Holiday in Thailand with children

Things to do with children in Thailand

Thailand is known the world over for its ancient cities, temples and beaches. It’s probably not the first country that comes to mind when planning a holiday with children.

However, Thailand offers lots of things to do for children and has plenty of facilities to make a Thailand vacation a happy one for kids.

Entertainment for children

After doing some sightseeing and visiting temples or ancient cities the children might want some entertainment specifically for them. Even an immense bustling city like Bangkok offers lots of activities for children on holiday to enjoy.

There are amusement parks, theme parks, horse and pony riding, zoos, open air markets like Chatuchak market where there is lots to see for kids, relaxing boat trips on the Chao Phraya river and large public parks.

Water Parks and Amusement Parks

Bangkok
Thailand and especially Bangkok hosts a good number of theme parks that have different themes. Just North of Bangkok is Dream World, a large American style theme park with roller coasters, bumping cars, the “Giant’s House”, water rides and much more.

There are several large amusement parks like Siam Amazing Park that has a large swimming pool with waves, a beach, waterfalls, water slides and many spectacular rides including roller coasters. There is also a playground for children and a zoo.

Several places like Leo Land and Yoyo Land Amusement Park at the Seacon Square Shopping Mall offer large indoor amusement parks with swimming pools and kids games for those who want to get away from the sun and the sightseeing.

Hua Hin
In Hua Hin, children will enjoy the fast and exciting water slides and rides of Vana Nava Water Park and Santorini Water Park.

Pattaya
Pattaya houses two of Thailand’s largest and newest water parks, Columbia Pictures Aquaverse Water Park and Ramayana, which is the largest in South East Asia.

Zoos and animal parks

Zoos and animal parks in Thailand often have a number of amusement activities and animal shows, or offer rides on elephants or zebras for kids. Dusit Zoo in Bangkok and Chiang Mai Zoo are the best known zoos in Thailand. They are set up in large, well kept grounds where you can also take your kids for a picnic and just relax.

Safari World and Marine Park in Bangkok offers a large drive-through zoo showing animals like tigers, lions and zebras in a natural looking habitat. There is also a Marine Park where a number of animal shows like the dolphins show and the elephant show can be watched as well as an aviary where thousands of birds live. Kids can feed animals as small as parakeets and as large as the giraffes. A fun day out for the kids as well as the adults.

A good break from Bangkok sightseeing and a fun day out for children is Kidzania, an indoor city for children with scaled down buildings, businesses and roads. Kids can choose from a host of fun activities and jobs they want to try such as fireman, doctor, pilot or policeman.

Fun photo taking in 3D art

At 3D art museums visitors can become part of artworks by posing in them. Both adults and children will have lots of laughs lying down or standing in paintings posing for silly photos.

3D Art Museums or Trick Art Museums are Art in Paradise Bangkok, Art in Paradise Pattaya, For Art’s Sake Hua Hin and the Trick Art Museum Hua Hin.

Alternatively, pose with Hollywood stars, famous sports heroes and other celebrities at Madame Tussauds or Louis Tussauds wax museum.

Cultural theme parks and shows

In Phuket there is Phuket Fantasea, a cultural theme park with lots of activities and entertainment including a Las Vegas style theatre show and Carnival Village, where you can buy local products like silk, handicrafts and ceramics.

Beach resorts

Thailand’s beaches like those in Phuket, Hua Hin and Pattaya can stand any comparison with European beaches, children will love them. Many of them are long and sandy and the water is warm. At many beaches the water is shallow and very gradually becomes deeper, making them very suitable and safe for a vacation with children.

Boat trips to local islands can be made, including snorkeling trips, some places offer sailing boats for charter, with or without crew. For the bigger children many beaches offer activities like kite boarding and windsurfing. Many of the beach resorts offer bicycles to discover the area.

Public parks in Thailand

If you just want to relax for half a day without touring or sightseeing, a public park is a good place to take the kids. In almost every town a park can be found, many of which have things to do for children; there are bicycles, boats or roller blades for hire and have a restaurant or a small shop with drinks and ice cream. Let the kids play and enjoy a picnic or just lie down.

Accommodation and food with kids

While accommodation ranges from very basic to the highest international standards, many hotels offer free accommodation for one or two children in the same room as their parents or have a small charge for an extra bed.

In all major holiday destinations like Phuket, Bangkok, Hua Hin and Pattaya all kinds of foods like pizza, hamburgers and other Western food are easily found for those kids that don’t want to try Thai food.