Billiken

Help.
Looking for advice on how to split 10 full days (11 nights) between Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Hong Kong. (First trip to these cities.)

After 2+ days in SIN, we arrive BKK on the evening of Wednesday, 22-FEB.
We fly home from HKG on the morning of Sunday, 5-MAR.

This is a food/culture/history type of vacation, not a lay-on-the-beach trip.
However, the elephant park(s) near Chiang Mai are not a "must see".

Thinking 4-2-4, BKK-CNX-HKG ?????
(Fly BKK-CNX on Monday, CNX-HKG on Wednesday)

Thanks

glennaa11

I might spend one more day in CNX and one fewer in HKG. A lot of it is personal preference of course. I know lots of people love HKG, but I didn't enjoy it as much.

ProleOnParole

You could spend 10 days in just one of those three places and still not get bored. Given the constraints, I'd limit your stay in HK to a minimum: it's one of my favorite destinations but honestly it's just not going to be that great in February, and it's always easy to go there again some other time.

The time of the year should be good for Chiang Mai. Between Bangkok and CM, a lot boils down to your preference for hectic vs (comparatively) laid-back, so if I were you I'd be choosing depending on what you want your trip to be more like.

Also, Chiang Mai is somewhat more cumbersome to get to, so you probably won't be visiting again anytime soon, and I'd keep that in mind too: you probably want to visit everything you find interesting there (HK and Bangkok you'll have to choose, they just have too much for a single short trip anyway).

SK AAR

You have too many nights at HKG. I would suggest 2 nights max; one full day is sufficient for a first time efficient visitor. This will lead to the following:

4-4-2, BKK-CNX-HKG.

Chiang Mai is less hot and really great place in February (before the usual haze/smog from burning fields in late Feb/March). HKG in February could turn out to be disappointing weatherwise.

dtsm

Skip CM, split evenly between Bkk and HK. Both offer good sights, excellent food and depending on your budget, some decent shopping. Bkk hotels are much cheaper, HK is on scale of SQ. You can do day trips outside of each city, eg. Bridge over River Kwai full tour trip, old Bkk capital Aryudetta, half/one day trip to Macau, etc.

If you go directly to Thailand and HK threads, much more detail information and suggestions. Both cities, IMHO are much more enjoyable than Singapore.

Weather wise, Thailand is best btw Nov to Feb, HK Nov-Jan but Feb is acceptable (not hot, just might be chilly by Asian standards).

glennaa11

CNX cumbersome to get to? There's like 1000 flights per day between Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

ProleOnParole

You've just proven my point for me: it's an extra flight to reach CNX compared to the other two, and most likely you'll have to go through BKK/DMK or HKG anyway.

SK AAR

There are a few daily direct flights between CNX and HKG. AirAsia is one carrier with 1-2 daily flights.

txflyer77

Also Dragonair. Useful if you're using Avios.

TOMFORD

I'd do 3-3-4 or 4-2-4