Favourite experiences in Thailand – the ultimate list by lesbian travellers Once Upon A Journey
Is Thailand already on your travel bucket list? Or did you, like us, already visit this fantastic country many times? If Thailand isn’t on your travel bucket list yet, make sure to put it on there as soon as possible. You will fall in love with this beautiful country full of kind and welcoming people – and with all the lesbian experiences in Thailand!
We’ve already shared our favorite places in Thailand to visit (including the best lesbian spots), so when you visit Thailand, you can fully enjoy the beauty of this country. From the most beautiful temples, adventurous green jungles, white beaches, tropical islands with luxurious resorts to busy cities and street food everywhere, Thailand has it all. You won’t be bored in Thailand.
In this article, we will share our favorite Thailand experiences. Cooking Thai food, enjoying a Thai massage, throwing water during Songkran, and seeing thousands of lanterns floating in the sky: Thailand has many unique and fantastic experiences to offer. Here are the best suggestions for the most incredible things to experience on your Thailand trip.
Floating market

Thailand is famous for its great markets. Visiting a floating market is a must-do! Hop on a boat and drive through the canals and buy something on the way! Along the water, you will find shops or other floating boats selling souvenirs, clothing or food.
Some floating markets are more touristic than others, but it’s a Thailand experience to enjoy at least once.
Also great to visit: a night market!
Songkran Festival
Songkran is Thailand’s New Year and celebrated mid-April. For three full days, Thailand becomes very wet, literally. Songkran festival is a water festival and you will see water fights everywhere. Everyone throws water on each other. So be prepared to get wet. People will throw buckets filled with water and use water pistols.
It’s one of the most unique New Year experiences in the world!
Elephant sanctuary
In and around Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand, there are many elephant sanctuaries. Elephants are stunning creatures and how amazing is it to see them up close?
We do not recommend riding elephants (there’s a lot wrong with that), but we do recommend visiting an ethical elephant sanctuary! The Elephant Nature Park for example.
Thai massage
You simply can’t leave Thailand if you didn’t enjoy a Thai massage. Thailand is famous for its massages and you can find massage shops everywhere around the country.
If you like soft massages make sure to tell in advance, as Thai massages can be a little hard.
Yi Peng Lantern Festival

Another fantastic festival in Thailand to visit, and this one is truly magical. You might have seen the movie Tangled in which thousands of lanterns float in the sky. Yi Peng lantern festival is like that Tangled scene. Imagine countless lanterns floating in the sky, it won’t get more romantic than this, and we thought it was one of our favourite lesbian experiences in Thailand!
Visit Thailand in November during the full moon and head to Chiang Mai to enjoy Thailand’s lantern festival. Releasing a lantern into the sky symbolizes letting go of the bad and letting in good new energies for a brighter future.
Thai cooking class

Thai food is so delicious! So why not learn how to make it yourself?! Take a Thai cooking class and learn how to make Thai food. Then you can enjoy homemade Thai food after you’ve travelled back home. And we bet everyone will be impressed with your new cooking skills. We enjoyed a Thai cooking class a couple of times and absolutely love it.
Also, make sure to eat street food in Thailand. You can find street food vendors everywhere you go. Thai food can be spicy, especially curries, so be prepared!
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a national sport in Thailand. If you love martial arts, make sure to watch Muay Thai. Around Thailand, there are many opportunities to do so. Or go in a ring yourself. Get training lessons or participate in a fight.
Full Moon Party
This is not a cultural Thai experience like the others mentioned above, but more a touristic one. We do want to include the full moon party on this list as we had lots of fun going to two full moon parties.
Every month, on the evening of the full moon, thousands of people gather to party on the beach of Koh Phangan under the full moon. So party lovers, make sure to head to Koh Phangan during the full moon.
Hop on a longtail boat & tuk tuk

Our favorite way of transportation in Thailand: the longtail boat and tuk tuk! Did you visit Thailand if you didn’t hop on a tuk tuk? Probably not!
This unique and authentic Thai way of transportation… is so fun! Especially first-time visitors should hop on a tuk tuk (in Bangkok it especially gets crazy while sitting in a tuk tuk) and enjoy the ride in a longtail boat.
Enjoy the beauty Thailand has to offer and these amazing Thailand experiences! Read more about lesbian Thailand.
Lesbian experiences in Thailand
About the authors

Who are we? We are Roxanne & Maartje, a Dutch lesbian couple that runs travel & lifestyle blog Once Upon A Journey. For three years, we were fully nomadic and travelled all around the world. Right now, we are based in the Netherlands again.
We don’t shy away from countries that aren’t LGBT+ friendly, but we also celebrate the places that are. Visibility matters and we hope our travels can help LGBT+ people globally to have hope, to inspire them to think bigger! It’s our biggest belief that travel is for everyone and we’re determined to show how beautiful the world can be.
Find our blog and read about travel and lesbian lifestyle topics like the best lesbian movies and the ultimate lesbian travel guide to travelling as safe as possible.
Visit www.onceuponajrny.com for more.