-- Last Updated on March 14, 2023 by Jonesy

If you are a fan of beaches and you’re considering a trip to Thailand anytime soon, why not take a look at which Pattaya beaches are best?

Many visitors to Thailand will most likely opt for the mega-priced Phuket in one of the country’s other main beach regions in the south. Pattaya is in the eastern Chonburi province of the country though—which means that it’s just a couple of hours down the road from Bangkok.

Because of that it has always been a popular and cheaper option than the south for those from the city regions, although that is most likely changing.

This formerly quiet fishing village is probably most renowned for its somewhat exotic nightlife—an image that the local government seems intent on shaking off. You can see this from the various ‘upgrades’ going on in and around the city, mainly for the purpose of giving the resort town a more family-oriented feel and appearance.

What many people are unaware of though, are the many other aspects of the city and what they have to offer. This is particularly the case when it comes to Pattaya beaches.

Many beaches in Pattaya either include or are close to portions of relatively untouched nature. This is especially true of the numerous small islands—which are definitely home to some of Pattaya’s best beaches. Then there is the surrounding mountain and forest terrain.

The resort city of Pattaya began drawing attention around 40 or 50 years ago, although mostly for its somewhat seedier undertakings. This came about largely as something of an overspill from the days of the U.S. soldiers stationed in the country around the time of the Vietnam War.

They were drawn to the beaches of the quiet fishing town for some R&R—which soon began to develop recreational options other than the beach.

Anyway, that said—Pattaya actually has quite a few more beaches than most people tend to be aware of. They are all slightly different in some way, from the chaotic and lively to the peaceful and tranquil—with plenty in between.

If you are coming to Thailand for the beaches then sometime between November and February is a great time to visit Pattaya. This is when the weather is pleasant rather than overly-warm. At some other times it can simply be too humid to be enjoyable for many visitors.

So without further ado—let’s get into which Pattaya beaches are best by checking out some of the views and experiences offered by each one.

Pattaya Beach—Fun in the Sun

It makes sense to begin with the beach named after the town itself. Pattaya Beach is a central stretch about 1.5-miles long and divided into north, south, and central zones.

The almost half crescent-shaped stretch of coast around the beach covers more like 2.5 miles, and the beach itself runs virtually parallel to the city. It stretches south between North Pattaya and the famous Walking Street, and is one of the town’s most lively and popular areas.

If you like lots of people and activities—not to mention those long-stretch walks along the beach—then this is the ideal choice. Pattaya Beach is also the main one in the town for water activities, which only adds to the liveliness.

Visitors can get involved in water sports like jet-skiing, parasailing, and banana boat riding. Aside from that, the beach road has plenty of restaurants and other stores, including the Central Festival Mall, and there are lots of resorts, condos, and hotels along this stretch.

For many people this is the best beach in Pattaya—but these tend to be mainly younger or more outgoing and active people looking for fun in the sun. It’s not necessarily the best place for families with young kids when it gets over-packed, and there are other options better suited to just those people as we shall see.

Things to Do:

• Parasailing
• Jet-skiing
• Banana boat riding
• Fly-boarding

Nearby Attractions:

• Walking Street
• Tree Town Night Market
• Central Festival
• Art in Paradise

Bang Saray Beach—Quiet, Clean, Exclusive…and Pattaya!

Bang Saray Beach is one of the palm-lined, relaxing sandy beaches that most people come to places like Chonburi in search of.

Bang Saray is ideal for many visitors in that it presents a much quieter and cleaner vibe than some of the more lively and central beaches. In many ways, elements of the region’s former small fishing village charm remain in this section of the town. This comes in stark contrast to the resorts and high-rise condos sprawling and extending down the shores of Pattaya Beach, in ever longer and wider lines.

Bang Saray is a fairly narrow stretch of sandy beach. It runs between the beach road lined with food sellers, and the warm waters of Thailand’s Gulf. It’s not big and it’s not packed, and it has a distinctly more local vibe about it.

You know when you have a decent beach in Pattaya when the locals populate it. Here you’ll see some of them fishing and setting up chairs as well as tents—and sometimes these get rented out if the demand is there.

Usually the water near the shoreline is dotted with a variety of primitive-looking, anchored fishing boats. The water here couldn’t exactly be described as clear, but this is still one of the best Pattaya beach areas for a swim aside from the nearby islands.

