weekend trips/day trips from Bangkok
 

Hi there,

I will be flying to Thailand this coming Monday for work and will be there until the end of May. I will be at work Mondays thru Fridays but otherwise have my weekend off.

1. Any suggestions for weekend getaways or day trips coming from Bangkok? I'm open for anything.

2. Also, I will be there during Songkran. Any other place I can go to celebrate this besides Bangkok? I will have a 4-day weekend at that time.

Thank you!

a weekend in Singapore could be fun... a short trip to penang...a weekend in yangon

the golden triangle--chiang rai..

Bangkok itself offers plenty to do

I only have a single-entry visa so I can't go out of the country (though I heard it's not difficult to apply for multi-entry). Singapore will be nice. What about beaches that I can visit on weekends?

All of the places Bob mentions are fine weekend trips. Also, Luang Prabang, Laos, Siem Reap, Cambodia, Hanoi, VN... there are endless possibilities.

Be aware that the time around Songkran is the hottest time of the year in that whole area.

Dont head north to Chiang Mai/Rai or the Golden Triangle in March or April. There is likely to be a lot of pollution as it is the burning season. Keep an eye on the news reports and you could be lucky and miss the worts of the smoke.

Kanchanaburi is a nice weekend trip, either by car or by train. If you can rent a car, you could head further on into Erawan national park.

Most beach resorts can be reached easily by budget airlines. With just a couple of days, choose somewhere close to an airport. Krabi or Phuket would seem decent choices.

Heard great things about Krabi and Phuket! I'm excited.

Your profile says you are from the US. You can leave and re-enter Thailand and get either another 30 days visa-free entry (or 15 days if entering overland). Do you have a business visa? Is that the issue?

In Thailand, yes, the whole Andaman coast has lovely beaches. Also, Hua Hin is a possibility for a beach for you.

Qatar has a very cheap daily flt from bkk to Hanoi.

Sukhothai, ayuthia and summer palace are nice destinations.

Bangkok doesn't really celebrate Song Khran that much as it is a time of year when most people visit there families..........beach towns like hua Hin and Pattaya have huge SK events that bring the town to a standstill - and take over for up to a week....
Bang Saen has a huge festival but this is mostly ignored by foreigners - it is possibly as a big as the Pattaya one.

The best one I ever went to was by accident at Chayaphum...I was just passing through and stopped for the day - great fun, small town and great atmosphere.

There is a it of a government clamp down on festivities this year - partly due to the fact that the nation is still in mourning, and there are also mutterings - quite ill-informed - about water saving.

Week-ends out of Bkk mean you will be following the crowds....all Bangkokians like to get out of the city for the weekend.
By car....
Bang Saen is popular as it is only about 1 hour by car now
Anywhere o the Eastern Seaboard is attainable by road......more or less.
also Hua Hin is popular.
as said, anywhere you can drive will be crowded.
Flying - just about anywhere in Thailand Malaysia Vietnam Cambodia or Laos is cheap and easy. Check te discount airlines for quick bargains.

The train service up North has recently been equipped with modern rolling stock bought from China which means that could be a pleasant option.

I'm not a fan of coach transport or minivans - they are rather stressful and their safety record is singularly unimpressive.

As for leaving the country - BEWARE - I assume you have a work permit ........this will mean you have a "B" VISA........TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY YOU WILL NEED A RE-ENTRY PERMIT. If you leave without one, your visa will be annulled and consequently your work permit so you'll have to go through the process of getting another one.
Re-entry permits cost about 1000 baht for a single or 3800 for a multiple re-entry one.