9 of the Top Beaches in Pattaya For Every Type of Traveler

If you enjoy Bangkok’s Khao San Road or its other nightlife areas, you’ll probably want to head to Pattaya Beach. During the day, lounge on the sand under a beach umbrella or get active in the water with various outdoor activities in Pattaya, including jet-skiing, windsurfing, and banana boating.

By night, visit the night markets, attend a (perhaps surprisingly enjoyable) cabaret extravaganza with transgender performers, and drink and dance into the small hours. You’ll also find plenty of can't-miss attractions in Pattaya, such as Ripley’s Believe It or Not!.

If mainland Pattaya’s party vibe isn’t your jam, hop over to Coral Island (Koh Larn) from Pattaya’s Bali Hai Pier. The small island has some of the best beaches for relaxation around Pattaya. Day-trip packages are an easy way to get to the island, which is about 4.5 miles (7 kilometers) from the mainland. Here you can snorkel or scuba dive the island’s coral reefs or participate in some of the same water sports offered at Pattaya Beach, but with a backdrop prettiness factor dialed up to 100.

Families will probably want to avoid Pattaya Beach’s main drag for many reasons, but some great kid-friendly spots are not far away. As far as family-friendly beaches in Pattaya go, Jomtien Beach is the pick of the bunch, with a bit of everything—calm ocean, water sports, restaurants, and some nightlife—without the hedonistic excesses.

The 3.7-mile (6-kilometer) stretch of sand is home to many attractions that offer fun alternatives to getting sandy and salty all day: Pattaya Water Park, Underwater World Pattaya, and the Pattaya Floating Market.

Insider tip: The northern end of Jomtien Beach, called Dongtan Beach, is a LGBTQ+ beach neighborhood.

Wong Amat Beach, north of Pattaya Beach and halfway to the unmissable Sanctuary of Truth complex, is a good option for couples seeking a lazy place to enjoy each other’s company without seedy nightlife shenanigans killing the romance. The accommodation is generally upscale, and some high-rise hotels have lovely beach views and infinity pools, if you’re the kind of couple that doesn’t want to venture far from your hotel room. Wong Amat is a good choice for a romantic beach in Pattaya.

Yinyom Beach gets a special shoutout for honeymooners because it’s a charming spot to watch the sunset from, and all good honeymoons need a romantic sunset or two. Plus, the hotels and resorts here are on the higher end of the luxury (and price) spectrum. Yinyom Beach is a short strip of sand between Pattaya Beach and Jomtien Beach, just west of the Pattaya Park Night Market. Head to Jomtien Heads Viewpoint at the northern end for the best spot for sunset views (and selfies).

There still appear to be more fishing boats than Jet Skis at Ban Amphur Beach, an excellent place for fresh seafood. Restaurants with shady umbrellas go right down to the beach, and there’s relatively little pressure from vendors here, compared to the busier beaches. Ban Amphur Beach is about 8.5 miles (14 kilometers) south of central Pattaya, so you may need to flex those bargaining skills to get a ride down here. That said, the distance makes it one of the quieter beaches around Pattaya.

Off the southern tip of the eastern Gulf of Thailand, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Pattaya, Koh Samae San is the largest of nine islands in the Samae San Archipelago. The Thai Navy runs the island as both a scientific research base and an ecotourism hotspot, but you can’t stay overnight here. There are five beautiful beaches on the island, with white sand and clean, clear water, but swimming is only permitted on two: Thian and Luk Lom beaches. Tourist facilities are mostly centered around Luk Lom Beach, where you can take inexpensive guided snorkeling tours and glass-bottomed boat cruises, among other activities, to explore further.

If you’re the type of traveler who prefers to forge your own path to under-the-radar spots, Koh Si Chang might be for you. The island is accessible by boat from the Ko Loi Pier, north of Pattaya. Although much of the small island's coastline is rocky, there’s a swimming beach on the western side: Tham Phang Beach. The port is on the eastern side, so you can rent a scooter or hail a tuk-tuk to the beach. If you choose to stay overnight on the island, there are clifftop viewpoints and temples to explore, too.

Many people travel directly between Bangkok and Pattaya, as highways make the 93-mile (150-kilometer) journey speedy. But if you’ve got more time and want to take the coastal route, Bangsaen Beach is a good place to break the trip, as it’s roughly halfway between the two cities. The 1.6-mile (2.5-kilometer) sweep of sand is relatively clean and well-maintained, and there are many places to grab a picnic to eat on the beach without having to settle into a beach lounger for the day (unless you want to, of course).