Chonburi is Bangkok’s nearest stretch of coast, and it packs a surprising amount into one province. Within a couple of hours of the capital you can eat seafood beside a fishing harbour, swim off a beach where Thai families spend their Sundays, take a ferry to a quiet island with a royal past or dive into the round-the-clock energy of Pattaya. Here is what is where, what to eat, where to stay and how to get there.<\/p>\n
The province runs along the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand, from the old fishing communities near Chonburi town, through the port of Si Racha, down to Pattaya and the naval town of Sattahip. It works for a day trip, a weekend or a longer beach holiday. The north feels local and low-key, while Pattaya is a full-scale resort city. For a quick overview, see our introduction to Chonburi, the seaside province near Bangkok<\/a>.<\/p>\n A little over an hour’s drive from Bangkok on a good day, Bang Saen has been a favourite with city families for decades. The beach runs for about two kilometres, lined with shady trees, deckchairs and umbrellas for hire, and simple seafood restaurants. It is cheerful and busy at weekends, much calmer on weekdays.<\/p>\n Tip:<\/strong> at the northern end, Khao Sam Muk has a viewpoint and a much-visited Chinese-style shrine. It is also home to a large troop of macaques, so keep food and bags out of sight and do not feed them.<\/p>\n Just north of Bang Saen, the old fishing community of Ang Sila has a seafood market where you can buy fish, crab and shellfish and have them steamed or grilled nearby. The area has long been known for its carved granite mortars, still sold along the roadside.<\/p>\n Si Racha is a working port town with a pleasant waterfront. Its landmark is Ko Loi, a small rocky islet joined to the shore by a causeway and topped with a temple. The town also gave its name to the chilli sauce now known around the world as sriracha, and Ko Loi pier is where ferries leave for Ko Si Chang.<\/p>\n Ko Si Chang is a small, unhurried island without big resorts. King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) began building a seaside palace here in 1889, but work stopped during the Franco-Siamese crisis of 1893. The surviving buildings and gardens are now the Phra Chuthathut Ratchathan Museum, free to visit and listed as open Wednesday to Sunday. You can also climb to a hillside Chinese shrine for views over the anchored ships, or swim and watch the sunset at Tham Phang Beach.<\/p>\n Tip:<\/strong> boats from Ko Loi pier run roughly hourly during the day. On the island, hire a local motorbike taxi or three-wheeler for a few hours rather than walking in the heat.<\/p>\n Pattaya is Chonburi’s busiest destination: a long city beach, high-rise hotels, malls, water parks and the famous nightlife of Walking Street at the southern end. For views, head up Pratumnak Hill to the Pattaya viewpoint and Wat Phra Yai, where a large golden Buddha overlooks the bay. South of the hill, Jomtien Beach is longer and more relaxed. Our guide to Songkran in Pattaya<\/a> covers the city’s April water festival.<\/p>\n On the coast at Naklua, north of central Pattaya, this vast temple-like structure is made entirely of wood and covered in intricate carvings of gods, mythical figures and scenes from Asian philosophy. Construction began in 1981 and craftsmen still work on parts of it, so hard hats are required in some areas. Allow at least an hour.<\/p>\n The easiest island escape from Pattaya, Ko Larn is reached by public ferry from Bali Hai Pier, at the end of Walking Street, in about 45 minutes for around 30 baht each way. Ferries usually stop at Na Ban village, and some go directly to Tawaen Beach. Tawaen is the liveliest beach, while Tien, Samae and Nual are calmer. The last boats back leave in the early evening, so check times at the pier.<\/p>\n About 20 km south of central Pattaya in Sattahip district, a seated Buddha image around 109 metres high has been cut into a limestone cliff and inlaid with gold. It was created in 1996 to mark the 50th anniversary of King Bhumibol’s accession to the throne. Entry is free, and the image is most striking in late-afternoon light.<\/p>\n Also in Sattahip, Nong Nooch is a large landscaped garden with themed sections, plant collections and cultural shows, popular as a half-day family trip from Pattaya.<\/p>\n Pattaya is about 145 km from central Bangkok via Motorway 7, typically 1.5 to 2.5 hours by car depending on traffic; Bang Saen is closer. Buses leave regularly from Bangkok’s Eastern Bus Terminal at Ekkamai (about two hours to Pattaya) and from Mo Chit, and direct buses run from Suvarnabhumi Airport. Trains run too but are infrequent. U-Tapao Airport, about 30 km south of Pattaya, has a limited schedule of flights.<\/p>\n Around Pattaya, the shared pick-up trucks known as baht buses circle Beach Road and Second Road for a flat fare of about 10 baht: press the buzzer to stop and pay when you get off. If a driver changes route or asks for more, simply get off. Grab and Bolt also operate. Elsewhere in the province, a car makes it easy to combine Bang Saen, Ang Sila and Si Racha in one day.<\/p>\n The most comfortable months are roughly November to February. March to May is hot, and the rainy season from about May to October brings showers that are often short, though the sea can be choppy. Weekends and public holidays are much busier than weekdays, with heavy traffic on Friday evenings out of Bangkok and Sunday afternoons back. In April, Pattaya and Bang Saen are known for Wan Lai, local Songkran celebrations that usually continue for a few days after the national holiday; check the official schedule each year.<\/p>\n Chonburi rewards a mix-and-match approach: seafood and a lazy beach day in Bang Saen, an island morning on Ko Si Chang or Ko Larn, and a sunset over Pattaya Bay. Go midweek if you can, check ferry times and treat it as the perfect coastal add-on to a stay in Bangkok<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Plan a Chonburi trip: Bang Saen, Pattaya, Ko Larn and Ko Si Chang, seafood markets, where to stay, getting there from Bangkok and when to go.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4230,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[172],"tags":[],"province":[174],"class_list":["post-5088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-attractions-en","province-chonburi-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5088","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5088"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5088\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5163,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5088\/revisions\/5163"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5088"},{"taxonomy":"province","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/province?post=5088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Top things to do in Chonburi<\/h2>\n
Bang Saen Beach<\/h3>\n
Ang Sila<\/h3>\n
Si Racha and Ko Loi<\/h3>\n
Ko Si Chang<\/h3>\n
Pattaya<\/h3>\n
The Sanctuary of Truth<\/h3>\n
Ko Larn<\/h3>\n
Khao Chi Chan (Buddha Mountain)<\/h3>\n
Nong Nooch Tropical Garden<\/h3>\n
What to eat in Chonburi<\/h2>\n
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Where to stay in Chonburi<\/h2>\n
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Getting there and getting around<\/h2>\n
Best time to visit<\/h2>\n
Good to know<\/h2>\n
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In short<\/h2>\n