Thailand, or simply Tai, is a tropical kingdom that has completely transformed into one big tourist center. Beaches, quaint Buddhist architecture, lush gardens, night markets, exotic dances, colorful and rather piquant shows, elephants, coral reefs, picturesque islands, massage parlors, fusion cuisine – it’s hard to even think of what Thailand doesn’t have. 30-40 million tourists come to this southeastern country every year to immerse themselves in exoticism at a reasonable price, and more than a million of them are Russians.
Why go?
The global tourist destination that Thailand specializes in is a beach holiday, which comes with additional options: some are interested in diving, which Phi Phi and Krabi are famous for all over the world, some in Buddhist temples and royal palaces, some in natural attractions. There are many who like to walk around the markets and taste exotic seafood. Many add SPA centers and massage parlors to the program (an excellent reason to find out what a real Thai massage is like). A significant number of tourists plan to visit bright drag shows – and for some this is the main reason to go to Thailand, and not to Egypt, although hardly anyone will admit it.
It is no secret that there are tourists heading to Thailand in search of spicy adventures. However, most limit themselves to the show and curious glances at the specifically dressed young men on the so-called gay streets: also a kind of exotic. And some were glad that Thailand has recently become almost Holland, although this part of the tourist flow is in for a disappointment: the legislation regarding cannabis has again begun to tighten.
Visa
The period of visa-free stay in Thailand from November 1, 2023 to April 30, 2024 is 90 days.
The main thing about the country
An ordinary tourist who does not expect a luxury vacation spends from 1,500 to 5,000 baht (4,000 to 13,500 rubles) per day in Thailand, not counting the cost of an overnight stay. Its cost also varies, from 150 to 3,000 baht (400 to 8,000 rubles), if you do not take premium offers. Expenses depend on where and how to eat, how often to go on excursions, just lie on the beach or go diving, go on boat trips. You can spend 500 baht (1,350 rubles) and several tens of thousands (under 100 thousand rubles and more) on souvenirs. Such a wide range in vacation prices is explained by the fact that hot Thailand, where you can literally spend the night on the veranda, eating cheap tropical fruits, can be both an ultra-budget and a comfortable vacation spot – it all depends on your goals and tastes.
This country also offers opportunities for luxury vacations – rooms starting from 15 thousand baht (40 thousand rubles), expensive restaurants, yacht rentals and other joys of life.
Basic information about the country:
- The capital is Bangkok.
- Historical name: Siam.
- The official language is Thai.
- The reigning monarch is King Rama X, also known as Maha Vajiralongkorn (on the throne since 2016).
- The traditional religion is Buddhism (practiced by about 95% of the population). In the south, where the Malays live compactly, Islam is widespread.
- Time zone UTC+7. The time difference between Moscow and Bangkok is 4 hours.
Thais are friendly, smiling, calm and balanced people. Thailand is called the Land of Smiles. But behind the facade there is also a “bad Thailand” – with swindlers, pickpockets and con artists. To be fair, it is worth clarifying that such things are done not only by native Thais, but also by residents of other countries who have settled in this country.
Thailand is located in Southeast Asia. The northern, central and eastern parts are on the Indochina Peninsula, and the southern parts are on the narrow Malacca Peninsula extending from Indochina. The shores of the country are washed by the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea.
In the northern part, the forests are deciduous. A significant part of the Khorat plateau in the northeast is savanna. But in southern Thailand there are typical jungles, humid tropical forests: with palms, bamboos and giant trees, yang and takyan. On the coast there are mangrove thickets.
The country is located in the humid tropical climate zone with an average annual temperature of +29 ◦C. The range of temperatures is quite wide, but it is never completely cold in Thailand – from +18 ◦C in winter in the north (on cool days) to +42 ◦C in the hot months. At the southern resorts, even in winter, the temperature is often above +30 ◦C. The sea is always warm, +28 ◦C in winter, and warms up to +30 ◦C in summer.
There are two seasons: dry – from November to April, and rainy season – from May to October. But the showers are short and quickly give way to hot sun.
Currency
The national currency is the Thai baht. It is divided into 1000 satang.
