On one hand, you could argue that no one really needs to seek out cultural experiences in Thailand. Whether it’s due to religion, tradition or cuisine, everyday life is so steeped in Thai culture that experiencing it during your trip is almost automatic.
On the other hand, if you’re especially culture-minded, there’s value in proceeding mindfully before you touch down in Bangkok. For some travellers, this will involve timing your trip to coincide with once-a-year festivals, while others will simply want to save time for cooking classes or visits to agricultural venues.
No matter which of these camps you fall into – in reality, you’re probably somewhere in-between – you’re going to want to continue reading.
About the author: Robert Schrader from Thailand Starts Here is a former resident of Thailand who has traversed the Kingdom countless times. He has visited more than half of Thailand’s provinces over the past 13 years, yet he still finds new cultural experiences to enjoy on every trip.
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Why Thailand is a top destination for culture
Foreign travellers tend to love Thai cultural experiences – and many are already familiar with some of them, even before they visit the Kingdom. For example, you can find a Thai massage parlour in almost every big city in the world. Thai cuisine, whether or not you’ve learned to cook it, has become as ubiquitous as Mexican, Italian or Chinese.
There’s also the nature of Thai culture itself. Thailand is a primarily Buddhist country and, because of this, there’s a gentleness and kindness to Thai people and their traditions, starting with the Thai wai, a typical greeting that takes the form of a bow.
Thai people, for their part, are happy to share their customs and heritage with visitors, part of an innate hospitality that’s behind Thailand’s nickname, the ‘Land of Smiles’.
7 of Thailand’s most interesting cultural experiences
1. Get wet at Songkran
Songkran, a festival that commemorates the Buddhist New Year, has come a long way since the tradition began in central Thailand hundreds of years ago. What began as a Buddhist ‘water throwing’ cleansing ritual has now become – at least in Bangkok’s Silom district – a raucous water gun battle.
Whether you prefer to experience the contemporary take on Songkran in Bangkok or a more tranquil, traditional version in Thailand off the beaten path, you’ll want to plan to be in the Kingdom between April 13-15, when Songkran takes place every year.
2. Learn how to cook Thai food
A huge array of cultural experiences in Thailand are associated with food, including the various cooking classes available throughout the Kingdom. Some of these take place at large, high-profile cooking schools such as the Blue Elephant, which has branches in Bangkok and Phuket.
Wondering is Phuket Thailand worth visiting for a cultural experience? Check out this guide for all the answers.
Others are lower-profile: you might notice them advertised at local eateries in Chiang Mai or Krabi. No matter which path you follow, learning to cook Thai dishes (both favourites such as Pad Thai and green curry, and local specialties such as som tam papaya salad alike) is a great way to understand (and taste!) Thai culture in a deeper way.
3. Release an offering for Loy Krathong
Want to experience a Thai festival, but can’t manage a trip in April? Visit instead for Loy Krathong, an equally important Thai holiday that takes place every November.
What Loy Krathong represents is open to interpretation: some see it as honouring the water goddess or the Buddha, while others view it as a general means of releasing bad energy and thoughts. No matter why you end up celebrating, you’ll do so by floating a krathong onto any nearby body of water or releasing a paper lantern into the sky – likely along with thousands of other people.
Click here to see future dates for Loy Krathong, which takes place on the full moon day of the 12th month of the Thai calendar.
4. Browse bouquets at the Bangkok Flower Market
Pak Khlong Talat in Bangkok’s Chinatown is the world’s largest 24-hour flower market. While it’s unlikely that you’ll take advantage of the late hours and visit during the middle of the night, a trip to the market is nonetheless an amazing opportunity to enjoy Thai culture, as well as to see some very gorgeous flowers and plants.
Some are ornamental or just romantic, such as cut roses or dyed carnations wrapped casually in newsprint. Others are garlands made with marigolds or jasmine and meant to be used, ultimately, in the temple or home for religious purposes.
