help with itinerary!
 

Planning first trip to Thailand in mid Nov for 10 nights , nine days! Originally on tour but it was cancelled. We planned to spend time in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Sukhotai and kanchanaburri. Seems like a lot. What do you think?

Seems like too much. With a mere 9 days, choose two places. Three is possible, but stretching it. Remember you lose half to most of a day each time you change locations. You want to have few enough location changes that it doesn't eat up too much of your time. It takes three nights in a place to yield two full days.

Pause and consider what draws you to each of these places and decide your priorities. I note that you can visit Kanchanburi as a day trip from Bangkok. And if you want to see Buddhist ruins, Ayutthaya is also a day trip from Bangkok. It would be possible to spend, say 6 or 7 nights in Bangkok with two day trips, three or four nights in Chiang Mai.

3 places max for me too. I'd drop Sukothai, and have a day trip to Ayutthaya [from Bangkok] instead.

If you've never been to Kanchanaburi, then go for it. A day trip there from Bangkok doesn't do it justice. 2 or 3 nights allows you to settle into the area and take in the atmosphere. There's some detailed itineraries on Trip Advisor, and The Man in Seat 61.

With a bit of research it's v.easy to do Kanchanaburi and Ayutthaya under your own steam, at a fraction of the cost of a tour.

As always Kathie your responses are thoughtful and on the money! too many places for the time available like a kid in a candy store! I will limit myself ....

Thanks LancasterLad! Your suggestions to see The Man in Seat 61 for itinerary in Kanchanaburi was very helpful! Also agree with you that to appreciate the ambience provided by Kanchanaburi merits more time than a day trip can provide!

One additional thought, would the weather in mid November be too uncertain to split the time I have available between say Bangkok and Krabi? or am I better off spending time up north, this being first time in SE Asia? Just a thought....

The weather should be fine...

I would not do any day trips outside bkk, plenty to do there.

I would however stay in bkk both at beginning and end of trip

But to a lot of people Bangkok is like marmite! And for the many people who don't immediately fall the place, then one night is quite enough.

Good pre-trip planning is the key, and having the right accommodation in the right area is crucial for the first timer.

Definitely stay in Bangkok for the final night, as that avoids any stress regarding internal flight delays/cancellations.

The later in November you go, the better the weather is likely to be. Sometimes early Nov is rainy like Oct.

I always recommend that first-timers stay along the river. You have the advantage of being able to take the water taxis to the wats and there is a sky train stop on the river. The river traffic is endlessly fascinating. And being on the river means you aren't in the canyons that trap the exhaust fumes. The air always seems fresher to me on the river as well as a bit cooler - well, really just not quite as hot.

Are you a city person? If you are you will likely fins Bangkok irresistible. My first trip to Thailand was in the mid-1980s and it was 9 nights in Bangkok. I've been back a couple dozen times since and I still can't get enough of it.

If you are definitely not a city person, you will likely want a small dose of Bangkok to see some of the major wats, then might prefer somewhere else. Be aware that while CM is smaller population-wise, it has no public transport so the traffic is often worse than Bangkok's fabled traffic. Also, CM still burn their trash, so it has more particles in the air. CM is the gateway to the rural north, and you might enjoy staying outside of town is you are not a city person.

The Thai beaches are lovely, but consider what draws you to Thailand - the culture or the beaches? Beaches give little opportunity for exploration of Thai culture, as the beaches are international beach destinations.