It is better not to go to Thailand with rubles, it will be difficult to exchange them – you will have to look for private money changers. In Pattaya and Phuket, you may be able to find an exchange office that accepts Russian currency, but the rate will be unfavorable. The best option is dollars, you can come with euros.
There are exchange offices in airports, shopping malls, bank offices, hotels. But in hotels the rate is usually lower.
There are many 24-hour ATMs in tourist areas, and most shops and restaurants accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Diners Club cards. But sometimes only cards of one payment system or only credit cards (not debit cards) are accepted. So, cash should always be at hand. In non-tourist areas, it’s even more so: there are fewer ATMs, and terminals are not found everywhere.
Prices
Tourists like Thailand for the opportunity to relax for a reasonable price, and if desired, even very cheaply. Of course, there are premium hotels with rooms for 10-15 thousand baht (27-40 thousand rubles) and restaurants where it is easy to spend 2-3 thousand baht per person (6-8 thousand rubles), but at the same time there is a very wide choice of budget options:
- Accommodation in the private sector can be rented for 150–350 baht (400–950 rubles), a room in a regular hotel will cost 1,000–3,000 baht (from 2,700 to 8,000 rubles).
- Food from food carts costs 50 baht (135 rubles) and even cheaper; in a cafe with local cuisine you can have lunch for 200-250 baht (550-650 rubles), in a mid-range restaurant – for 300-500 baht (800-1350 rubles).
- A weekly rental of a Honda will cost 9,000 baht (RUB 24,500).
- Tickets to temples and museums usually cost up to 50 baht (135 rubles), one-day tours – from $50 to $360, that is, from 1,800 to 12,000 baht (from 5 thousand to 32 thousand rubles).
- A ticket to the Tiffany Show or the Alcazar Show costs from 650 to 1000 baht (RUB 1,750–2,700).
- A massage session costs from 200 to 700 baht (550–1900 rubles).
Prices are valid for October 2023.
When to go
The best time to go to Thailand is during the dry season, from November to April. Temperatures at this time vary from +18 °C to +32 °C: cooler in the north, warmer the closer to the equator.
If you prefer velvety, not hot weather, November-February are optimal. If you want to warm up, March and April are recommended, this is the hot dry season. At this time, the temperature can rise to +38 °C.
The rainy season begins in May. It is a very hot month, with temperatures reaching +42 °C. In the summer months, the temperature ranges from +26 to +32 °C, but can be higher. The rainy season lasts until the end of October, but Thailand is flooded unevenly. For example, the rainiest month in Phuket is August. And on Samui, it rains in November, when the dry season has begun in the rest of the country. When planning a trip, you need to check the weather at the resort you are interested in.
There are also quite a few tourists during the rainy season: the showers, although powerful, are usually short-lived. And some are even interested in being under a real tropical rain.
What to take when going to Thailand:
- At any time of year – sunscreen and hats.
- In the rainy season – an umbrella and a raincoat.
- In November-February, if you are going north, wear demi-season clothes for the evening and early morning, they will be cool.
- If you are going to walk through the jungle, wear shoes with thick soles that completely cover the foot, and preferably the ankle.
Public holidays and non-working days in Thailand:
- December 31 and January 1 – New Year.
- February 28 – Makha Bucha Day (Buddhist holiday).
- April 6 is Chakri Dynasty Day (this is the ruling royal dynasty of Thailand, whose history begins in 1782).
- April 13-15 – Songkran, the traditional Thai New Year.
- May 4 is the Coronation Day of the current King of Thailand, Rama X.
- May 13 – First Furrow Day.
- June 3 is the birthday of Queen Suthida Vajiralongkorn, the current wife of Rama X.
- May 28 – Visakha Bucha Day (Buddhist holiday).
- July 26 – Asankha Bucha Day (Buddhist holiday).
- July 27 – Khaupansa Day (beginning of Buddhist Lent).
- July 28 is King Rama X’s birthday.
- August 12 is the birthday of Queen Mother Sirikit, the wife of Rama IX.
- October 23 is Chulalongkorn Day, the day of King Rama V, who is considered the greatest ruler of Siam.
- December 10 is Constitution Day.
