Wellness cities
Thailand's largest cities, one by one: where to meditate, where to find acupuncture or Reiki, the air quality and the neighbourhoods to know.
10 cities, real places, sourced data
The 10 cities on the map
From Chiang Mai in the north to Hat Yai in the south: click a city to discover its temples, parks, clinics and practitioners.
Every city guide
- PM2.5 · 16.4BangkokBangkokกรุงเทพฯBangkok's wellness traditions are rooted in its old royal temples. In Rattanakosin, the historic island around the Grand Palace, Wat Pho has long been associated with Thai traditional medicine and still houses the country's oldest massage school, while nearby Wat Mahathat welcomes anyone who wants to learn meditation, free of charge and with English-speaking guidance.7 places114 practitioners5,527,994 inhabitantsDiscover the city
- NonthaburiNonthaburiนนทบุรีNonthaburi sits just north of Bangkok on the Chao Phraya, and its pace is noticeably gentler. The city municipality, Suan Yai, the original town by the river, plus Talat Khwan, Bang Khen, Bang Kraso and Tha Sai, is largely residential, and wellness here means riverside temples, open parks and everyday public health services rather than spa districts.5 places0 practitioners239,041 inhabitantsDiscover the city
- Nakhon RatchasimaKoratนครราชสีมาNakhon Ratchasima, better known as Korat, is the large gateway city to Thailand's north-east. Its wellness scene is quieter and more local than in the big tourist centres: we have not found retreat centres aimed at foreign visitors in the city itself, and relaxation tends to happen in temples, in parks and at home rather than in spas aimed at visitors.4 places0 practitioners126,391 inhabitantsDiscover the city
- PM2.5 · 18.2Chiang MaiChiang Maiเชียงใหม่Chiang Mai has long been the place in Thailand where people come to slow down on purpose. The city's temples are not only monuments: several of them, on the forested slopes of Doi Suthep just west of the Old City, run meditation centres that welcome foreign visitors and teach in English. Courses range from a few days to several weeks, and many are offered on a donation basis.7 places59 practitioners127,240 inhabitantsDiscover the city
- SongkhlaHat Yaiหาดใหญ่Hat Yai is the busy commercial hub of Songkhla province rather than a retreat town, and its wellness scene reflects that: practical, close to everyday life and spread across public spaces, temples and hospitals rather than resort spas. Many residents unwind outdoors on Khao Kho Hong, the hill park on the edge of the city where people walk, jog and cycle in the cooler hours and climb to the Guan Yin shrine and the large Buddha statue overlooking town.5 places0 practitioners156,802 inhabitantsDiscover the city
- PM2.5 · 23Udon ThaniUdon ThaniอุดรธานีUdon Thani is one of the heartlands of Thailand's forest meditation tradition. In Ban Tat, within Mueang district, the forest monastery Wat Pa Ban Tat was founded in 1955 by the meditation master Ajahn Maha Bua, and in the centre Wat Phothisomphon keeps a museum dedicated to the meditation masters of that lineage. Further out in the province, monasteries such as Wat Pa Ban Kho still follow the daily rhythm of alms round, chanting and sitting practice.6 places0 practitioners130,531 inhabitantsDiscover the city
- PM2.5 · 24.2NonthaburiPak Kretปากเกร็ดPak Kret is one of Thailand's most populous city municipalities, a dense riverside suburb on the Chao Phraya just north of Bangkok. Its five subdistricts mix housing estates, government offices and older riverside communities, and the municipality counts around fifteen Buddhist temples alongside churches, mosques and shrines. Wellbeing here is mostly everyday and local rather than resort-style: an early walk in the park, a Sunday morning at the temple, a weekend trip across the river.3 places0 practitioners189,458 inhabitantsDiscover the city
- PM2.5 · 26Khon KaenKhon Kaenขอนแก่นKhon Kaen is a university and medical city at the centre of Isan, and its calm spaces are woven into everyday city life. One of its landmarks is Phra Mahathat Kaen Nakhon, the nine-storey stupa of Wat Nong Waeng, which rises over Bueng Kaen Nakhon lake; early-morning exercisers circle the water, and the temple is a natural stop on the way.6 places0 practitioners114,459 inhabitantsDiscover the city
- PM2.5 · 20.8ChonburiChaophraya Surasakเจ้าพระยาสุรศักดิ์Chaophraya Surasak is the large city municipality that wraps around Si Racha town on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand, about 120 km from Bangkok. It covers parts of five subdistricts – Surasak, Bueng, Nong Kham, Bo Win and Khao Khan Song – and stretches from the coast inland to industrial estates and the forested hills of Khao Khiao. With major industrial estates inside its boundaries, it is a working city, and wellbeing here tends to fit around work schedules and weekends.4 places0 practitioners153,687 inhabitantsDiscover the city
- Nakhon Si ThammaratNakhon Si ThammaratนครศรีธรรมราชNakhon Si Thammarat is a historic city, where the old northern gate and a stretch of city wall still stand, and its wellness life is shaped by that history. At its heart stands Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan, the great temple on Ratchadamnoen Road that became southern Thailand's first UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2026. For many residents, merit-making, chanting and quiet time at temples are an ordinary part of the week rather than a special outing.4 places0 practitioners102,152 inhabitantsDiscover the city
Coming soon
The next destinations to get their own guide:
- Phuket
- Koh Samui
- Koh Phangan
- Pattaya
- Hua Hin