Thai Etiquette: 25 Dos and Don'ts Before Your Trip

Thai etiquette comes down to a handful of rules. Keep your feet low and pointed away from people, never touch anyone's head, cover your shoulders and knees at temples, and stay calm in public. Never criticise the royal family, which is also a crime. And learn the alcohol hours and the vape ban before you land.

Thai people forgive visitors a lot. The rules worth learning are the ones where a slip hurts someone's feelings, and the few where it breaks the law. Here they are, for a meal, a night out or a morning at a temple.

Thai customs at a glance: 25 dos and don'ts

Thailand etiquette in 25 lines. The sections below explain each one, and every legal fact links to a source we checked in October 2026.

#	Do or don't	Why
1	Don't touch anyone's head, even a child's	The head is the highest, most respected part of the body
2	Don't point your feet at people, monks or Buddha images	Feet are the lowest part. Tuck them to the side when you sit on the floor
3	Don't step over people or food, or put your feet on furniture	Same reason
4	Don't point at people with one finger	Use your whole hand, and call people over with your palm facing down
5	Do take your shoes off at homes, temple halls and shops with shoes at the door	If there's a pile of shoes outside, add yours
6	Don't criticise or joke about the royal family, online included	A crime under Section 112, with 3 to 15 years in prison
7	Don't step on money, even a rolling coin	Notes and coins carry the King's portrait
8	Do stand still for the national anthem at 8am and 6pm	It plays in public places and people stop where they are
9	Do stand for the royal anthem before a film	It plays in cinemas before the film starts
10	Do cover your shoulders and knees at temples and the Grand Palace	Carry a light shawl or loose trousers
11	Don't climb on or joke around with Buddha images	Sacrilege is punishable by prison, for visitors too
12	Women: don't touch a monk or hand him anything directly	Put it down in front of him, or pass it through a man
13	Do return a wai from an adult	No need to wai children or staff first. A smile and a nod is fine
14	Do smile and let small things go	Mai pen rai: never mind
15	Don't raise your voice or lose your temper	You lose face, and it rarely works
16	Don't correct or embarrass anyone in front of others	Have the word in private
17	Do eat with the spoon and push food onto it with the fork	The spoon goes in your mouth, the fork doesn't
18	Do take shared dishes a spoonful at a time	Don't heap your plate at the start
19	Do let the eldest start, and expect whoever invited to pay	Offer once, then pay next time
20	Don't buy or drink alcohol outside 11am to midnight	Unless you're in a hotel or licensed venue. Drinkers can be fined now
21	Don't drink at temples, parks, petrol stations or on public transport	Drinking is banned in those places
22	Do check the calendar for Buddhist holy days	Shops and restaurants can't sell alcohol on them, like Ok Phansa on 26 October 2026
23	Don't bring, buy or use a vape	Illegal to own: up to 5 years in prison
24	Don't smoke on beaches or in public areas	Fines of up to 5,000 baht
25	Do carry your passport or a copy of it	Police can ask for ID

Why do the head and feet matter so much in Thailand?

Thais see the head as the highest, most respected part of the body and the feet as the lowest. The Ministry of Culture's dos and don'ts for visitors say it plainly: don't touch people's heads or reach over them, and don't point with your feet or step over people, food or books.

So don't ruffle a child's hair, however cute. Sit on the floor with your legs folded to one side, soles behind you, and keep your feet off chairs and tables. Point with your whole hand rather than one finger, and call someone over with your palm facing down. When shoes are piled outside a door, at a home, a temple hall or a small shop, take yours off too.

What should visitors know about the Thai monarchy?

Thai people hold the royal family in great respect, and the law protects it. Section 112 of the Criminal Code, the lèse-majesté law, makes it a crime to defame, insult or threaten the king, queen, heir apparent or regent, with a sentence of three to 15 years in prison.

It applies to visitors and to what you post online. The UK's travel advice for Thailand says the law can be interpreted broadly, and that journalists and members of the public have faced charges over comments and shared articles. So don't joke about, criticise or comment on the royal family, in person or on social media.

