A cheap flight to Thailand depends less on the day of the week than on the month, the departure airport and the destination. From London, Kayak put May at £576 for a return to Bangkok and December at £913; from Germany the same gap was €703 against €1,065. The trap in 2026 is not the fare but the arrival: since 15 September, many European passports get 30 days without a visa instead of 60.
The essentials in numbers
On 6 October 2026 we read the Kayak pages for seven routes, the Wikipedia airport lists, the Aviasales help pages and the French foreign ministry’s entry page. Every price here is a snapshot, not a price list.
- Direct flight time: 10 h 39 from Milan and 10 h 46 from Germany to Bangkok, 11 h 22 from Paris; to Phuket 11 h 16 from Germany and 11 h 37 from Paris.
- Cheapest month: May to Bangkok from Germany, Madrid and London, September from Paris and Milan and to Phuket. Priciest: December from Germany, London and Milan, August from Paris and Madrid.
- Best window to buy: 13 to 21 weeks before departure, depending on the route.
- New since 15 September 2026: 30 days visa-free instead of 60.
- Trap no. 1: not knowing who sells the ticket.
Direct or with a stop: what flies to Thailand from Europe
Many airlines fly nonstop from Europe to Bangkok. Wikipedia’s list for Suvarnabhumi names, on 6 October 2026, among others Air France (Paris), Condor (Frankfurt), Lufthansa (Munich) and Thai Airways, with many European cities. Here is what we read on Kayak for each route; the cheapest return of the last five days almost always has a stop:
| Route | Direct flights named by Kayak | Average direct flight time | Cheapest return found (last 5 days) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paris → Bangkok | Air France (10 a week), Thai Airways (7) | 11 h 22 | €542 (with a stop, XiamenAir) |
| Paris → Phuket | Air France (3 a week) | 11 h 37 | €543 (with a stop, China Eastern) |
| Germany → Bangkok | Thai Airways (21 a week), Condor (7), Lufthansa | 10 h 46 | €550 (from Munich) |
| Germany → Phuket | Condor only (7 a week) | 11 h 16 | €548 (from Munich) |
| Madrid → Bangkok | Iberojet (1 a week) | 11 h 54 | €517 (with a stop, Sichuan Airlines) |
| London → Bangkok | EVA Air, Thai Airways and others | 11 h 37 | £404 (with a stop, Air China) |
| Milan → Bangkok | Thai Airways (7 a week) | 10 h 39 | €434 (with a stop, Air Arabia) |
A stop lengthens the trip and often lowers the fare. From Paris, the cheapest stop (via Oslo) averaged €534 return against €1,015 for a direct, about €481 less (Kayak data for the last 12 months); to Phuket, €633 with a stop, about €467 less than a direct. From London, Kayak said the reverse: direct was on average the cheapest option (£552). The saving is paid for in time: the examples from Paris to Bangkok ran from 15 h 30 (Condor via Frankfurt, €543) through 20 h 20 (China Eastern via Shanghai, €542) up to 35 h 10 with two stops, against about 11 hours direct. Compare both for your date.
Full guide: Phuket Boat Tours: Prices, Monsoon Risk and Traps
When to book: what the price data shows
Kayak works out its own cheapest month and best window for each route, but a pattern emerges: December is the priciest month from Germany, London and Milan, and the summer from Paris and Madrid.
| Route | Cheapest month | Priciest months | Best window to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paris → Bangkok | September: €641 | August: €971 (July: €950) | 14 weeks ahead (−11%) |
| Paris → Phuket | September: €637 | August: €953 (July: €925) | 19 weeks ahead (−12%) |
| Germany → Bangkok | May: €703 | December: €1,065 (July: €947) | 13 weeks ahead (−12%) |
| Germany → Phuket | September: €629 | December: €1,032 (March: €953) | 19 weeks ahead (−17%) |
| Madrid → Bangkok | May: €587 | August: €794 (July: €768) | 13 weeks ahead (−13%) |
| London → Bangkok | May: £576 | December: £913 (July: £842) | 13 weeks ahead |
| Milan → Bangkok | September: €565 | December: €939 (August: €890) | 21 weeks ahead (−5%) |
The gap between the cheapest and priciest month averages 51% from Paris to Bangkok, 49% to Phuket, 35% from Madrid and 66% from Milan. Buying in the last two weeks costs 7% (Bangkok) to 10% (Phuket) more than the €825 or €829 average from Germany. The departure day matters too: from Germany, a return to Bangkok leaving on a Tuesday averaged €799, against €885 on a Saturday. Set a price alert as soon as your dates are fixed: according to its homepage, the Aviasales app sends a notification when the ticket price drops.
Bangkok or Phuket: where to land?
