Ramadan in Thailand

Ramadan in Thailand is a quieter, more accommodated experience than in muslim-majority countries — but the country has roughly 4-5 million muslim residents and a sizable annual GCC + Southeast-Asian muslim tourist flow, so iftar tables, Ramadan buffets, and special prayer schedules are easy to find in Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi, and the deep south. Restaurant hours adjust in muslim-majority areas; international hotels run Ramadan packages catering specifically to GCC visitors.

Maghrib in Bangkok shifts roughly between 18:35 and 18:55 depending on time of year (Ramadan moves ~11 days earlier annually on the Gregorian calendar). Most major hotels — Marriott, Hilton, Sheraton, Centara, Anantara, Banyan Tree — run Ramadan buffets at their flagship Bangkok locations. Al Meroz, Bangkok's largest halal hotel, runs the most authentic spread.

Tarawih prayers run nightly after Isha at every Bangkok mosque. Foundation Mosque (Charoen Krung), Darul Aman (Sukhumvit), Haroon (Bang Rak), and the Indonesian Mosque (Phra Khanong) all welcome visitors. Tarawih usually starts ~20:00 and runs 1-2 hours. Friday Jum'ah crowds are noticeably larger during Ramadan.

Suhoor (pre-dawn meal) is less commercialized — most muslim travelers eat at the hotel or order in. A handful of 24h halal restaurants on Sukhumvit Soi 3 and Indra Square cover the suhoor crowd. Some hotels run quiet suhoor buffets 03:30-05:00 — confirm in advance.

Eating publicly during fasting hours is fine — Thailand is a buddhist-majority country, no public-fasting expectation exists. Drinking water in muslim-majority areas (deep south, Krabi, Pattani) during Ramadan is technically OK but considered polite to be discreet. Alcohol availability is unchanged.