Want beaches instead of temples? Our 10-day Thailand islands itinerary covers Bangkok, Koh Samui and Koh Phangan on the same timeline. Both routes start in Bangkok; which one you pick from there comes down to mountains-and-culture versus warm water and a slower pace.
| Duration | 10 days / 9 nights |
| Route | Bangkok → Chiang Mai → Pai |
| Budget per day | ฿600-1,000 backpacker (€16-27) · ฿1,700-3,000 mid-range (€45-80) |
| Best time | November to February. Avoid February to mid-April: burning season smog settles into both valleys |
| Book ahead | The Chiang Mai to Pai minivan: seats genuinely sell out in high season |
| Stippl tip | Most travellers plan about 3 nights per stop, so 10 days works out to 3 real stops, not 5 |
About this data: prices, transport times and planning patterns in this guide come from real trips and expenses logged by Stippl travellers planning Thailand trips (drawn from Stippl's own Thailand trip data, 268,000+ trips), cross-checked against operator sources current as of August 2026.
Budget
€20–30
dorm or fan room, street food, buses and ferries, occasional day trip
Mid-range
€55–90
private room with pool, restaurant meals, domestic flights, guided activities
High-end
€180+
resorts and boutique hotels, private transfers, diving and premium tours
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Bangkok
Two to three days covers Bangkok's headline sights without over-allocating time to a city most travellers are glad to leave for the mountains.
Day 1Grand Palace, Wat Arun, Chinatown
Start at the Grand Palace when it opens at 8:30am, before the tour buses. It's a ten-minute walk to Wat Pho next door for the 46-metre reclining Buddha, then a three-baht cross-river ferry to Wat Arun for sunset over the Chao Phraya. After dark, head to Chinatown (Yaowarat): it's the country's best street-food district, and it only really comes alive once the sun goes down.
Day 2Khlongs, Chatuchak, rooftop bars
A longtail boat tour through the khlongs (canals) in the morning shows a Bangkok most visitors miss entirely: stilt houses, vendor boats, monitor lizards. If it's a weekend, spend the afternoon at Chatuchak, the country's biggest market at around 15,000 stalls. In the evening, go up: Bangkok has more than fifty rooftop bars, and the sunset hour is worth planning around (see our full guide to Bangkok's rooftop bars for which ones are worth the elevator ride).
Day 3Cooking class, then north
A half day before you fly or train north. A Thai cooking class or a proper massage both work well as a low-key morning.
Stay near a BTS or MRT stop: Sukhumvit is the easiest first-timer base with direct transport links, Silom balances nightlife with location, and Banglamphu (a street or two back from Khao San, not on it) is the budget pick. Bangkok's heat and traffic make walking between areas impractical, so proximity to the train line matters more than which hotel you pick.
Nearly three in ten Bangkok stops logged with Stippl are a single night, and this route is one of them: Bangkok here is the gateway, not the main event, which is exactly why three days is the right amount rather than a compromise.
Read more: things to do in Bangkok
Chiang Mai, temples and mountains
Fly from Bangkok (about 1 hour, from roughly €35, 1,300 ฿) or take the overnight sleeper train (13 to 15 hours, €25-35, 950-1,300 ฿, and it saves a night's accommodation). The bus takes 10 to 12 hours and isn't worth the saving.
Day 4The Old City temples
Arrive and spend the afternoon on foot in the Old City, the moated square that holds Chiang Mai's three essential temples: Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phra Singh and the 700-year-old Wat Chiang Man. Follow it with a Thai massage and dinner at whichever night market is closest to your hotel.
Day 5Doi Suthep before the groups
Doi Suthep early, before the tour groups: a songthaew from the Old City takes 30 to 45 minutes and costs around €1.60 (60 ฿), with entry at €0.80 (30 ฿) (the €1.35 (50 ฿) funicular ticket includes admission). For something quieter, walk down the Monk's Trail to Wat Pha Lat, a jungle temple with almost nobody there. Spend the afternoon in Nimman's design cafés.
Day 6A cooking class, or a trek
A half-day or full-day cooking class (€21-32, 800-1,200 ฿) is Chiang Mai's best single activity: a market visit, your own fire, and four to six northern dishes you chose yourself. Prefer the outdoors? A one-day jungle trek from Mae Wang, an hour south, runs €45-77 (1,700-2,900 ฿) and usually pairs with bamboo rafting. If it's a Sunday, don't miss the Walking Street market along Rachadamnoen, repeatedly named the best market in the country.
Base yourself in the Old City for a first visit: it's the cheapest area, dense with guesthouses, and walkable to the sights.