The data provided is current as of October 2023. The fact is that holidays in honor of the reigning king and queen change periodically. Thus, until 2016, the birthday and coronation day of the previous ruler, Rama IX, were celebrated. And the birthday of Queen Suthida Vajiralongkorn was declared a holiday in 2019.
The celebrations in honor of the royal family of Thailand are lavish and colorful, with parades and processions. Fans of event tourism will be interested in visiting such an event.
When a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the next working day becomes the day off.
How to get there
Thailand is a very popular destination, so direct flights to Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi Airport) and Phuket depart daily from Moscow. The journey takes about 9.5 hours. In the high tourist season, you can find direct flights to Pattaya.
From St. Petersburg you will have to fly with a transfer. But from the eastern part of the country – from Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Vladivostok – direct flights are carried out regularly.
Some travelers get to Thailand by train, bus, sea and even hitchhiking, but these are extremely exotic options.
Resorts
Thailand has two large resort areas. The main resort of the Gulf of Thailand is noisy, budget, popular, but not very clean Pattaya . But there are also higher-class resorts in the Gulf of Thailand:
- Samet Island Reserve;
- “elephant” island Koh Chang ;
- the picturesque island of Koh Kood with jungles and waterfalls;
- fashionable Hua Hin near Bangkok;
- Samui Island with excellent beaches and SPA centers;
- Next to it is the small and cozy island of Phangan .
It is much more expensive to rest there than in Pattaya, but it is not difficult to find a secluded place under the palm trees, and the nature is not spoiled by civilization. Bangkok is also located near the Gulf of Thailand, but not on the shore itself, but on the Chao Phraya River, not far from the mouth. The best resorts in Thailand are those located on the Andaman Sea:
- Krabi province with its cliffs, caves, waterfalls, tropical forests, hot springs and great diving (but what it lacks is nightlife);
- Phuket Island , which is called the pearl of Thailand;
- the famous twin islands of Phi Phi ;
- the island of Koh Lipe, where tourist infrastructure has only recently appeared;
- The protected Lanta archipelago, consisting of two islands – one with hotels, the other uninhabited.
Beaches
Thailand is washed by the Gulf of Thailand in the east and the Andaman Sea in the west. There are excellent resorts on both coasts. The beaches are sandy, the sea is warm, the shores are lush with tropical greenery.
The best beaches are in Krabi province and on the islands of Phuket, Phangan, Chang: picturesque, soft and clean. But Pattaya is regularly criticized for its muddy sea and dirty coastline.
But sometimes you have to pay for cleanliness, ecology and beauty with comfort. If you are heading to Samet Island, you will have to put your things in eco-friendly bags. No plastic! Fine 1500 baht (4000 rubles). And in Phuket, sun loungers are prohibited – so as not to spoil the natural view. Umbrellas were also removed, but then returned – after all, in the hot sun it is a question not only of comfort, but also of health.
Fines for those who litter on the beaches are also quite high: 2,000 baht (5,500 rubles).
But for smoking on beaches where it is prohibited (or rather, allowed in designated areas), the fine is really huge – up to 100 thousand baht (270 thousand rubles). A prison term of up to one year is also possible.
Beaches in Thailand are municipal, although hotels on the first line have their own “control zones”. There, sun loungers and chaise lounges for guests may be free. But in most cases, this pleasure is paid – about 100 baht (270 rubles).
Hotels
There is a wide choice of hotels in Thailand. In the resort areas of Phuket and Pattaya , 2- or 3-star hotels are most common. The hotel areas are small. The level of service is quite decent – the rooms have air conditioning, a bathroom, a refrigerator, a terrace or balcony (depending on the floor), a safe (may be at the reception). In Chang , Samui and Phuket, you can choose to stay in a bungalow.
Most hotels offer only breakfasts, or breakfasts and dinners. The all-inclusive system is not popular in Thailand, it can only be found in five-star hotels of large global chains.
All hotels in Thailand (with rare exceptions) charge a deposit. This is a fixed amount for each day of stay or for the entire vacation period. The deposit can be paid in cash (in baht only) or frozen on a credit card. The deposit is returned before departure.
Hotels often have swimming pools, spas, massage rooms, beauty salons, tour desks and currency exchange.