What changes when you choose?
| Your priority | Chiang Mai | Phi Phi |
|---|---|---|
| A full day | An Old City temple, a northern meal and room to wander. | Time around your island base, or a boat outing when conditions allow. |
| Your base | Old City or Nimman: different city rhythms. | Phi Phi Don: choose central Tonsai or a smaller beach deliberately. |
| Time to protect | A separate block for a mountain outing. | Both sea-transfer days and a buffer before a fixed flight. |
| Dates to check | Air quality for an outdoor-heavy late-March trip. | Maya Bay’s dated closure and current sea conditions. |
Two ways to spend seven nights
City + north / 7 nights
Bangkok 3 + Chiang Mai 4. Give the north three full days after arrival and before departure.
City + islands / 7 nights
Bangkok 3 + Phi Phi Don 3 + mainland departure gateway 1. The gateway night protects the final connection.
If both keep pulling you
A ten-night editorial example is Bangkok 2 + Chiang Mai 4 + Phi Phi Don 3 + mainland gateway 1. It includes meaningful travel days. Before booking, put airport transfers and the sea crossing into the calendar, then decide if the remaining full days are the holiday you wanted. Use this as a planning example, then check the actual connections.