Thailand means "the land of the free". This is quite apposite insofar as Thailand has been invaded many times in the course of its history, but none of its invaders ever succeeded in subjugating its people. Experience a country with the beauty of a lotus flower. In the former kingdom of Siam, grandiose landscapes, white beaches, turquoise seas, enormous primeval forests, mighty ranges of mountains, impressive waterfalls, mountain peoples with a strong awareness of their traditions, proud elephants, smiling golden Buddhas, majestic old royal palaces – all this and more awaits anyone fortunate enough to travel to Thailand. All these things come together here, and travellers can't resist getting to know Thailand better. Central Thailand, which is well irrigated by its rivers, is known as the country's "rice basket". On the eastern coast of Thailand are the well-known resorts of Pattaya and Rayong and the island of Koh Samet. The mountainous region in the west of Thailand also has plenty to offer, including the River Kwai and Three Pagodas Pass. Although Thailand is still predominantly a farming country, it has meanwhile developed into one of the leading industrial nations in Asia. The most important earners of foreign exchange are the electronics and textiles industries, the export of rice, and tourism. Thailand now finds itself in a transitional phase in which the faces both of the cities and the countryside are being transformed in equal measure, yet with no essential effects on the characteristics or traditions of the population. Needless to say, this high-speed economic growth also brings with it a raft of undesirable side effects, such as air and water pollution, problems with traffic and the destruction of natural habitats. However, people in Thailand are well aware of these problems, and the state is trying to employ education and preventive measures to improve the situations in question and the prospects for the future.

The time difference to Central European Time (CET) is +6 hours, or +5 hours to Central European Summer Time.

Thailand, or Siam as it used to be known, is located in South-East Asia some 10,000 km from Central Europe.

The territory of Thailand occupies a considerable proportion of the land area of South-East Asia, stretching south-eastwards from the last foothills of the Himalayas as far as the Malaysian Peninsula, enclosing the Gulf of Thailand, a marginal sea forming part of the South China Sea, on the way. The shape of Thailand looks a bit like an elephant's head. Its maximum length from north to south is around 1,770 km, while from east to west it is just slightly over 800 km. Thailand's total surface area amounts to 513,115 sq. km. Its neighbours are Burma to the north west, Laos to the north and east, Cambodia to the south east, the Indian Ocean to the west and the South China Sea to the south and east. Northern Thailand is dominated by the Himalayan foothills, which rise to a height of around 2,600 m.

Thailand's climate is essentially a tropical one. The best time to visit Thailand is in the dry season between December and March. Between October and February the temperatures in Bangkok fall back down to around 25°C, which makes this the best part of the year for European visitors in particular.

In the north of the country the temperature in the mornings may be under 10°C, rising towards 30°C in the course of the day. The average temperature in the south of the country is around 30°C with smaller fluctuations.

Our advice is that you should pack cool, practical summer clothing. Around midday the sun, especially on the islands, can beat down with great intensity. A sunshade and wide-brimmed hat are more or less essential to prevent exposed parts of the body from becoming sunburned. You should also be sure to pack suncream and UV-protective sunglasses. It should perhaps be mentioned that no matter how hot the weather, Thai men always wear long trousers in the city. The most suitable attire for women in Thailand is long trousers, a nice summer dress or a skirt coming to below the knee and a blouse or other garment that covers the shoulders and upper arms. A light rain jacket could be useful in case of showers, and you should also bring a jumper to wear in the evenings when the temperature cools down.

Anyone who has ever enjoyed a Thai meal soon learns to appreciate the unrivalled qualities of the cuisine.

Most Thai food is strongly spiced. In common with Indian curries, Thai dishes are based on chillies and a careful balance of fresh vegetables, garlic, mint, cardamoms, lemon grass, fish sauce, tamarind, coriander, coconut milk, palm sugar, not forgetting fresh fish, crab, shrimps and other seafood.

Even novice eaters of Thai food usually develop a great enthusiasm for it in a short space of time, particularly if they are not in too much of a rush to graduate to the spicier curries. People in Thailand use a spoon and fork to eat their food, whereby the fork is held in the left hand and is used to push food onto the spoon, which is held in the right. Chopsticks and a small Chinese soup spoon are only used when eating noodle soup. In rural areas people usually sit on the floor and eat using their fingers.

When mass tourism started to take off in the early 1970s, a lot of new hotels and other accommodation were developed in the main tourist centres. There is now a wide choice on offer, ranging from luxury suites in smart international hotels all the way down to cheap guest houses. Even the smaller town in the mountains of northern Thailand and the formerly empty beaches are increasingly being opened up to the tourist industry.

