Long holiday in Thailand. Independent travel to Thailand or buying a hot tour? When is the best time to go?

29.10.2019

When you have to work under the threat of layoffs around the clock and even on weekends, and your salary is either reduced or delayed, stress accumulates in unrealistic quantities. Only sun, sea and idleness can get rid of it. Buying tickets to Thailand is already the cheapest way to get summer in winter. But I can recommend 30 little tricks that will allow you to travel to Thailand as cheaply as possible. Bookmark this post. I wish you find it useful as soon as possible.

Visa to Thailand

Russians receive a free visa to Thailand immediately upon arrival - they are given a special entry stamp. And it doesn’t matter whether it’s an airport or a ground crossing. The period of stay is limited to 30 days. To cross the border you need a Russian passport with a validity period of at least 30 days from the date of entry. It is advisable to have a return ticket in hand.

Those who plan to stay in the country longer must obtain a six-month visa in advance in Moscow or St. Petersburg. With it you can stay in Thailand continuously for two months, leave and return back within six months. This innovation appeared a year ago. A visa to Thailand costs $200.

The previously existing practice of visa-run (traveling to a neighboring country for 1 day in order to receive another 30-day visa-free stamp from the Thai authorities), unfortunately, was canceled a couple of years ago. The fine for overstaying a visa to Thailand is 500 baht per day, in addition, the violator is subject to a ban on visiting the country for 5 or 10 years.

But there is also good news. In 2012, Thailand allowed entry on a Cambodian visa for the duration of its validity. It costs $30 and is affixed to your passport at any Cambodian international airport or land border crossing (except the border with Laos). You can take advantage of this gift of fate when planning, for example, a route from Vietnam to Thailand via Angkor.

Tickets to Thailand

Since the beginning of the crisis, competition among carriers on the Thai route has fallen, and prices have risen. Thailand's premium airline Thai Airways even left Russia, but recently returned and now flies from Moscow to Bangkok. Tickets to Thailand cost from 24,500 rubles. Aeroflot operates on the same routes. He sells tickets from 27,000 rubles. Both companies also fly to Phuket. Both operate in the upper segment of air travel, so you don’t have to worry about the quality of the trip.

You can save some money by monitoring the sales and promotional rates of numerous European and Asian carriers that consider Bangkok a relatively cheap destination. A connecting flight also gives you the opportunity to fly directly to your destination.

The best thing to do before buying tickets to Thailand is to check different variants and choose the most suitable one in terms of price, comfort and time. You can do this using the form I provide below. Enter your parameters into it (or edit the existing ones) and click “find tickets”. The Aviasales website will open in a separate window with tickets to Thailand filtered by price for the dates you are interested in. This is how I always look for and buy cheap flights and discount tickets.

While the ruble was not jumping and dancing, many stocked up on tickets in advance - it turned out cheaper. Now no one wants to take risks. In addition, if you deal with this issue closer to the departure date, the price will increase slightly. Tickets to Thailand can be purchased either six months or two weeks in advance. If you are planning a trip specifically to this New Year, then hurry up. I have insight from experts - here is a table of travel deadlines that shows by what date you need to buy tickets so that they do not become more expensive.

On the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, the cost of tickets to international destinations is recalculated in accordance with the current dollar exchange rate. Accordingly, if the ruble has fallen during the week, then it is better to buy tickets on Tuesday, because the next day they will be a little more expensive.

If you can fly on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, you will be able to buy tickets a little cheaper than if you travel on other days of the week. The thing is that people usually go on vacation on Friday or Saturday, and most often fly out on a business trip on Monday. Tickets on popular days are naturally more expensive.

Another life hack is to use a low price calendar. It helps you analyze which months are cheaper to travel to Thailand (or any other country), and also calculate in advance the days when the cheapest flights will be available for purchase. Click on the most favorable value to go to the Aviasales website page with tickets filtered by price for the corresponding dates.

From airport to city

The easiest and cheapest way from Suwannabhum Airport to the city is via the City Line. Ticket prices range from 15 to 45 baht. The train arrives at Phaya Thai Station, where you can change to the city's BTS metro line or city bus.

If you have a ticket, you can get to Don Mueang Airport from Suvannaphum by a free bus.

Thailand, Phuket – hotels

Approximately one night in Thailand costs on average 150-250 baht in a good, clean hostel without breakfast or 350-500 baht for a room in a simple hotel. You can choose a hotel in a suitable location in Phuket using this interactive map.

