20 best beaches in Thailand

The 20 best beaches, ranked

These are the best beaches in Thailand for a group, ranked: clear water, soft sand, reachable by boat, and something to do after.

Pick your month first, then your beach. Ask Tanner which three fit your dates.

Which coast?

The Andaman Sea on the west coast: limestone cliffs, coral and the clearest water, from November to April.

Phuket, Krabi, Phi Phi, Koh Lipe, Koh Kradan and the Similans are all on the Andaman side.

The Gulf of Thailand on the east side has Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, and it runs on the opposite season.

The quieter Andaman picks are Kantiang Bay on Koh Lanta and Laem Haad on Koh Yao Yai. In the eastern Gulf, Koh Chang and Koh Samet are the big islands closest to Bangkok, best from November to April.

Put simply: the Andaman is dry from November to April, and the Gulf islands are good from February to August, driest from February to April. From February to April both coasts are good. Ask Tanner which coast your month belongs to.

Railay, Koh Lipe and Koh Kradan

Railay and Phra Nang in Krabi: tall limestone cliffs, soft sand and no road in.

A shared longtail from Ao Nang takes 10 to 15 minutes and costs ฿100 each way; after the shared boats stop, a private one runs about ฿600 to ฿800.

Phra Nang, next to Railay, has a cave shrine and calm, sheltered water. It's busiest from 11am to 3pm, so the 8am boat gets it nearly to yourselves. Our Railay Beach guide has all four beaches.

Sunrise Beach on Koh Lipe is the clearest water you can sleep beside, far south near the Malaysian border. The speedboat from Pak Bara takes about 1 hour 30, and ferries from Langkawi run from mid-October to late May.

Koh Kradan in Trang is the quiet one, with soft white sand and few people.

Stay over on Kradan or Lipe to have the sand to yourself after the day boats leave. Ask Tanner to book the night and the boat out.

Can you swim at Maya Bay?

No. You can wade in, but swimming isn't allowed.

Maya Bay on Phi Phi Leh is the cove from the film The Beach. It reopened on 1 October 2026 with an hourly visitor cap, and you can wade but not swim.

The park fee is ฿400 for foreign adults (฿200 for children), in cash, and the bay closes every year from 1 August to 30 September.

It's still the most famous view in Thailand.

Go on the earliest boat, take the photo, then swim somewhere else. The Phi Phi island tour from Phuket covers both. Ask Tanner to get you on the first boat in.

The clearest water

The clearest water in Thailand is around the Similan Islands, with Donald Duck Bay as the snorkelling spot.

Mu Ko Similan National Park opens from 15 October 2026 to 15 May 2027, the Government Public Relations Department says (checked November 2026), and daily visitor numbers are limited, so book the boat early.

Day trips leave from Khao Lak and Phuket, so it's a long, early day.

Koh Lipe and Koh Kradan are the clearest water on islands you can stay on. The Similans' cap fills in peak weeks, so ask Tanner to hold your seats early.

Phuket: Nai Harn, Kata and Patong

Nai Harn and Kata: calm water from November to April, with food and bars close by.

Nai Harn is a curved bay of about 700 metres in the far south, where a temple and a royal-funded park keep the building back. Kata has about 1.5 kilometres of soft sand and restaurants behind it.

Freedom Beach is the hidden one: a cove of about 500 metres between Patong and Karon that you reach by a path down the hill or by chartered longtail, the Tourism Authority of Thailand says (checked November 2026). Our Phuket beaches guide ranks every one, Banana Beach on Koh Hey included.

Patong is the beach for nightlife, with Bangla Road a short walk back from the sand. Use it as a base, not as your swim.

For the best Phuket beach day, take the beach off the map: your own private yacht to Phang Nga Bay or Phi Phi, with your own swim stop.

Ask Tanner for the swim stop nobody else is at.

The Gulf: Samui, Phangan and Tao

Chaweng on Koh Samui: a long sweep of soft white sand with the island's nightlife behind it.

Silver Beach, between Chaweng and Lamai, is the prettiest small cove on Samui, with clear water and boulders at each end.

On Koh Phangan, Thong Nai Pan Noi is the calm side of the party island. Haad Rin hosts the Full Moon Party: 24 November and 24 December 2026, plus a countdown on 31 December, the organiser's 2026 schedule shows.

Sairee on Koh Tao is about 1.7 kilometres long and faces the sunset, with dive schools and sunset bars. Lomprayah's boats reach Tao from Samui in 1.5 to 2.5 hours.

Koh Nang Yuan, off Koh Tao, is the snorkel stop: day visitors pay ฿250 and can visit from 10am to 3pm, the island's own resort says (checked November 2026). Our Koh Samui beaches guide has every bay on Samui.