You’ll find a few more upscale restaurants and exclusive beach club-type resorts along with a bit more liveliness towards the beach’s southwestern corner if that’s of interest. There is generally a more laid back atmosphere close to Bang Saray Beach though, and although it might veer more towards the high-brow price-wise, many believe it worthwhile just to escape from the noise and chaos of Pattaya’s more central beaches.

People do get involved in water activities like scuba diving at Bang Saray Beach, although it is not developed enough to warrant a life guard of any description.

Generally, swimmers stay within the shallower reaches as the odd whale shark does make an appearance at this beach. There are also reports of lost sunken remnants of a WWII cargo ship that in the area sunk during WWII—enough to keep any ghost-fearing locals at bay.

Things to Do:

• Diving
• Watching the sunset, relaxing
• Eating and drinking

Nearby Attractions:

• Legend Siam
• Nong Nooch Tropical Garden
• Columbia Pictures Aquaverse

Jomtien Beach—Scenic Family Beach

Jomtien Beach is the go-to beach for anyone heading to the town and wanting to avoid certain elements. This is one of the cleanest and most pleasant beaches in Pattaya, and it has a somewhat more relaxed vibe than Pattaya Beach.

The beach is flanked by palm trees and is an ideal place to relax and enjoy the views. It is especially popular with families, and although it seems much quieter and cleaner than some of the other more centrally-located stretches, there is still plenty to do at Jomtien.

The beachfront along this stretch is lined with various stores, cafes, and restaurants—so you won’t have to look too far to find some Thai seafood or otherwise. Considering the different aspects that this beach has to offer, Jomtien is considered by many visitors and locals alike as one of the best beaches in Pattaya.

Another major selling point of Jomtien is the Dive Centre that gives you the opportunity to indulge in a spot of snorkelling or scuba diving. On top of that, Pattaya is the place to find an adrenaline-fuelled bungee jump if that’s your thing—and one of the best jumps going just happens to be in the vicinity of Jomtien Beach.

Khao Chi Chan—also known locally as ‘Buddha Mountain’—is yet another popular local feature near Jomtien Beach. This impressively huge, golden image of a Buddha is located on a limestone hill and is one of the town’s ‘must-see’ stop-off points.

To top that, the Cartoon Network Amazone Water Park is close to Jomtien Beach and provides the opportunity for some family fun. This is a theme park based around cartoon characters from the popular Cartoon Network, and includes rides featuring themes related to the likes of Dexter’s Laboratory, the Powerpuff Girls, Ben 10, Adventure Time and many more to delight the kiddies.

— Read More: Jomtien Beach in Pattaya – Reasons to Visit or Stay and DongTan Beach (next to Jomtien) – Reasons To Visit and Guide

Things to Do:

• Snorkelling, Scuba Diving (Jomtien Dive Centre)
• Parasailing
• Windsurfing
• Sailing
• Jet-skiing
• Banana boat riding

Nearby Attractions:

• Khao Chi Chan
• Bungy jump
• Cartoon Network Amazone

Naklua Beach

Naklua means ‘salt field’ in native terms. This obviously salty beach is located close to a nearby fishing habitat, towards Pattaya’s northern tip. Unsurprisingly then, it is a popular beach for anyone undertaking fishing boat rentals.

On top of that there is plenty of swimming, paddle-boarding, surfing, and other water activities going on here. There are plenty of loungers and outdoor shade available although this is one of the beaches that seems to get more crowded every time you visit—possibly this is due to the fact that it was listed quite a few years back as one of the quieter beaches!

Actually, you might find that it is still quite a bit less crowded here than on Pattaya Beach by comparison, so it’s still good for couples, families, and solitude-seekers. Yet there are also growing numbers of resorts, condos, and even 5-star hotel chains popping up along the main stretch of the beach road.

Things to Do:

• Parasailing
• Banana Boat riding
• Beach volleyball
• Thai massage
• Lots of food options

Nearby Attractions:

• Como Antique Gallery

Wong Amat Beach – The Cleanest Pattaya Beach

Wong Amat is another Pattaya Beach that qualifies as one of the cleanest. This is in line with the fact that it is largely visited by families—and rightly so. You are actually more likely to see kids playing in and around this beach area than many of the others covered in this post.

There are definitely some impressive views of the azure sea to be had from this vantage point. This is perhaps why this stretch also has plenty of luxury sea-facing hotels and restaurants for travellers.

This means there is a great choice of cuisine from some nice hotels and waterfront restaurants to dine at, and Terminal 21 is within walking distance.