Fans of the movie “The Beach” will, of course, remember Khao San Street in Bangkok, a paradise for independent travelers. Even with the smallest budget, you can find overnight accommodation in a hostel here for 80-200 baht per bed. Khao San Street is located in the very center, a stone's throw from Grand Palace and the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, nearby are river piers, markets, bars and cheap street food.

The easiest and most convenient way to search, compare and book the cheapest hotels that suit you is using the Hotellook service - directly through the form below.

Cheap trips around the country

For some time now, it has become the ideal way to travel around the country. airline Air Asia. From Don Mueang it flies throughout the country, in particular to the popular Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket and Krabi. Often, after playing around with the dates, you can purchase a ticket for $20-35.

But sometimes the company arranges big sales at a “zero” rate, that is, to buy a ticket you only need to pay a penny fee.

Other low-cost airlines in Thailand: Nok Air, Lion Air, Vietjet Air. It is better to buy tickets for them on the websites of the airlines themselves; aggregator websites may not see sale fares.

Personally, I have never tried hitchhiking, because I heard a lot of extreme stories from friends and I think that health is more valuable. But in Thailand everyone seems very nice. Why not try getting someone on a scooter? True, cases of falls from these Vehicle and fractures of various parts of the body are also very high among tourists, so I wouldn’t risk it either. Especially if the driver does not have a second helmet.

The BlaBlaCar mobile application is successfully used all over the world. You register in the application, find a driver who goes where you need to go, and pay him a small amount set by him. It usually turns out cheaper than public transport - that’s the trick.

Cheap in Thailand: food

The topic of Thai cooking is truly endless, but its cheapest option is the trays (the so-called makashnitsa) and micro-canteens, which flood the streets in large numbers from the very early morning. Despite the seemingly unsanitary conditions from a distance, from a hygiene point of view, street food is all right; you don’t have to worry about digestion (it’s enough to use regular gel or wet wipes before eating). The diversity makes my eyes widen. To avoid immediately stumbling upon very spicy dishes, I recommend starting with noodle soup (broth with noodles) and Pad Thai (fried noodles with tofu and shrimp). Typically, a dish in a street cafe costs 30-80 baht, and a hearty lunch for two is unlikely to exceed 200 baht.

Personally, I usually do this. Having arrived at the place, I filter all nearby cafes and restaurants by price in the Tripadvisor mobile application, and then I go around the cheapest, but at the same time the coolest reviews.

Free Bangkok

With a ticket to Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), you can visit Dusit Park with its extraordinary palaces.

Chinatown. In addition to the obvious Chinese exoticism, all temples in Chinatown are open to free admission.

When planning a boat trip on the Chao Phraya, the city's main river, choose boats with a blue flag. Although they are slower, the trip costs only 4 baht.

Phuket boats

On the Golden Mountain with the Wat Saket complex it is nice to see a free sunset, but you can also leave a donation of 10 baht.

A visit to the huge Chatuchak market is free, but of course you have to pay for goods. At the same time, no one bothers you to bargain until you lose your voice. There is everything from consumer goods to rare antiques.

Muay Thai is world famous. Want to watch a real fight for free? Head to MBK Mall on Wednesday from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm and you can see the famous Muay Thai.

There is nothing easier than going to Thailand on your own; all you need to do is buy air tickets and book a hotel. Thailand is one of the best countries for independent tourism and moreover, Thailand is a country where you cannot sit in one place, where you have to travel around the country and look, look, look. Thailand has a very well developed infrastructure and it is not difficult to get from one point of the country to another, either by bus or by plane. Tens of thousands of people are already traveling independently and enjoying relaxation and freedom, it’s time for you to join independent travelers.

Visa to Thailand

For Russian citizens, a visa to Thailand is not required; passport control You will be stamped for free for 30 days. All you need is a passport valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry into the country. Before going through passport control, you need to fill out a migration card; this can be done on the plane so as not to waste time.
For citizens of Ukraine, a visa is issued upon arrival at the airport and costs $35.

