The best of Thailand, Laos and Cambodia for your first trip to Southeast Asia!
I had been dreaming of visiting Southeast Asia for years but ended up putting it off for later for fear of taking the kids, still so young, to the other side of the globe, or due to pure lack of time and money.
But then the opportunity finally arose and, after months of planning and planning and replanning, on Christmas Eve we left our home in Brazil for Bangkok, for what turned out to be the most spectacular trip we have taken in recent years.
We only had three weeks to explore Southeast Asia – it may not seem like much time for such a beautiful and culturally rich region, but I guarantee it’s enough to make you fall in love and want to come back again and again.
Here, I share our itinerary, where we stayed, how we got around, and what I would have done differently if I knew then what I know now.
First of all, follow me on Instagram @danae_explore – that’s where you can keep up with my trips, find lots of travel tips, and send me a DM anytime. I love chatting about travel!
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How we chose which countries to visit in three weeks in Southeast Asia
When planning the trip, our objective was to experience, in the short time we had available (3 weeks), the best of Southeast Asia. We were a group of 7 people – 4 adults and 3 children – and we wanted to get in touch with culture, learn history, enjoy the beaches and have lots of fun, on a low to middle-range budget (the order of priorities varied depending on the group member😂). It may seem difficult to please everyone but I’m glad to say I managed to put together an itinerary that was perfect 💪🏻
I had already traveled through Southeast Asia in the 90s, backpacking on a very tight budget. On that trip, I spent most of the time in Indonesia, but I also visited Bangkok and Singapore. Indonesia was, thus, out of the plans for this visit (my unilateral decision, of course).
Thailand made it onto our itinerary for two reasons (1) Bangkok is the region’s main hub , which simplifies air logistics (and costs) when crossing the world with two children in tow; and (2) the beaches are amazing, although there are plenty of other beautiful ones in Southeast Asia. Cambodia was included because I had always dreamed of visiting the Angkor Wat temples (and I convinced the other adults in our group to go along). Laos made it to the list due to a close friend’s insistence — he spent months in the region a few years ago and fell in love with this small landlocked country.
Vietnam? Philippines? And Indonesia, which is so beautiful, why not go back there after such a long time? Yes, these questions crossed our minds several times, and were asked by many people. Time is short, money is limited, choices must be made.
If it all goes well, we’ll be back many other times to Southeast Asia and we’ll have plenty of time to explore every corner of this amazing part of the planet.
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How to get to Southeast Asia
We flew from São Paulo to Bangkok with Emirates, connecting in Dubai. Our first flight took around 14 hours, followed by a four-hour layover and another six hours to Bangkok. Your route and travel time will depend on where you’re flying from.
The flight from São Paulo to Dubai takes 14 hours and from there to Bangkok around 6 hours. Our waiting time in Dubai was around 4 hours, but this can vary as there are several daily flights between Dubai and Bangkok.. Another option is via Qatar, with connection in Doha.
A 14-hour flight is not easy. Feels like it will never end. There’s plenty of time to sleep, eat, watch 3 movies, read a book, walk up and down the aisle 345 times and still have the feeling that time has not passed. Jokes aside, it’s important to have a strategy in place for all these hours tucked inside an airplane, especially if you (like us) are going to be squeezed in economy class. After that seemingly endless flight, the next one, Dubai-Bangkok, was fast and easy – in fact, I slept the whole time on that flight, both on the way out and on the way back.
In conclusion: Emirates is an excellent airline: the seats are comfortable (as much as possible, of course), the food was great, the in-flight entertainment was perfect, and the price for the trip was the cheapest among the available options at the time. Less than six months later, we were once again aboard Emirates, this time headed to Japan.
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3-week Southeast Asia itinerary overview
- 3 days in Bangkok
- 6 days in Siem Reap
- 4 days in Luang Prabang
- 4 days in Railay Beach (Krabi)
- 4 days in Koh Samui
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This itinerary covers 21 days across the destinations, including travel days, with the flight home on day 22. You’ll also need to allow for travel time from home to Bangkok and back from Koh Samui.
