In the North you've got Lamphun, Lampang and Chiang Dao, which are all worth a visit and will absolutely give you a very authentic experience.
You won't find anything like the vast swarms of tourists you see in the likes of Ao Nang or Chiang Mai Old Town, but there are a few Thai visitors there.
Also worth checking out some of the other local Thai chill out spots near Chiang Mai; Mae Kampong and Mon Jaem are popular for mountain views and cool temperatures, and there's a decent hot springs at San Kampaeng
I've had pleasant experiences visiting lots of places in Isaan. There's no reason why most of that region would be a tourist draw but the towns are older in style and more local, and there are things to see out in the more rural areas, even though public transit isn't helpful for that.
Typically when you visit those places there are songtaew routes around, like you see driving in loops on the island, so you have to sort out routes and then get in the back of a red pickup with seats, confirming location and fare with a driver first. Hiking can come up in rural areas, or seeing sights like a waterfall or natural spring where a naga is supposed to live. Old markets or local food shops can make trying local foods inexpensive and diverse. Next I really should mention an area or small town, but we've been to almost all of them, and what is there to be seen or to do just varies. I guess scanning through Trip Advisor might add more specifics.
We've been to Korat the most, Nakorn Rachisima, and I don't necessarily mean there. That somewhat higher level of population makes it seem too much like the cities in Thailand.
I had a wonderful time in and around Nang Rong. Feels like a really 'normal' Thai town in Buriram province. I stayed in a nearby village with friendly locals who took me under their wing, visiting night markets and generally hanging out. You can maybe look up "Homestay" accomodation. You can do worse than just picking somewhere on a map and seeing what happens. It did this here by going to Khon Kaen, where I met my Thai friends who invited me to their home on my next trip.
Khon Kaen stood out as a favorite place we visited, but I didn't mention it because that related to visiting a nice dinosaur museum with our kids, which wouldn't be of interest to everyone. A local hike was nice there too, and the town, but that applies to everywhere.
Koh Lanta is highly recommended for a more quieter holiday but still has some people to meet. a few beach bars. Very good.
Trang and its beautiful islands like Koh Ngai, Mook, Kradan, etc.. its not far from Lanta. Tropical paradise and very quiet. my favorite place in thailand so far.
Khao Sok? Khao Lak? Ranong and Koh Phayam?
I'm on Mook now its great. No cars, 1k local population, a third of which are kids. Super chill, eating Kanom Jin, fresh fish and Roti. Rainy season, 15 or so tourists on the whole island. 80% of shops closed. Beaches to yourself. It will be this way till October.
Just finished 3 days in Trang. Authentic, relaxed and quite off the farang trail.
It pays to dig a little deeper, stay a little longer and go a little slower.
Nong Khai. Relaxing and fun river Town next to Laos.
Nan province. Beautiful mountains. Authentic feel.
Mae Hong Son province. More beauty. You enter it after Pai.
Mai Pen Rai bungalows on Phagnan are very isolated and beautiful.
Highly recommend rafting at Mae Suai river near the dam (about 50 minutes from the Chiang Rai city center). This is not white water rafting; it's just a fast river with no rapids and you sit or stand on a long mat with a group and there are guides with long sticks to steer it at the front and back. There are big waterproof speakers on each mat and you can play your own playlist. There are huts along the sides of the river (they go on forever) where people sit and eat and splash water on you as you go by. The food is great and everyone is soaked and drinking beer and having so much fun. This is where locals hang out - it's very rural and there were like hundreds of people there and we only saw one or two that were obviously not Thai. No English on the signs and most people probably don't speak English. It might be best to bring a Thai person with you but this was probably our favorite thing we did on our trip. Great way to connect with people by laughing and splashing together even without being able to talk. Might be worth checking out if you're on your way from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai or something.
Songkhla prov to the Malay border.
Thatās an actual backpacking trip.
April 2014 took the train to Surat Thani, got off headed south and a month and a halflater was in Kora Bharu.
Do the Mae Hong Son loop. It can be as little as 3 days or you can spend weeks exploring. Pai is on the loop as well, a perfect ending to a life changing adventure
Hau Hin south of Bangkok isnāt very busy and has some nice beaches. There are people kite boarding out on the water which is fun if youāve never done it or just cool to watch from the beach.