The King's portrait is on every banknote and coin. Pick up a dropped coin by hand and never stop one with your foot. Australia's Smartraveller warns that defacing images of the monarchy, banknotes included, can mean up to 15 years in prison.

The national anthem plays at 8am and 6pm in stations, parks and government offices, and people stop and stand still until it ends. Do the same. In cinemas, everyone stands for the royal anthem before the film.

In Bangkok from 15 to 19 December 2026, the royal cremation of Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother, takes place at Sanam Luang on 16 December. Expect crowds near the Grand Palace that week, wear dark, plain clothes there, and check what's open before you go.

What is Thai temple etiquette?

Thai temple etiquette is about clothes, shoes and keeping yourself lower than the Buddha. It applies at the small temple on your street as much as at the famous ones.

Cover your shoulders and knees. The Royal Thai Embassy's advice says miniskirts and shorts aren't allowed. Take your shoes off before you enter the ordination hall or any building with a Buddha image, and step over the raised threshold rather than on it. Inside, speak quietly and sit with your feet pointing away from the Buddha.

Don't climb on a Buddha image or pose with one for a joke photo. The embassy notes that sacrilegious acts are punishable by prison, even when a foreign visitor commits them. Buying one as a souvenir? Buddha images need a Fine Arts Department permit to leave the country, so ask the shop first.

A woman shouldn't touch a monk or hand him anything directly. Put it down in front of him or pass it through a man, and on a bus or a river boat, don't sit right beside him. The same rules hold at festivals like Loy Krathong, when temples fill up.

What is the Grand Palace dress code?

The Grand Palace dress code rules out sleeveless and see-through tops, shorts, short skirts, and anything torn or tight. Cover your shoulders and knees and you're fine. The palace's practical information page calls it "a place of reverence for the Thai people" and lists the banned items:

sleeveless shirts and vests
short tops and see-through tops
shorts and hot pants
torn, tight or bike pants (leggings count as tight)
mini skirts and what it calls "pants skirts"
sleepwear

Tickets are sold from 8:30am to 3:30pm and cost 500 baht for foreign visitors, including Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.

How do you do the wai, and when should you smile?

The wai is the Thai greeting: palms pressed together at chest height and a small bow of the head. Usually the younger person wais first and the other returns it.

Return a wai from an adult, like a friend's parent. You don't need to wai children, or hotel and shop staff who wai you as part of the job. Smile and nod. With people your own age, a smile and "sawasdee khrap" (men) or "sawasdee kha" (women) is plenty, and our basic Thai phrases post has more.

A Thai smile can mean happy, sorry or embarrassed. You'll hear mai pen rai, roughly "never mind", all day. Say it yourself when a plan changes or an order comes out wrong.

What do kreng jai and saving face mean?

Kreng jai is the Thai habit of not wanting to impose on anyone. It's why a Thai friend might say "maybe" when they mean no, or eat something they don't like rather than send it back. Want a real answer? Ask an open question and give them an easy way out.

Saving face means nobody should be embarrassed in front of others. Shout at a waiter or argue with a driver in the street and you're the one who loses face, and you rarely get what you wanted. Raise a problem quietly, with a smile, and it usually gets fixed. Correct people in private.

What are Thai table manners?

Thai manners at the table are relaxed. A few habits still mark you out as someone who's eaten with Thai people before:

Spoon and fork. The spoon, in your right hand, goes to your mouth. The fork, in your left, pushes food onto it. Chopsticks are for noodle soups, and in the north and northeast sticky rice is rolled into a ball with your right hand.
Shared dishes. Dishes go in the middle. Take a spoonful or two at a time onto your own rice, with the serving spoon if there is one.
Elders first. Let the oldest person start eating. Don't talk loudly or chew with your mouth open.
Who pays. The older person, or whoever invited, usually pays for the table. Thais call it liang. Offer once, thank them properly, and get the bill next time. Friends of the same age often split it.

