The Grand Palace was built in 1782 when King Rama I moved the capital to Bangkok. For 150 years it was the home of the Thai kings and the seat of government. Its walls enclose over 200,000 square metres of throne halls, pavilions and courtyards. The best known building is the Chakri Maha Prasat, which mixes a European style hall with a Thai roof. The palace is still used for royal ceremonies.

Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, stands within the grounds of the Grand Palace. It is the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. The small Emerald Buddha, carved from green jade-like stone, sits high on a golden altar. The King changes its robes three times a year with the seasons. The temple is ringed by gilded chedis, guardian giants and murals of the Ramakien.

Wat Pho lies just south of the Grand Palace and is one of the oldest temples in Bangkok. It is famous for its Reclining Buddha, 46 metres long and covered in gold leaf, with feet inlaid with mother of pearl. The temple has over a thousand Buddha images and four large tiled chedis of the first kings. It is also seen as the birthplace of Thai massage, which is still taught here.

Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, stands on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River opposite Wat Pho. Its central prang rises about 70 metres and is covered with pieces of coloured porcelain and seashells arranged as flowers. Steep steps lead part of the way up. The temple is named after Aruna, the Hindu god of dawn, and is one of the best known sights of Bangkok, especially at sunset.

Wat Saket stands on the Golden Mount, an artificial hill in the old city of Bangkok. A golden chedi crowns the top, reached by a spiral path of about 300 steps past bells, small shrines and waterfalls. The terrace at the summit gives a wide view over the roofs of old Bangkok. Each November a temple fair is held here, with a candlelit procession up the hill.

The Jim Thompson House is a museum in central Bangkok. Jim Thompson was an American who revived the Thai silk industry after the Second World War. In 1959 he joined six old teak houses into one home beside a canal. He disappeared in the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia in 1967. His house, garden and collection of Asian art are open on guided tours.

Yaowarat Road is the heart of Bangkok's Chinatown, laid out in 1891. Chinese merchants settled here after the capital moved across the river, and the area grew into a busy trading quarter. Gold shops, herbal pharmacies and Chinese temples line the street under dense neon signs. At night the road fills with street food stalls selling noodles, seafood and sweets.

Asiatique The Riverfront is a night market and entertainment area on the Chao Phraya River in southern Bangkok. It opened in 2012 in restored warehouses of the East Asiatic Company, a Danish trading firm that built a pier here in the early 1900s. It has shops, restaurants, shows and a large Ferris wheel. Free boats run from Saphan Taksin pier.

Ayutthaya was the capital of the Kingdom of Siam from 1351 until it was destroyed by a Burmese army in 1767. At its height it was one of the largest cities in the world, trading with China, Japan, Persia and Europe. The ruins of its temples, palaces and monasteries stand on an island formed by three rivers. The historical park has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991.

Wat Phra Si Sanphet was the royal temple inside the palace of Ayutthaya, used only by the king for ceremonies. It was built in the 15th century. Three large bell-shaped chedis in a row hold the ashes of three kings. A 16-metre standing Buddha covered with gold once stood here but was melted down by the Burmese in 1767. The three chedis are the symbol of the city.

Wat Chaiwatthanaram stands on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River in Ayutthaya. King Prasat Thong built it in 1630, in honour of his mother. Its design, with a tall central prang surrounded by smaller towers, is based on the Khmer temples of Angkor. A gallery with 120 Buddha images once enclosed it. The temple is especially fine at sunset.

Bang Pa-In Royal Palace lies by the Chao Phraya River south of Ayutthaya. Ayutthaya kings first used the site in the 17th century, and King Mongkut and King Chulalongkorn rebuilt it in the 19th. Its buildings mix Thai, Chinese, Italian and Victorian styles around ponds and gardens. The Aisawan Thipphaya-at, a Thai pavilion standing in a pool, is its most photographed sight.

Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat in Phitsanulok, known locally as Wat Yai, stands on the Nan River. It was built in the 14th century. Its hall holds Phra Phuttha Chinnarat, a bronze seated Buddha with a golden flame-like halo, often called the most beautiful Buddha image in Thailand. Copies of it are found in temples across the country.

Sukhothai was the capital of the first Thai kingdom, founded around 1238. Under King Ramkhamhaeng it grew powerful, and the Thai script is said to have been created here. The ruins of its royal palace and 26 temples stand within old walls and moats, among ponds and lawns. Sukhothai Historical Park has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991.

Wat Mahathat was the main temple of Sukhothai and the spiritual centre of the kingdom. It was founded in the 13th century. Its central chedi has a lotus-bud top typical of Sukhothai style, surrounded by smaller chedis. Rows of columns that once held up the halls frame seated Buddha images. The temple is reflected in the ponds around it.

Wat Si Chum lies just north of the old city walls of Sukhothai. It holds Phra Achana, a huge seated Buddha about 15 metres high, squeezed into a square hall with no roof. A narrow slit in the front wall gives a view of the Buddha's face. A stairway hidden in the wall, lined with old carved slabs, once allowed people to reach the top.

Wat Chedi Luang stands in the centre of old Chiang Mai. Its great brick chedi was built in the 15th century and once rose about 80 metres, the tallest structure in the Lanna kingdom. An earthquake in 1545 brought down its top. The Emerald Buddha was kept here for some decades. The chedi's stairs are guarded by naga serpents and elephant sculptures.

Wat Phra Singh is one of the most honoured temples in Chiang Mai, founded in 1345. It houses the Phra Buddha Sihing, a revered Buddha image paraded through the city during the Songkran new year festival. The small Lai Kham chapel is a fine example of Lanna architecture, with carved gables and wall paintings of daily life in old northern Thailand.

