Travel Bloggers Reveal: What Is The Best Month To Visit Thailand?

What is the best month to visit Thailand, you may wonder. The weather and seasons of the year are much different than the ones we know from Europe or other parts of the world. Thai people don’t know what winter feels like, for many of them “very cold” day starts when the temperature falls below 20 degrees Celcius or 70 F. The weather is so different I didn’t know at first what is the best month to visit Thailand.

Seasons of the year in Thailand are:

• Cool and dry season – lasts more or less from November to February. Temperatures are mild – which still means around 30 degrees Celsius / 86F in Bangkok), it rains very rarely. It’s the highest touristic season all around the country.
• Hot and dry season – lasts more or less from March till May. It gets hot and temperature may exceed 40 degrees Celsius / 100 F, it doesn’t rain often.
• Hot and wet (rainy season) – lasts more or less from June till October. It gets humid, it often rains heavily.

That’s the theory of Thai weather which gives you one clear answer to what is the best month to visit Thailand: any between November and February. However, does theory meet real life? Should you avoid hot or wet season?

Not necessarily.

I asked other travel bloggers who visited Thailand in different seasons to share their experience and tell us what is the best month to visit Thailand in their opinion. They describe Thai weather they experienced for us – and I hope it does give you a better picture than temperature tables and rain charts 🙂

And if you plan a trip to Thailand, check also:

All You Need To Know To Organize A Trip To Thailand

What is the best month to visit Thailand?

Best time to travel to Thailand – Cool and dry season

November

Filip, Głodny Świata

In my opinion the best time of year to visit Thailand is right before the peak season, when it is still calm and the temperatures aren’t that high. They are high enough to run away from European autumn anyway.

Late November on Koh Chang island (in the northern part of the Gulf of Thailand) was still peaceful and finding an empty part of the beach wasn’t a problem at all. The beaches didn’t turn into discos (as it happens sometimes in the season on Thai islands), towns were laid-back and traveling around the island in peace was extremely enjoyable. Even though there were cloudy moments, I count them as advantages – how long can you spend in full sun after all!

December

Marta, Podróże od kuchni

Last year I choose December to visit Thailand. It’s the beginning of the season there and I hoped for less crowds. For over two weeks I was traveling with my husband around south-western part of Thailand. We visited Krabi and Phuket provinces as well as some islands, like Koh Jum.
I think Debember is a good month to visit Thailand for a couple of reasons:

The weather was moderate, it wasn’t neither too cold nor too hot. However, don’t take it for granted. We arrived to Thailand at the end of November and we had rain showers for the first 3 days and it was cloudy. Luckily, the further in December, the better the weather 🙂

Another reason is lack of crowds in the most popular places. I can’t imagine Ko Phi Phi in peak season. I’m not saying Thailand is empty in December but I think I ommitted the biggest crowds.

December is also a good time to leave because the weather in Europe tends to get extremely unpleasant. Change of climate is good for our mood and lets us rest from everyday life. Also don’t forget that flights tickets are cheaper then.

If I was choosing the best month to go to Thailand again, it would be December. I would probably move the trip a few days towards the middle of the month to be more sure of the weather. And I guess prices of flight tickets would be the biggest factor anyway.

December – January

Karolina, Our Little Adventures

We spent 4 weeks in Thailand at the end of 2016 and beginning of 2017. We traveled with our two little kids: 2,5 year-old Marianka and 8-month-old Jaś. We visited Thailand from the north (Chiang Mai, elephant sanctuary, 2-days trek in the mountains) through city of monkeys, Lopburi, mythical Ayutthaya, crowded but fascinating Bangkok till the south: crowded Krabi and beautiful, empty Koh Lanta. We went for 4 days to Cambodia too, to see Angkor Wat.

The weather was tremendous: from 28 to 34 degrees Celsius (82 – 93 F), almost no rain except for 2 days on Koh Lanta. The kids loved Thai cuisine, coconut ice cream and seafood, awesome beaches. We loved friendly Thai people and warm atmosphere of the country of smiles. We recommend it especially for families with kids – you will not only have the most beautiful holidays of your life but also the tastiest!

January – February

Łukasz Kędzierski: Podróże i fotografia

From mid-January till mid-February we traveled around Thailand with 16-moths-old Nadia. At first we were on Koh Tao island and then we moved south to Ton Sai bay. At the end we visited Koh Chang island and obviously – Bangkok.