5. Eat street food – one of the most popular cultural activities in Thailand
If you want to discover Thailand’s culture through its food but don’t want to cook while you’re on vacation, you’re in luck. Street food stalls are plentiful in every city across Thailand and especially common in big cities such as Bangkok and Chiang Mai, whose Sunday ‘walking street’ is famous all over the Kingdom.
Eating Thai street food has numerous cultural elements, whether you participate by eating a local breakfast, observe each seller’s cooking methods, or simply stop to notice the intricacies of which utensils and condiments Thai people use. You can also simply use affordable street meals to quickly, cheaply discover Thai cuisine beyond the usual suspects.
6. Visit tea and coffee farms in Chiang Rai
Another food-related cultural experience Thailand offers comes in the form of visits to its various coffee and tea farms. While you can find these all throughout the country, some of the best are in Thailand’s far north, just outside the city of Chiang Rai.
Visit coffee farms such as Doi Chaang to see the bean-to-beverage process before sitting down for a fresh brewed mug, or instead choose Chui Fong tea plantation, where you can wash down scones and cakes with locally-grown black and green teas while enjoy stunning views of seemingly endless rows of verdant tea bushes.
7. Study at a Thai language school
Thai might seem like a difficult language, particularly if you’ve never studied an Asian language before, but learning how to speak (and especially read/write!) Phasa Thai provides a truly beautiful window into Thai culture.
While some schools offer very short-term courses you can take while in Thailand on a tourist visa, others offer longer and more in-depth courses, which will require you to convert your tourist visa into an education visa. This latter option can be a golden opportunity if you want to experience what might just be the ultimate way to get into Thai culture: Living in Thailand!
Everyday Cultural Experiences in Thailand
Don’t have time off during any of the festivals listed above, or don’t have space in your itinerary for cooking classes or coffee farm visits? No worries! It’s easy to experience Thai culture without much disruption to your travel.
This can be as simple as taking a stroll around the local fresh market in the neighbourhood where you’re staying, walking into a massage parlour and booking a 30-minute foot rub, or finding a nearby Muay Thai gym to learn more about Thai boxing and its cultural importance.
Other Thailand cultural experiences are as functional as they are fun. For example, when you’re exploring Bangkok’s old city of Rattanakosin, hop on a tuk-tuk auto rickshaw to zip between temples and palaces.
Or, when visiting Thai shops or restaurants, use simple Thai phrases like sawasdee (which means “hello”) or kob khun (which means “thank you”), which will be sure to get you a famous ‘Thai smile’ in return.
Other FAQ about Thai cultural travel
How do you experience Thai culture?
You can experience Thai culturally as casually or intentionally as you’d like. On any given day in Bangkok, for example, you can wake up early and head out to the street to watch monks collect alms or offerings from faithful Buddhists.
Alternatively, you can specifically plan your trip to coincide with a festival such as Songkran, the Thai new year.
What are some cultural traditions in Thailand?
Thailand’s cultural traditions range from the everyday to the extraordinary. For example, Thai greetings such as the wai (bow) and the famous Thai smile are touches of Thai culture that perfume almost every interaction you’ll have with a Thai person.
Booking a Thai massage or travelling to Thailand during the annual Loy Krathong festival, meanwhile, will ensure you enjoy an even more unique and singular cultural experience when visiting Thailand.
What is Thai culture known for?
Thai culture is known for its hospitality, as well as for how open it is to foreigners who are curious to discover. Unlike some people who are protective of their traditions and cautious about sharing them, Thais invite visitors from other countries to enjoy and even partake in local culture, from simple applications like cooking classes and tea plantation visits, to more involved experiences like intensive Muay Thai boxing courses.
The Bottom Line
Enjoying cultural experiences in Thailand is sometimes a matter of osmosis and other times a matter of planning, but usually ends up falling somewhere between the two.
For example, you could plan to visit the Kingdom in November so that you can attend Loy Krathong in Chiang Mai, then accidentally happen upon a massage shop or night market in the vicinity of your hotel.
Indeed, regardless of how you find culture as you explore Thailand, one thing is for certain: Cultural experiences will define your adventure, both as you travel and in retrospect, when you look back on your trip.