Flights to Thailand

There are many regular flights from Russia to Thailand from almost all major cities(Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Vladivostok, etc.).
Often airlines have sales on air tickets to Thailand, I look for the cheapest air tickets and track sales on the Aviasales website. If your travel dates are not fixed, do not forget to set +- 3 days and look at the “Low Price Calendar”; sometimes the price of air tickets for neighboring dates can be 2 times lower. Buying air tickets on the Internet is not difficult, but especially for those who have never done it, I wrote detailed instructions - .
Now, for example, on Aviasales I managed to find tickets for the Moscow-Bangkok-Moscow flight for November 2013 for 18,486 rubles, but average price usually 20-22 thousand rubles.
In addition to Bangkok, there are direct regular flights to the island of Phuket.

Planes arrive at international Airport Bangkok - Suvanapum. From the airport you can easily get to the city by taxi (300-500 baht) or by Aeroexpress (50 baht, the entrance is on the lowest floor (basement) of the airport). Or directly from the airport you can take a bus to the popular Russian tourists Thai resort - Pattaya for 160 baht (by taxi from 1000 baht). The bus area is located on the first floor of the airport and I think the workers already understand Russian.

When you go on a trip on your own, you are not tied to a hotel and can always change it if you don’t like it, or even move to another city, this shows the freedom of independent travel.

Almost every hotel will be able to organize a transfer to any point in Thailand or explain where bus station you can go by bus.

Currency of Thailand

The official currency in Thailand is the Thai baht THB or baht. It’s quite easy to navigate prices in Thailand, since the baht exchange rate is approximately equal to the ruble exchange rate, almost 1 to 1, so if you see the price in baht, then the price in rubles is approximately the same.
You can exchange currency in banks or exchange offices. The exchange rates are usually a little better. If you are wondering what currency to take to Thailand, then the answer is universal - Dollars or Euros; exchanging any of these currencies is not difficult. Take what is more convenient for you.
Many places in Thailand accept payment bank cards, and automated teller machines (ATMs) are located on almost every corner.

Transport in Thailand

Well developed in Thailand intercity transport, you can go anywhere in the country on inexpensive and comfortable buses. For example, a trip from Bangkok to Chiang Mai (700 km) will cost 650 baht and take about 9 hours. At the same time, you will have your own personal TV, a massage chair and a set of products. In addition to buses, you can fly to many cities in Thailand by plane, fortunately there are many low cost airlines, my favorite, for example, is AirAsia.com. They often have sales and you can fly from Bangkok to the sea for 150 baht round trip, including all taxes, but for this you need to plan your trip in advance. Please note that AirAsia flies from Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok, which is closer to the city.

In Bangkok, the most convenient way to get around the city is a very inexpensive taxi, which can be found almost everywhere and at any time, and the overground (BTS) or underground (MRT). An average trip around the city by taxi will cost you no more than 100 baht.

In other cities you can travel by tuk-tuk, but I recommend discussing the price of the trip in advance.

Many tourists who can drive rent scooters (small motorcycles with an automatic transmission). Getting around on your scooter is very convenient and inexpensive; rental usually costs from 150-200 baht per day if you rent long term, then you can negotiate a discount. But be sure to wear a helmet and do not drive while drunk; the most common accidents involving tourists in Thailand are motorcycle accidents.

Where to go and what to see in Thailand?

Interesting places There are so many in Thailand that it is impossible to describe them all. In almost every city or resort you will find dozens of attractions. Among Russian tourists who travel on tourist packages with travel agencies, the most popular are Pattaya and Phuket, but maybe I’ll tell you a big secret, these resorts are the last place I would go to in Thailand and I do not recommend anyone to go there. Thailand has a huge number of wonderful places that are much better than Pattaya or Phuket. For me, Pattaya is a dump for sex tourists, in which there is no normal beach and there are some kind of robberies every day, and the local population views tourists only as a way to make money. In Phuket beautiful beaches, but it is highly overrated, the local population is quite aggressive, and the prices for everything from taxis to souvenirs are very high.
For beach holiday I would recommend Khao Lak, Koh Samui, or Krabi (Ton Sai), but travel agencies in Russia rarely offer trips to these places, and if they do offer them at very high prices, it is easier for them to send tourists to Pattaya and Phuket.

I'll briefly talk about the places I would recommend.

Bangkok

When arriving in Thailand, leave 2-3 days for its capital Bangkok, try to feel its enormous energy. Bangkok has it all: vibrant nightlife, world-class shopping and a wealth of attractions. Be sure to visit the Grand Royal Palace.

