Bangkok is colourful not just in the daytime but also after sunset when the city takes on a different light and comes to life to offer amusement 24-hours around the clock. Probably the most popular night-life spot in the city, located between Silom Road and Surawong Road, the Patpong area is full of a-go-go bars and beer bars. There are also exciting Thai boxing (Muai Thai) bouts in the three short streets comprising Patpong.

In the Sukhumvil Road area there are another two popular night-life spots:
Nana Entertainment Plaza (or NEP) in Sukhumvit Soi 4 and Soi Cowboy which is located between Sukhumvit Soi 21 and 23.

If you like to sip a drink while listening to music, there are plenty of places for such activities such as Renoir at Sukhumvit Soi 33 or Brown Sugar and Round Midnight in the Soi Sarasin, Soi Lang Suan area. For dancing you can visit Royal City Avenue which is known as RCA among the teenagers who frequent the area. This is where you find the Thai yuppies listening to non-stop CD music. If you are a little old for RCA you can try Premier on Rama IX.

More jazz can be found at Saxophone at The Victory Monument; Bobby's Arms in Patpong; Witch's Tavern in Sukhumvit 55 and Blue Moon at Gaysorn Plaza. Other places for good music are the many first-class hotels in Bangkok.

For those who are crazy about tile beat and not content to just listen or look there is Peppermint Bistro in Patpong I, and Rome Club at Patpong III and some discotheques around Ratchadaphisek Road such as in the Capital City. For disco dancing try Bubbles at the Dusit Thani Hotel, The Party House at Rama 9 and Taurus at Sukhumvit Soi 22, all open from 22:00 to 02:00 hours.

The Damnoen Saduak Floating Market is an escape from the Western-style shopping malls of Bangkok and a glimpse into the past, revealing the centuries' old way of life of the residents whose stilt-houses perch on the canals. Visitors can explore the market with boat trips and sample the wares of local farmers as they do so. They can also enjoy the experience of floating through one of Thailand's many river villages.

Transport: Bus 78 from Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal to Damnoen Saduak Bus Terminal;
Opening time: Daily 6am to 11am;
Admission: Free

American silk entrepreneur Jim Thompson deserves most of the credit for the current popularity of Thai silk around the world. His fame increased when, in 1967, Thompson disappeared in the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia under mysterious circumstances. He has never been heard of since. The house itself is an excellent example of Thai residential architecture, and inside is a display of his Oriental art and antique collection, as well as an array of his personal belongings.

Address: Soi Kasem San 2, opposite the National Stadium on Rama 1 Road; Telephone: (0)2 216 7368; Website: www.jimthompsonhouse.com;
Opening time: Daily 9am to 5pm (last tour leaves at 4.30pm);
Admission: Bt100 (proceeds go to Bangkok's School for the Blind).

The Royal Barges National Museum houses several decorative royal barges, the earliest of which dates back to 1357. Most of the barges served as War Vessels at one point, and were subsequently used on royal or state occasions on the Chao Phraya River.

Due to their age the barges are now rarely used, but their intricate designs, reflecting Thai religious beliefs and local history, are of great importance to the country's heritage. The barges were last used at the end of 1999 to celebrate the king's 72nd birthday.

Address: Arun Amarin Road, Bangkok Noi; Post code: 10700; Website: www.thailandmuseum.com; Opening time: Daily 9am to 5pm;
Admission: Bt30

Construction of the palace began in 1782 and was completed in time for the coronation of King Rama I, and opened in 1785 to signify the end of the Burmese invasion of Thailand. The palace itself is made up of a complex array of smaller buildings, most notably the Wat Mahatat (the Palace Temple) and the Wat Phra Keow (the Royal Chapel), which houses the famous Emerald Buddha sculpted from a single piece of jade, and one of the most revered objects in the Kingdom.

Address: Na Phralan Road, Phra Nakhon; Post code: 10200; Website: www.palaces.thai.net;
Opening time: Daily 8.30am to 3.30pm;
Admission: Bt200 (adults); Children: Free

Situated adjacent to the Royal Grand Palace, Wat Pho is Bangkok's oldest, largest and most famous temple. The grounds of Wat Pho contain over 1,000 statues of Buddha, and the temple houses one of Thailand's most spectacular sights, the Reclining Buddha - a 157ft (48m) long and 49ft (15m) high statue that is gold-plated and inlaid with Mother-of-Pearl on the soles of its feet.

In the 19th century King Rama III turned Wat Pho into a centre of learning and visitors today can still have a massage and learn about the ancient art of Thai Medicine.

Address: 2 Sanamchai Road; Post Code: 10700; Telephone: (0)2 222 5910, (0)2 226 2942;
Opening time: Daily 8am to 5pm;
Admission: Bt20

Bangkok has dominated Thailand's urban hierarchy as well as its political, commercial and cultural life since the late 18th century. Although you can shop in air-conditioned comfort in its Western-style malls, the city is a long way from being tamed by commercial homogeneity.

