Thread: Thailand celebrated in Lonely Planet’s 2025 Best in Travel with Chiang Mai named

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is proud to announce that Thailand has once again been honoured with prestigious accolades in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2025. In its 15th edition, Best in Travel highlights 30 must-visit destinations for the coming year, with Chiang Mai named as a “Top City” in the list.


In addition to Chiang Mai’s recognition, Thailand received accolades in three other categories: Tha Kha Floating Market in Samut Songkhram was recognised among the “Best Markets,” Trang’s Sunset Beach in Southern Thailand was listed among the “Best Beaches,” and Bangkok’s vibrant nightlife was celebrated for its “Best Drag Shows.”


“We are honoured to see Thailand’s cities, markets, beaches, and entertainment highlighted in Lonely Planet’s 2025 Best in Travel—particularly with Chiang Mai being named a top city, Chompu Marusachot, Director of the TAT New York Office, said. “These accolades from such an informative travel publication reflect Thailand’s endless appeal and high-quality hospitality as a destination.”


“We look forward to welcoming even more visitors to experience the five must-dos in Thailand: Must Taste (flavours of Thailand), Must Try (local activities), Must Buy (local products), Must Seek (hidden gems and once-in-a-lifetime moments), and Must See (local culture & festivals).”

Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel starts with nominations from its community of staff, contributors from around the world, publishing partners and more. From there, this year, Lonely Planet’s panel of experts curated 30 must-see places across countries, cities and regions and included ten travel trends they are excited about. Each inclusion is chosen for its topicality, unique experiences, and ‘wow’ factor, with a focus on destinations with a commitment to sustainability in travel. The Best in Travel annual collection results in a best-selling book as well as online and social editions.

Thailand celebrated in ‘Lonely Planet’s 2025 Best in Travel’ with Chiang Mai named a top city - Pattaya Mail

Are those books still relevant?

Chiang Mai much as I love should be as top smokiest city? As for floating markets it's just grannies paddling/peddling veg etc in a punt. For transvestite shows try BBC.

Originally Posted by DrWilly

Are those books still relevant?

30 years ago the backpackers bible was the essential travel guide to the well worn travellers trail.


Jeez I sound old and like Ciz now.

30 years ago travellers didn’t have mobile smart phones with them…

Lonely Planet is online now. You can sign up free. It wouldn’t surprise me if they were still the number one travel guide.

Originally Posted by misskit

Lonely Planet is online now. You can sign up free. It wouldn’t surprise me if they were still the number one travel guide.

aaah, I see. I had no idea. Do millennial backpackers?

And are people?

lonely planet is responsible for the dumbing down of a generation of tourists, one cant really call them travellers, by taking away any semblance of adventure and exploration from them and turning them into a herd of blinkered sheep all following the predetermined itinerary in their bubbles of solitude following the instruction given in the lonely planet bible.

they might as well have stayed home with a copy of national geographic.

google, the smartphone and the selfie have just made things 100x worse.

Originally Posted by BLD

Thank fuck I was armed with a lonely planet

amateur.


when travelling you can get all the info you want just by opening your mouth and asking a few questions. you will usually be both surprised and delighted by where interactions with the natives can lead.

all you need is the name and address of the hotel for your first night in the country and the directions from the airport or railway station, after that all the information, recommendations and advice you need is available from people on the street.

Originally Posted by david44

Remember what it was like to be truly hansum free of sprogs, aches or mortgages with a weekend ahead and the world your Oyster, I can vaguely recall last weekend , I think an Absinthe cocktale a BJ on the beach or a weasel enema from SA would sort you out.

Paragraph of the day!

Originally Posted by Joe 90

30 years ago the backpackers bible was the essential travel guide to the well worn travellers trail.


Jeez I sound old and like Ciz now.

don't worry, you are not the only one to have carried an LP around. I had the India, Nepal and the big yellow South-East Asia guide back in 1995. I wouldn't have been brave enough to tackle India for my first backpacking trip without their guide, let alone big bad Bangkok. I actually met Tony Wheeler once years later. But once the WWW and internet cafes became easily available their books became superfluous as you could just log into the LP "Thorn Tree" forum and ask your questions, that was one of the very first forums I ever joined and was fairly active on it. It all went downhill at LP when the Wheelers sold out to the BBC, and I believe it has changed hands a couple of times since then.

Originally Posted by taxexile

amateur.


when travelling you can get all the info you want just by opening your mouth and asking a few questions. you will usually be both surprised and delighted by where interactions with the natives can lead.

all you need is the name and address of the hotel for your first night in the country and the directions from the airport or railway station,o]

I bet the touts and scam artists loved seeing your naive ass alight from the train. My, you must have been ripped off from here to Coventry!

Amateur indeed!

If one goes off the beaten track and away from the well worn tourist trails then the more genuine the people and less likely to get scammed and ripped off.


I should imagine this online lonely planet guide has loads of up to date info from loads of seasoned travellers.
Great for Tarquin and Pheonix travelling around in their gap year funded by bank of mummy and daddy so they can experience "real life" before returning to their Ivory Towers with a journal of after dinner stories to regale to fellow like minded Cockwombles.

And the rich cockwombles get school trips to Norway and the like…

Sometimes I feel I missed a bit of fun being a stinky backpacker drug user sleeping in nasty hostiles .

My first oversea trek was for work to Philippines when I was 26. The company I worked for was kicking off a new ballistic ceramic component for the Airforce. I was there 3 weeks and did my "Tour" to the bars and had some fun. Although I have seen some of those backpackers when I traveled around Thailand and I doubt I could carrying around a load of dirty clothes on my back, eeking by on a budget and a bag of dope.

Nor me. But tax and sausages managed it. And now sneer at them.

Lonely Planet led me to Chiang Mai where I met friends who are still my friends today.

I was a backpacker twice. First time I took a 6 month sabbatical from work and traveled SE Asia by myself, not in a group. Went back to work, couldn’t stand it, sold my shit and left for another backpacking trip. Met my husband on the second round and moved to Japan.

If I had it all to do over, I would not change a thing.

^ Well, maybe I would change on thing. I’d have rented out the condo in Sausalito instead of selling it. `

Originally Posted by misskit

Lonely Planet led me to Chiang Mai where I met friends who are still my friends today.

I was a backpacker twice. First time I took a 6 month sabbatical from work and traveled SE Asia by myself, not in a group. Went back to work, couldn’t stand it, sold my shit and left for another backpacking trip. Met my husband on the second round and moved to Japan.

If I had it all to do over, I would not change a thing.

Tip top story Kitty!