Things to Do:

• Fishing (from the beach’s rocky outcrop)
• Snorkelling
• Paddling
• Eating and drinking

Nearby Attractions:

• Terminal 21

Koh Larn Island and Beaches – The Most Beautiful

Koh Larn is one of the nearest as well as one of the most popular of the small islands off the Pattaya mainland. It is mainly accessed by a 15-minute ferry boat ride, and is a popular stop-off for honeymooners. The ferry operates a schedule.

If you are an island lover then it is completely understandable if you think that all the best beaches in Pattaya are here—many would argue just that point.

As it turns out Koh Larn has no less than six main beaches and a few smaller ones not usually mentioned in tour guides. All of the beaches here are of the white sand and crystal clear waters variety, which many visitors feel are on another level to those on the mainland.

You certainly won’t be disappointed if you come to Koh Larn—although this is another one of the planned, ‘hi-so’ exclusive tourist zones for the near future.

You’ll also be privy to the island’s monkey colony or maybe this is something you would have to decide for yourself according to your planned itinerary. Some of the island’s beaches are rife with water sports, others more secluded and quiet. There are also a variety of amenities including restrooms and showers at all of these beaches too.

We are going to look at 3 of the beaches on Koh Larn: Samae, Tawaen, and Tien. These beaches are in some of the main areas for accommodation on the island, particularly the first two.

Samae Beach – Koh Larn

Across to the western shoulder of the island you will find the gorgeous Samae Beach. What this 500-metre stretch of beach lacks in size it more than makes up for with views, atmosphere, and amenities—not to mention water sports and underwater experiences.

Because of its geographical location some people believe this beach to be a little cooler than some of the others. It probably isn’t in terms of temperature, but if you are lucky you’ll be privy to a few decent cross-breezes when on the beach.

There are plenty of shops and particularly restaurants along the main yet short stretch of beach road.

Things to Do:

• Snorkelling
• Scuba diving
• Underwater sea walking
• Glass-bottom boat rides
• Eating and drinking

Tawaen Beach – Koh Larn

Tawaen Beach is one of the more scenic Pattaya beaches on the island of Koh Larn. Here we are talking azure waters and lush green and brown backdrops of surrounding mountainous terrain.

Add to that the white sand on the beach and ask yourself what better place than this exists for relaxing. Of course there are plenty of water sports and other activities going on around this scenic spot on the north-western side of the island up from Samae Beach.

This is another popular beach with plenty of cafes and restaurants, especially lining the main stretch of road behind the beach. There is also a coral reef near the beach that can be visited on a special trip.

There are lots of things to do here, and you are surrounded by some slightly more diverse terrain which makes it ideal for couples and families. 

Things to Do:

• Jet skiing
• Banana Boat riding
• Checking out the coral reef

Tien Beach – Koh Larn

The western Tien Beach is a lovely stretch of reasonably-narrow white sand where you can enjoy a nice spot of solace by the ocean on the right day.

Tien Beach is certainly one of the cleanest beaches you are likely to find in Pattaya. Add that to the crystal waters and white sand and you could be forgiven for thinking you are in the south of Thailand.

This is one of the best beaches on the island for a day or a week on the island and in Pattaya, ideal for young and old, and especially for couples or small families. Much smaller groups of people tend to come here than at the more central beaches so generally things don’t get too raucous.

Things to Do:

• Sunbathing
• Swimming
• Snorkelling

The Bottom line

When it comes down to it, the eastern resort town of Pattaya has many more beach options than the average visitor tends to realise. They are also more diverse than a lot of people expect, with varying coastline scenarios along the various spots. Of course the island beaches are difficult to beat in visual terms, but there are still hordes of people who head to Pattaya exactly for what the busy central beaches have to offer.

Pattaya Beaches FAQ

Related

• Pattaya Travel Guides
• Things to do – Pattaya Attractions
• Best 10 Jomtien Hotels Near the Beach & Centre
• Getting from Bangkok to Pattaya – Cheapest to Easiest and Most Comfortable
• Jomtien Beach in Pattaya – Reasons to Visit or Stay
• DongTan Beach in Pattaya – Reasons To Visit and Guide
• Jomtien Beach Night Market (Pattaya) – Cheap, Cheerful and Lively
• Big Buddha Temple in Pattaya (Wat Phra Yai) – Is it Worth Visiting?
• The Top 7 Night Markets in Pattaya You Might Like To Check Out
• Buddha Mountain (Khao Chi Chan)—A Worthy Stop-Off Point in Pattaya
• Soi Buakhao Pattaya – A Brief Guide & What to Expect