We tell you how to enjoy Thailand with the kids
BANGKOK
The Thai capital is probably the most intense of the trip. The best and the worst of Thailand are concentrated here and can often be too much for little ones . Flee the heat, the traffic jams and do not try to walk – even less push a baby stroller – along its dilapidated and invaded sidewalks. Here are some tips:
- Take advantage of the day in its less hot hours. Start your visits early and enjoy the hotel pool at noon, when traffic makes getting around the city a chore (to say the least).
- Visit any of these two museums: the **Serpent Museum** and the **Museum of Siam**. In the first, they will learn a lot about Frank's favorite animal of the Jungle, and they will even be able to see a live show in which the keepers show how to get poison out of snakes ; in the second, games and multimedia installations will make the little ones have fun and learn about the Siamese culture almost without knowing.
- Make the visit to the Grand Palace short, or do it without them. The heat and crowds can be too much even for adults. If you want to see the temples of ** Ayutthaya **, return on a boat like the Grand Pearl, where in addition to eating, the little ones will be entertained watching the landscape on the banks of the Chao Phraya.
Ayutthaya, Thai sophistication
- Tour the channels of the Chao Phraya River at sunset in a long-tailed boat, and plays to see who spots the first monitor lizard, often sheltered from the sun under houses on stilts.
- Ride a tuk-tuk , a fun way to go for short stretches in the city that is always a hit with kids and adults alike.
Chao Phraya River, the River of Kings and the hectic activity of Bangkok
- On rainy or excessively hot days, **make use of the Funarium, Kidzania or the Siam Ocean World aquarium**. Or go to the ultra-modern cinemas (in original version) in any mall, one of the cheapest attractions in Thailand.
- At lunchtime, opt for simple dishes that are not spicy, such as fried rice in all its varieties, barbecue chicken with sticky rice or marinated pork or chicken skewers.
- Visit Lumpini Park at sunset or very early in the morning, when Thais practice tai-chi. Also here the large lizards roam freely without approaching humans. Or go to the Parque del Ferrocarril and rent a bike to spend a few hours pedaling under its ancient trees.
A tuk tuk ride
- Save the shopping for the night. Go to the night market Asian , and end the day dining in its open-air restaurants and riding its Ferris wheel overlooking the river.
- A hotel: Ariyasom Villa , a beautiful Thai house in the center with a large swimming pool, very popular with families.
- A restaurant: the terrace of the Mandarin Oriental hotel, for its transfer of boats and its children's menu. Take the hotel boat across to the other side to entertain the little ones while you wait.
- An advice: give yourself a foot massage with the little ones, you will be surprised how easily they can fall asleep in the big armchairs.
The terrace of the Mandarin Oriental has a children's menu
CHIAN MAI
Chiang Mai is the perfect place for lovers of nature and adventure sports . The largest city in northern Thailand still retains a village air that makes it very accessible . Nature, good food and a lot of culture are its hallmarks. From Bangkok, consider taking the overnight train to Chiang Mai. The first class carriages have four-bed compartments, and are planted in Chiang Mai in about 14 hours from 24 euros.
- Start with the elephants, a sure hit with the little ones . Visit the Patara Elephant Camp, and learn like a true mahout all the secrets of mounting, bathing and feeding these gentle giants.
Dip in the Mekong
- Sign up with your children in a cooking course. Thai food is very simple to prepare, and nothing entertains a child more than getting down to business.
- Fly over the forest like a gibbon , moving from tree to tree with the help of the zip lines. You will have a privileged perspective of the Thai jungle and its most exotic inhabitants, in addition to helping its conservation. From 5 years of age.
- First thing in the morning, get ahead of the groups and the heat and visit Doi Suthep , the most sacred temple in Chiang Mai and with spectacular views of the city from its more than 1,000 meters above sea level. To get to the top, take the cable car and enjoy the scenery and the experience. Continue up the mountain and after passing the coffee plantations, go to try the local variety at any of the stalls along the road. Enjoy the pine forests with a short walk and end the day in Changkian village, an authentic Hmong community where you can try your hand at archery or take part in the work of the hill tribe camp.
**- Tour the Ping River ** in a boat and enjoy a very relaxing way to see the temples, houses and markets of the river that crosses Chiang Mai.
**- Visit the School for Monkeys **, where they train them to climb the tall palm trees and pick the coconuts, or collect the fruits of the tamarind trees. The friendly animals also play soccer and ride bicycles, in a very relaxed atmosphere in which they seem to be very well treated.
- Visit the night market. Large, cheap and with a multitude of food and ice cream stalls, if in Bangkok you were left with the desire for a full-fledged market, it is your best option. Traditional dances, magic tricks and even the occasional elephant coming from the center next to the flea market.
- A hotel: ** Yaang Come Village **, for its adjoining rooms that can be connected and its comfortable swimming pool, as well as its central location a few meters from the night market.
**- A restaurant: Antique House **, a beautiful house next to the Ping River. On the menu, pineapple rice served in the same fruit , and vegetable tempura.
- An advice: Chiang Mai's altitude makes its temperature cooler than Bangkok. Between November and February, high season, it is advisable to book the attractions in advance.
PHUKET
It may not be the beach that adventurers who want to be alone would choose, but Phuket has undeniable attractions, and one of them is the wide variety of infrastructure for children , and the wide selection of restaurants, attractions and medical services. The best advice is to enjoy the beach, one of the best places for children to entertain themselves, but here are some others:
- Visit the surrounding islands aboard a speedboat. They are easy to rent at any beach and provide snorkeling gear, goggles and a snorkel. Go to the so-called James Bond Island after seeing the movie The Man with the Golden Gun, shot there. Or rent some kayaks to visit Phang Nga Bay and its limestone caves.
Thailand with children: good weather and perfect beaches
- Visit the Phuket Aquarium to know what marine fauna populates its funds.
- Camp on the beach of Rang Yai Island. For just 5 euros a day including the tent, spend a night under the stars to the lullaby of the waves, imagining stories of shipwrecks and pirates.
**- A hotel: JW Marriot **, for its quiet beach and its fantastic kids' club, which offers circus training, trapeze practices and much more.
- A restaurant: the simple and familiar Beach Bar in Cape Panwa, with its tables on the sand to enjoy the sunset, while the children look for shells or play to catch the small crabs that come out of the sand at low tide.
- An advice: make use of the babysitting services of most hotels for a romantic dinner or a restorative massage. Take advantage of the good hand of the Thais with children!
Thailand with children? Yes