Thailand Travel Guide

Guide

Border crossings

• Mae Sai and Mae Sot, the two Myanmar crossings

  Mae Sai, in Thailand's far north, crosses into Tachileik and gets the most foot traffic, mostly day trippers and travelers continuing into Myanmar's Shan State. Further south, Mae Sot crosses into Myawaddy. Both are real, staffed immigration posts, though conditions on the Myanmar side are unsettled, so check their current status before relying on either, and as things stand now, neither issues Visa on Arrival, that program no longer covers most nationalities.

• Nong Khai, the Friendship Bridge to Vientiane

  This is the crossing most people use to reach Laos, a short hop over the Mekong on the first Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge, with both a shuttle bus and a direct train running the route. There is a second bridge further south, at Mukdahan, connecting to Savannakhet, less used but just as real and just as staffed.

• Aranyaprathet to Poipet, and every other Cambodian crossing, currently closed

  This used to be the standard road from Bangkok to Angkor, and it is shut, along with Cham Yeam to Hat Lek, O'Smach to Chong Jom, Pailin to Ban Pakard, and Choam to Chong Sa-Ngam. Thailand closed its land crossings with Cambodia in late June 2025 during the armed border conflict. A ceasefire signed on 27 December 2025 broke down in early January 2026, and Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has said more than once that there will be no reopening until Cambodia accepts Thailand's conditions, with no timeline. Rumors of a reopening have been called fake news by Thai officials, so treat any social media post about it with suspicion and fly instead.

• Sadao and Padang Besar, into Malaysia

  Sadao sits on the main highway south and handles most road traffic. Padang Besar is the rail crossing, used by cross border trains between Thailand and Malaysia, and it works as a road crossing too.

• What actually changed with Visa on Arrival

  Until September 15, 2026, Visa on Arrival covered a fairly long list of nationalities. It does not anymore. Only Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Serbia qualify now, and only at a limited set of checkpoints. If your country used to be on that list, look into the new 30 day exemption category instead, or plan to arrange a visa before you travel.

Transit routes

• Bangkok layovers

  Both Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang handle a short connection well. Stay airside and leave within 24 hours and you never technically enter the country at all, no visa or entry stamp needed.

• To Siem Reap or Phnom Penh, by air for now

  With the land border closed, the realistic way to combine Thailand and Cambodia is to fly. Bangkok to Siem Reap takes about an hour, and Bangkok to Phnom Penh about an hour and a quarter. The old overland route, bus or minivan to Aranyaprathet and across at Poipet, is not available.

• To Vientiane by train

  The direct rail link changed this route for the better. Bangkok to Nong Khai by train, across the Friendship Bridge, straight into Vientiane, no more piecing together separate legs the way this trip used to require.

• North toward the Myanmar border

  An overnight sleeper train or a short flight gets you from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, which is where most people base themselves before continuing north to Mae Sai or west to Mae Sot.

Entry point notes

• Land and air are not treated the same anymore

  Since the September 2026 change, using the 30 day exemption at a land border generally limits you to two land entries a year. Fly in instead and that cap does not apply, and it never applies at all to Malaysian, Bruneian, Indonesian, or Singaporean nationals. Worth mapping out ahead of time if your trip involves crossing overland more than twice.

• The Digital Arrival Card is not optional anywhere

  Air, land, or sea, it does not matter, you fill this out online before you arrive regardless of entry point. It sits alongside whatever visa or exemption category applies, it does not replace it.