What was the weather like during the trip? If you look for sunny weather with perfect blue sky with little white clouds on it, then the best month to visit Thailand for you is January/February. They say it’s the peak season but we don’t remember any problems with finding accommodation without booking in advance. It wasn’t too crowded either. Thailand is popular and many people want to see it but our holidays were calm and pleasant. We highly recommend it.

Check also: What To See In Thailand In Two Weeks – Complete Itinerary

Best time to travel to Thailand – Hot and dry season

March

Asia and Łukasz, Gdzie są Kasperki

In March 2014 we spent 4 weeks in Thailand, travelling by land from Chiang Mai in the north down to Krabi and Koh Lanta in the south. Bearing in mind we were with our 11-month baby Maja, we were quite carefully planning our trip in terms of weather and temperatures. Once in Thailand, it turned out March was great choice!

In the north, especially in Chiang Mai and Sukhothai, the temperature reached 40 degrees, however with moderate humidity, it wasn’t that disturbing. In the south – on islands of Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Lanta – the weather was perfect for daily trips and fun activities at the seaside.

It’s worth highlighting that we hadn’t seen rain until very last day before heading back home. That also means there were barely any mosquitos, many travellers are so afraid of (no surprise, given the diseases they may transmit).

To sum up, it could be little cooler in the north, but still with no doubt we would consider going to Thailand in the same time again.

March-April

Me, Dorota from Born Globals 😉

A part of my saty in Thailand was in March. I was in Uthai Thani province 3 hours north from Bangkok by bus, not too popular among tourists. Then I spent a week in Chiang Mai and a few days in Bangkok. It was hot and humid in Uthai Thani. Downpours occurred a few times – Thai people told me it’s a sign of seasons’ transition – from “cool” into “hot”. The temperature even at night didn’t drop below 30 degrees Celsius (86 F) and in the evening there were loads of mosquitos.

It was perfect in Chiang Mai – hot but dry during the day, cool and pleasant in the evening and at night. Finally I could cover myself with a blanket at night! 🙂 In Doi Inthanon I even needed a blouse with long sleeves! Mosquitos were there too unfortunately but much less of them. In Bangkok it was warmer than in January but it wasn’t a huge difference. There were much less tourists though – I noticed it especially looking at half-empty Khao San Road and comparing to the crowds in January.I will add one more thing here. Leaving Thailand in the middle of March I regretted I am not staying until mid-April to celebrate Thai New Year. Songkran, also called “the water festival” is celebrated all around the country.

Everybody pours water on each other in the streets, they organize events, parades, even parades with elephants. Thai people pour water on Buddha’s statues too. It is a symbol of purification, washing away all the evil and back luck.

It is an important day for Thai people – they have a day off, which is great for them, considering they only have 6 days of holidays. Almost every Thai person I talked to asked if I’ve heard about Songkran already and if I’m staying to participate. Going to Thailand in April is a great opportunity to participate in this important event and for a moment, become a part of Thai culture. Next time when I think what is the best month to visit Thailand, I might choose April for this reason 🙂

See also: 10 Unique Facts About Thai People And Life In Thailand

Best time to travel to Thailand – rainy season

July and August

Monika, Amused Observer

I’ve heard countless times that July and August are best avoided when planning a trip to Thailand because of unpredictable rainy season. Indeed, rainy season is a bit unpredictable and leaving for Thailand for the first time I had my doubts.

A year later I knew what to expect: overcast sky, sudden torrential rains that quickly stop leaving the air unbearably humid (still, don’t forget to put sunscreen on to avoid sunburns).

Although it’s not very likely it might rain for two or three days in a row, but if you don’t want to waste your time lying in a hammock trying to wait it out, it’s still possible to go sightseeing even though you might find it difficult to take photos holding your umbrella.

Each time I spent two whole months in Thailand: July and August, travelling from Hat Yai in the South to Chiang Mai in the North and visiting islands along both coasts of the country.

I keep telling everyone not to be discouraged by the rainy season and go. There are a lot of tourists then as it’s time for European holidays, but this is to be expected of touristy places. If you want to see Thailand off the beaten track, it’s possible, but not many people do it saying there’s not much too see apart from the usual highlights. It might be partly true but if you are willing to experience something different, you will see the country without tourists even in the peak season.

