Thailand

The past is never far behind in Central Thailand. Ayuthaya, Siam's former royal capital, is practically an open-air museum, with dozens of enchanting temple ruins peopled by stone Buddhas, while Kanchanaburi's WWII memorials pay tribute to the thousands of lives lost building the Death Railway.

Allting börjar och slutar i Chinatown. Ingen annanstans är Bangkok mer färgsprakande, poetiskt och välsmakande.

Chiang Khong (เชียงของ) was historically an important market town for local communities and for trade with northern Laos. Travelers have long passed through this riverine settlement en route to and from Laos. But since 2013, when a bridge over the Mekong River connecting Chiang Khong to Huay Xai in Laos was opened, fewer people are spending the night here. Nevertheless, there's still a small backpacker scene with quite a number of guesthouses and a few restaurants and bars. From Huay Xai, it’s a two-day slow boat or a 14-hour bus trip to Luang Prabang. It's also possible to travel quickly and easily to Yunnan Province in China from Huay Xai.

Given the town's laid-back riverside charm, generous spread of attractive old buildings and some of the best markets in the north, Lampang (ลำปาง) should be more popular than it is with travelers. But if foreigners have yet to be seduced by Lampang's charms, plenty of Thais from around the kingdom are drawn here. Arriving in their wake are an increasing number of hip cafes and restaurants with tasty food, as well as some stylish accommodation options, making Lampang a great stop for visitors seeking a less touristy, more undiscovered destination in the north.

About 50km northeast of Chiang Mai, hidden away in the emerald jungles above Rte 1317, the pocket-sized village of Ban Mae Kampong has become an offbeat retreat for travellers looking to escape the commercialism of Chiang Mai and rediscover the village way of life. Most visitors are introduced to the area on zipline tours with Flight of the Gibbon, but it's worth coming under your own steam to explore the village and the surrounding jungle.

Att utforska Bangkoks kulinariska utbud är en dröm men också en utmaning. Vagabonds Bangkokexpert Jonas Henningsson tipsar om sina favoritställen i staden – historiska och moderna, dyra och tokbilliga, svala och heta.

När Filippa Löfström kom till Chiang Mai på sin Thailandsresa passade hon på att prova på landets nationalsport muay thai. Det visade sig att kampsporten öppnade dörren till den thailändska kulturen och möten med lokalbefolkningen. Så Filippa reste inte vidare, utan stannade kvar, länge …

Bustling Krabi Town is majestically situated among impossibly angular limestone karst formations jutting from the mangroves, but mid-city you’re more likely to be awestruck by the sheer volume of guesthouses and travel agencies packed into this compact town. It's a key transport hub, around which a busy traveler scene continues to evolve. There's no shortage of restaurants, or gift shops selling the usual trinkets.

This serene 315-sq-km national park covers 60km of Andaman coastline (Thailand's longest protected shore) and over 20 islands, including increasingly popular Ko Phayam. It's 85% open sea. Much of the coast is fringed by mangroves and laced with tidal channels, home to fish, deer, macaques, civets, giant squirrels and over 100 bird species, including white-bellied sea eagles.

Up there on the podium with some of the world's greatest parks, Khao Yai (อุทยานแห่งชาติเขาใหญ่) is Thailand's oldest and most visited national park. Covering 2168 sq km, Khao Yai incorporates one of the largest intact monsoon forests remaining in mainland Asia, which is why it was named a Unesco World Heritage site (as part of the Dong Phayayen–Khao Yai Forest Complex). But despite its size, it's one of the easiest national parks in Thailand for independent travellers to visit.