Thailand

As the only country in Southeast Asia never colonized by European powers, Thailand is a land with a strong sense of cultural pride and a reverence for traditions.

A monk walks toward the altar of Wat Benchamabophit, a white marble temple in the Grand Palace area, Dusit, Bangkok. Photo: anek.soowannaphoom/Shutterstock

Overview

Thailand, known for its turquoise seas, emerald forests, and golden temples, is Southeast Asia’s favorite tourism destination, welcoming more than 30 million visitors each year. They come for upscale shopping, vibrant street scenes, and pulsating nightlife, for the intricate diversities of Thai cuisines and the savory freshness of street food. Dazzling beaches generate endless visual fodder for Instagram influencers, wooded highlands lure nature lovers, and historic sites and 30,000 temples attest to a culture rooted in the precepts of the Buddha and a reverence for those who came before.

Bangkok is one of the world’s great cities, where five-star hotels and chrome-glass centers of commerce rise above traditional neighborhoods linked by canals and vendor-lined alleys. Beyond the city limits, a different world awaits in villages that move to the sedate seasonal rhythms of the rice harvest and the reflective tones of a temple gong. Farther afield, peaks rising high above the plains offer a cool respite from tropical heat.