10 days · ages 5+ · beach, nature, culture
Three bases in ten days, ordered so the trip gets easier as it goes: two days of city while everyone is still fresh, three in the cooler north for the elephant sanctuaries, then five on a beach doing nothing. Internal flights keep the transfers to about ninety minutes each, which is what makes three stops possible in ten days without the trip becoming a series of airports.
Families with children under about four, or anyone with under ten days. Two internal flights inside a shorter trip means most of it is spent moving.
1
2
3Destinations on this trip
Bangkok
Days 1–2
Chiang Mai
Days 3–5
Flight · 1h 15m
Phuket
Days 6–10
Flight · 2h
Day 1 · Bangkok
Transfer, pool, an early dinner nearby.
Airport transfer
Pre-book a private van. It costs little more than metered taxis and removes the fare negotiation on arrival.
Hotel pool
A pool is not a luxury in Bangkok; it is the plan for every afternoon.
Day 2 · Bangkok
Sights before 11:00, air-conditioning after.
Grand Palace and Wat Pho
Walking distance from each other by the river. Strict dress code — shoulders and knees covered, children included.
Chao Phraya river boat
The fastest way across the old city, and an attraction in itself.
Sea Life Bangkok, or a mall
The default air-conditioned afternoon when the heat peaks.
Good to know. Heat and humidity build through the day. Temples in the morning, indoors in the afternoon, markets in the evening.
Day 3 · Chiang Mai
Short flight, then the old town in the evening.
Bangkok to Chiang Mai
About 75 minutes, with frequent daily departures.
Old town walk
Inside the moated square: temples, cafés and a night market, all on foot.
Day 4 · Chiang Mai
A half or full day in the hills outside the city.
Ethical sanctuary visit
Feeding, walking with the herd and observation — no riding, no performances.
Good to know. Reputable sanctuaries cap daily numbers and fill weeks ahead in high season. Book before you fly.
Day 5 · Chiang Mai
A mountain temple in the morning, water in the afternoon.
Doi Suthep
A gold-spired temple above the city, reached by a 300-step staircase or a funicular.
A jungle waterfall
Several within an hour of the city, with shallow pools for swimming.
Day 6 · Phuket
Two hours, then nothing at all.
Chiang Mai to Phuket
Around two hours direct. Arrange the hotel transfer in advance — the airport is an hour from the west-coast beaches.
Day 7 · Phuket
Nothing scheduled.
Kata or Karon beach
Long sandy west-coast beaches with gentle entry in the dry season.
Good to know. Obey the beach flags. Rip currents on this coast are genuinely dangerous and red flags mean no swimming.
Day 8 · Phuket
A full day on the water among limestone karsts.
Phang Nga Bay boat trip
Limestone islands rising from shallow green water, usually with canoeing through sea caves.
Good to know. Choose a larger boat over a speedboat with young children — far more comfortable over a full day.
Day 9 · Phuket
Nothing scheduled.
Pool and beach
The last full day is deliberately empty.
Day 10 · Phuket
Transfer and fly.
Phuket airport
About an hour from the west-coast beaches. Pre-book the transfer.
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you book through one, the price is the same for you and we may earn a commission. How this works.
Where to stay
A pool is not a luxury in Bangkok; it is the afternoon plan. Being on the Skytrain removes the traffic from every other part of the day.
Fitting a family in
Rooms sleeping four are widely available and inexpensive compared with European cities.
Watch out. Check the walk to the station in metres, not blocks. Bangkok pavements are hard going in the heat.
Chiang Mai is the best value in the country, and a pool hotel a few minutes from the walled old town gives both walkable sightseeing and a place to cool off.
Fitting a family in
Family rooms and two-bedroom villas are inexpensive by comparison with the islands.
Watch out. Air quality is poor during the burning season, roughly late February to April. Hotel filtration matters then.
The value gap is the point: pools, kids' clubs and family suites at rates that would buy a standard European double room.
Fitting a family in
Family suites with a separate children's room are common and cost far less than two rooms in Europe.
Watch out. Check how far the beach actually is — 'beachfront' sometimes means across a main road, which matters with young children.
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you book through one, the price is the same for you and we may earn a commission. How this works.
Bangkok
A large aquarium beneath the Siam Paragon mall, with a glass tunnel and a glass-bottom boat ride. The standard air-conditioned afternoon.
Chiang Mai
Half or full-day visits to no-riding sanctuaries in the hills around Chiang Mai, built around feeding, walking with the herd and observation.
Good to know. Choose operators with no riding, no performances and capped daily numbers. Book weeks ahead in high season.
Phuket
Limestone karsts rising from shallow green water, visited by longtail or larger boat, usually with canoeing through sea caves.
Good to know. A full day on the water. Larger boats are far more comfortable with young children than speedboats.
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you book through one, the price is the same for you and we may earn a commission. How this works.
With kids
Reputable no-riding sanctuaries cap daily numbers and fill weeks in advance. They also determine which day in Chiang Mai is fixed.
Getting around
A private van for a family costs little more than taxis and removes fare negotiation at exactly the moments when everyone is tired.
Staying connected
Ride-hailing apps are cheaper and less stressful than street taxis, and they need a connection from the moment you land.
Health & safety
UV is high year-round. Pool or beach mornings, shaded afternoons, outings again after 16:00 is the pattern that works.
4 people · 10 days · EUR
€5,880
≈ €147 per person per day
| Category | Estimate |
|---|---|
| FlightsFour return long-haul fares from Europe, booked a few months ahead. | €2,400 |
| Accommodation9 nights: mid-range Bangkok and Chiang Mai hotels, a family resort in Phuket. | €1,200 |
| TransportTwo internal flights for four, plus all private transfers. | €700 |
| FoodAround €70 a day for four, eating locally. | €700 |
| Activities & ticketsElephant sanctuary, Phang Nga day trip, temples and the aquarium. | €680 |
| ExtrasData, laundry, incidentals. | €200 |
| Total | €5,880 |
How to read this figure. Indicative planning figures for a family of four in the dry season, based on published prices at the time of writing. Thailand is the best value destination on this catalog once the flights are paid for.
Book this trip
How we make money
This page contains affiliate links. Booking through one costs you the same and may earn us a commission. It never changes what we recommend — every place is labelled either somewhere we actually stayed or something we researched but did not test. Read the full policy.
14 days€€€JapanCities, culture and the classic route, at a pace that suits kids
5 days€€€UAEWater parks, desert and a day in Abu Dhabi
7 days€€CyprusOne hotel, one week, almost no planning