Bangkok, known by the Thai people as Krungthep, meaning “the City of Angels”, is one of the most exotic and alluring cities in the world. The wealth of cultural landmarks and attractions along with its entertainment venues has made it one of the top international tourism destinations, with 12 million visitors per year.

The city lies on both sides of the Chao Phraya River, which in addition to a number of bridges has several cross-river ferries. A riverbus service operates, with stops at the main tourist attractions.

An elaborate network of canals known as klongs gave Bangkok the nickname "Venice of the East" at a time when most transportation was by boat. Although most of these have now been filled in and converted into streets, some still exist with people living along them and markets being operated along the banks. The network of klongs on the Thonburi side of the river forms one of the city’s most popular attractions, with a large number of longtail boats and leisure craft to take visitors through the waterways where they see life going on much as it did when Bangkok was first founded.

The Silom-Sathon and Asok areas form the main business centres, while the Ratchadaphisek area, a continuation of Asok, has in recent years been developed as another business district. Sukhumvit Road is the prime mixed commercial and residential area. Wireless Road and Chitlom are where some of Bangkok's most expensive land plots exist. Siam Square is the central shopping district, with the adjoining Ratchaprasong recently emerging as a complementary shopping paradise: the two are within walking distance of each other and can now be regarded as one district.

Most of the heritage sites are in the Phra Nakhon district, the most popular for visitors being the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, the Democracy Monument, the Giant Swing, and Sanam Luang. Wat Arun, also known as the Temple of the Dawn and forming one of the city’s most photographed landmarks, is on the Thonburi side of the river, easily reached by ferry from Phra Nakhon.

Bangkok has a substantial number of parks and other green areas, the best known being Lumpini Park, laid out in the early 1920s by Rama VI and often used to hold grand pageants and ceremonies. Chatuchak Park and Rama IX Park are two other large parks, built in the past 50 years to cater to Bangkok's suburban population and including botanic gardens, sports clubs, ponds and lakes.

Tourism is a significant contributor to Thailand's economy, with Bangkok the country’s principal international gateway and a destination in its own right. This giant market has made Bangkok a prime location for the hotel industry and almost every international hotel chain is represented, along with a very large number of high-quality local operations large and small.

Bangkok is one of Asia's most important air transport hubs. The city’s first airport, Don Mueang, is one of the world's oldest international airports, having opened in 1914. In 2006 Suvarnabhumi Airport became Bangkok's official international airport, replacing Don Mueang. Pronounced Su-wan-na-poom, the airport is located southeast of the city centre. Don Mueang remains in use as a base of the Royal Thai Air Force, and several low-cost airlines also use the airport for domestic flights. An express rail link connects Suvarnabhumi to the city centre, and the highway links are also good, the journey by car taking approximately 45 minutes.

Chiang Mai is the northern capital of Thailand, located 700 km north of Bangkok on the Ping River, a major tributary of the Chao Phraya river.
In recent years Chiang Mai has become an increasingly modern city and attracts more than one million visitors each year.

The city’s historic importance derives from its strategic location on the Ping and major trade routes, and Chiang Mai has long been a major centre for handcrafted goods, umbrellas, jewellery, woodcarving and antiques.

King Mengrai founded the city of Chiang Mai (meaning "new city") in 1296, and it succeeded Chiang Rai as capital of the Lanna kingdom. The city was surrounded by a moat and a defensive wall, since nearby Burma was a constant threat, and parts of these ramparts exist today.

Chiang Mai has a tropical wet and dry climate, with warm to hot weather year-round, though nighttime conditions during the dry season can be cool and are much lower than daytime highs. The mountainous areas can become cold and misty during the winter months, a season which itself generates tourism.

Chiang Mai’s nightlife is lively and lasts well into the small hours. Bars and late-night restaurants are located all over the city, but many can be found on either side of the moat's eastern flank, in the Thapae Gate area, with some excellent live music venues along the Ping River near Nawarat Bridge.

One of the most famous attractions in Chiang Mai is the Night Bazaar, which is the centre for arts, handicrafts, and imported products of all descriptions, and which sprawls along footpaths, inside buildings and into temple grounds.

