Travel guides
Bangkok: climate and best time to visit
When should you visit Bangkok? Compare official monthly temperatures and rainfall, understand the seasonal trade-offs and choose dates that suit your plans.
By Compi3 min read
For long sightseeing days in Bangkok, December and January are my first shortlist: relatively little rain and lower daytime highs than in spring. April is not a milder alternative to winter; it is the hottest month in this station table. If your plans combine temples, markets and plenty of walking, that difference deserves more weight than a few millimetres of rainfall. September and October call for considerably more flexibility around wet weather. The figures belong to Bangkok Metropolis station, rather than an airport outside the city or Thailand’s beach islands.
Climate table for all twelve months#
Source: Thai Meteorological Department / WMO, station 48455 Bangkok Metropolis, 1991–2020 normal period. The table gives mean daily maximum and minimum temperatures and mean monthly total precipitation. Wet days: average number of days with at least 1 mm of precipitation.
| Month | Daily high °C | Daily low °C | Precipitation mm | Wet days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32.7 | 23.4 | 23.6 | 1.9 |
| February | 33.7 | 24.8 | 21.4 | 1.9 |
| March | 34.7 | 26.4 | 51.0 | 3.4 |
| April | 35.7 | 27.2 | 93.3 | 5.4 |
| May | 35.1 | 26.9 | 216.8 | 12.4 |
| June | 34.1 | 26.4 | 198.5 | 13.4 |
| July | 33.5 | 26.1 | 189.7 | 14.1 |
| August | 33.3 | 25.9 | 227.1 | 15.6 |
| September | 33.2 | 25.4 | 335.9 | 18.0 |
| October | 33.0 | 25.2 | 288.7 | 14.4 |
| November | 33.1 | 24.7 | 44.6 | 3.8 |
| December | 32.3 | 23.2 | 11.6 | 1.0 |
Two months compared directly#
December or April? Mean daily highs and lows are 32.3°C and 23.2°C in December, compared with 35.7°C and 27.2°C in April. Monthly precipitation totals are 11.6 mm and 93.3 mm respectively.
December wins this comparison on both lower heat and lower rainfall. April brings more warmth to manage by day and overnight. January is close to December’s profile and makes a useful alternative. November is also much less rainy than September but stays warmer than December; a winter trip to Bangkok does not mean cool days.
Temperatures are mean daily highs and lows, not fixed limits for individual days. Precipitation in millimetres measures quantity, not duration. A wet day can still have dry hours. Use the current forecast for a particular travel day.
Choose dates around your own itinerary#
In Bangkok, I would decide how much walking you want before counting sights. A full outdoor itinerary works differently with April’s average high above 35°C than it does in December.
- December/January: consider these months first for longer city walks.
- April: shorten outdoor sections and schedule deliberate breaks.
- September/October: leave room between fixed appointments so that a missed walk does not immediately have to be squeezed back in.