Two hours north of Bangkok is ancient capital Kingdom of Thailand - Ayutthaya city. IN former capital there are many temples destroyed during the war with Burma. In general, Ayutthaya is a very calm and cozy town. You can get to it by taxi (costs 2-3 thousand baht per day), by train that departs from Hua Lamphong railway station or by many buses that depart every 15 minutes from Mochit bus station ( Mo Chit).
Ayutthaya

Koh Samui Island

To everyone who has never been to Thailand and asks me for advice on where to go, I recommend Koh Samui. In my opinion, Samui has a good balance in such parameters as: great beaches, developed infrastructure, active night life and hotels for every budget. What I liked most is that you can find great hotels on Koh Samui for little money. For example, I lived there in a hotel with a pool and large bungalows for only 400 baht per day (Samui Native Resort and Spa), and another time in a hotel right on the beach for 500 baht per day (Your Place Resort). At the same time, in my opinion, the beaches on Koh Samui are much better than on Phuket.
You can get to Koh Samui from Bangkok different ways, depending on your budget, they can be divided into 3 categories: “budget, economy and business”.
The “budget” way is to use the services of the Lomprayah company, which can organize a transfer for you first by bus to the city of Chumphon, and then on a large high-speed catamaran directly to Koh Samui, where you can immediately rent a bike or take a taxi at the pier. This transfer costs 1,400 baht one way. Another budget option is to travel from Bangkok to Koh Samui by bus, which departs from the Southern Bus Station Bus Terminal), it will cost about 900 baht, but the journey takes almost 12 hours.
An “economical” option is to buy air tickets from Bangkok to Surathani with AirAsia. If you buy in advance and are lucky enough to get on sale, the tickets will be very cheap, I once flew for 150 baht round trip with all taxes and fees. You can buy bus tickets from Surathani Airport to Koh Samui (including ferry) directly on the plane or at the airport.
If you are willing to spend money to get to Koh Samui quickly and comfortably, then you can buy air tickets directly from Bangkok to Koh Samui. The cost of such a flight starts from 8 thousand baht round-trip; you can search for the cheapest options on AviaSales.
Chaweng beach on Koh Samui.

Chiang Mai

It is quite understandable that most tourists go to Thailand to relax on the beach, but I would recommend planning your vacation so that, past the beach, there is time to travel around the country and see other cities. Few tourists go to the North of Thailand, but in my opinion this is the most interesting region where you can see real Thailand and real Thais. In the North of Thailand there is the most big mountain Doi Inthanon and the same name national park, where you will find huge waterfalls, jungles, mountain villages and rice fields. Past the capital of northern Thailand, Chiang Mai, you can go to the popular tourist towns of Pai and Chiang Rai. Chiang Rai is home to the famous White Temple.

You can get to Chiang Mai by train from Hua Lamphong Station (about 800 baht per econom-class train), on a comfortable VIP bus from Mochit station (takes 9 hours and costs from 650 baht) or by plane (from 1200 to 3000 baht).

If I described all the sights of Thailand, I could write a separate large book, but I won’t do that, at least for now.

If you are planning your first independent travel, then I recommend reading the article, there you will find answers to many questions that may interest you. You can find other articles and useful materials for planning an independent trip on a special page -

Don't be afraid to travel on your own - it's cheaper and much more interesting. Traveling on your own gives you freedom.

It so happened that we arrived in the small, relatively secluded town of Rewalsar in the Himalayas quite late, so late that the small, sleepy and lazy provincial hotels had a hard time bothering with our check-in. The hotel owners shrugged their shoulders, shook their heads and waved their hands somewhere towards the night and slammed the doors in our faces. But we were willingly, although not free of charge, accepted to live in a guest house on the territory of the Tibetan Buddhist monastery on the shore of the lake.

As often happens in Tibetan places, our meeting and accommodation were handled by an Indian, since it was not appropriate Tibetan monks deal with money and worldly matters. In addition, the monastery had been immersed in the darkness of night for several hours, and the monks needed to get enough sleep so that tomorrow early in the morning they would have to go to meditation with a cheerful and pious face. The Indian who gave us the keys to the hotel room told us about this and other sorrows of the world, and in order to somehow console himself, he insistently recommended that we attend this event at seven in the morning.

The main topics are below: buses and trains, air tickets and visas, health and hygiene, safety, choosing a route, hotels, food, required budget. The relevance of this text is spring 2017.

Hotels

“Where will I live there?” - for some reason this question is very, simply terribly annoying for those who have not yet traveled to India. There is no such problem. There are a dime a dozen hotels there. The main thing is to choose. Next we are talking about inexpensive, budget hotels.