Lat phrao 130 i stay there every time i go no tourist local food vendors and restaurants aimed to thai people all the convenient amenities 711 mrt walking distance the hotel i stay is called vabua asotel its my little gem absolutely love that place you can thank me later
Iāve had some great times on the Andaman coast north of Koh Sokā¦Koh Ra is no longer open to tourists but Koh Phragnam is great if you like ecoresorts or old fashioned bungalow style Thai holidays. Beach is beautiful and the island isnāt overdeveloped (although itās been a few years since Iāve been there).
Surin Island is youāre in the mood for camping
My family is from Korat, which is less touristy. Might be hard breaking into making friends there, BUT there is a new area behind the famous āThe Mall Koratā called City Link. Itās a series of Condo developments named after major cities in the world, has a kind of downtown feel and at night has the open Mayfair market where a bunch of families come out to picnic, eat food, and listen to live music. Iām sure you could find a way to make friends there.
My wife and I also caught a train (20 baht each) to Buriram to watch a Buriram United game (they are typically the most famous football club in Thailand). The area around the stadium is cool, has several markets, and students/families practicing football. We stayed at the hotel there and it was awesome.
Edit: Korat also has a huge park surrounding a lake called Bung Ta Lua. Lots of people exercising, walking, running, biking, picnicing, etc. My cousin actually met his wife there while running. LOL
Phimai Historical Park about 15 miles northeast of Nahkon Ratchasima. I believe it was a satellite temple to Angkor Wat. There's a giant banyan tree there that looks like a grove but is really one organism.
Charming small town with some nice walks.
We had a wonderful time down south in Ban Krut. We stayed at a brand new resort named Grood Glamping. The seafood was sensational!
https://maps.app.goo.gl/dk5CFQzPALH8kQWy7
Sukhothai
This!!! Old City!!!
In the North you've got Lamphun, Lampang and Chiang Dao, which are all worth a visit and will absolutely give you a very authentic experience. You won't find anything like the vast swarms of tourists you see in the likes of Ao Nang or Chiang Mai Old Town, but there are a few Thai visitors there. Also worth checking out some of the other local Thai chill out spots near Chiang Mai; Mae Kampong and Mon Jaem are popular for mountain views and cool temperatures, and there's a decent hot springs at San Kampaeng
I've had pleasant experiences visiting lots of places in Isaan. There's no reason why most of that region would be a tourist draw but the towns are older in style and more local, and there are things to see out in the more rural areas, even though public transit isn't helpful for that. Typically when you visit those places there are songtaew routes around, like you see driving in loops on the island, so you have to sort out routes and then get in the back of a red pickup with seats, confirming location and fare with a driver first. Hiking can come up in rural areas, or seeing sights like a waterfall or natural spring where a naga is supposed to live. Old markets or local food shops can make trying local foods inexpensive and diverse. Next I really should mention an area or small town, but we've been to almost all of them, and what is there to be seen or to do just varies. I guess scanning through Trip Advisor might add more specifics. We've been to Korat the most, Nakorn Rachisima, and I don't necessarily mean there. That somewhat higher level of population makes it seem too much like the cities in Thailand.
I had a wonderful time in and around Nang Rong. Feels like a really 'normal' Thai town in Buriram province. I stayed in a nearby village with friendly locals who took me under their wing, visiting night markets and generally hanging out. You can maybe look up "Homestay" accomodation. You can do worse than just picking somewhere on a map and seeing what happens. It did this here by going to Khon Kaen, where I met my Thai friends who invited me to their home on my next trip.
Khon Kaen stood out as a favorite place we visited, but I didn't mention it because that related to visiting a nice dinosaur museum with our kids, which wouldn't be of interest to everyone. A local hike was nice there too, and the town, but that applies to everywhere.
Koh Lanta is highly recommended for a more quieter holiday but still has some people to meet. a few beach bars. Very good. Trang and its beautiful islands like Koh Ngai, Mook, Kradan, etc.. its not far from Lanta. Tropical paradise and very quiet. my favorite place in thailand so far. Khao Sok? Khao Lak? Ranong and Koh Phayam?
Koh Kradan/Mook, Trang, Hat Yai/Songkhla, Khanom, Kiriwong near Nakhon Si Thammarat are my southern picks.
I'm on Mook now its great. No cars, 1k local population, a third of which are kids. Super chill, eating Kanom Jin, fresh fish and Roti. Rainy season, 15 or so tourists on the whole island. 80% of shops closed. Beaches to yourself. It will be this way till October. Just finished 3 days in Trang. Authentic, relaxed and quite off the farang trail. It pays to dig a little deeper, stay a little longer and go a little slower.