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How to get around Southeast Asia and where to stay
On our 3-week itinerary through Southeast Asia, we did all the internal sections by plane, with the exception of the section between Railay and Koh Samui, which we did by bus and ferry with Lomprayah.
The flights and routes below are the ones we took on that trip. Before booking your hotels, check which connections work for your dates: on this itinerary, getting from one destination to the next takes up much of each travel day.
Where to stay and getting around Bangkok: we stayed at Bangkok Hotel Lotus Sukhumvit, close to a BTS (Sky train) station, we moved around the city by SkyTrain and on one of the days by van, with a hired tour.
Where to stay and getting around Siem Reap: the hotel we stayed in – Golden Temple Hotel was walking distance to the touristic center, so we did everything on foot and took a tuk-tuk when needed to go anywhere too far to walk. We visited the temples with an organized tour.
Where to stay and getting around Luang Prabang: we chose the Villa Mahasok Hotel, which was a few blocks from the touristic area (and the night market), so we did everything on foot. The tour to Kuang Si Waterfall, Pak Ou Caves and Mekong River we did with an organized tour.
Where to stay and getting around Railay Beach: It’s a tiny village, you can do absolutely everything on foot. We stayed at Railay Phutawan Resort which had the most amazing views and was a short walk from the main (and only) street in town.
Where to stay and getting around Koh Samui: It is a relatively large island (contrary to what I naively had imagined). We rented a scooter to explore the island and couldn’t even cover half of the road that surrounds the island. On the other days, we took boat trips that included hotel pick-up; close to Tembo Beach Club & Resort there were several options of restaurants, bars and markets, so either we walked or took a tuk-tuk if needed.
Check hotel availability and rates here:
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Entry documents and arrival forms
Check the visa requirements for your passport and the immigration forms required by each country. They are separate procedures.
Thailand’s TDAC is free and must be completed within the three days before arrival, including the arrival date. This itinerary involves entering Thailand twice, so you’ll need a new form for each entry. Children need one too.
For Cambodia, check the Cambodia e-Arrival, which can be submitted within seven days before arrival, as well as the visa requirements for your passport. For Laos, check the visa and digital immigration form, including for arrival and departure through Luang Prabang.
What to do in Southeast Asia in three weeks
I’ve added booking links alongside the tours to help with planning. These are current options and may be run by different operators from the ones we used. Check the itinerary, guide language, included admission fees, and departure point before booking.
1st day – Arrival in Bangkok, settle in our hotel and explore the city.
2nd and 3rd days – Discover Bangkok: main temples (Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, Temple of the Golden Buddha, which we visited on a guided tour); take a break and immerse yourself in the oriental culture in Jim Thompson Museum, and then enjoy the most iconic street in Southeast Asia, the Khaosan Road .
Enjoy late afternoon at one of the city’s rooftops or Asiatique. Stroll around in one or some of the city’s many shopping malls.
If you feel like it, do a day tour to Ayutthaya– you can visit independently or join a guided tour – we didn’t do it this time, but I did it on my own (without Google Maps and without a cell phone) in the 90s and I loved it!
With only three days in Bangkok, I’d treat Ayutthaya as a replacement for some of the city sightseeing, not as an extra day that magically appeared in the itinerary.
4th day– flight to Siem Reap (Cambodia), we flew AirAsia. Arrival at Golden Temple Hotel (the best hotel of our entire trip!) and an afternoon visit to the National Museum (we went by tuk-tuk).
When searching for flights, look for Siem Reap Angkor Airport (SAI). Allow time for the transfer to your hotel when planning your arrival day.
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5th and 6th day – For us, two days was the right amount of time to visit the main Angkor temples – Angkor Wat is the largest and best known of them, but there are dozens of other temples, equally beautiful and full of history. To plan your visit, here’s an option for a two-day tour of the Angkor temples.
