Most travellers escape the chaos of Bangkok

to the temples, ancient cities and ruins, lush green fields, fishing villages and resorts of the backcountry. Attractions include hiking, trekking and hilltribe life in Chiang Mai, the ancient city of Ayuthaya, and the laid-back beaches and tropical islands of the south, where diving, dancing …

Guardian Unlimited Travel

Overview

A foreigner's reaction to Thailand's capital is often as confused as the city's geography. Bangkok has no downtown, and streets, like the traffic, seem to veer off in every direction. There's even confusion about the city's name: though to Thais it is Krung Thep, the City of Angels, foreigners …

Fodors.com

Overview of Bangkok

With an estimated population of over 10 million in a country of only 60 million, Thailand's capital is the urban and cultural heart of the land: where all trends originate, where all roads meet, an exaggeration of every aspect of life in the kingdom. Choked with traffic, polluted, and corrupt, the …

Frommers.com

Overview of Ayutthaya

76km (47 miles) N of Bangkok Ayutthaya is one of Thailand's historical highlights. Many travelers take the day tour from Bangkok, which allows about 3 hours at the sites, but for folks with an interest in archaeological ruins, Ayutthaya justifies an overnight or more. From its establishment in …

Frommers.com