In my experience, there are three main ways to find a hotel.

Spiral

Typically you will arrive at new town by bus or train. So there is almost always a great mass of hotels around them. Therefore, it is enough to move a little away from the place of arrival and start walking in a circle with an increasingly larger radius in order to come across many hotels. Inscriptions "Hotel" throughout large parts of India, it indicates a place where you can eat, so the main landmarks are signs "Guest house" And "Lounge".

In areas of mass idleness (Goa, resorts of Kerala, the Himalayas) private sector, well, like here on the Black Sea coast. There you can inquire about housing from the local population and follow the signs " Rent"In Buddhist places you can live in monasteries, in Hindu places in ashrams.

The further you go from the bus station or railway station, the lower the prices, but hotels are becoming less and less common. So you look at several hotels that are acceptable in price and quality and return to the chosen one.

If you are traveling in a group, then you can send one or two people lightly to find a hotel while the rest wait at the station with their things.

If the hotel refuses and says that the hotel is only for Indians, then insisting on check-in is practically useless.

Ask a taxi driver

For those who have a lot of luggage or are simply too lazy to look. Or you want to settle near a landmark, for example, the Taj Mahal, and not near the train station. Also in major cities there are places where tourists traditionally gather: in Delhi it’s Main Bazaar, in Calcutta it’s Sader Street, in Bombay it’s also called something, but I forgot, that is, you have to go there anyway.

In this case, find an auto-rickshaw or taxi driver and set the task of where you want to live, in what conditions and for what approximately money. In this case, you can sometimes be taken to a place for free the desired hotel, even show several places to choose from. It is clear that the price immediately increases; there is no point in haggling, since the taxi driver’s commission is already included in the price. But sometimes, when you are lazy or in the middle of the night, using this method can be very convenient.

Book online

This is for those who like certainty and guarantees, more comfort and less adventure.

Well, if you book in advance, then book hotels of higher quality and not too cheap (at least $30-40 per room), because otherwise there is no guarantee that in reality everything will be as wonderful as in the photographs. They also complained to me that sometimes they arrived at a booked hotel, and the rooms, despite the reservation, were already occupied. The hotel owners were not embarrassed, they said that a client came with money, and the client with cash did not have the willpower to refuse. The money was returned, of course, but it’s still a shame.

Finding, checking into and staying in budget Indian hotels can be an adventure in itself, a source of fun and sometimes not so fun memories. But there will be something to tell you at home later.

Settlement technology

Free yourself from the presence of “Hindu assistants” and barkers, their presence automatically increases the cost of accommodation.
Go to a hotel that seems worthy of you and ask how much it costs and decide whether it’s worth living there, at the same time you have time to evaluate the interior and helpfulness.
Be sure to ask to see the room before checking in, show your dissatisfaction and indignation with all your appearance, ask to see another room, most likely it will be better. This can be done several times, achieving ever better placement conditions.

Those who are interested in the energy of Osho and Buddha, meditation and India, we invite you all on a journey to the places where the greatest mystic of the 20th century Osho was born, lived the first years of his life and gained enlightenment! In one trip we will combine the exoticism of India, meditation, and absorb the energy of Osho’s places!
The tour plan also includes visits to Varanasi, Bodhgaya and possibly Khajuraho (subject to availability of tickets)

Key travel destinations

Kuchvada

A small village in central India, where Osho was born and lived for the first seven years, surrounded and cared for by his loving grandparents. There is still a house in Kuchwad that remains exactly as it was during Osho’s lifetime. Also next to the house there is a pond, on the banks of which Osho loved to sit for hours and watch the endless movement of reeds in the wind, funny games and flights of herons over the surface of the water. You will be able to visit Osho's house, spend time on the banks of the pond, stroll through the village, and absorb that serene spirit of rural India, which undoubtedly had an initial influence on the formation of Osho.

In Kuchvad there is a fairly large and comfortable ashram under the patronage of sannyasins from Japan, where we will live and meditate.

A short video of the “emotional impression” of visiting Kuchvada and Osho’s house.

Gadarwara

At the age of 7, Osho and his grandmother moved to his parents in small town Gadarwara, where he spent his school years. By the way, the school class where Osho studied still exists, and there is even a desk where Osho sat. You can go into this class and sit at the desk where our beloved master spent so much time in his childhood. Unfortunately, getting into this class is a matter of chance and luck, depending on which teacher teaches in the class. But in any case, you can walk along the streets of Gadarvara, visit the primary and high school, the house where Osho lived, Osho’s favorite river...