Eating with a Thai friend is the fastest way to learn all this. Order with someone who knows the menu and you end up with four dishes to share instead of one plate. On Rent Thai Friend you can book a friend in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket or Pattaya to come along to a dinner you've already planned.

When can you buy alcohol in Thailand?

Since 29 May 2026, alcohol can be sold from 11am to midnight, the Tourism Authority of Thailand confirms. The old 2pm to 5pm ban is gone: it was lifted for a six-month trial in late 2025, then dropped for good. Outside those hours, only hotels, licensed entertainment venues, international airport areas and approved event spaces can serve.

The bigger change is who gets fined. Since an amendment to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act took effect on 8 November 2025, the drinker can be fined as well as the seller, for buying or drinking in banned hours or places. Thai press put the maximum fine at 10,000 baht (in Thai).

Also worth knowing:

The drinking age is 20, so carry ID to bars.
The TAT lists temples, government offices, petrol stations, public parks and public transport as places you can't drink.
On the five Buddhist holy days (Makha Bucha, Visakha Bucha, Asahna Bucha, Khao Phansa and Ok Phansa), shops, convenience stores and ordinary restaurants can't sell alcohol. Hotels, licensed venues, airport terminals and some tourist-zone venues are exempt.
The next holy day is Ok Phansa, the end of Buddhist Lent, on Monday 26 October 2026. Voting days can bring a ban too.

What not to do in Thailand: which laws catch visitors out?

Most of what not to do in Thailand is manners. These ones are law, and they apply to tourists exactly as they do to Thais.

Vapes. Owning or using a vape, e-cigarette or refill is illegal, even for personal use. Buying or receiving one can mean up to five years in prison and a 500,000 baht fine, says Smartraveller, and selling or bringing them in carries up to ten years. The UK says fines of 5,000 to 30,000 baht are typical, with no exception for tourists.
Smoking in public. It's banned in public areas, beaches and markets included, with fines of up to 5,000 baht. Look for the marked smoking spots.
Cannabis. Medical use only, with a prescription from a Thai-recognised practitioner. Using it in public is illegal.
Your passport. Police can ask to see it. A copy of the photo page is usually enough, says the UK's advice; without either, you could be told to bring it to a police station within 24 hours.
Angry reviews. Thailand's defamation laws are strict, and Smartraveller notes that travellers have been arrested over social media posts, negative reviews included. Take complaints to the business itself.
Playing cards. Gambling is illegal outside a few race tracks, and so is carrying more than 120 playing cards, under a law from 1943.

And since 28 August 2026, new regulations let Thailand deport a foreigner whose conduct it judges to be against public order or morals, without a criminal conviction, according to the UK's advice.

What's the easiest way to pick up Thai etiquette?

Spend an evening with Thai people and copy them. You'll see who sits where, who serves whom, and why everyone goes quiet at 6pm. Our post on how to meet locals in Thailand has free ways to do that.

Or book a Thai friend to come along to a plan you've already made: a long dinner, a night market, a temple before the heat. Friends are hand-picked, 18 or over and checked against their ID, and first meet-ups happen somewhere public, as our safety page explains. You pay the friend's hourly rate in credits (pricing), and how it works covers the rest.

Questions people ask

What is the most important rule of Thai etiquette?

Respect for the head and the feet, and for the royal family. Don't touch anyone's head, don't point your feet at people or Buddha images, and never criticise the monarchy, which is also a crime under Section 112 of the Criminal Code.

Can women wear shorts in Thailand?

Yes, in towns, malls and at the beach. Not at temples or the Grand Palace, where shoulders and knees must be covered, so carry a sarong or light trousers if a temple is part of the day.

Can you buy alcohol in the afternoon in Thailand?

Yes. Since 29 May 2026, alcohol can be sold from 11am to midnight with no afternoon break. The exceptions are Buddhist holy days and voting days, when shops and ordinary restaurants can't sell it.