Tha Phae Gate is the best known of the gates in the old city wall of Chiang Mai. The wall and moat were built in the 13th century and rebuilt in the 19th. The present gate is a reconstruction from the 1980s, with thick brick walls and a wide square in front. It is a meeting point for festivals, and the Sunday Walking Street market starts here.

The Chiang Mai Night Bazaar fills several blocks of Chang Khlan Road, east of the old city. It began in the days when caravans from Yunnan stopped here to trade. Every evening the pavements are packed with stalls selling crafts, clothes, hill tribe textiles, carvings and souvenirs. Covered markets and food courts lie beside the main road.

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep stands on a mountain above Chiang Mai, about 1,000 metres up. It was founded in the late 14th century. Legend says a white elephant carrying a relic of the Buddha climbed the hill and died here, and the temple was built on the spot. A staircase of over 300 steps lined with naga serpents leads to the golden chedi and a view of the city.

Bhubing Palace is the royal winter residence on Doi Buak Ha, near Doi Suthep, built in 1961. It is used when the royal family visits the north. When the royals are away, visitors can walk through its large gardens, which are famous for their roses and other flowers from cooler climates. The palace buildings themselves are seen only from outside.

Wat Umong is a forest temple at the foot of Doi Suthep, west of Chiang Mai. It was founded in the late 13th century by King Mangrai. It is best known for its brick tunnels under a hill, built for meditation, with niches for Buddha images. The quiet grounds have a pond with fish and turtles, and trees hung with signs bearing Buddhist sayings.

Wat Rong Khun, the White Temple, is a temple in Chiang Rai designed by the artist Chalermchai Kositpipat, who began it in 1997. Its white plaster and mirrored glass stand for the purity of the Buddha. To enter, visitors cross a bridge over a pit of reaching hands, a symbol of escape from desire. Inside, murals mix Buddhist themes with figures from modern popular culture.

Wat Rong Suea Ten, the Blue Temple, is in the Rong Suea Ten district of Chiang Rai. It was built from 2005 on the ruins of an old temple. Its hall is painted in deep blue and gold, with dragons and naga serpents along the roofs. Inside sits a large white Buddha image under a ceiling of swirling designs. It was created by an artist who studied under Chalermchai Kositpipat.

Baan Dam, the Black House, is a museum north of Chiang Rai created by the artist Thawan Duchanee. Around forty dark buildings stand in a garden, mixing Lanna temple forms with very personal art. They are filled with animal skins, horns, bones, carved furniture and paintings. Thawan worked on it for decades until his death in 2014.

The Golden Triangle is the area where the borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet at the junction of the Ruak and Mekong rivers. It was once known as a centre of opium growing. At Sop Ruak, a viewpoint looks across to the other two countries. A large seated golden Buddha stands on the riverbank, and the Hall of Opium museum tells the history of the trade.

Phuket Old Town is the historic centre of Phuket City, built during the tin mining boom of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Its streets, such as Thalang Road and Soi Romanee, are lined with colourful Sino-Portuguese shophouses with arched walkways. Chinese shrines, mansions of tin barons and small museums tell the town's story. A Sunday night market fills Thalang Road.

The Big Buddha of Phuket sits on top of the Nakkerd Hills between Chalong and Kata. The seated Buddha, 45 metres tall, is covered in white Burmese jade marble. Building began in 2004, paid for by donations. The site gives views over Chalong Bay and the west coast beaches. Visitors can write wishes on tiles that will become part of the monument.

Wat Chalong is the largest and most visited Buddhist temple in Phuket. It is linked with two monks, Luang Pho Chaem and Luang Pho Chuang, who helped people during a tin miners' rebellion in 1876. Its grand pagoda, about 60 metres high, holds a bone fragment said to come from the Buddha. Firecrackers are set off in the grounds by people giving thanks.

Promthep Cape is the southernmost point of Phuket island. The headland juts into the Andaman Sea, with views over small islands and the coast. It is the most popular place on the island to watch the sunset. A shrine to Brahma on the hill is surrounded by many wooden elephants given as offerings, and a lighthouse stands nearby.

Ko Phi Phi Don is the largest island of the Phi Phi group in Krabi province. Two curved bays joined by a narrow sandy strip form its centre, where Ton Sai village has guesthouses, bars and the ferry pier. A steep path leads to a viewpoint over both bays. The island was badly hit by the 2004 tsunami. Boat trips go to nearby beaches and coves.

Maya Bay is a small bay on Ko Phi Phi Le, ringed by limestone cliffs over 100 metres high. It became famous after the film The Beach in 2000. Heavy crowds damaged the coral, and the bay was closed in 2018 so it could recover, reopening in 2022 with limits. Swimming is no longer allowed, and boats moor on the far side of the island.

Railay is a peninsula near Krabi town, cut off from the mainland by limestone cliffs, so it can only be reached by boat. Its beaches of soft sand lie below tall karst walls. Railay is one of the most famous rock climbing areas in the world, with hundreds of routes. Phra Nang Beach nearby has a cave shrine filled with wooden offerings.

Wat Tham Suea, the Tiger Cave Temple, lies northeast of Krabi town. It is named after a cave where, according to legend, a tiger once lived. Its main draw is a climb of 1,260 steep steps to the top of a limestone peak, where a golden Buddha image and a small chedi stand with views over Krabi, the mountains and the sea.

Ao Nang is the main beach resort of Krabi province, on the mainland facing the Andaman Sea. Its long beach is backed by limestone hills, and long-tail boats leave from the shore for Railay, the Phi Phi Islands and the Four Islands. The beach road is lined with shops, hotels and restaurants. The sunset over the karst islands offshore is a favourite sight.