And most importantly, on the outskirts of the city there is a quiet, small and cozy ashram, where there is a place where, at the age of 14, Osho experienced a deep experience of death.

Video from Osho Ashram in Gadarwara

Jabalpur

A large city with more than a million inhabitants. In Jabalpur, Osho studied at the university, then worked there as a teacher and became a professor, but the main thing is that at the age of 21 he gained enlightenment, which happened to him in one of the parks of Jabalpur, and the tree under which this happened still grows old place.

In Jabalpur we will live in a quiet and cozy ashram with a magnificent park.

From the ashram it is easy to get to the Marble Rocks - a natural wonder where Osho loved to spend time during his stay in Jabalpur.

Varanasi

Varanasi is famous for its cremation pyres, which burn day and night. But it also has a surprisingly pleasant promenade, famous temple Kashi Vishwanath, boat rides on the Ganges. Near Varanasi there is a small village called Sarnath. famous for that, that Buddha gave his first sermon there, and the first listeners were ordinary deer.

bodhgaya

Buddha's Enlightenment Place. In the main temple of the city, which is surrounded by a beautiful and vast park, a tree still grows in the shade of which Buddha gained enlightenment.

In addition, in Bodhgaya there are many different Buddhist temples erected by followers of Buddha from many countries: China, Japan, Tibet, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma... Each temple has its own unique architecture, decoration, and ceremonies.

Khajuraho

Khajuraho itself is not directly connected with Osho, except that Osho often mentioned the tantric temples of Khajuraho, and his grandmother was directly related to Khajuraho.

Among the Asian countries for an independent trip, Thailand is in first place for me. And if you see that everyone around you is writing about Thailand, then it’s not just like that. Thailand is really cool, and you can spend your vacation on a budget.

Firstly, tourism is really developed here, they won’t look at you dumbfounded, much less try to attack or rob you. Secondly, landing flights are developed in Thailand. Of all the nearby countries, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Malaysia, China (Hainan), here are the most affordable prices for air tickets, a large selection of airlines. Thirdly, there is everything here - the mainland, islands, mountains, lakes, waterfalls and two seas. Fourthly, in Thailand there is its own community of residents in each resort, if you miss “ours”, there are Russian-speaking communities on social networks just everywhere - communicate, get acquainted, go to meetings. Almost every community has chats of those who are currently on vacation. But that is not all.

Budget and visa-free

The most important advantages of traveling to Thailand are that you do not need a visa 30 days in advance and that prices in Thailand are lower than in Russia.

If you are traveling for a long time, you need to leave the country every 30 days. It’s not difficult at all, Vietnam, Malaysia, Laos, Myanmar are nearby. You can go, for example, to the island of Langkawi and come back.

Who is suitable for an independent trip to Thailand?

If you are traveling to the country for more than 1-2 weeks, an independent trip to Thailand will be much more profitable. If you have never been to the country and want to be met at the airport, put on a transfer, brought to the hotel where you plan to spend a lazy week, then it’s better to take package tour. For everyone else, I recommend going to Thailand on your own.

Flights

The biggest expense for a trip to Thailand is air tickets. But everything, absolutely everything else will be cheaper here than in Russia (except for Russian products). The most favorable prices on air tickets to Bangkok, from there you can go anywhere.

Thailand has well-developed air services (many low-cost airlines fly within the country), bus services (good roads), railway services (there are several in Bangkok railway stations, you can go anywhere).

That's it, you don't need anything else, just a passport and air tickets. Everything else is at your discretion - insurance, hotel reservations and tickets around the country.

Housing

There is a huge amount of housing in Thailand. But as elsewhere, the closer to the sea, the more expensive. You can rent hotels or houses in Thai style. The most high prices on the islands, the lowest on the mainland. But even cool 4-5 star hotels in Thailand will cost less than in Russia. For example, our hotel on Samui cost 3,500 rubles. per day for two. The hotel is located on the first line, breakfast is included in the price, there is a fitness center and two swimming pools on site.

It is better to book a hotel in advance, at least for the first time, so that you know exactly where you will be staying. Here there are no grandmothers standing at train stations with signs saying “apartment for rent”, but all options are searched for and booked via the Internet.

