First time in Thailand: what to know before you go

Book the north outside March, skip Airbnb-style condo stays under a month, and treat dengue, not malaria, as the mosquito risk. The rest is etiquette.

Since filming: cannabis shops have needed a doctor’s prescription to sell to you since June 2025, and since 15 September 2026 most visa-free stays are 30 days, for tourism only. Bangkok’s MRT fares and cards have also changed; getting around Bangkok has the current fares.

Who it’s for: first-time visitors planning two weeks to two months. Who can skip it: anyone who has done a Thailand trip before.

When to go

Thailand is cool and dry from about November to February, hot from March to May, and rainy from about June to October. The cool months are peak season for crowds and prices.

The haze catches people out. Crop burning in the dry months hits the north particularly hard, with the worst around March. One February trip to Chiang Mai left the smoke so thick it stung, and Bangkok gets hazy too.

If you have asthma or a heart condition, skip the north in those months. Check an air-quality app a few days before you go.

Early in the rainy season is a good time to travel. June and July bring fewer tourists, lower prices and good air. You normally get a downpour in the early evening and pleasant weather the rest of the day.

Health: what to skip, what to buy

Vaccines. Ask a travel clinic well before you leave. Ask which jabs apply to your route and length of stay; risk in big cities and built-up tourist areas is lower.

Malaria. In cities and tourist areas it is quite rare. Anti-malarial pills have side effects, including vivid dreams, so don’t take them by default.

Dengue is the one to take seriously. You are far more likely to catch it than malaria, and plenty of long-term residents know someone who has had it. Your defence is bite prevention: repellent, covering up in the daytime, and a screened or fan-cooled room.

Repellent is sold across Thailand, so don’t pack a bottle.

Where to sleep

Check Google Maps before you commit. Booking-site reviews are often unreliable. Google reviews tell a different story.

One island stay looked fine on a booking site, then proved too noisy to sleep in. The Google reviews had said so all along.

Airbnb and condos

Short rentals in a condo are risky. Short-term rentals under 30 days are often not permitted, and condo bylaws often ban them.

Many buildings post signs saying so, and some use face scanners in common areas to keep guests out. Read the reviews closely for any sign of an anti-short-stay building.

For a month or more, look at a serviced apartment. These buildings have a single owner, so condo bylaws are not your problem. They are much cheaper than nightly stays and normally need no lease. Check the Google reviews first, as you would for a hotel.

Not sure which part of Bangkok to book? Where to stay in Bangkok matches each neighbourhood to the trip it suits.

Getting around

Grab and Bolt are the usual alternatives to street taxis and both work in Bangkok. Compare the price in both apps for the same trip.

For trains, boats, metered taxis and current fares, see getting around Bangkok. Airport queues are covered in your first hour in Bangkok.

Scooters

A scooter makes day trips easy, but Thailand has one of the highest road death rates in the world, mostly on two wheels. If you’ve never ridden, don’t let your first time be in Bangkok traffic.

Wear a helmet, and photograph the bike before you ride away to head off charges for old damage. For the licence and International Driving Permit detail, see the packing guide.

Alcohol and cannabis

Alcohol sales are restricted at some hours and on some holidays; ask at the shop. Cannabis shops can now sell only with a doctor’s prescription, and smoking it in public is not allowed.

Food and water

For where to eat and what to avoid, see the food guide. A few rules cover most stomach trouble:

• Choose places with a steady line of Thai customers.
• Be most wary of cut fruit, smoothies, raw vegetables and anything that has sat out in the heat.
• Wash market produce yourself.

Water. Drink bottled or filtered water; the food guide has the rest.

The Bangkok rule: don’t stop for the friendly stranger

Bangkok draws crowds, and that brings hustlers. One habit avoids most of them: don’t stop for a stranger who starts talking to you near a major sight.

A friendly “the palace is closed today” or an offer of a cheap tuk-tuk tour is almost always a setup. The full list of tricks is in scams in Thailand.

Then leave the tourist strips. Areas like Khao San and Sukhumvit are convenient but they aren’t the whole city. Spend an afternoon in a neighbourhood market or a local café and you will see a different side of Thailand.

Etiquette that matters

• Spirit houses. The little shrines on corners and outside buildings, often with red drinks left as offerings, are not tables or shelves. Don’t sit at them, lean on them or touch the offerings.
• Feet. Don’t point your feet at people or Buddha images, and don’t prop them on chairs or tables.
• Heads. The head is the highest part of the body. Don’t touch anyone’s head.
• Buddha images. Don’t take selfies with them or treat them as decoration.
• Temple dress. Cover your shoulders and knees, and take your shoes off where signs ask.

Staying calm

Things move slowly here, and “mai pen rai” means “never mind”. It can be frustrating when you have a real problem.

Thai culture puts a high value on saving face, so raising your voice makes you the problem, whoever is in the wrong. If something goes wrong, stay polite, keep smiling, and ask the same question a second way.

Learning a few Thai phrases helps more than any gadget. Thai speakers are generous with foreigners who try, and a terrible attempt at the tones still earns a smile.

More before you go: what to pack, the first hour at the airport and what to eat.