Bangkok's history of haphazard planning means you'll have the best experiences in the most unlikely of places. Just when you start despairing at the predominance of concrete and cars, a waft of incense leads you to a serene temple in an area you'd written off as soulless.

A Unesco World Heritage Site, Ayuthaya's historic temples are scattered throughout this once magnificent city and along the encircling rivers. Several of the more central ruins - Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Wat Mongkhon Bophit, Wat Na Phra Meru, Wat Thammikarat, Wat Ratburana and Wat Phra Mahathat - can be visited on foot.

You could add more temples and ruins to your itinerary by touring the city on a rented bicycle. An ideal transport combination for visitors who want to see everything would be to hire a bicycle for the central temples and charter a long-tail boat to take a tour of the outlying ruins along the river.

Chiang Mai has a striking mountain backdrop, over 300 temples and a quaint historical aura. It's also a modern, friendly, internationally-flavoured city with much to offer the visitor - food, accommodation and shopping are all top quality and cheap, and the nights are relatively cool.

Chiang Mai's plethora of temples will probably exhaust you before you exhaust them. For variety, try a wander round the night bazaar, acquaint yourself with local culture at the musuems, or practice your Buddhist calm under a palm tree in the city's gardens.

This beautiful island off southeastern Thailand is covered with coconut plantations and circled by (call us clichéd but it's true) palm-fringed beaches. It was once an 'untouched' backpackers' mecca, but is now well on its way to becoming a fully-fledged tourist resort.

The most popular beaches are Hat Chaweng and Hat Lamai: both have good swimming and snorkelling but are getting a little crowded. For more peace and quiet, try Mae Nam, Bo Phut and Big Buddha on the northern coast. The main town on the island is Na Thon.

Dubbed 'Pearl of the South' by the tourist industry, Phuket is Thailand's largest, most populous and most visited island. A whirl of colour and cosmopolitanism, Thailand's only island province revolves around and thrives on tourism, but still retains a spark of the real Thailand.

Phuket is more about doing things - or doing nothing at all - than it is about sightseeing. That said, there are some interesting markets, temples, examples of Sino-Portuguese architecture and nature reserves to check out when you can go no deeper shade of brown.

Tucked away in the countryside to the east of Bangkok, this provincial town is hardly visited by foreign tourists, mainly because it's not on the major road or rail networks out of the capital. It is home to one of the most sacred Buddha images in Thailand - Phra Phuttha Sothon.

Housed in the Wat Sothon Wararam Worawihaan, the origins of the modest 198cm (77in) Buddha are cloaked in mystery but the image is said to be associated with a famous monk with holy powers who supposedly predicted the exact moment of his death. Chachoengsao makes a great day-trip destination.

This one-town island offshore from Chonburi Province on the Gulf of Thailand is practically deserted, making it great fun to explore. Its attractions include a meditation centre with hermit caves, beaches with good snorkelling, a ruined palace, limestone caves and a Chinese temple with sea views.

Most of the friendly population are fisherfolk, mariners, customs officials or workers in aquaculture projects. Camping is permitted anywhere on the island, but if you don't want to tent it, there are numerous hostels and bungalow-style operations.

In northern Tak Province, close to the Burmese border, Mae Sot has a reputation as a frontier town with an outlaw image. It has a thriving black-market trade (guns, narcotics, teak and gems) and is an increasingly important official jade and gem centre.

An interesting mixture of ethnicities have shacked-up here - Burmese Muslims, members of the local Karen hill tribes, Chinese and Indian shopkeepers and poppy-clad Thai army rangers. It's a departure point for the fascinating border markets that trade Burmese handicrafts and foodstuffs.

The Khmer temple complex at Phanom Rung in northeastern Thailand is the largest and best restored of all the Khmer monuments in Thailand. Located on an extinct volcano, it has a fine promenade leading to the main gate, numerous galleries and halls, and the only three naga bridges left in Thailand.

The craftwork represents the pinnacle of Khmer artistic achievement, and is on a par with the reliefs at Angkor Wat in Cambodia. The best time to visit Phanom Rung is before 10am when the air is still cool, the light is good for photography and the site has few visitors.

Phanom Rung is not an easy place to reach, but it is well worth the effort. Trains and buses leave Bangkok for Khorat (also known as Nakhon Ratchasima) and take between four and five hours. From Khorat you need to catch a Surin-bound bus and get off at Ban Ta-Ko. Wait here for a songthaew to the complex.

This 101-sq-km park on the Thai-Malaysian border in southern Satun Province is home to one of South-East Asia's best preserved sections of white meranti rainforest. Its hilly terrain includes caves, waterfalls, limestone cliffs and lake views, and is home to some rare and varied wildlife.

The largest nearby town is Satun, a 15-hour bus trip from Bangkok. You can get a taxi to the park entrance where you can then hitch or hop on one of the infrequent songthaews into the park. Once inside the park, you can camp or bunk at one of the longhouses situated on the shores of a large lake.