Thailand Travel Guide

When to Go to Thailand

To get the most out of your next adventure it makes sense to consider some of the very local factors that combine to make up what you feel is the best time to travel to a destination. Many of these factors are very personal - some people prefer to travel when the weather is not too hot, or sites too crowded - others prefer to travel when a traditional local event is taking place. Taking into account the dates of public holidays can also make sense as these may have an impact on opening times of attractions, shops and restaurants, or might affect public transport or other services. Conversely public holidays can be a time of great local festivities and celebrations providing a feast of local expressionism and culture.

Climate

Thailand enjoys a tropical climate, with both high temperature and humidity for much of the year. In the centre and north there are 3 main seasons: hot, monsoon and cool, whereas the south has just 2, the monsoon or rainy season and the cool. Throughout the country April and May are the hottest months (temperatures in the range of 34°c to 38°c. June brings the southwest monsoon and heralds the start of the rainy season throughout most of the country (with temperatures falling back to 3o°c to 34°c) and which continues through to September and October. November to the end of February is the cooler season (28°c to 34°c) throughout the country.

Night-time temperatures vary greatly from location to location but in tropical lowlands areas rarely fall below 15°c. Note that the monsoon hits the east coast of southern Thailand (Koh Samui etc.) between November and April, whereas elsewhere the rain mainly falls during the summer months.

The north and north-east are generally cooler than Bangkok in winter, and hotter in the summer and in the far north temperatures can be surprisingly cold at night between November and February with temperatures falling back to a distinctly chilly 5°c and occasionally lower.

Seasonality

There is always somewhere in season in Thailand. The rains fall on the east and west coasts of southern Thailand at different times of the year, so somewhere is usually OK. April and May do get very hot in most places north of Bangkok making rivers low and trekking more difficult, but this is the time of the Songkran water-throwing festival too and a great time to visit. If you have the choice the best time to visit is late October through to early March.

National Holidays

Date	Description
01 Jan 08	New Year's Day.
01 Jan 08	Makha Bucha Day - changes but held late January to early March.
06 Apr 08	Chakri Day.
13 Apr 08	Songkran.
01 May 08	National Labour Day.
01 May 08	Visakha Bucha Day. Changes annually, but held in May.
05 May 08	Coronation Day.
01 Jul 08	Asanha Bucha Day. Changes annually but held in July.
01 Jul 08	Khao Phansa. Changes annually but held in July.
12 Aug 08	HM the Queen's Birthday.
23 Oct 08	Chulalongkorn Day.
10 Dec 08	Constitution Day.
31 Dec 08	New Year's Eve.

National Events

Event	Occurs	Description
Phimai Festival	Mid November	A century-old festival featuring long-boat races.
Surin Elephant Round-up and Show	Mid November	A festival celebtating all things pachyderm! The history of the elephant in Thai culture is displayed trough a series of displays and theatrical acts.
Loi Krathong	Mid/late November	Taing place at the full moon of the twelfth lunar month (usually in mid-November) countless numbers of highly-decorated 'krathong' or traditional leaf boats are set adrift on the nation's waterways in the ritual of Loi Krathong - the 'festival of lights'.
Chiang Mai Loi Krathong	Mid/late November	The northern version of Loi Krathong sees Lanna-style floating lanterns called khome loi or khome yipeng set afloat.
River Kwai Bridge Week	Mid/late November/early December	An poignant annual event to mark the loss of life suffered by the Allied prisoners-of-war who built the famous Bridge on the River Kwae.
Bangkok Marathon	18 Nov 2007
Silk Festival	Late November/early December	Thailand is renowned for its high-quality silks and one of the major centres of silk production, Khon Kaen, is the venue of a fair to celebrate silk and sericulture. The festival is held in conjunction with the Phuk Siao Friendship Ritual of the northeast Isan region where street processions and typical Isan cultural shows can be enjoyed.
That Phanom Festival	January	The annual That Phanom Festival takes place in the the north-east province of Nakhon Phanom and attracts pilgrims from all over SE Asia as well as Thailand. Pilgrims visit the region's most famous stupa, Phra That Phanom.
Bangkok International Film Festival	July	The Bangkok International Film Festival is held annually by TAT, the Tourism Authority of Thailand and showcases work by emerging Asian filmakers, shows more than 100 feature and short films and presents some of the best current international cinema through its many programmes.
Chiang Mai Flower Festival	February	A wealth of flower based events including street processions.
Magha Puja	February	An important Buddhist holy day. On this day people perform merit-making tasks such as preparing food for monks. Prayers are held in the wats in the evening and many people stay overnight.
Chinese New Year	February	Thailand has a sizeable Chinese population and the New Year celebrations are characterised by banquests and fireworks.
Songkran	April	One of the best-loved festivals taking place at the hottest time of the year. This is the famous water-throwing festival where everyone is a target. Buy a water pistol, join in and prepare to get wet!
Rocket Festival	May	Held in the northeastern provinces of Yasothorn and Ubon Ratchathani the Rocket Festival or"Boon Bang Fai" is an entreaty to the rain god for plentiful rains during the coming rice planting season. Monks help villagers prepare rockets (some 9 metres long!) which are then launched after village processions.
Royal Ploughing Ceremony	May	An ancient ceremony to mark the begining of the rice planting season. Held in Bangkok the ceremony is attended by royalty or their representatives and is an important tradition that has been revived since the 1960s.
Narathiwat Fair	September	A week long fair that celebrates local culture with boat races, handicraft displays and traditional southern Thai music and dance. The King and Queen usually attend.
Thailand International Swan Boat Races	September	Held in Bangkok and Ayutthaya. A series of long-boat races have been held since 1988 and since then has become an annual event drawing the participation of boat teams from around the world. with exciting races and other events it's a colourful spectacle.