Things to know before you go to Thailand

These are the customs and practical tips we picked up on our two trips to Thailand in 2022 and 2023.

Entry rules for UK visitors changed recently. From 15 September 2026, UK passport holders can stay up to 30 days without a visa (it was 60 days before that). Everyone arriving by air, land or sea also has to complete the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online in the three days before arrival, on the official site at tdac.immigration.go.th. Your passport needs at least six months left on it. Check the GOV.UK entry requirements before you book.

• Eating with a spoon: Thais eat with a spoon in the right hand and use the fork only to push food onto it. Putting the fork in your mouth is seen as bad manners.

• The monarchy: Criticising, insulting or joking about the King or the royal family is a crime under Thailand's lèse-majesté law, with prison sentences of up to 15 years for each offence. It applies to foreigners and to social media posts too, so it's best to avoid the subject.

• Friendly people: We found Thai people warm and welcoming everywhere we went. A smile and a bit of patience go a long way.

• Temple dress code: Cover your shoulders and knees at temples. Keep a light shawl or long trousers in your day bag so you can go in whenever you pass one.

• Shoes off: Look at the entrance of a temple or building to see whether others have taken their shoes off, and do the same.

• A few words of Thai: English is common in tourist areas, but "sawasdee" (hello) and "khop khun" (thank you) always get a smile.

• Tuk-tuks and taxis: Tuk-tuks are fun for short hops in the daytime. For longer journeys or at night, an air-conditioned taxi is more comfortable. Agree the price or ask for the meter before you set off.

• Skytrain and metro: In Bangkok the BTS Skytrain and the MRT underground are quick, clean and cheap, and the BTS sells a one-day pass if you're making several trips.

• Apps: Bolt is cheap and reliable for ride-hailing, and Grab works too. We used Food Panda for deliveries to the hotel, but it closed in Thailand in May 2025, so use Grab or LINE MAN instead.

• The "temple is closed" scam: If a driver tells you a temple or attraction is "closed for a holiday" and offers to take you somewhere else, say no thanks. It's usually a way of steering you to shops that pay him commission.

• Carry cash: There are ATMs everywhere in the cities, but street food stalls and markets want cash, so keep some Thai baht (THB) on you.

• Exchange rates: Check the current rate before you go so you have a feel for prices.

• Water and ice: Ice in decent restaurants is usually commercially made and fine. In remote areas, stick to bottled water (or a cold Chang).

• Kathoey: Transgender women, often called kathoey in Thailand, are a visible part of everyday life, working in shops and hotels and on stage at shows such as Simon Cabaret in Patong, which we went to in 2023.

Mangoes: It sounds simple, but eat as many mangoes as you can. The variety and the sweetness are like nothing we get at home.

Our next route, checked before we go

We go back over New Year 2027: Bangkok, Koh Tao, Koh Samui, Koh Chang, then Bangkok again. We haven’t done this route yet, so these are facts we checked while planning, not tips from experience. We’ll add our own after the trip, and the plan is on our Thailand 2026 page.

• Bangkok to Koh Tao: the cheapest way is Lomprayah’s combined coach and catamaran from Khao San Road, about 9 hours by day, or overnight. Quicker, and dearer, is flying to Koh Samui with Bangkok Airways and taking the ferry, about 2 hours. AirAsia flies to Chumphon and Surat Thani, and ferries run from both.

• Learning to dive on Koh Tao: La Bombona Diving teaches RAID courses. Its Open Water course takes four days, includes four ocean dives to a maximum of 18 metres and costs 11,000 baht with equipment and certification. You need to swim 200 metres and float for 10 minutes, and dive insurance (100 baht) is extra. La Bombona Diving

• Flying after diving: after several days of diving, DAN recommends at least 18 hours between your last dive and a flight. Plan your onward flight around that. DAN

• Arriving on Koh Tao: there’s a 20-baht pier fee per person.

• Koh Tao to Koh Samui: Lomprayah’s catamaran takes about 1 hour 45 minutes. Seatran and Songserm boats take longer.

• Samui and Trat airports: both are owned by Bangkok Airways, which is also the only airline flying from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi to Trat, about an hour. Bangkok Airways

• Ferry to Koh Chang: the car ferry from Ao Thammachat pier, about 20 km from Trat airport, takes 25 to 35 minutes and costs 90 baht, cash only. The Centrepoint ferry has been suspended since 2024.

• Koh Chang National Park: most of the island is in Mu Ko Chang National Park, set up in 1982, which takes in 52 islands. Foreign adults pay 200 baht at Khlong Plu and Than Mayom waterfalls. Thai National Parks

• Muay Thai at Rajadamnern: Rajadamnern Stadium opened in 1945 and calls itself the world’s first Muay Thai stadium. There are fights every night, with RWS (Rajadamnern World Series) on Saturdays, and tickets are sold through the official site. Rajadamnern Stadium

• New Year’s Eve in Bangkok: last year’s official countdown fireworks were on the Chao Phraya at ICONSIAM. Plans for 2026 to 2027 hadn’t been announced when we checked in October 2026.

More for Your Thailand Trip

For what to take, see our Thailand packing list, and for the day-by-day diaries of both trips, see our Thailand trips.