Thailand family holidays

If you’re looking for a relaxing family holiday in Thailand, the islands are a great choice. While each one has its own distinct character, they all have something in common – incredible beaches. Think soft sand, crystal-clear ocean and palm trees, gently swaying in the breeze. And most of Thailand’s beaches have fairly shallow waters, making them suitable for young children and inexperienced swimmers.

If you’d like to stay in an all-inclusive resort, with childcare facilities, organised excursions and a range of food options, more developed islands like Koh Samui and Phuket offer plenty of choice. Or you might want to select an island based on the activities available. There’s fantastic snorkelling around Koh Lanta and Phi Phi, while Koh Tao is one of the most popular spots in Thailand for diving. A number of the dive schools here offer youth programmes, generally open to kids over the age of 10. For kayaking, you can’t beat the dramatic scenery in Phang Nga Bay, while Krabi province is the place for rock-climbing.

A visit to Bangkok is one of the best ways to teach your kids about Thai culture. The country’s capital is jam-packed with cultural attractions, like the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, and the Jim Thompson House. Centrally-located Lumphini Park is a great spot for a picnic or a bike ride – or, if you’re a family of shopaholics, you’ll be spoiled for choice what with the local markets and megamalls.

Exciting as Bangkok is, it’s also the world’s most-visited city, so parts of it are extremely busy. You might want to be quite selective about the area you stay in, particularly if you have very young children. And it’s also worth keeping in mind that Bangkok’s pavements are generally narrow and crowded, so you’ll have a hard time walking down them with a pram or pushchair.

If you’re keen to include a city break in your Thailand family holiday, but would rather go somewhere a bit calmer than Bangkok, consider Chiang Mai instead. The gateway to Thailand’s mountainous north, it has a laidback atmosphere and is easily walkable. And the surrounding countryside is criss-crossed by hiking trails and interspersed with waterfalls, so it’s a great option for active families who enjoy spending time outdoors.

Thailand’s jungles and oceans are wildlife wonderlands, making it one of the best places in the world for animal encounters. The chance to see certain creatures in their natural habitat is one reason why Thailand family holidays are so popular. Khao Sok National Park, in the south of the country, is older than the Amazon and believed to contain over five percent of the world’s species. You can trek through the jungle in search of leopards, tapirs and Malayan sun bears. Or relax on Cheow Lan Lake and you might see golden frogs leaping between lily pads and gibbons swinging in the trees.

Although a small number of Asian elephants roam here too, they’re rarely seen. The best place to see wild elephants in Thailand is Kuiburi National Park, close to the border with Myanmar. But for a guaranteed sighting you should head to one of the country’s ethical sanctuaries. You’ll find many of them in the north, just outside Chiang Mai.

And if you go island-hopping during your Thailand family holiday, you’ll soon discover that the country’s marine life is just as exciting as that found on land. Dive or snorkel amongst the coral reefs and you could see turtles, lion fish, whale sharks, zebra sharks and maybe even manta rays.

Nothing ruins a holiday like bad weather, so you’ll want to plan your family holiday to Thailand at the right time of year. Although it changes slightly from region to region, generally speaking, the best time to go is between November and March – so over the Christmas holidays, February half term, or Easter if it falls early enough. At this time you should experience sunny days, warm weather and relatively low humidity.

Central and Northern Thailand have three seasons – the cool season, which runs from November to February; the hot season, from March to mid-May; and the wet season, which lasts from the middle of May until October. In the south of the country, there are just two seasons – wet and dry – but the timings vary depending which side of the country you’re on. The Andaman Coast, on the west, is generally dry between November and March, and experiences monsoon rains from April to October. The Gulf of Thailand, meanwhile, gets far less rain than the rest of the country. If you’re heading to the islands on this side, like Koh Tao, Koh Samui or Koh Phangan, you might want to avoid Christmas and instead go during May half term or at the start of the summer holidays, as it typically stays dry all the way from January to August.