Itinerary

Day 1

Arrive in Phuket

Welcome to Phuket.

Clear immigration, sort out your visa and collect your bags. A local representative meets the flight in the arrivals area and drives you to the hotel. Rooms are usually ready between 2pm and 3pm.

After that the day is yours. Walk down to the water, find the nearest market, work out what is within reach of the hotel and eat something local. Then an early night, because tomorrow is a long one.

Overnight in Phuket.

Day 2

Phuket, with the day free

Nothing is scheduled today. After breakfast you can take the Phi Phi Islands boat trip, which costs extra and is the trip most people here end up doing. Phi Phi is a small group of islands a couple of hours out by ferry, ringed by limestone cliffs that rise straight from the water. The snorkelling is good and the sand is white. If a day on a boat is not what you want, the west coast beaches are a short taxi ride away.

Back at the hotel in the afternoon, then out again later. Phuket's nightlife starts late and runs long.

Overnight in Phuket.

Day 3

Half-day tour of Phuket

After breakfast, a tour of about four hours. It follows the coast road past Patong, Karon and Kata. Patong is the busy one: a crescent bay with water sports, seafood stalls and a lot of people. Karon is wider and calmer. At Kata the reef sits close to shore, so it is the stop for snorkelling. The route carries on to Promthep Cape at the southern tip of the island, which is where everyone goes for sunset, then Rawai beach, and finishes at Wat Chalong, the largest temple on Phuket. Back to the hotel afterwards.

The evening is free. The optional extra is Phuket FantaSea, a night theme park built around a stage show drawn from Thai myth and history, with a buffet dinner. It costs extra. Hotel afterwards.

Overnight in Phuket.

Day 4

Phuket to Krabi

Breakfast, pack, check out. The transfer to Krabi goes by road or by ferry.

Your Krabi hotel check-in is again from about 2pm. Nothing is planned after that. Come evening, stroll to the shoreline and pick a seafood restaurant.

Overnight in Krabi.

Day 5

Krabi, with the day free

A slow breakfast, then a day you fill yourself. The beaches around Krabi are quieter than Phuket's and the water is clear enough to snorkel straight off the sand. If you want the highlights in one go, the Krabi 4 Islands tour runs by longtail boat and costs extra.

Sunset is worth planning around here, when the light catches the limestone stacks offshore. Back to the hotel after that.

Overnight in Krabi.

Day 6

Krabi to Bangkok

After breakfast, pack up and check out for the journey to Bangkok. A car meets you at the airport and takes you to the hotel, and the afternoon is yours.

Tonight's optional extra is the Chao Phraya dinner cruise. You eat on board while the boat passes the temples and palaces lit up along the river that runs through the middle of Bangkok. It costs extra. Hotel afterwards.

Overnight in Bangkok.

Day 7

Bangkok, with the day free

Breakfast, then the day is yours. Most people shop: the street markets sell clothes and accessories cheaply, and the air-conditioned malls carry electronics and designer labels. If shopping is not the plan, Safari World and Marine Park is the alternative and costs extra. It is an open zoo outside the city where you drive through enclosures laid out like African grassland, watch the dolphin show and catch the tiger and lion feeding. Half a day covers it; a full day is easy to fill.

Return to the hotel after, or ask to be left at a shopping area en route. This is your final night, so enjoy a big dinner and stay out late if you like.

Overnight in Bangkok.

Day 8

Bangkok, departure day

Pack, have breakfast and check out. A transfer takes you to the airport for the flight home. Once you are back, tell us how the trip went.

Tentative Itinerary

Fly home.

This itinerary is indicative, not a fixed schedule. The local agent or tour operator can move the dates and times of individual tours. You are handed the final version on arrival.