sedaa91

Dear all,
We (4 females) are planning a 2 week trip to Thailand and Cambodia. Right now we are planning the first week. We plan on arriving in Phnom Penh at 3 pm on a Saturday afternoon (after an 11 hour flight to Bangkok from Istanbul and a 4 hour layover in Bangkok), spending Sunday & Monday and taking a bus to Siem Reap on Tuesday and flying to Chiang Ria on Wednesday getting into Chiang Ria at 7 pm. From there we are planning on spending Thursday in Chiang Ria and taking a bus to Chiang Mia on Friday morning and spending the day and night there taking a flight to Bangkok on Saturday at 7 am.
Is this enough time to see all 4 of these cities? We would like to spend the 2nd week seeing Bangkok city centre (3 days) and ending in Koi Samed.
If that's too many cities the first week, we can either choose Chiang Mia or Chiang Ria. Which would you prefer?
Thank you!!

internetwiz

Personally, if you haven't already purchased your tickets, I would fly directly to Siem Reap, from Siem Reap, fly to Chiang Mai, and from there fly to Bangkok. I'm not sure why you're planning to take a bus to SR, if you're hopping on a plain the next day. I think you're better off spending 3-4 days in those three cities if you want to get anything out of your trip.

Kathie

You are spending less than one day in Siem Reap? That is not enough if you have any interest in the temples. Get a copy of Dawn Rooney's book, Angkor: A Guide to Cambodia's Wondrous Temples to prepare. Rooney says (and I agree) that it takes three full days just to see that "major" temples. If you have a real interest in the temples, you would want more time (we spent a week, and would have enjoyed even more time).

Many people would say that a day (that means two nights) in PP would be enough. To get three days in Siem Reap, you would need to stay four nights.

You cannot fly directly from Siem Reap to Chiang Rai. You will need a stop in Bangkok to change pllanes. You would also need a stop in Bangkok to change planes to get to Chiang Mai, but flights to CM are more frequent.

I'd suggest you slow down, or you will miss everything. So, consider this:
arrive PP Sat
spend Sun in PP
Bus Siem Reap on Monday,
Spend Tuesday, Wed, Thurs in Siem Reap, fly to Chiang Mai on Friday.
Sightsee in CM on Saturday
Fly to Bangkok on Sunday
Mon, Tues in Bangkok (add Wed if you can)
Then to Ko Samed (also spelled Samet)

This is still a pretty fast-paced trip, but you will have time to see/do/experience a little of these two fascinating countries.

Kathie

KW and I were posting at the same time. His idea of by-passing PP make good sense. That would give you more time in other places. Decide what you want most out of this trip and focus on those places. In two weeks, 4 locations makes the most sense.

crellston

Given the time you have available I would forget about Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai and spend 3 nights in Phonm Penh a city underrated by many that has a lot to offer. Siem Reap really needs 3-4 nights to enable you to get around the major temple sites. The only reason to get the between PP and SR is to save cash. Flying is much quicker.

The rest of your time I would split between Bangkok and Koh Samed. Another alternative would be to spend your beach time in Cambodia on one of the islands. KOh Rong etc. There are some fantastic beaches around there that are quieter and a lot less touristy than many of the Thai beach resorts before finishing up in Bangkok.