Food

There are no problems with food in Thailand; there is a cult of food here, so you can eat at every turn. But all food is spicy, you get used to it, and then you can’t live without this spice. I even get offended if they serve me a dish that is not very spicy.

Besides street food, there are food courts in shopping malls, cafes, restaurants and my favorite Thai buffets with unlimited food.

If you don’t like Thai food, then you can eat our usual dishes in Russian cafes. Prices there, of course, are higher than for everything local.

In Thailand they don’t sell buckwheat, and many of the products we are used to are very different, or are sold in special stores at exorbitant prices: sour cream, kefir, cottage cheese, sausage, seeds. But you can survive without this. Those who travel for a long time take non-perishable food items with them.

In Pattaya, I discovered Friendship Supermarket, where there are Russian products. A small 0.5 liter bottle of kefir costs 150 rubles, and that’s still cheap. You won't find such luxury on the islands.

How to choose a direction

From Bangkok you can go anywhere.

Hua Hin is a small resort not far from Bangkok; you can only come here on your own, because the destination is not developed for package tourism. Many Thais vacation here.

Pattaya is the noisiest and dirtiest resort, but it is very low prices for everything (2 times lower than on the islands), so for long stay many choose Pattaechka (40,000 Russians live there!). Most of the “package tourists” come here, especially from Siberia. Can't do without Tagil.

Rayong - quiet place, near Pattaya. Here 10 times fewer tourists for the main reason – buying a tour here is difficult and not cheap.

Koh Chang is a cool island near Trat. It looks like a big village, but that's its charm. There is no ring road (like Koh Samui), no public transport(taxi only), no shopping centers. But there are many hotels right on the beach.

Koh Samui is a livelier and more fun island, but still a village. The best place for life in Thailand. Shopping centers, chain stores, public songthaews - everything is already here. Koh Samui has a special climate, it rains in winter and the sun shines in summer (in the rest of Thailand the opposite is true). But look at the prices for tours to Koh Samui in the summer and you will understand that you have to go on your own.

Phuket is a very hyped tourist destination with overpriced beaches. They live in the center of the island local residents, the prices are lower, but the traffic is just crazy, I personally don’t like it. Although I love Phuket too. The concentration of our compatriots in Patong is off the charts.

And of course, the mountains of Thailand – Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai. There is no sea, but the nature is fantastic. Mountains of Thailand for sophisticated tourists, who have already watched everything. Mass tourism is not developed here; here you can see real Thai life.

Now you know everything about independent trip to Thailand. If you fall in love with this country, its nature and cuisine, then you will not be dragged out of Thailand by the ears. 🙂

We studied information about how to fly to Thailand cheaply. We'll tell you how much a ticket to Thailand costs, when is the best time to buy it, and how to get to Thailand on your own without spending a lot of money.

The article was written primarily for travelers who plan to fly to Thailand on their own, rather than going on a tour. It will be useful both for those traveling one way and for those interested in round-trip tickets.

Let's start!

To search and compare prices, we personally use air ticket search engines - Aviasales and Skyscanner. There are enough of them to find the lowest prices for tickets to Thailand, and both sites have convenient functionality that makes searching easier (price calendars, ticket cost statistics, etc.)

Where is the cheapest place to fly?
Overview/pricing examples
Lifehacks and tips for finding tickets
- Tickets via a third country
- Tours and packages
- Airline sales and promotions
- Price tracking

1. Where is the cheapest place to fly?

Direct flights from Russia to Thailand are carried out only in two directions - to Bangkok and Phuket. These are the cities that are cheapest to fly to – both direct flights and flights with transfers.

Airplanes fly to Bangkok more often and, as a rule, tickets there are cheaper. Phuket is generally more expensive to get to, but flight options often appear with approximately the same price as to Bangkok.

What if I want to go to another resort?

Some Thai resorts can be reached by purchasing a separate ticket for a domestic flight - this way you can fly to Samui, Krabi, etc.

Other cities can be reached by land (for example, a transfer from Bangkok to Pattaya takes only 2 hours).

2. Cost of tickets to Thailand from Moscow and St. Petersburg

The cheapest tickets to Bangkok are usually from January to May, and to Phuket from February to June.

2.1 Direct flights

Direct flights between Moscow and Phuket are operated by Aeroflot, Azur Air and Nordwind Airlines, and to Bangkok only by Aeroflot and THAI Airways.

At the same time, it’s unlikely to be possible to fly to Thailand inexpensively: direct flights are usually 20-30% more expensive than flights with transfers.

