Thai food and café towns off the beaten path.
Less-touristed food and café towns in Thailand, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
Karon
This dense mix of resort hotels, pool villas, and local housing spreads across forested hillsides right down to a long stretch of turquoise-water beach, maki…
Choeng Thale
This Phuket town fronting calm water, where multi-storey buildings with dark gabled roofs and white balconies line the shoreline among palms, backed by a liv…
Ang Thong
A tiny provincial capital on both banks of the Chao Phraya River in central Thailand, Ang Thong is known for its reclining Buddha statues, traditional drum-m…
Chalong
A waterfront town on Phuket's southern coast, Chalong is home to Wat Chalong — formally Wat Chaiyathararam and considered the most important of Phuket's Budd…
Ban Ho Mae Salong
Tea plantations now cover the mountain slopes where Kuomintang soldiers once grew opium poppies in this highland village in Chiang Rai Province, northern Tha…
Chiang Saen
Ancient walled city on the Mekong River in northern Thailand's Chiang Rai province, Chiang Saen was founded in the 14th century as a Lanna Kingdom stronghold…
Mae Hong Son
This little provincial capital in the Shan Hills of north-west Thailand, Mae Hong Son sits along the banks of the River Pai near the border with Myanmar, wit…
Patong
Phuket's busiest beach resort sits on the island's west coast, with a long stretch of sand backed by a dense concentration of hotels, restaurants, and shops.
Phimai
Home to the Phimai Historical Park, one of Thailand's most significant Angkorian temple complexes, this modest town in Nakhon Ratchasima Province in northeas…
Rawai
A sandy bay lined with longtail boats at low tide, Rawai sits at Phuket's southern tip where forested hills meet the sea, offering a working waterfront feel…
Kamala
This laid-back beach town on Phuket's west coast, Kamala lines its sandy promenade with open-air bars, bungalow guesthouses, restaurants, and massage shops s…
Ko Phayam
This pocket-sized Andaman Sea island in Ranong Province, close to the Myanmar border, draws independent travellers with an unusually dense café and restauran…
Phang Nga
This small provincial capital in southern Thailand sits on a low plain at the northern edge of Phang Nga Bay, ringed by mountains on all sides — a geography…
Sangkhla Buri
Compact town in western Thailand's Kanchanaburi province with a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size, Sangkhla Buri sits close to mountains…
Phayao
This lakeside town in the mountains of northern Thailand, Phayao sits on the shore of Phayao Lake and traces its origins to a city-state founded between 900…
Ranong
A small provincial town on Thailand's northern Andaman Coast, Ranong sits at the water's edge with mountains close behind and a food-and-drink scene concentr…
Trat
This walkable town on the Trat River near the Cambodian border, with a centre full of cafés and restaurants and a waterfront shaped by fishing and maritime t…