Our 3-week family trip to Thailand was for 2 adults and 2 kids aged 10 and 7. Our itinerary started and ended in Bangkok as we had booked return flights from Melbourne. We knew we wanted to spend time in Bangkok as we had transited through the airport but had yet to visit the city. The temples in Chiang Mai had been on my wishlist for a while and there are so many wonderful day trips from the town centre.
We came across Sukhothai and the kids were interested in the historical ruins plus we found the accommodation to be the cheapest of the trip. Sukhothai was added in between driving from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Originally we wanted to go to Koh Samui but getting there was expensive. Still wanting the kids to experience a Thailand beach destination, we chose to stay in Phuket.
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Is three weeks too long in Thailand?
When planning a trip with kids, I feel no time seems enough. We wanted to see the variety that beautiful Thailand has to offer. Travelling as a family means making sure not to overdo the itinerary and leaving some time for rest and flexibility. Three weeks in Thailand meant we were able to visit four different places without feeling like we rushed through any of them.
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Is Thailand good for travelling with kids?
We think Thailand is fantastic for travelling with kids. There are so many fun, family-friendly activities. Riding bikes in Sukhothai, climbing the waterfall in Chiang Mai, playing at the beach in Phuket and seeing big monitor lizards in busy Bangkok were some of our kids’ favourites.
The affordability makes Thailand a great holiday destination for families. Being budget-friendly means that families can travel around and see different parts of the country. Lastly, Thailand is good for travelling with kids because, as a whole, the country is kid-friendly. The Thai people love children and make them feel welcome wherever they go.
The only thing to be mindful of is that often there are no footpaths and at times you will be walking alongside traffic. Holding hands is not always possible as it is safer to walk single file. We just kept our kids as close as possible and when crossing roads were always cautious but confident.
What to eat in Thailand with kids?
Food in Thailand is delicious. You can choose to eat spicy dishes or stay on the mild side. Our youngest can be a picky eater but there was always something for him to choose, usually a vege option. We ate out in local restaurants, visited bakeries for bread and pastries and markets for fruit. Night markets were a fun place to explore and also had plenty of food options to keep everyone happy. As we had a kitchen in Phuket we made some of our meals with ingredients purchased from a nearby supermarket. We also frequented the 7-11 stores to buy yoghurt for breakfast, water and snacks.
Some of our kids’ favourite foods during our Thailand trip
- Tropical fruits
- Fruit smoothies
- Dumpling/noodle soup
- Fried rice
- Sweet potato balls
- Anything at night markets
- Banana/mango roti
- Massaman beef curry (the 10-year-old)
How much does a family trip to Thailand cost?
I tracked everything we spent money on during our Thailand trip. Read: the full breakdown of our costs.
Thailand family trip itinerary 3 weeks
Day 0: Arrival
We had a late evening arrival at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. We were picked up by the hotel shuttle and stayed overnight at the nearby Golden Jade Suvarnabhumi.
Day 1: Drive to Sukhothai
After breakfast, we took the hotel shuttle back to the airport. Here we made our way to the Budget counter to pick up our booked rental car. The drive to Sukhothai took us about 5.5 hours with a quick stop to swap drivers. We looked out the windows at all the roadside stalls along the way. Our accommodation in Sukhothai was the lovely Thai Thai Sukhothai Resort where we stayed in a little bungalow.
Day 2 & 3: Sukhothai
We really enjoyed our time in Sukhothai. Riding bikes past ruins in the historical park, walking up to hilltop ruins and visiting the night market were all fantastic family activities. Read: 2-day Sukhothai itinerary.
Day 4: Drive to Chiang Mai
The drive from Sukhothai to Chiang Mai took about 4 hours. We found the parking for our accommodation, The Warehouse Chiang Mai and were shown to our room.
Day 5 – 11: Chiang Mai
During our time in Chiang Mai, we walked around the city area and drove to several destinations outside the city.
Read: Chiang Mai itinerary
Day 12: Flight from Chiang Mai to Phuket
We had the hotel call us a taxi to get to Chiang Mai Airport and boarded our flight to Phuket. We had arranged for a taxi to drive us from the airport to our accommodation in Bang Tao Beach. For our time in Phuket, we stayed at Hill Myna Condotel in a 2 bedroom apartment. The space was perfect for our family.
Day 13 – 17: Phuket
We are not avid beachgoers and don’t often relax on holidays, preferring to get out and see as much as possible. Phuket was the exception and as a family, we had such a great time at the beach every day. Staying at the beach during sunset was a wonderful way to end the day.
We visited both Bang Tao Beach and Surin Beach thanks to the wonderful shuttle service from our accommodation. The shuttle also dropped us at a temple, a night market and the local shopping area. We had decided not to be within walking distance of a beach and instead make use of the shuttle so we could visit different places. The shuttle service is what made our stay at Hill Myna Condotel a great family experience.
Day 18: Phuket to Bangkok
After flying from Phuket to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, we took a taxi to our hotel, The Cotton Saladaeng. The hotel was very close to Lumphini Park and within walking distance of a few subway and MRT Stations.
Day 19, 20 & 21: Bangkok
Our two and a half days in Bangkok were filled with seeing temples and Buddha statues, visiting markets and walking through parks (seeing the water monitor lizards in a city park was a highlight). During our stay in Bangkok with kids, we visited these places:
Wat Saket – This temple is on Bangkok’s only hill and provides an excellent panoramic view.
The Flower Market
Wat Pho – known for housing the city’s largest reclining Buddha but there is so much else to see in the expansive temple grounds.
Ong Ang Walking Street – a long walk along the canal with street art and a street food market.
Boat ride on the Chao Phraya River
Wat Arun – The impressive spires of Wat Arun can be seen standing tall from its riverside location. The details are worth seeing up close though as they are incredible.
A ride on the sky train
Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen – home to Bangkok’s largest Buddha statue, we could see it from the sky train.
Benchakitti Park
Jodd Fairs Market – there are restaurants here but limited tables for eating the street food options.
Lumphini Park – so cool seeing water monitor lizards within the park.
On the last day, we had an evening flight from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport.