7th to 9th day – we spent New Year in Siem Reap and took the opportunity to rest a little. On those days, we took the tour to the floating villages on Lake Tonlé Sap, zip-lined, visited the city’s markets, enjoyed the hotel pool, in short, full vacation mode activated.
10th day – flight to Luang Prabang (Laos), we flew Lao Airlines (there was a stop in Pakxe, where we did immigration and got the visa-on-arrival), and upon arriving in Luang Prabang, the staff from Villa Mahasok Hotel were waiting for us at the airport and, after checking in, we went to dinner in the city.
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11th to 13th day – explore Luang Prabang and surroundings:
Kuang Si Waterfall and Pak Ou Caves, Mekong River sunset boat trip, city temples (Wat Mai, Wat Xieng Thong, Wat Manorom, Wat Sene, Wat Wisunarat and others), climb Mount Phousi and, if possible, enjoy the sunset there, Alms Giving Ceremony, National Museum and Haw Pha Bang Temple.
Luang Prabang is a charming and pleasant city, with excellent restaurants and a great night market to buy handicrafts and souvenirs. We took a cooking course and watched some excellent traditional Lao storytelling theater.
14th day – flight to the south of Thailand, we went by Thai Airlines – we took a flight to Phuket, because the times and connections were better, but the closest airport to our destination was Krabi. This day was spent in transfers, flights, airports, vans, boats and even a tractor. We arrived at Railay Beach at night and stayed at Railay Phutawan Resort.
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When comparing tours, check the departure point, duration, and what’s included. In Railay, especially, confirm whether the boat leaves from the beach itself or whether you need to get to another departure point.
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15th to 17th day – Railay beach – have you ever dreamed of paradisiacal beaches, with incredible rock formations and crystal clear turquoise water? In Railay your dream will come true. Here we found the most beautiful beaches of the entire trip.
One day we enjoyed the beaches of Railay, the other days we took boat trips to Hong Island and 4 Islands. Wish I could have stayed longer in Railay. The linked Hong Island tour offers pickup at Railay East Floating Pier; for the four-island tour, select the speedboat option if you want to board in Railay. Confirm the meeting point when booking.
You can do the same tours staying in Krabi, a larger town with more accommodation options.
18th day – get to Koh Samui. It was the only stretch where we didn’t take a plane. We went by bus and ferry. From Krabi, it was about 2 ½ hours by bus and 45 minutes by ferry, then plus 40 min taxi to Tembo Beach Club & Resort.
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These were the travel times on our trip. Check the departure point, arrival pier, and current Lomprayah timetable, including the journey from Railay and the transfer to your hotel in Samui.
Days 19–21 – Koh Samui.
On the first day we took a boat trip to Ang Thong Marine National Park (the best tour in the area). You can do this tour on a speedboat or catamaran, we went by catamaran and loved it.
On another day we took the tour to Ko Mat Sum (the “pig island”) and the next day we explored Koh Samui and its waterfalls by scooter.
Day 22 – Leaving Koh Samui for the end was strategic as there is an airport on the island (which was actually very close to our hotel) with several daily flights to Bangkok (Bangkok Airways), which made the return back home trip really easier – our journey home to São Paulo took three flights and more than 34 hours.
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What would I change in the itinerary
The trip was incredible and we loved everything, but saying that I wouldn’t change anything isn’t true, right?
Now after the trip is over, if I were to redo this 3-week Southeast Asian itinerary, I would make these adjustments:
When choosing your beaches, check the time of year too. Railay and Koh Samui are on coasts with different rainy seasons: in the Gulf of Thailand, where Samui is located, the heaviest rain falls between September and December. Krabi’s forecast won’t tell you what to expect in both places.
– I would exclude one (or maybe 2) days in Siem Reap and include them in Railay. Better to rest on a paradisiacal beach, right?
