Songkran in Thailand

This six-day plan is for a couple at Songkran 2027, the Thai New Year, from April 11 to 16. It spends two nights near the river in Bangkok and three in Chiang Mai's old city. It is built around Bangkok's river temples and the Grand Palace, a Buddha-bathing morning and the Silom Road water fight on April 13, then the moat in Chiang Mai and Doi Suthep at dawn.

How the six days fit together

The temples come before the water. Bangkok gets two dry days and Songkran Day itself, and an evening flight on April 13 moves the trip north for the last two holiday days. Around the same dates, the Netherlands tulip plan is timed to the April 17 flower parade, and the Japan cherry blossom plan runs from late March to early April.

• Day 1, Bangkok's riverside: lunch at Supanniga Eating Room by the Tha Tien pier, the Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho, the ferry across to Wat Arun at sunset, then rolled noodles at Nai Ek in Yaowarat.
• Day 2, Bangkok: the Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha at opening, the Jim Thompson House, a waterproof pouch and water gun for the next day, then cocktails facing Wat Arun at Amorosa.
• Day 3, Songkran Day: the Buddha-bathing ritual at Wat Pho, the Silom Road water fight, then the flight to Chiang Mai.
• Day 4, Chiang Mai's old city: Wat Phra Singh and Wat Chedi Luang before the splash, the moat at Tha Phae Gate, Warorot Market and a Lanna dinner at Huen Phen.
• Day 5: Wat Phra That Doi Suthep at dawn, Wat Pha Lad on the Monk's Trail, Wat Chiang Man and a last splash at Chiang Mai Gate.
• Day 6: coffee at Ristr8to, the Three Kings Monument and a flight home via Bangkok.

Temples, water and Songkran etiquette

UNESCO added Songkran in Thailand to its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2023. It describes the water pouring as a sign of cleansing, reverence and good fortune, alongside bathing Buddha images and paying respects to elders. This plan starts April 13 that way, at the fragrant-water blessing at Wat Pho, with Wat Arun as the backup.

The plan's rules: cover shoulders and knees at temples (no sheer fabric at the Grand Palace), keep the water gun packed at the temple, carry dry clothes in a dry bag, and don't splash monks, elders or babies.

Where the water fights are: Silom Road and the Chiang Mai moat

In Bangkok the plan uses Silom Road, closed to cars, reached by BTS Sala Daeng, with Siam Paragon's air-conditioned zones as the fallback if entry is blocked. In Chiang Mai it's the old-city moat: Tha Phae Gate on April 14 and Chiang Mai Gate on April 15. The tips there are to walk everywhere, because cars crawl around the moat, and to duck into the quiet sois near Wat Chiang Man for a break.

Temple entry on this plan