Best Theme Parks in Thailand

The largest amusement park in Bangkok, out in Min Buri on the eastern edge of the city, and still widely known by its former name of Siam Park City. A dry park and a water park share one ticket: around fifty rides including a suspended looping coaster and a giant drop, alongside a very large wave pool that is the main reason Bangkok families come. Parts of it show their age next to newer parks in the region, and weekend queues are long, but nothing else in the city comes close for scale. How to Reach: About 45 minutes by road east of central Bangkok; there is no direct rail link. Best Time to Visit: Weekday mornings in the cool season, November to February

Dream World sits at Thanyaburi north of Bangkok and is the gentler of the capital's two big parks, built around themed zones rather than thrill rides. There is a fantasy garden, a snow hall kept below freezing where coats are handed out at the door, daily parades, and an upside-down house built for photographs. A few faster rides exist, but the balance is aimed at younger children rather than teenagers. Tickets are sold in bundles that combine rides with a buffet. How to Reach: About 50 minutes by road north of central Bangkok on the Rangsit-Ongkharak road. Best Time to Visit: Weekdays in the cool season, November to February

The water park at Bangsaray, twenty minutes south of Pattaya, built on the site of the former Cartoon Network Amazone and rebuilt around Sony's Columbia Pictures films. Zones draw on Ghostbusters, Jumanji and Hotel Transylvania, with slides, a wave pool and a surf pool, and a good deal of the site is shaded, which matters in the Chonburi heat. It is the best equipped water park within reach of Pattaya and holds a full day comfortably. How to Reach: About 20 minutes by road south of Pattaya at Bangsaray, or roughly 2 hours from Bangkok. Best Time to Visit: November to February, and weekdays over weekends

A ten-acre water park attached to the Black Mountain golf resort outside Hua Hin, and one of two substantial water parks serving the town. There are nine slides, a wave pool, a lazy river and a separate children's pool, laid out among the greens, which keeps it greener and quieter than a standalone park. It has been running since 2011 and is straightforward rather than spectacular, which suits families who want a pool day without a theme wrapped around it. How to Reach: About 15 minutes by road west of Hua Hin town, towards Nong Phlap. Best Time to Visit: November to February, avoiding Thai public holidays

A 140-acre entertainment complex on Kamala Beach in Phuket, built around a large theatre production, a 4,000-seat buffet restaurant and a themed shopping village rather than around rides. It runs as an evening venue: the site opens late in the day and the whole visit is structured around the dinner and the show that follows it. The headline show uses live animals, including elephants, which is worth knowing before you book. How to Reach: On Kamala Beach, about 30 minutes by road north of Patong. Best Time to Visit: Evenings only, as the complex does not open during the day

A small water park on the roof of The Mall Bangkae in western Bangkok, and about as local as a Bangkok attraction gets: the crowd is residents and their children rather than visitors, and it rarely turns up in guidebooks. There are slides, a wave pool and shallow play areas, all compact, with views out over the rooftops from the top of the slides. Treat it as an hour or two while someone else shops downstairs rather than a destination in its own right. How to Reach: On the roof of The Mall Bangkae in Phasi Charoen, about 40 minutes by road west of central Bangkok. Best Time to Visit: Weekday afternoons outside the school holidays