Thailand

Gör en utflykt från Bangkok med tåg! Här kommer fem bra alternativ för en resa på räls.

Leafy lanes, antique shophouses, buzzing wet markets and golden temples convene in Banglamphu, easily the city's most quintessentially 'Bangkok' neighbourhood. It's a quaint postcard picture of the city that used to be – that is until you stumble upon Th Khao San, arguably the world's most famous backpacker enclave.

I myllrande metropolen Bangkok finns goda chanser att njuta av hotellyx till en hyfsat billig penning. Här tipsar vi om tre guldkorn i varje prisklass – lyx, budget och mittemellan.

Tågsemestern genom Asien blev inte som de tänkt sig. Det det blev nästan inget annat heller efter att coronaviruset börjat spridas. Nu är familjen i Thailand och tar dagen som den kommer, utan hembiljett och planer på när eller hur det i så fall skulle gå till

Sitting on the banks of the Mekong, just across from Vientiane in Laos, Nong Khai (หนองคาย) has been a hit with travelers for years. Its popularity is about more than just its proximity to Vientiane and its bounty of banana pancakes, though. Seduced by its dreamy pink sunsets and sluggish pace of life, many visitors who mean to stay one night end up bedding down for many more.

Ja, förutom stranden, solen och människorna då.

Phitsanulok Province (จังหวัดพิษณุโลก) is home to visit-worthy natural attractions and a pleasant provincial capital with plenty of food and accommodation options. However, most visitors regard the province more as a base for visiting the historical ruins in neighbouring provinces than a destination in itself.

Trang’s beaches are mostly just jumping-off points to the Trang Islands and are rather scruffy. But the scenery around them is dramatic: limestone karsts rising from steamy palm-studded valleys and swirling seas. Much of it is inside the Hat Chao Mai National Park, which covers a big stretch of the Trang coastline as well as including two of the Trang Islands – Ko Muk and Ko Kradan – and many tiny islets. And it is the Trang Islands which are the real draw here: covered in verdant jungle and lined with pure white sand beaches, they are a less developed than other Andaman islands and have far smaller populations. This is real honeymooners territory – there's very little nightlife – so don't come here if you want to party all night long.

Given the jaw-dropping natural beauty of Kanchanaburi Province (กาญจนบุรี), it seems paradoxical that the region is best known for the horrors of WWII's Death Railway. The provincial capital's war memorials are a mandatory stop before heading deeper into the parks and preserves that comprise the southern end of the Western Forest Complex, one of Asia's largest protected areas. Numerous waterfalls and caves can be reached with minimal effort, but hiking trails plunging into thick jungle also lure hardened adventurers to this wild terrain.

Home to south Thailand's highest peak – Khao Luang (1835m), surrounded by the majestic forests of Khao Luang National Park – Nakhon Si Thammarat province is best known to travellers for stunning Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihaan in the province's namesake main town. More than the sum of its parts, the provincial capital is a likeable place, especially if you have recently pitched up from Ko Samui, Ko Pha-Ngan or Ko Tao in search of some genuine Thai flavour.