Best Honeymoon Destinations for First-Time Travellers Abroad

For most newly married couples, we'd pick Thailand: Phuket for the first few nights, then Krabi for limestone cliffs and a car-free beach. Vietnam gives you more to see if you want a city, a bay and an island in one trip. Dubai is the shortest, most polished option. The weather runs through all three choices, so each section says what the sea and sky do month by month.

How many days you need

For Thailand, plan 3 to 4 nights in Phuket and 3 to 4 in Krabi. They are about two hours apart by car.

For Vietnam, fly into Hanoi for 2 to 3 nights. Take the road to Ha Long Bay (2.5 to 3.5 hours) for a night on a boat, or two nights if you want the quieter bays. Return to Hanoi, then fly south to Phu Quoc for 3 to 4 nights. There is no direct flight from India to Phu Quoc, so you connect through Ho Chi Minh City, which is about an hour from the island by air. Check the domestic schedule before you commit.

For Dubai, 4 to 5 nights is how we'd plan a Dubai-only trip. You can add 2 nights in Abu Dhabi, which is 1h15 to 2 hours away by car.

Thailand: Phuket and Krabi

Start in Phuket Old Town on a Sunday. From about 4pm to 10pm Thalang Road closes to traffic for the Lard Yai walking street, and food stalls and live music fill the lit-up Sino-Portuguese shophouses. Plates cost roughly ₹75 to ₹200 (30 to 80 baht), and most stalls take cash only. Try the Hokkien mee at Lock Tien or the braised pork at One Chun. Patong is the busiest beach; Kata or Nai Harn may suit couples better. For a quieter half day, go kayaking through the mangroves at Bang Rong with a guide.

Then drive to Krabi, about two hours. Railay is a peninsula with no road in, so you reach it by a shared longtail from Ao Nang. The crossing takes 10 to 15 minutes and costs about ₹250 each way. On the far side, Phra Nang beach sits under limestone cliffs, with a cave that holds a sea-goddess shrine. Go at sunrise if you can. In the evenings, Ao Nang has a night market and Krabi town's Maharaj Market has spice stalls.

The weather is dry from November to March, at about 24 to 32°C, with a calm, clear sea. February is the driest month. The Andaman side is at its clearest from late December, so early November can still bring rain.

• Suits: beach-first couples, because the sea is calm and clear from late December to February.
• Skip if: you can only travel in November, because that is the weak month on this coast. Hotels run 30 to 40% below peak then, so it only works if price matters more than sunshine.

If you do land in Phuket on 24 November, that is Loy Krathong. Couples release a floating krathong (40 to 100 baht) together at dusk. Nai Harn Lake and Karon Lake are calmer than Patong.

Vietnam: Phu Quoc and the north

Hanoi starts early and small. Café Giang in the Old Quarter is credited as the home of egg coffee and still uses its 1946 recipe. The entrance is tiny, on Nguyen Huu Huan street, and a chef whips the egg sabayon in a kitchen at the foot of the stairs. Order it hot or iced. Mornings are calmer. At Hoan Kiem Lake, locals do tai chi by the water at dawn, and the Old Quarter has 36 historic streets, including craft streets.

The north is cool. Hanoi runs about 14 to 21°C in December and January, with fog and a jacket needed. Ha Long Bay is similar, around 15 to 21°C, with morning mist over the limestone islands that lifts by midday. An overnight cruise can include a cave visit, a floating pearl farm and night squid fishing.

Then fly south to Phu Quoc, where November to March is dry, 23 to 33°C, with a calm sea. Sao Beach has fine white sand, and the Hon Thom cable car (about ₹2,300 for a full-day pass) looks best in late afternoon. Sunset Town is worth it for the sunset only. The restaurants are overpriced, and the guide calls the place an artificial Mediterranean village. The night market at Dinh Cau runs from about 6pm to midnight and is liveliest from 6 to 8pm.

• Suits: couples who want city, bay and beach in one trip, because the north is cool and misty while Phu Quoc is dry and warm.
• Skip if: your dates fall around Tet, because small restaurants, street vendors, banks and museums close for several days and transport sells out.

Before you book: Tet 2027 starts on 6 February, and the holiday could run 4 to 10 or 5 to 14 February (neither is final). Domestic flights, trains and buses can sell out 4 to 6 weeks ahead at 2 to 3 times normal fares. Hotels and tourist-district businesses stay open.

Dubai

Dubai is the easiest of the three on logistics. Take the abra, a wooden boat, across Dubai Creek at sunset, with old trading docks on one side and glass towers on the other. Then walk Al Fahidi, where narrow lanes, wind towers and courtyard houses with galleries are a quiet contrast to Downtown. The Gold and Spice Souks are close by. In the evening, a desert safari brings a dune drive, Bedouin-style entertainment and dinner under the sky. Global Village Season 31 opened on 14 October 2026 and runs to May 2027. Most Indian couples need a tourist visa arranged before travel, which you can get through a UAE airline, a licensed agent or a UAE hotel. Expect roughly ₹6,000 to ₹8,000 per person, depending on who files it.

Winter here is pleasant and dry. January is coolest at about 14 to 23°C, November highs are about 31°C and the sea is warm enough to swim. By late March it is properly hot, with highs near 33°C. Daylight is short in November, with sunset around 5:30pm, so evening plans start early.

• Suits: a short break, or couples who want comfort over wilderness, because direct flights take about 3 to 4 hours and everything is close together.
• Skip if: you want a low budget or a quiet peak, because mid-December to February is the expensive stretch and March is noticeably hotter. Public affection should also stay discreet, and we haven't found a source on dress rules for couples.

Entry, costs and getting there

Thailand. Indian ordinary-passport holders can enter visa-free for up to 30 days from 15 September 2026, "until further notice" (Thai embassy). You also need the Thailand Digital Arrival Card, filled in online within 72 hours before arrival. Press reports advise a passport valid for six months, a return ticket and hotel bookings, so confirm on the official site.

Vietnam. You need an e-visa, applied for at evisa.gov.vn. The embassy lists US$25 to 50 (about ₹2,200 to ₹4,400), and the fee and processing time differ by source, so check the current figure. Apply 2 to 4 weeks ahead. The passport must be valid for at least six months after arrival. Carry a printed copy.

Dubai. Most Indian couples need a tourist visa arranged before travel, through a UAE airline, a licensed agent or a UAE hotel (UAE official page). Expect roughly ₹6,000 to ₹8,000 per person, depending on who files it.

Delhi and Mumbai both have non-stop Phuket flights, and Krabi is usually reached by road from Phuket. Hanoi now has direct flights from Delhi and Mumbai, and Dubai has direct flights from most large Indian cities.

Which to pick for your dates

• November or a short break: Dubai.
• Late December to February, beach-first: Thailand.
• Culture plus beach, outside the Tet dates: Vietnam.