Eastern Thailand

Eastern Thailand comprises the seven provinces that lie south of Isaan and east of the Central Plains, sandwiched between Bangkok and Cambodia.

Regions

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Map of Eastern Thailand

Eastern Gulf Coast
The closest beach resorts to Bangkok, this region is an absolute tourist magnet. Its most popular destinations include Pattaya and Ko Samet, but there are also some undiscovered beaches and islands.

Inner Eastern Thailand
A mountainous area off the beaten track, often ventured through on the way to Cambodia. It can also be used as a base for Khao Yai National Park.

Trat Province
The much-loved Ko Chang Archipelago, a popular island destination for beaches, palm trees and fishing villages. Some lesser known islands include Ko Mak and Ko Kut.

Cities

13.687778102.5061111 Aranyaprathet — border town and the way to Angkor Wat in Cambodia
13.690278101.0702782 Chachoengsao — some nice markets and temples
12.608611102.1038893 Chanthaburi — interesting waterfalls
13.361111100.9854 Chonburi — important industrial town
12.949565100.8930045 Pattaya — notorious den of sleaze trying to clean up its act
14.056667101.3738896 Prachinburi — closest town to Khao Yai National Park
12.674167101.2788897 Rayong — capital of the province of the same name
13.174444100.9305568 Si Racha — known for a spicy sauce and seafood
12.241889102.5149299 Trat — the gateway to the Ko Chang Archipelago

Other destinations

14.35101.441 Khao Yai National Park — natural getaway that straddles the border with Isaan
12.103611102.3519442 Ko Chang — fast developing island with lots of beaches and a fishing village
11.65102.5666673 Ko Kut — unspoiled and relatively unknown island near Ko Chang
12.915833100.77754 Ko Lan — small island 7.5 kilometers off the coast of Pattaya
11.818611102.4788895 Ko Mak — island with white beaches that is shaped like a cross
12.567778101.4547226 Ko Samet — the nearest thing to a paradise island around Bangkok
13.147222100.8127787 Ko Si Chang — the island that tourism (almost) forgot

Understand

Geographically the smallest of the five regions of Thailand, Eastern Thailand contains just seven provinces. Five of its provinces border the Gulf of Thailand, and three share borders with Cambodia, all of which have at least one international border crossing (Aranyaprathet being the busiest).

While Pattaya is the original mass tourism destination, the islands of Ko Samet and Ko Chang also turned into popular beach destinations. On the other hand, the islands at the eastern tip of the region are some of the most scenic and untouched in the country.

Get in

By plane

Most visitors arrive by bus from Bangkok, but there are airports at U-Tapao which is between Sattahip and Rayong meaning to serve the areas around Pattaya and the Eastern Gulf Coast.

By bus

By train

Get around

By bus

By train

See

Do

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Stay safe

Go next

Angkor Archaeological Park — amazing Cambodian ruins which can be reached from the Aranyaprathet border crossing
Khao Yai National Park — jungles, tigers, waterfalls
Sihanoukville — beach resort in Cambodia

This region travel guide to Eastern Thailand is an outline and may need more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. If there are Cities and Other destinations listed, they may not all be at usable status or there may not be a valid regional structure and a "Get in" section describing all of the typical ways to get here. Please plunge forward and help it grow!