Thailand in December: the best time to visit Bangkok

Would you like to learn why December is the best time to visit Thailand for great weather, beautiful Christmas decoration and some amazing nature trips? Learn here from examples from my trips over the last few years from 2022 to 2025.

12/19/2023

Why visit Thailand in December?

I planned my trip to Thailand during the Christmas season once again. I did the same last year as well, as I do online jobs and I can work from anywhere in the world. And I’m convinced it is the best time to visit Thailand – during the pre-Christmas season!

It’s a perfect time to visit Thailand for many reasons, let me explain them.

December is the coldest time in Thailand: it’s a good thing!

So, firstly, it’s the coldest season in Thailand, even though it is hard to call 34 degrees C in the evening – cold! 🙂 In fact, it was almost unbearably hot for me some nights, and obviously even worse during some days.

But many evenings it was actually very nice and enjoyable. There is definitely something about the hot summer nights! 🙂 Even when they happen in winter in some countries. 🙂 You feel all your worries leave you completely and you become very happily relaxed.

I guess that is why most people take vacations in summer? Or is it because of the school kids and their summer break? Well, maybe both!

Anyways, back to the reasons why winter is the best time to visit Thailand.

December is the beginning of the dry season in Thailand!

When I came to Thailand at the end of September last year, it rained non-stop for 2 months. In fact, the Chao Praya River in Bangkok was constantly overflowing, flooding the surrounding areas.

And when I spent October of last year on Phuket, it also rained almost non-stop every day. Not ideal weather if you are a beach-goer and came there to sunbathe. I didn’t mind, though, and enjoyed Phuket regardless. I don’t think there is a bad time to visit Phuket! 🙂

But this time I was on Phuket since mid-November, and it only rained twice in 2 weeks. Which allowed me to spend a lot of time on the beach, making it a wonderful nature travel destination.

Nature Travel in Thailand in December in Bangkok and outside

As I have mentioned above, dry weather will let you enjoy nature travel spectacularly. You will be able to do many open boat trips around Bangkok wet markets. Here is my video from one of my trips, it was so much fun!:)

I had even more fun on Phuket and nature trips to lagoons nearby, I will post about it soon.

Meanwhile, I just want to suggest going to Phuket starting from mid-November to get the sunshine and proper beach time. The water is nice and warm even in winter in Thailand, so no worries there!

But let’s go back to the best reasons why December is a wonderful month to spend in Bangkok.

Christmas decorations in Thailand are outstanding!

And here is another great reason to visit Thailand in December – outstanding Christmas decorations that will surely put you in a Christmassy mood.

I don’t think another country does them as well as Christmas decorations in the central Bangkok. Especially, the modern and futuristic malls of Bangkok get dressed up for Christmas. But here are some other Christmas destinations in Europe to compare.

Now, I am not normally a person who goes crazy about Christmas decorations. But I find myself getting very excited about them for the second year in a row in Bangkok! 🙂

Here is a video about Christmas decorations 2022 in Iconsiam mall from the last year. It was so pretty and lovely! They were also by far the best decorations in Bangkok last year.

Last year Thailand was still a bit slow, recovering after the pandemic travel restrictions, and the tourist sector took a big hit. There were not as many tourists in Thailand as usual, and not all food and hospitality sector places had opened. It was both good and bad for me: the accommodation prices were unbelievably great, but it was a bit slow and boring.

But this year was a completely different picture! Thailand extended visa-free stays from a maximum of 30 days (in 2022) to 90 days for the citizens of many countries. That probably helped a lot, as Thailand was busy, busy!

The tourist board of Thailand also organized many more fun public events compared to last year. I especially enjoyed the Magical Balloon Wonderland show: Orchestra of the Skies in Siam Paragon. The balloons were a big hit with people of all ages and nationalities.

It’s impossible to show why the show was fun with a photo. This video on TikTok shows it much better (and it’s short, only 28 seconds long! 🙂 But what’s up with TikTok URLs? Why are they so long? Oh, well. I have enough space on this page for it. 🙂

@alonga.travel

Grateful in #Bangkok #grateful #travel

♬ Grateful – callmestevieray & Connor Price

In fact, I liked the show so much, I went again the next day. And it was held right outside Siam Paragon & Central World mall, where an entire floor is dedicated to various food choices for those who got hungry after enjoying the balloons!

Look at some of the food choices! Don’t they look very tempting? And if it’s not your cup of tea, you have 50-100 more booths to choose from! 😊

Okay, all this talk about food made me hungry, so I decided I need to eat: I will finish my travel diary another day!

I hope you have a lovely day, talk to you soon! Tatiana

P.S. Here are some general facts about Thailand from wikitravel, if you’re interested.