August

Janek, Popstrykane Podróże

A few words about the trip

Bangkok was not the main aim of my trip to Southeast Asia, but having spent six weeks in Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos, I decided to spend a few days in Bangkok before my flight back home. During that time i focused on visiting the most popular places like the King’s Palace with the Emerald Buddha Statue and the main party street – Khao San. Also, I decided on a whole-day trip to the Floating Market of Damnoen Saduak.

The weather

It was hot and humid, but this is what is to be expected while deciding on a trip in August. The temperature went below 30 degrees only at night. Nevertheless, after spending almost 2 months in Asia I think I got accustomed to the weather and it did not bother me at all. It rained every day, which affected the humidity, but it was never raining for more than an hour during a day. Other than that it was totally sunny.

Tourists

There are two factors to be considered when talking about my experience. It might have been the fact that August is a typical holiday month in a lot of places in the world. This probably resulted in loads of people everywhere. Sometimes it was difficult to get through the Khao San street. But the second factor was that I visited Bangkok the same year that the Hangover Part II was released, so that made the city floated with people that came to the city to party.

Is it worth it?

That depends. If for some reason August is the only month you can go, it should not stop you from visiting, because the city is just worth visiting anytime. If you are more flexible as to the date, I would recommend going in a less humid and colder month.

October

Kinga, Gadulec.me

During my 6-months journey through Southeast Asia I’ve been to Thailand a few times. I don’t know why but it’s always „on the way” 🙂 Whole trip started in Bangkok in October 2014. A few days later I went to Kanchanaburi National Park and then I was slowly moving to the north of the country. I visited e.g. Sukhotai, Lop Buri or Umphang close to the border of Myanmar. It was warm, nice and sunny everywhere (sometimes even too hot like in Ayutthaya). Only in Pai (4 hours driving from Chiang Mai) it was raining a bit. Fortunately, it ended quickly and the weather was great again.

In general I think October is a very good time to travel to Thailand because it rains only sometimes (in the north of the country), there are not so many tourists (especially when you compare with „high season” like December) so also prices are lower. The plants are vividly green and waterfalls are full of water and more impressive. In comparison, in March the plants are much dryer and there is less water in waterfalls.

Best time to travel to Thailand for longer: comparison

From November till March

Ewa & Romek, Gonimy słońce

We wanted to spend autumn and winter in a tropical country – so we went to Thailand. In November we lived on Koh Phangan island, and from December till March we rented a small flat in Bangkok.

Koh Phangan in November was perfect for us. It was still the end of the rainy season it wasn’t crowded and heavy rains (of 2-3 hours) during the day cleared the air and they evaporated immediately after in the sun and high temperature. It probably is the best time for people who don’t like heat.

We arrived to Bangkok in December and it was definitely the coldest – which still means temperatures from 24 degrees Celcius up (and the tropical climate and humidity made the real feel temperature higher. From January till March the weather was similar – hot and almost with no rain. And even if it rained – it was at night.

The most interesting events of this time are Thai Light Festivals – Loy Krathong and Yi Peng (we spend it on Koh Phangan but it is the most spectacular in the north of Thailand) and New Year’s Eve in Bangkok.

Winter in Thailand is one of the best adventures of our lives. We will for sure do it again because we’re lucky enough to work remotely.

If we had to choose the best time from this period for two weeks of holidays we would go for January-February. It’s the best time to charge your batteries up with some sun during winter in many other parts of the world.

From January till April

Agata & Krzysiek, Before we get old

We were a few times in Thailand from January till April. January was the best time considering the weather. It was sunny all the time and the temperature wasn’t often exceeding 30 degrees Celcius which was great for sightseeing.

In comparison, in April it was much hotter and we felt the humidity. If we were to go to Thailand again, we would choose January.

What is the best month to visit Thailand? Sum up.

As you can see from the above, January and February are the best months to visit Thailand considering the weather.

It is worth considering other months too though. October and November, when the weather is good already, there are less tourists and prices are lower. Moreover, you can take part in Thai Light Festivals. March and April – when it gets hot but you can avoid the crowds and participate in Thai New Year Celebrations.

And if you can only go to Thailand in rainy season – don’t get discouraged! As you can see, you can have fun in this great country during that time too. 🙂

If you plan a trip to Thailand, keep reading:

• All You Need To Know To Organize A Trip To Thailand
• What To See In Thailand In Two Weeks – Complete Itinerary.
• 10 Things To Do In Chiang Mai You Can’t Possibly Miss
• 10 Unique Facts About Thai People And Life In Thailand.
• Volunteering in Asia. What is it like to teach English in Thailand?

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