Bangkok is the hub, with many direct flights; Phuket is served nonstop from Europe by only a few airlines.
| Bangkok (BKK) | Phuket (HKT) | |
|---|---|---|
| Direct flights from Europe | many, including Air France, Thai Airways, Condor, Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, ITA Airways, EVA Air | Air France (Paris), Condor (Frankfurt); plus seasonal links, including Edelweiss, TUI Airways, Virgin Atlantic, SAS |
| Cheapest direct return from Paris | €790 (Thai Airways) | €923 (Air France) |
So it can pay to land in Bangkok and take a domestic flight: Kayak gives an average of 1 h 33 for Bangkok to Phuket and returns from €62 (Thai VietJet Air, usual range €60 to €92). The direct from Paris to Bangkok showed from €790, Paris to Phuket from €923: a €133 gap, of which the domestic flight eats only a part before bags and transfers are added. Only the sum for your own date will say whether the detour wins. For getting around the country, see Getting around Thailand.
Full guide: Phuket Airport Transfer: Taxi, Bus or Pre-Booked Car?
For a round trip through the country, an open-jaw ticket (into Bangkok, home from Phuket) saves doubling back. According to its homepage, the Aviasales search covers several cities: you can compare Bangkok and Phuket in a single search. One route is set out in the Thailand itinerary for 15 days.
The cheap month is not always the best one
September is the cheapest month from Paris and to Phuket, but according to climatestotravel.com it is also the wettest: Phuket’s rainy season runs from May to October (about 325 mm in September) and its dry season from December to March, exactly when fares are highest. According to our guide When to visit Thailand, the Gulf of Thailand, with Koh Samui and Koh Phangan, is best from July to September: anyone using a cheap September fare is better off aiming there than at Phuket.
Entry in 2026: your flights must fit inside 30 days
According to the French foreign ministry (its “Entrée / séjour” page, updated 6 October 2026), French citizens with an ordinary passport may stay in Thailand up to 30 days without a visa, for tourism only, since 15 September 2026; it used to be 60 days. The Thaiger and VisasNews report that the rule was published on 31 August 2026 and covers 60 countries, among them the EU states, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. If you are not French, read the notice from your own foreign ministry.
- Stays over 30 days: a visa is required, issued by Thai consulates abroad; according to The Thaiger, a single 30-day extension is possible on the spot (1,900 baht, at the authorities’ discretion). Anyone planning five or six weeks should settle this before buying the return flight.
- Two visa-free entries per calendar year: that is what the French page says, “quel que soit le mode de transport”; The Thaiger and VisasNews describe the limit for land border crossings, and Germany’s Federal Foreign Office limits it to land and sea entries; through international airports the number is said to depend on the purpose of travel, as set by immigration. If you will enter several times in a year, read the official text.
- Passport: valid for at least six months from the date of entry.
- Digital arrival card (TDAC): to be filled in online in the three days before arrival, free according to The Thaiger, at tdac.immigration.go.th. A site that asks for money is not the official one.
- Proof: according to the French ministry, immigration may ask for the equivalent of 20,000 baht in cash per person; The Thaiger recommends a return or onward ticket and the address of your first accommodation. To size the spending, see Thailand 3-week budget.
Comparing on Aviasales: who sells the ticket?
Aviasales is a flight metasearch engine: according to its homepage, it compares flights by your filters and sends you to the airline’s or agency’s website to book; it does not sell tickets and is free. To see the going fares from your airport, you can compare flights to Thailand on Aviasales, then filter by departure day, airport and number of stops.
The drawback lies in that role: Aviasales cannot change or refund a ticket; according to its help page, you must contact the seller, whose name is on the itinerary receipt. On Trustpilot, Aviasales (“Aviasales.ru”, domain www.aviasales.com) stands at 2.4 out of 5 from only 10 reviews, the latest dated 2 October 2026. The sample is small; the criticism was of late refunds and unreliable agencies, the praise for the clear layout. That is a warning, not a guarantee: anyone buying from an unknown agency carries the risk.
The traps and how to avoid them
Separate tickets. According to the EU’s Your Europe site, a connection on a single booking entitles you to compensation if you arrive three hours or more late and the delay is not due to extraordinary circumstances; the amount depends on the distance and goes up to €600 beyond 3,500 km. With separate bookings that does not apply: if the first flight is cancelled, only that flight is refunded. These rules cover flights leaving the EU on any airline and arrivals in the EU on an EU airline.
The cheapest fare, with a stop. The lowest offers on the Kayak pages came from Chinese, Gulf or Indian airlines, with total journey times, in the examples, of 18 to 35 hours. Check on the official site the entry and transit rules of the country where you change, and read the baggage line: whether a checked bag is included depends on the fare and the airline, and we give no figure.
Arrival time. According to Wikipedia, the Airport Rail Link connects Suvarnabhumi to Phaya Thai in 27 minutes, for 15 to 45 baht, daily from 05:30 to midnight. If you land at night you need something else; at the airport, the French foreign ministry recommends only licensed taxis on the meter, the rail shuttle, public transport and limousine services. Where you sleep depends on your arrival: Where to stay in Bangkok.
Before you pay: the checks
- Seller: read the name, rating and contact of the airline or agency before you enter your details.
- Passport and stay: six months’ validity, name as on the document, return flight within the 30 days.
- Baggage and stops: the baggage line, total duration, connection time, one ticket or two.
- Price: compare with the average for your airport and test the departure day.
- Before arrival: fill in the TDAC, plan for 20,000 baht in cash and settle the ride from the airport.