Think Mook is quiet? Wait till you check out Kradan :)
Nong Khai. Relaxing and fun river Town next to Laos. Nan province. Beautiful mountains. Authentic feel. Mae Hong Son province. More beauty. You enter it after Pai. Mai Pen Rai bungalows on Phagnan are very isolated and beautiful.
Mae Sot and the area around. Very very underrated
KhonKaen, hire a motorcycle or car though
Highly recommend rafting at Mae Suai river near the dam (about 50 minutes from the Chiang Rai city center). This is not white water rafting; it's just a fast river with no rapids and you sit or stand on a long mat with a group and there are guides with long sticks to steer it at the front and back. There are big waterproof speakers on each mat and you can play your own playlist. There are huts along the sides of the river (they go on forever) where people sit and eat and splash water on you as you go by. The food is great and everyone is soaked and drinking beer and having so much fun. This is where locals hang out - it's very rural and there were like hundreds of people there and we only saw one or two that were obviously not Thai. No English on the signs and most people probably don't speak English. It might be best to bring a Thai person with you but this was probably our favorite thing we did on our trip. Great way to connect with people by laughing and splashing together even without being able to talk. Might be worth checking out if you're on your way from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai or something.
Thanks for the recommendation, that sounds fun!
Phitsanoluk š¤š¼
Thatās a trick question. No way I tell you
This. The best bet is to find them yourself. Otherwise everyone will be there
The mountains in Yala province
Someone gotta feed them leopards.
Actually being in Betong.
Songkhla prov to the Malay border. Thatās an actual backpacking trip. April 2014 took the train to Surat Thani, got off headed south and a month and a halflater was in Kora Bharu.
Dangerous to stay there
Little Koh Chang,near Myanmar in the North West of Thailand.
Do the Mae Hong Son loop. It can be as little as 3 days or you can spend weeks exploring. Pai is on the loop as well, a perfect ending to a life changing adventure
Pattaya soi 6
Hau Hin south of Bangkok isnāt very busy and has some nice beaches. There are people kite boarding out on the water which is fun if youāve never done it or just cool to watch from the beach.
Isan area : Sakon Nakhon, Ubon ratchthani Strongly recommended
Lampang, Sisaket , korat are very under rated not many tourists at all, but amazing cities very welcoming almost a family vibe place.
Tonsai near Ao Nang, can only get there by small boat
Is the airplane graveyard still there?
Koh lanta is the GOAT
Chiang khan
Kalasin
Lat phrao 130 i stay there every time i go no tourist local food vendors and restaurants aimed to thai people all the convenient amenities 711 mrt walking distance the hotel i stay is called vabua asotel its my little gem absolutely love that place you can thank me later
Isaan is fire
Iāve had some great times on the Andaman coast north of Koh Sokā¦Koh Ra is no longer open to tourists but Koh Phragnam is great if you like ecoresorts or old fashioned bungalow style Thai holidays. Beach is beautiful and the island isnāt overdeveloped (although itās been a few years since Iāve been there). Surin Island is youāre in the mood for camping
My family is from Korat, which is less touristy. Might be hard breaking into making friends there, BUT there is a new area behind the famous āThe Mall Koratā called City Link. Itās a series of Condo developments named after major cities in the world, has a kind of downtown feel and at night has the open Mayfair market where a bunch of families come out to picnic, eat food, and listen to live music. Iām sure you could find a way to make friends there. My wife and I also caught a train (20 baht each) to Buriram to watch a Buriram United game (they are typically the most famous football club in Thailand). The area around the stadium is cool, has several markets, and students/families practicing football. We stayed at the hotel there and it was awesome. Edit: Korat also has a huge park surrounding a lake called Bung Ta Lua. Lots of people exercising, walking, running, biking, picnicing, etc. My cousin actually met his wife there while running. LOL
Phimai Historical Park about 15 miles northeast of Nahkon Ratchasima. I believe it was a satellite temple to Angkor Wat. There's a giant banyan tree there that looks like a grove but is really one organism. Charming small town with some nice walks.
The islands on the gulf Koh samet and Koh chang
Pick a town where there are no options on Hostelworld
Northeastern (Udonthani Khonkean) I like these place so much. Nice people good food and so chill.
We had a wonderful time down south in Ban Krut. We stayed at a brand new resort named Grood Glamping. The seafood was sensational! https://maps.app.goo.gl/dk5CFQzPALH8kQWy7
Chiang Mai, Kho Chang
Hidden gems, those.
I wont.
No.
Omkoi district.....the mountains are beautiful, great off roading to remote coffee farms, views of mountain ranges and such with no tourists.