Read more: things to do in Chiang Mai
Track what you actually spend
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Pai, the mountain valley loop
The minivan from Chiang Mai (Arcade Terminal 2) takes 3 to 4 hours over 135 km of mountain road and costs €4-7 (150-250 ฿). Book it a day or more ahead: seats genuinely sell out. If you're prone to motion sickness, take a tablet before boarding and sit near the front; there are no flights to Pai at all.
Pai is worth taking seriously when you plan the rest of the trip around it. Stippl trip data shows that itineraries which include Pai run more than twice as long overall as Thailand trips that don't, typically 44 days against 20. People don't add Pai as an afterthought: they build a longer trip specifically to fit it in. This route keeps it tight at three nights, which works, but don't be surprised if you're tempted to stretch it once you're there.
Day 7Arrive in Pai
Arrive and settle in. Pai's Walking Street night market runs the length of the town in the cool season (daily) but only Fridays and Saturdays outside it, so check before planning dinner around it.
Day 8The valley loop and Pai Canyon
Rent a scooter and do the valley loop: the scenery, not any single sight, is what everyone rates highest here. Stop at Pai Canyon for sunset (free entry, wear proper shoes; the paths are narrow and unfenced), and either Tha Pai hot spring (€8, 300 ฿ for foreign adults, developed pools) or Sai Ngam (a quieter forest spring with a smaller local fee). The Boon Ko Ku So bamboo bridge, about 800 metres across the rice paddies, is worth the detour.
Day 9Yun Lai sunrise, the White Buddha
Catch sunrise at Yun Lai viewpoint above Santichon village (around €0.55, 20 ฿, tea included), then the White Buddha (353 steps, valley views the whole way up). Spend the afternoon in a paddy-view café before your last night.
Stay outside the town centre among the paddies if you can: it's where most of the good accommodation actually is, and it's the whole point of Pai. Pack a warm layer if you're travelling November to February: mornings run 9-15°C, and most budget bungalows aren't heated.
Day 10Minivan back to Chiang Mai
Minivan back to Chiang Mai (3 to 4 hours), then fly on to Bangkok or your next connection.
Read more: things to do in Pai
Getting between stops
| From | To | Best option | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangkok | Chiang Mai | Flight, or the overnight sleeper train | 1h / 13-15h | €35 (1,300 ฿) / €25-35 (950-1,300 ฿) |
| Chiang Mai | Pai | Minivan (book ahead) | 3-4h | €4-7 (150-250 ฿) |
| Pai | Chiang Mai | Minivan | 3-4h | €4-7 (150-250 ฿) |
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Practical tips for 10 days in the north
Book the Chiang Mai to Pai minivan early. It genuinely sells out in high season, both directions.
Avoid February to mid-April if you can shift your dates. Burning-season smoke settles into both the Chiang Mai and Pai valleys, worst in March, and the mountain views you came for simply aren't there.
Pack for two temperatures. Bangkok's heat gives way to genuinely cold mornings in Pai, 9 to 15°C from December to February, in a bungalow that likely isn't heated.
Withdraw cash in one go. ATM fees run €7-9 (250-350 ฿) per withdrawal across Thailand, so a single large withdrawal beats three small ones.
Book the elephant sanctuary, trek or cooking class before the days around them. The good ones in Chiang Mai fill first, and everything else in this itinerary is flexible around them.
Plan this route
Ready to build this route properly? Add Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Pai, and the transfers between them, to a Stippl trip, and the app lays out the days and the travel times for you. Free forever.
Read next: the 10 day island route if you would rather swap the mountains for the Gulf, where to stay in Bangkok before you book the first and last nights, and Bangkok's rooftop bars for the evening you have in the city.
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Frequently asked questions about Thailand
For one direction, yes. Most travellers who plan with Stippl spend about three nights per stop, so 10 days comfortably covers three stops: exactly this route. Adding a beach stop on top would leave barely two rushed nights per place.
Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Pai, in that order: three nights each, with a travel day either side of Pai since the only way there is a 3 to 4 hour minivan. It's the route that fits how far apart the stops actually are.
Roughly ฿600-1,000 (€16-27) a day backpacker style, or ฿1,700-3,000 (€45-80) mid-range, excluding international flights. Chiang Mai and Pai both run noticeably cheaper than Bangkok.
Bangkok to Chiang Mai can be a flight (about 1 hour) or an overnight sleeper train. Chiang Mai to Pai is minivan only: there are no flights to Pai at all.
North for temples, mountains, cooking classes and a tighter budget. If beaches and warmer water sound better, our islands version of this itinerary covers Bangkok, Koh Samui and Koh Phangan on the same 10-day timeline.