The back streets and main thoroughfares of Chiang Mai have an abundance and variety of massage parlours which offer anything from quick, simple face and foot massages to month-long courses in the art of Thai massage. A number of Thai cooking schools also have their home in Chiang Mai.

There are many trains per day from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, most of the journeys running overnight and taking between 12 and 15 hours. The trains offer first-class private cabins and a second-class service.

Chiang Mai International Airport receives about 30 flights a day from Bangkok, the flying time being about one hour and 10 minutes.

Hat Yai, located at the border with Malaysia, is the largest city of Song Khla Province, the largest metropolitan area in Southern Thailand, and third largest metropolitan area of the country.

The city became a transportation hub when the railway line was built from Bangkok to Malaysia in the early part of the 20th century. Hat Yai Railway Station is today an international railway station, handling about 30 passenger trains per day from the State Railway of Thailand and KTMB of Malaysia.

Hat Yai is a favourite destination for Malaysians, and the restaurants, shopping and nightlife reflect this.

Prince of Songkla University is the oldest and the biggest university in Southern Thailand, having the main campus near downtown Hat Yai, and is ranked in the top ten of Thai universities.

Hat Yai has a tropical climate with only two seasons: wet and dry. The wet season, which is influenced by monsoon and rain storms, is from May to December, while the dry season is from January to April.

Hat Yai Interntational Airport has daily flights from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, and is also connected daily to Don Mueang, Bangkok's former international airport. There is a large Moslem population in this region, and Hat Yai provides services to thousands of Moslems making the pilgrimage to Mecca each year.

Pattaya, which has self-governing city status, is located on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, less than two hours’drive from the centre of Bangkok and a little over an hour from Suvarnabhumi International Airport.

For most of its history Pattaya was a small fishing village, but in the early 1960s American servicemen who were fighting in the Vietnam War arrived in Pattaya for rest and relaxation. From this modest beginning, Pattaya has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in Thailand, attracting more than four million visitors a year and becoming increasingly a popular residential city for Thais and expatriates alike.

Pattaya Bay is one of Asia's largest beach resorts. The main sweep of the bay area is divided into two main beachfronts. Pattaya Beach is parallel to the city centre, and runs from Pattaya North to Walking Street, at South Pattaya. Along Beach Road and in the hinterland are countless restaurants, shopping areas and nightlife attractions.

Jomtien Beach in the southern part of the bay area is divided from Pattaya Beach by the promontory of Pratumnak Hill. Here can be found most of Pattaya’s watersports activities such as jet skis, parasailing and boat hire. Pattaya is very famous for its golf courses, there being at least 20 international standard courses within an hour’s drive of the city.

Offshore islands include Koh Larn, Koh Sak and Koh Krok, all easily accessible from Pattaya Bay, either by speedboat or by ferry. Many of the islands offer scuba diving activities.

The region has a tropical wet and dry climate, which is divided into the warm and dry season (November to February), hot and humid season (March to May), and hot and rainy season (June to October).

Pattaya is served by a frequent bus service from Bangkok Northern Bus Terminal, Morchit, and the Eastern Bus Terminal, Ekkamai.  There is also a bus service that connects Pattaya with Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Phuket is Thailand’s largest island, set in the Andaman Sea, and is connected to the mainland by a bridge. The island formerly derived its wealth from tin and rubber, and enjoyed a rich and colorful history. Today, most of the income is from tourism.

Seventy percent of Phuket’s landmass is mountainous, the range running from north to south. The western coast is famous for its sandy beaches, its bays and its coves, while on the eastern side of the island has the administrative centre of Phuket Town, the harbor of Chalong, and two yacht marinas. A third marina lies in the north of the island.

One of the most popular tourist areas on Phuket is Patong Beach on the central western coast. Most of Phuket's nightlife and much of its best  shopping is located here. Other popular beaches are located south of Patong, and include Karon, Kata, Kata Noi, and around the southern tip of the island, Nai Harn and Rawai.

To the north of Patong are the beaches of Kamala, Surin and Bang Tao, less developed than Patong, and sought out by visitors with a preference for more relaxed and less crowded environs than Patong. There are many islands to the south, the Phi Phi Islands lie to the southeast, and the Similan Islands to the northwest.

Phuket has a tropical climate with a dry season from November to April and a rainy season from May to October.