Thailand in April: Songkran and the heat

The hottest month, the loudest holiday and the cheapest beach prices of the dry season — all in the same four weeks.

6 min readUpdated October 2026By JoyoTour Thailand

Thailand in April: Songkran and the heat

Weather

36–38°C in Bangkok and Chiang Mai before Songkran. The Andaman is calm and swimmable; the Gulf is hot but fine. It is not a month for temple-hopping at midday.

Songkran

13–15 April is Thai New Year: three days of water fights, temple rituals and family reunions. Chiang Mai goes on for four or five days. Book hotels months ahead and expect transport to crawl.

How to plan around it

Go to the beach before or after Songkran rather than during it, and do your sightseeing at 7am. The week after Songkran is quiet and cheap — a good window if you do not need the festival.

Common questions

It is hot, but manageable if you start early, stay in the shade from noon and swim in the afternoon. Hotels are cheaper than in January and the sea is calm.

Only if you dislike water fights. The ritual side — pouring water over Buddha images, paying respect to elders — happens in temples in the morning and is calm and worth seeing.