatively close to the airport (in comparison with some of your other ideas). Rush hour traffic can be heavy in BKK so using the BTS/MRT is recommended to get to/from the airport unless you are going very early in the morning.
If you want a beach, it’s easy and quick to get to Hua Hin.
If you do this I strongly recommend you use Air Asia from DMK and not a flight out of BKK or with a flag carrier because punctuality of both is poorer in my experience. My first choice would be Chiang Mai simply because of the contrast and also because the airport is very close to the city so you can have time to see it, the mountains, temples and river. If you do this take the earliest flight to minimise possibility of delays, and I recommend a private driver guide to meet you at airport. Head first to the countryside so that you will be back in city for evening when it will become more lively. You could opt to fly into Chiang Mai and back from Chiang Rai or vice versa. There is also the option to take an overnight train between Bangkok and Chiang Mai with good first class sleeper but you would be sharing with person unknown if you are travelling alone. If you are more into beaches and coastal scenery then consider flying into Krabi and back from Phuket or vice versa, again with private driver/guide prearranged. The coastal scenery of the area is stunning. Of your Vietnam options I think a tour of Saigon and the Delta would be by far the most interesting and rewarding. You could also consider Siem Reap and Phnom Penh in Cambodia. Malaysia starts to get too far. Be aware of time differences if leaving Thailand, +1h.
Following on from suggestions of others above, if you did stick around Bangkok then with a privat driver guide you could combine Ayuthaya with either Khao Yai National Park or Kanchanaburi. Alternatively there are many tours to each departing Bangkok daily. If you are very tall though you might find spending all day on those uncomfortable as most use Toyota minivans.
Unless you’re absolutely desperate to get on a plane, I would instead recommend taking the train up to Ayutthaya. It’s an incredibly rewarding side trip from Bangkok. There’s so much incredible history just lying around and hardly any tourists when you get outside the top couple sights.
I was thinking of going there on one of the other days, how is the train journey up there?
If you do this I strongly recommend you use Air Asia from DMK and not a flight out of BKK or with a flag carrier because punctuality of both is poorer in my experience. My first choice would be Chiang Mai simply because of the contrast and also because the airport is very close to the city so you can have time to see it, the mountains, temples and river. If you do this take the earliest flight to minimise possibility of delays, and I recommend a private driver guide to meet you at airport.
Yeah, I was gonna try and use DMK as I thought it may be a better option than BKK. Are the private drivers booked online?
I think its probably going to be either chiang mai or saigon.
Having been to both I’d say Chiang Mai is the better prospect for a day trip over HCMC.
Then again, I’d rather spend four days in Chiang Mai than Bangkok. Love the place.
Having been to both I’d say Chiang Mai is the better prospect for a day trip over HCMC.
Then again, I’d rather spend four days in Chiang Mai than Bangkok. Love the place.
+1 for Chiangmai. But if you really need a day trip – go for Chiang Rai.
If you do this I strongly recommend you use Air Asia from DMK and not a flight out of BKK or with a flag carrier because punctuality of both is poorer in my experience. My first choice would be Chiang Mai simply because of the contrast and also because the airport is very close to the city so you can have time to see it, the mountains, temples and river. If you do this take the earliest flight to minimise possibility of delays, and I recommend a private driver guide to meet you at airport.
Yeah, I was gonna try and use DMK as I thought it may be a better option than BKK. Are the private drivers booked online?
I think its probably going to be either chiang mai or saigon.
Search TA and other resources to find good private driver guides in Chiang Mai. A good many years ago I used Levietnamcycletours in Saigon. The then owner, Tung, and colleagues were all superb. They can also organise car tours. At the times you plan to go to and from airport roads will not be an issue to either DMK or BKK so just take a taxi. I still like the old airport as security is fast and easy with a large number of lanes and lots of space LHR and others can only dream of. The domestic lounges (Coral and Miracle) take PP if you have it and they are both decent. Or try preordering food on Air Asia while booking just to experience how well LCC can do what BA fails miserably at. Meals are only about £2.20 each. Unfortunately during covid food was provided in bag to take off the plane but hopefully eating is now allowed on board again, it still wasn’t back in April. One plus point of Chiang Mai is the huge number of Air Asia flights, so if something goes wrong then it’s not long until the next one.
Unless you’re absolutely desperate to get on a plane, I would instead recommend taking the train up to Ayutthaya. It’s an incredibly rewarding side trip from Bangkok. There’s so much incredible history just lying around and hardly any tourists when you get outside the top couple sights.
I was thinking of going there on one of the other days, how is the train journey up there?
Easy enough. Went up in 3rd class which was charmingly basic, but bottled it and came back in air-conditioned second class after a busy days exploring.
https://www.seat61.com/Thailand.htm as always has all the info you need.
When I went maybe 10 years ago I found a private guide and driver on TA. I went up the bridge over river Kwai, the place where the train goes through the market and to an elephant sanctuary plus the floating market place ( I can’t remember the names).
The private guide was worth every penny. We went in rainy season and got soaked. I also went in river with a rescue elephant. It wasn’t till I was in there I remembered about leeches and other horrible things I’ve never clenched everything so hard in my life! Smelt of elephant dung for 2 days 😂. The guides are very knowledgable work hard in organising a good day out for you.
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