Once Upon A Journey on a boat tour on Udon Thani's Red Lotus Lake, Thailand

Favourite places in Thailand to visit – tips by lesbian travellers Once Upon A Journey

Thailand is an amazing country to visit! We always love exploring Thailand; we can’t get enough of this beautiful and welcoming country. And it has so much to offer! After more than 8 visits, we can say we’ve seen quite a lot of gay and lesbian places in Thailand, but there’s still so much more to see. From stunning white beaches, tropical islands, green jungles to beautiful temples, busy cities and super friendly people: Thailand has it all! 

And the best part is that we can be ourselves in Thailand. An out and proud lesbian couple. That’s one of the reasons we love visiting Thailand, besides the fact that’s a beautiful county, we are welcomed with open arms. 

Let’s tell you all about 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.

Bangkok

Once Upon A Journey in Bangkok, Thailand
Twirl around: the temples of Bangkok make for fabulous photo-ops!

What’s a visit to Thailand without seeing its capital city Bangkok? Yes, we get why some people don’t love this busy, chaotic, and often smelly city. But we absolutely love it and we highly recommend giving it a chance.

Bangkok has a large gay scene which is located in Silom. There aren’t any specifically lesbian bars or clubs, but we had super fun evenings in Silom Soi 4, a pedestrian street with gay bars (while it’s male-dominated, we felt welcome here!).

Khao Sok National Park

Once Upon A Journey in Bangkok, Thailand
Come aboard: a boating trip around Khao Sok National Park is a must for nature lovers on vacation in Thailand!

Khao Sok National Park is truly one of the most beautiful places we ever visited in the world. Limestone mountains, the lake, and the caves are simply breathtaking. We highly recommend sleeping on the lake! If you love nature, this is the place to be in Thailand.

Koh Phangan

Koh Phangan is famous for Thailand’s full moon party. Every month, on the evening of full moon, thousands of people gather to party on the beach under the full moon. We visited the party twice and had a great time. But if you don’t want to party, Koh Phangan is an amazing island to visit too. 

What we love about Koh Phangan is that the island has many faces. The island is divided in different zones, so if you are looking to relax (take a yoga class for example) you go to a different zone of the island. 

The resort and spa Chantaramas is lesbian owned and a fantastic place to stay! Also make sure to make your way to the lesbian-owned bar and restaurant L’Alcove. We love the relaxing vibe at the bar and restaurant. 

Next to Koh Phangan you find the islands Koh Tao and Koh Samui, which are great to visit as well. Koh Tao is the island famous for diving. If you want to get your diving license, make your way to Koh Tao. If you are looking for luxury and romantic vibes, head to Koh Samui!

Red Lotus Lake

Once Upon A Journey in Udon Thani, Thailand
Love is in the air: Udon Thani’s Red Lotus Lake is as romantic as it gets!

One of the most romantic and magical places in Thailand is the Red Lotus Lake in Udon Thani. This one is really an insider tip, as not many people now about this spot in Thailand. When we visited the lake, we saw almost no other tourists! Yes, Thailand still has hidden gems. 

Between December and February there are pink flowers in this special lake that bloom, with its peak in in January and February. Imagine a lake full of pink flowers! 

Chiang Mai

Like Bangkok, Chiang Mai is a city in Thailand you have to visit! It’s the second biggest city in Thailand though it is so different from Bangkok. Chiang Mai feels way quieter and we love the laid-back vibes in the city. 

There are many many many temples in Chiang Mai. It’s the cultural hub of Thailand. One temple you have to visit is Doi Suthep up in the mountains, which offers great views of the city. 

If you have the chance to visit Thailand in November, make sure to head to Chiang Mai for the Chiang Mai Lantern Festival.

Koh Mak & Koh Kood

Koh Mak, Thailand
Heaven on earth: explore off-the-beaten-path for an authentic and magical Thai experience.

And last but not least, the islands Koh Mak and Koh Kood. These islands are hidden gems too, as not many people go here and know about their existence. You might have heard of the island Koh Chang, which is way more famous, and is located next to Koh Mak and Koh Kood. 

Koh Mak and Koh Kood are both quiet and beautiful islands. There isn’t much to do on the islands, so if you are looking for peace and if you want to relax, these islands are the place to be. Both islands feels a bit like Thailand from 20 years ago, but with some luxurious resorts on it. The ultimate luxury is at the Soneva Kiri resort. 

Enjoy the beauty Thailand has to offer! Read more about gay and lesbian places in Thailand.

About the authors

Once Upon A Journey

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. Since early 2020, 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.

Head to our blog and read about travel and lesbian lifestyle topics like the best lesbian movies and the ultimate lesbian travel guide to traveling as safe as possible.

Visit www.onceuponajrny.com for more.

Lesbian places in Thailand