Day 1: Bangkok Arrival & Riverside Evening

Arrive in Bangkok and drop your bags in Banglamphu, the backpacker district behind Khao San Road. Spend your first afternoon taking a Chao Phraya River express boat — the orange-flag boats cost about 60 baht and take you past the Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun), the Royal Palace, and the modern glass towers of the business district. Disembark at Tha Tien and watch the sunset across the river from the pier steps — the light hitting Wat Arun’s porcelain tiles is something you’ll carry home. Dinner on the riverfront, riverside seafood, cold beer.

Accommodation: Banglamphu guesthouse (€12–25/night).

Transport: Airport Rail Link + river boat (€3–5).

Day 2: Grand Palace, Wat Pho & Wat Arun

A heavy temple day, but these three are the crown jewels. Start at the Grand Palace at opening time (8:30am). Walk to Wat Pho next — the Reclining Buddha room alone is worth the trip. Take the cross-river ferry to Wat Arun (€0.60) and climb the steep central prang — the view of the river bend and the Bangkok skyline from the top is breathtaking. Evening: dinner at a rooftop restaurant overlooking Wat Arun lit up in golden glory.

Entry: Grand Palace (€10), Wat Pho (€5), Wat Arun (€3).

Ferry: Cross-river ferry (€0.60).

Day 3: Bangkok Canals & Evening Night Train South

Your last Bangkok day before heading to the islands. Rent a longtail boat for a tour of the Bangkok canals (klongs) — the Thonburi side, with its stilt houses, floating market remnants, and temple-lined waterways. Pack light — you’re taking the night train south tonight. The 6:30pm sleeper train from Hua Lamphong to Surat Thani is an experience in itself: your seat becomes a bed, dinner is served in the dining car, and you’ll wake up in the South of Thailand.

Canal tour: Longtail boat tour (€10–15/person).

Night train: 2nd class sleeper air-con (€20–25).

Day 4: Train to Krabi & Railay Beach Arrival

Arrive at Surat Thani station around 6am, transfer by bus and ferry to Railay Beach (about 3 hours total). The approach by boat is your first glimpse of the Andaman karsts — sheer limestone towers rising from jade-green water. Railay is a peninsula accessible only by boat, which means no cars, no motorbikes, just footpaths connecting three stunning beaches: Railay West, Railay East, and Phra Nang Cave Beach. Spend the afternoon decompressing on the sand with a coconut.

Transport: Bus + ferry Surat Thani to Railay (€15–20).

Accommodation: Railay beach bungalow (€15–30/night).

Day 5: Rock Climbing & Phra Nang Lagoon

Railay is world-famous for rock climbing — and even if you’ve never tied a rope, this is the place to try. Beginners can climb the shallow bolted routes on One-Two-Three Wall, overlooking the beach. Book a half-day climbing session with a local guide (gear included). In the afternoon, follow the jungle path from Phra Nang Cave Beach to the hidden lagoon — it’s a steep, sweaty 20-minute scramble up a fixed rope, but the reward is a turquoise pool ringed by sheer karst cliffs.

Climbing: Half-day intro session with gear (€25–35).

Lagoon: Free hike (moderate difficulty).

Day 6: Four Island Tour by Longtail

A classic day trip from Railay that visits Chicken Island, Poda Island, Tup Island, and Phra Nang Cave Beach. The tour runs from 9am to 4pm and includes snorkelling stops, a beach lunch, and plenty of swimming time. Poda Island has the postcard-perfect white sand beach you’ve seen on Instagram. Tup Island connects to Chicken Island via a sandbar at low tide. The snorkelling is good — parrotfish, clownfish, and occasionally sea turtles in the shallows.

Tour cost: Four Island longtail tour, lunch and snorkel gear included (€15–20).

Day 7: Koh Phi Phi Day Trip

Take the early ferry from Ao Nang to Koh Phi Phi Don (about 2 hours). The approach is spectacular — Maya Bay (of “The Beach” fame), Loh Samah Bay, and the dramatic twin bays of Tonsai. Phi Phi Don is the bigger island with resorts and nightlife; Phi Phi Leh is uninhabited with lagoons and Maya Bay. Spend the day snorkelling at Bamboo Island, hiking to the Phi Phi viewpoint for the classic twin-bay photo, and eating at the beachfront restaurants. Return ferry in the late afternoon.

Transport: Ferry Railay/Ao Nang to Phi Phi return (€25–30).

Entry: National park fee for Maya Bay (€5).

Day 8: Railay Relaxation & Sunset Kayaking

A slow day designed to let the Andaman rhythm take over. Sleep in. Read a book on Railay West. Swim at Phra Nang Cave Beach, widely considered one of the world’s most beautiful beaches, with a cave at one end filled with carved wooden phalluses (a local fertility shrine). In the late afternoon, rent a kayak and paddle through the mangroves of Railay East and around the headland to the karst islands offshore. The golden light on the limestone as the sun sets is pure magic.

Kayak rental: (€8–12 for 2 hours).

Day 9: Koh Phi Phi Full Day & Fire Show

Take the morning ferry back to Phi Phi Don for an overnight stay. Drop your bags and head straight to Long Beach for a perfect swimming day. In the afternoon, hike up to the Phi Phi viewpoint — the effort is rewarded with the view that made Phi Phi famous: the two curved bays framing the island like butterfly wings. Evening: watch the legendary fire show on the beach at Tonsai Bay, where performers spin flaming poi against the ocean backdrop.

Accommodation Phi Phi: Tonsai village guesthouse (€15–25/night).

Ferry: Railay to Phi Phi (€12–15).

Day 10: Departure from Krabi

Take the morning ferry from Phi Phi back to Krabi mainland (Ao Nang or Krabi Town, depending on your flight). Krabi Airport is small and efficient — you can arrive an hour before your flight and breeze through. If you have a late flight, spend a few hours at Ao Nang Beach or visit the Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Sua) just outside Krabi Town — 1,260 steps to the top, but the view over the karst landscape is a worthy final image for your trip.

Transport: Ferry Phi Phi to Krabi (€12–15), airport transfer (€5–8).