Samui is the easiest base, with an airport, the best villas and boats to Phangan and Tao. Ask Tanner for a Samui villa and the boats around it.

Near Bangkok: Koh Larn and Koh Kood

The best beaches near Bangkok are on Koh Larn, off Pattaya: about two hours by road to Pattaya, then the public ferry from Bali Hai Pier in about 45 minutes, or a speedboat in 15 to 20.

Samae and Tien are the beaches groups head for. Go on a weekday, or by private boat to a quieter cove.

Your own Pattaya boat day, for up to 16 from ฿49,000 for 8 hours, makes Koh Larn the classic stop.

Koh Kood, near the Cambodian border, is about 7 hours from Bangkok by bus and boat, and it's one of the quietest islands within reach of the capital.

The catamaran from Laem Sok to Ao Salad pier takes about an hour, and there's no airport on the island. It's two or three slow days, not a party weekend.

For a short trip, pick Koh Larn and stay in a Pattaya pool villa from ฿12,500 a day. Ask Tanner to hold the boat and the villa together.

The beach party

Phuket's beach clubs, Chaweng on Samui and Haad Rin on Phangan, but the best of all is a quiet beach your own boat finds.

Phuket's west coast has the beach clubs: Café del Mar above Kamala Beach, and Catch Beach Club in Bang Tao, where the DJ builds from late afternoon into sunset.

On your own boat, the crew finds an empty beach, the music goes on and the group has the sand to itself.

Add a DJ, a chef for a beach barbecue and hosts and performers for your party to keep the energy up, and the beach day becomes the best party of the trip. See yacht parties in Thailand.

Ask Tanner to put the DJ on the boat.

Should I go to Phuket or Koh Samui?

The dates decide it: Phuket from November to April, Koh Samui driest from February to April and good through August.

Phuket has more beach clubs, more nightlife and day trips to Phi Phi and Phang Nga Bay. Samui feels calmer, with bigger villas and an easy hop to the Full Moon Party.

Both have airports, so pick by your month, then by the kind of week your group wants. Tanner's pick for a first island trip: Phuket.

Our Phuket and Koh Samui guides walk you through each.

Still torn? Ask Tanner, and he'll pick by your dates.

When to go

The best time to visit Thailand beaches depends on the coast: the Andaman from November to April, the Gulf islands driest from February to April and good through August.

Phuket's core dry season is December to March. Koh Samui is wettest from October to December, peaking in November, the Thai Meteorological Department says (checked November 2026). November brings about 445 mm of rain, and February is the driest month.

May to October is the rainy season on the Andaman side, and some marine parks close, including the Similans from mid-May to mid-October.

December to April is the busiest stretch, so book boats and beachfront villas early. Our best time to visit Thailand guide has every month. Ask Tanner to hold the boat before December fills.

Staying safe

From May to October, red flags go up on Patong, Kata, Karon and Kamala, so swim on the calm bays and follow the flags; on a yacht day, the crew does that for you.

Pay marine-park fees in cash, agree the longtail price before you get in, and use reef-safe sunscreen. Ask Tanner to put a crew who knows the water on your boat.

Which beach for your group?

It depends on the day: Railay for the view, Lipe or the Similans for the water, Chaweng or Patong for the party, your own boat for all three.

Railay and Phra Nang: the classic Thailand photo, best November to April.

Koh Lipe and Koh Kradan: clear water and quiet nights.

Chaweng and Kata: a lively beach with food and bars behind it.

Koh Larn: the quickest beach from Bangkok.

A yacht day: your own swim stop, music and nobody else on the sand. Ask Tanner to make it the day your group remembers.

The best beaches in Thailand in short

• For the view: Railay and Phra Nang, Krabi.

• For the clearest water: the Similans (mid-October to mid-May) and Sunrise Beach on Koh Lipe.
• For the party: Chaweng on Samui, Kata and Patong on Phuket.
• Closest to Bangkok: Koh Larn, off Pattaya.
• Seasons: the Andaman coast November to April; the Gulf islands driest February to April, good through August.
• Maya Bay: open for timed visits, with no swimming.

Checked November 2026. Tanner's pick for the first beach day: Railay, by your own boat, before the day boats arrive. Ask him to set the time.

Build the beach days into the trip

Match the beaches to your dates and base: Phuket or Krabi from November to April, Samui driest from February to April and good through August, Pattaya for a short trip.

Then add the boat and the villa. A villa party by the sea and a yacht day to an empty beach turn a beach holiday into the best week of the year.

Ask Tanner, and he sends back the beaches at their best for your dates.