From Moscow to Bangkok

Prices for flights from Moscow to Bangkok start from 24,500 rubles, but most options range from 26,000-27,000 rubles.

From Moscow to Phuket

Tickets for direct flights to Phuket cost a minimum of 29,000 rubles.

From Saint-Petersburg

It is impossible to fly to Thailand cheaply on a direct flight from St. Petersburg: tickets to Bangkok cost from 40,000 rubles and, in general, rarely appear on sale. Prices for flights to Phuket start from 56,000 rubles.

2.2 Flights with transfers

For those who are looking for a cheap way to get to Thailand, the best option is a flight with transfers. Most airlines fly this way, and it is easier to find such tickets.

The following companies fly with transfers:

Qatar Airways – with a transfer in Doha (Qatar);
Etihad – transfer to Abu Dhabi (UAE)
Emirates and Flydubai – fly through Dubai (UAE)
China Southern – via Guangzhou (China)
Turkish Airlines – with a transfer in Istanbul (Türkiye)
Finnair – Helsinki (Finland)
and some others

When choosing flights, pay attention to the duration of the transfer: sometimes you come across good-priced tickets, but with a travel time of 35-40 hours.

From Moscow

The cost of a flight from Moscow starts from 20,900 rubles, but the flight duration is not the most convenient (16-30 hours). At prices starting from 22,800 rubles, you can find options with a flight to Bangkok in 13-15 hours. Flying to Phuket will be 1000-2000 rubles more expensive.

From St. Petersburg

Tickets from St. Petersburg to Bangkok with transfers cost from 24,500 rubles, but for that price the flight time will be 18-20 hours or more. Prices for short flights start from 27,000-28,000 rubles.

You can find even cheaper tickets to Phuket (from 22,000 rubles), but good options cost about the same as to Bangkok.

For a more visual search for cheap air tickets, use the calendar:

Look for tickets in advance– it is advisable to buy them 2-3 months before departure, and the search can begin even earlier. The closer to departure, the higher the price.
Experiment with departure dates: a ticket for neighboring dates can sometimes be one and a half times cheaper.
View airline promotions- they slip through there good propositions. You can view them.
View tickets to other locations– cities in Thailand or nearest countries. Alternative option– look for tickets not from your city (even if there is an airport there), but from a larger one located nearby (for the central part of Russia - from Moscow and St. Petersburg, for the regions - from Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, etc.). S7 airline has direct flights to Thailand from many cities in Siberia and the Far East.
Keep track of ticket prices on the desired dates or date range through the aviasales service - as soon as the price drops, a notification about this will be sent to your email. This is relevant if you started your search in advance and are willing to wait some time before making a purchase.

A few nuances worth paying attention to:

a round-trip ticket usually costs 30-40% cheaper than separate round-trip tickets
If you decide to fly to Thailand with one ticket and return with another, remember that without a return ticket in hand, Thai border guards may simply not let you into the country
Flight costs are usually higher when in Thailand tourist season- that is, in late autumn and winter
tickets for New Year's dates are always the most expensive of the year

3.1 Tickets through a third country

Sometimes you can fly to Thailand cheaper if you look for tickets through a third country - for example, Malaysia or Vietnam. The method often works for one-way tickets, but sometimes there are also good round-trip options.

Low prices for tickets to a third country may be due to the seasonality of holidays there or to airline promotions on certain flight routes.

In this case, you can fly cheaply, for example, to Kuala Lumpur, and from there take cheap tickets to Phuket through a low-cost airline. In total, such a flight may be cheaper than a direct ticket to Phuket.

In our experience, it is easier to find flights from low-cost airlines on Skyscanner, but there are also options on Aviasales.

Where to look for flights:

Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam)
Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
Hong Kong
Singapore

The last time we saved money this way: we flew to the north of Thailand and the flight to Bangkok cost more (22,000 rubles) than a ticket to Hong Kong (14,000 rubles) + a ticket from Hong Kong to Chiang Mai (6,000 rubles). In addition, we had the opportunity to see Hong Kong.

3.2 Tours and vouchers instead of tickets

Another tricky way to fly to Thailand cheaply is to buy not an air ticket, but a ready-made tour to the desired destination. Sometimes the cost of a trip (especially a last-minute one) can be significantly lower than the price of a ticket to regular flight. There are cases when a trip costs less than a one-way ticket.