The Best Time to Visit Bangkok, Month by Month

The best time to visit Bangkok is November to February, and November and December are the best of those months. Rain is low, the nights are at their coolest and haze has not yet peaked, though it is still hot by most standards.

Bangkok month by month

These are 30-year normals for 1991 to 2020 from the Thai Meteorological Department, station Bangkok Metropolis (48455). Rainy days are the department’s mean rainy days and sunshine is the monthly total. The verdict column is our reading of the numbers.

The annual mean rainfall is 1,702.2 mm, and most of it falls from May to October.

What the numbers mean

Temperature barely changes. The coolest month has a mean high of 32.3°C and the hottest has 35.7°C. A difference of under 4°C means you do not pick a month to avoid the heat, you pick one to avoid rain and the worst of the humidity. Mean relative humidity runs from 66% in December to 79% in September.

Rain is the real choice. December has 11.6 mm on 1.5 rainy days. September has 335.9 mm on 21.4 rainy days, and October is not far behind. The drop between October and November is the sharpest change of the year, falling from 288.7 mm to 44.6 mm.

Haze is the catch in the dry season. The same data records 21.0 days with haze in January, 16.9 in February and 15.8 in December, against 10.3 in November and about 2 a month from June to September. Haze days are a weather observation and not an air-quality reading, so check a live air-quality index close to your trip if you have asthma or travel with children. This is why we rate November slightly above January, even though January is drier.

Which month suits you

• Best overall: November and December. Low rain, and the rooftop and river evenings are at their most reliable.
• January and February: Just as dry, but plan for more haze days.
• March and April: The sunniest stretch, and the hottest. Keep outdoor plans to early morning and build a pool or spa into the afternoon. Extreme highs in the record reach 40.1°C in March.
• May to August: Wet but workable, with rain on roughly half to two-thirds of days. Plan indoor backups such as malls, spas and long lunches, and book temples for the morning.
• September and October: The months to avoid if you have a choice. Thunderstorm days are also at their highest, with 10.6 in September and 9.3 in October.

Festivals with verified dates

Loi Krathong, 24 November 2026. This is the full moon of the twelfth lunar month, and TAT lists Bangkok’s festival from 17 to 29 November 2026. Sites include Rama VIII Bridge (16 to 25 November), Phra Sumen Fort and Maha Kan Fort (both 23 to 25 November). It falls in one of the best weather windows, so it is the strongest reason to pick a date. The 2027 date differs between the sources we checked, so we leave it out until it is confirmed.

Chinese New Year, 6 February 2027. Office Holidays lists it for Saturday 6 February. It is a regional public holiday only in four southern provinces, not in Bangkok, but TAT names Wat Mangkon Kamalawat in Yaowarat as a festival centre. Check the program in January, as events are not fixed this far ahead.

Songkran, 13 to 15 April 2027. These are the dates on the Bank of Thailand’s holiday calendar for 2027. Songkran is the Thai New Year, and it lands in the hottest month. Plan for closures: Hellfire Pass, for one, closes on those dates, so check anything you want to see outside the city.

Visakha Bucha, 20 May 2027. This is another date on the 2027 bank holiday calendar. It is a Buddhist holiday, so check ahead if your plans depend on temple access or banks.

The Bank of Thailand calendar covers bank holidays. The government can add or move public holidays, so confirm dates close to your trip.

Planning around the weather

If rain worries you, read getting around Bangkok before you choose a hotel. Compare the weather with what you want to do using things to do in Bangkok and the Bangkok itinerary. For day trips from Bangkok, the dry months make long road trips and walking in the park easier. Then choose your base in where to stay in Bangkok.

Questions people ask

What is the best month to visit Bangkok?

November or December. Thai Meteorological Department normals show 44.6 mm of rain in November and 11.6 mm in December, with fewer haze days than January.

What is the rainiest month in Bangkok?

September, with an average of 335.9 mm of rain over 21.4 rainy days. October is next with 288.7 mm.

What is the hottest month in Bangkok?

April, with a mean daily high of 35.7°C and a mean daily low of 27.2°C.

When is Songkran in 2027?

13 to 15 April 2027, according to the Bank of Thailand's holiday calendar for that year.

When is Loi Krathong 2026?

The full moon falls on 24 November 2026. The Tourism Authority of Thailand lists Bangkok's festival from 17 to 29 November 2026.