Thailand's unit of currency is the baht, and one baht is made up of 100 satang. There are both old and new coins of the same denomination in circulation. The old coins are larger, and only the new coins feature Arabic lettering as well as the Thai numerals. Satang coins (i.e. less than one baht) are bronze in colour. Notes differ in size and colour according to their denomination. All prices are quoted in baht, and baht is the only currency used in Thailand. In other words, Thailand does not have any shadow currency, and neither is there a currency black market in the country. All the larger banks have foreign exchange counters which remain open until 19:00. The exchange rates are the same wherever you go, and you will get a better exchange rate for travellers' cheques than you will for cash. To change money you will need a passport as well as a temporary address in Thailand. Well-known credit cards such as Visa, American Express and MasterCard are accepted at hotels, in large shopping centres and at many cash-dispensing machines.

It is usually quite straightforward to make an international phone call from any hotel, travel agent or public telephone box. But beware! Some hotels levy horrendous charges by the minute for phone calls, so you should always ask about the scale of charges. Phone calls from Germany to Thailand are generally less expensive than calls made the other way round. The international prefix for Thailand is 0066, followed by the rest of the number apart from the first "0" from the area code, and to phone from Thailand to Germany: 00149, again followed by the rest of the number apart from the first "0" of the area code). Other important phone numbers are as follows: tourist police 1699 or 195, police 191, missing persons 282-3892-3.

Medical facilities in Thailand are of the same standard as in the West. The best medical care is generally available in private hospitals, which generally have large emergency rooms for outpatients that are well-staffed round the clock. Dispensing chemists stock all the usual medicaments, which they can sell you without any need for a prescription. Your travel guide will be carrying a first-aid kit for dealing with emergencies. If you need particular medication on a daily basis, please be sure to bring it with you in sufficient quantity.

It is also advisable to check that you have been inoculated recently against diphtheria, tetanus and polio. We would also recommend vaccinations for hepatitis A and B, typhoid, Japanese encephalitis and perhaps also rabies. The risk of malaria is high all year round and throughout the country, so travellers should talk to their doctor in advance about appropriate preventive medication.

Travellers should obtain information and medical advice on how to protect themselves against infection, what vaccinations are required and other prophylactic measures well in advance of their departure date. We would refer you in particular to the general information available from health authorities, doctors experienced in travel medicine, doctors of tropical medicine, travel medicine information services or the Federal Centre for Health Education [Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung].

European plugs are nearly always compatible with sockets in Thailand. Even if the only plugs that fit are American-style flat plugs (largely in simple hotels), you'll have no problem finding a suitable adapter in Thailand.

Mains voltage is generally 220 volts, with a frequency of 50 Hz.

Reasonable quantities of items for personal use can be brought into the country duty-free. The allowances state cameras and video recorders with films, up to 250 g of tobacco products or 200 cigarettes per person, 1 litre of wine and 1 litre of spirits per person. Up to 50,000 baht can be taken out of the country per person duty-free, as well as unlimited amounts of gold jewellery.

There is a blanket ban on taking Buddha figures or any part of such a figure out of the country. This applies irrespective of whether the figure in question is artwork or mere kitsch, because Buddha figures are regarded as holy artefacts and antiquities. If you wish you may apply to the Department of Fine Arts for special dispensation.

The qualities of equanimity and patience, which are demonstrated by so many Thais, have their source in Buddhist teachings. An outsider who is unfamiliar with these teachings will struggle to understand many of the ways in which people behave, and will and find it even harder to discern what lies behind the friendly demeanour. A visitor should never on any account express anything akin to contempt for people's religious sensibilities. Accordingly, monks, figures of the Buddha and temples should all be approached with particular respect. When visiting a temple you should be even more certain than usual that you are "correctly attired”. You must always go barefoot when entering a temple and leave your shoes outside the entrance. A woman must never sit next to a monk, let alone touch him!

You currently need to reckon with an increased risk of terrorist attack when travelling to Thailand. A number of bombs exploded in Bangkok on 31.12.2006 and 01.01.2007, the primary target of these attacks being installations of the Thai security forces. However, it is not possible to discount the possibility of attacks on tourist resorts.

Because of continuing unrest in the southernmost regions of the country, the Foreign Office has issued advice that travellers should refrain from visiting those parts. In the event that this situation has still not changed by November 2008, then plans for a trip through this region should be shelved.