– Not having so much time available, I would seriously consider excluding Koh Samui from the itinerary. It’s a beautiful island, and the trip to Ang Thong Marine Park is amazing, but after visiting Railay Beach, your standard for beach beauty will definitely change. You will never look at a beach the same way again. It might be worth exploring more of the coast of the Andaman Sea, including other beach regions: Koh Lanta, Koh Lipe, or Koh Phi Phi. I haven’t visited Koh Phi Phi, so I’d look into the logistics and how busy it is before choosing.
– As far as beaches are concerned, if you want to explore Cambodia further, the island of Koh Rong looks fantastic. We didn’t go, but it’s on the list for a future trip. Today I think that maybe we could have gone to that island, and excluded Koh Samui from the itinerary, but the logistics would have been much more complicated.
– If you find yourself with extra days to explore Thailand , there are numerous other fantastic destinations worth exploring. Chiang Mai, with its mountain setting and temples, is another option to research.
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Frequently asked questions about the itinerary
Can you visit three Southeast Asian countries in three weeks?
Yes, and that’s what we did: Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. We chose five bases and flew between most destinations. It works, but travel days need to be included in your itinerary.
Does this itinerary include international travel days?
The itinerary starts when you arrive in Bangkok and covers 21 days across the destinations, including travel between them. We flew home from Koh Samui on day 22. Allow additional time for your international journeys, depending on where you live and your flight connections.
What would I leave out for a slower trip?
I’d consider leaving out Koh Samui and spending the beach portion of the trip on the Andaman coast. I’d also shorten our stay in Siem Reap by one or two days, as explained in the suggested adjustments.
Map and itinerary of our three weeks in Southeast Asia
Here is the map of our trip in Google MyMaps, with our detailed route, everything we did, where we stayed, and all the cool spots we visited. It’s super easy to use and you can even save it to your own Google account for future reference. So when you plan your next trip to Southeast Asia, you already know where to start 😉
On the map, you’ll find details of everything we did, where we stayed, and the best places we visited. There are different layers, each with a unique color for the various regions we explored.
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How to use this map: Click the menu tab in the upper left corner of the map to access different layers, including points of interest and routes. You can toggle layers on and off by checking the corresponding boxes. To see details about specific locations, click on the icons on the map.
To save this map to your Google Maps account, just click the star icon next to the map title. To access it later on your phone or computer, open Google Maps, tap the menu button, go to “Your Places”, select “Maps”, and you’ll find this map saved there.
Here are the websites I always use to plan my trips:
– 🛌 Accommodation: Booking
– ☀️ Tours & activities: Civitatis & Get Your Guide
– 📱 eSIM for mobile data: Airalo e-SIM – use promo code DANAE2375
– 🚗 Car rental: RentCars – use promo code DANAE, or DiscoverCars
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All our posts about destinations in Southest Asia, to inspire you and help you plan your trip:
- 3-week itinerary through Southeast Asia – the best of Thailand, Laos and Cambodia!
- Siem Reap and Angkor Wat, the most spectacular temples in Cambodia
- New Year’s Eve in Siem Reap, Cambodia
- What to do in 3 days in Luang Prabang
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Here are our posts about other destinations in Asia:
South Korea
Japan
- 4-week Japan itinerary: the best of Japan for a first trip to the Land of the rising sun
- Where to stay in Tokyo
- Beyond Tokyo: 7 day-trips that live up to the hype
- The best of Kyoto: what to do in 4 or 5 days in Japan’s ancient capital
- Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route – Your ultimate guide to the journey crossing the Japanese Alps
- Nakasendo Road, from Magome to Tsumago, the most beautiful villages of medieval Japan
- Hiroshima: 2-day itinerary, with a day trip to Miyajima
- Sapporo: complete itinerary and tips for skiing in Hokkaido
- 10 things you need to know before traveling to Japan
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