When Is The Best Time To Visit Thailand

What is the best time of the year to visit Thailand? If you’re planning a trip to the country, this is a question you’ve probably asked. You might have done a Google search, and conventional travel blogs will normally recommend between the months of November and April. This is the tourist high season.

But the truth is that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to this question. The best time to visit depends on your personal preferences.

I’ll go over each month of the year based on five key factors that you need to consider: climate, cost, air quality, crowdedness, and events and activities. And after watching the video, you’ll have the knowledge to decide which time of the year is best for you. And I’ll also give you my own personal ranking of the best and worst times of the year for me.

Thailand’s Two Main Seasons

Thailand has two main seasons: the rainy monsoon season and the dry season.

The rainy season normally occurs between the months of June and November. And of course, the rainy season is considered the tourism low season. That means prices will be considerably lower, and beaches and tourist attractions will be much less crowded.

So does it make sense to travel during the rainy season?

The Early Rainy Season June to August

The rainy season can be further divided into two distinct seasons.

From June to August, you have the early rainy season. You normally get short, intense downpours around 4PM or 5PM, and on some days it doesn’t rain at all.

Personally, I love the early rainy season. The weather is very predictable, the temperatures are quite moderate, and the rain really clears the air. You have cheaper hotels, less crowded beaches, and tourist attractions. This is a great time to travel.

The Late Rainy Season September to October

From September until late October, you have the late rainy season. This is the heavy rainy season. During these months, the torrential downpours can last hours and even days. The timings of the rains are much less predictable, and you get severe flooding in different parts of the country.

Conversely, from early September until late October, the rain is simply too intense, constant, and unpredictable. This is definitely the cheapest time to visit, but unless you plan to spend a lot of time indoors, this might not be the ideal time to visit Thailand.

The Dry Season November to December

Now let’s move on to the dry season.

November and December are the coolest months of the year, with average temperatures in the low 20s Celsius. The rain has cleared, and the air quality is quite good. Cities like Bangkok have many festive events for Christmas and New Year. Actually, I think Bangkok might be more festive than my home country of Canada.

So this is a great time of the year to visit, especially if you want to escape those colder temperatures in Europe or North America.

But this is the tourist high season, and this is the most expensive time of the year to visit, and it can be very crowded.

The Pollution Season January to March

As we move into January, the dry season becomes a lot less attractive. This is because Thailand has a problem with air pollution from January through March. Widespread crop-burning causes smog to blanket much of central and Northern Thailand, including Bangkok. And PM2.5 pollution levels in cities like Chiang Mai in the north reach hazardous levels, which can be among the worst in the world.

Prices are still higher because technically it is the tourist high season, but the air quality really degrades the quality of life in central and Northern Thailand.

If you plan to stay mostly in southern Thailand, or in the islands, then this is still a reasonable time of the year to visit.

The Hot Season March to June

As we move into March, the air quality begins to clear, and the hot season begins, with average temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius. It is hot. It can feel like you’re stepping into an oven. If you’re heat-sensitive, you might not enjoy this time of the year for this reason. The prices and crowds drop a little bit.

But from April 13 to 15, you have the Thai New Year holiday of Songkran. This is probably the single funnest holiday in the world. The entire country becomes a giant 3-day water fight. People line the streets with super-soakers and water pistols, and you can refill your guns every 20 meters for as little as 5 baht.

This is a lot of fun. If you’ve ever wanted to see the Land of Smiles in full swing, this is the time to visit.

But Songkran is probably the single most expensive time of the year to visit, and it’s also the most crowded. But it does only last a few days, and it is well worth the experience.

The hot season lasts right up until June, with marginally lower prices and slightly thinner crowds, as we enter into our rainy season that we already covered.

Best and Worst Times to Visit My Ranking

So let’s give a ranking for the best and worst times of the year to visit.

We have our best budget option, and that is June to August.

If you’re looking for comfort, your #1 option will be November and December.

If you’re looking for moderate pricing and you don’t mind the heat, then coming from the months of late March through to June will definitely be your best bet, and you can enjoy Songkran the funnest holiday in the world.

Personally, if I’d never come to Thailand before, I would come during Songkran. This is just a bucket list experience. It’s fantastic, and I recommend that everybody experience it once.

Before we finish, let’s go over the worst times of the year to visit.

First, we have the late rainy season.

Second, we have my personal absolute worst time of the year to visit, and that is between the months of January and March. This is technically the tourist high season, so you’ll actually pay higher prices, but the air quality is so poor that it isn’t worth the tradeoff. And that makes this the worst time of the year to visit for me.