Best Beaches in Thailand: Your Practical Travel Guide

When planning your trip to the Best Beaches in Thailand, you first must know why this country is worth the flight. It’s not just one thing. It’s the beaches, but it’s also the $1.50 street food that’s better than most restaurant meals back home. It’s the temples you stumble into mid-wander. It’s the fact that Thai locals genuinely seem happy to see you. A tuk-tuk driver once asked me if I liked my Pad Thai more than most restaurant owners like their regular customers.

But the beaches. Let’s talk about the beaches.

Why are the Best Beaches in Thailand different?

Thailand has some 3,000 kilometres of coast on two gulfs. Which means there’s no one answer to the question of the best beaches in Thailand – it all depends on what you’re after. Party scene? Remote snorkelling? Cliffs of the postcard? It’s all there, often within hours of each other.

Patong Beach, Phuket

Patong is always mentioned when tourists are asked to name the best beaches in Thailand. Loud. Crowded. Fun if you’re in the right headspace. The beach itself is solid, wide, well maintained and jet skis and parasailing run most of the day. Even if you’re not a fan of nightlife, it’s worth checking out Bangla Road at night once. Phuket has the best infrastructure of any Thai island, and that matters if you care about access to hospitals, flight connections or reliable WiFi.

Railay Beach, Krabi

Railay is one of Thailand’s best beaches for one simple reason – you can only get there by longtail boat. No road access at all. That eliminates some types of tourists. The limestone karsts are the real deal, not a screensaver. Rock climbers aim for the east walls. When not climbing, the beach at the southern tip of Phra Nang Cave is arguably the most quietly dramatic stretch of sand in the country.

The Phi Phi Islands

Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Leh was the location where The Beach was filmed. The bay was closed for several years after coral damage from tourist overload, then reopened with daily visitor caps. Worth a visit, but temper your expectations – it’s not the secret the movie implied. The main island, Koh Phi Phi Don, has a decent bar scene and good diving on the east coast.

Koh Samui

Koh Samui is the most developed of Thailand’s major islands, which is both good and bad. Good roads, international airport, accommodation for all pockets . Chaweng Beach is crowded. If you don’t want to fight for space, the northern coast around Mae Nam is quieter. Wat Phra Yai (the Big Buddha) is about 20 minutes and surprises you with its size.

Koh Lipe

Koh Lipe rarely makes lists of the best beaches in Thailand and that’s why it’s worth a mention. In Tarutao National Marine Park, close to the Malaysian border. The water is clear, the snorkelling is good and the island can be crossed on foot in 20 minutes.

High season = crowds but not like Phuket or Phi Phi.

Best time to visit Thailand

If you want the best beaches in Thailand at their best, your window is November through February. Dry season, low humidity, crowds manageable March and April are very hot. May to October is the monsoon season on the Andaman coast – Phuket, Krabi, Phi Phi – but the Gulf coast (Koh Samui, Koh Tao) has its own weather pattern and can be nice during those same months. Shoulder seasons mean cheaper prices and fewer people on the sand.

Thailand flights

Most international flights arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. Domestic flights to Phuket are about 80 minutes, Koh Samui about an hour. Budget airlines like AirAsia and Nok Air have frequent routes south. You can fly direct from Bangkok, or take the overnight train which is a solid option if you have the time.

Food: Don’t go to the tourist restaurants.

Thailand food is really good – but you have to eat where the Thai people eat. Street stalls and market vendors have better food for a fraction of the price. Tom Kha Gai, Pad Kra Pao, Khao Man Gai – these are lunch foods, not food for special occasions. The mango sticky rice you get from a market stall always trumps the resort version. Most islands have cooking classes. Worth it, half day, inexpensive.

Getting around

A map of Thailand makes distances manageable. Not always. In rough water the slow ferry between islands can take four hours. If you are going to do the Andaman side, Phuket, Krabi, Phi-Phi, Lipe or the Gulf side, Samui, Koh Tao, Koh Phangan, pick early. Crossing between them mid-trip takes time and money.

Once you’ve chosen a coast, Thailand’s best beaches are really easy to find. Dry season. Initial flights. Street food. The rest falls into place.