Koh Chang: Jungle Island Close to Bangkok
Thailand's second-largest island — rainforest mountains, waterfalls and quiet beaches, reachable from Bangkok by road and ferry with no flight needed.
Region
Eastern Thailand
Beach resorts and island escapes from Pattaya to Koh Chang, plus Chanthaburi with its gem markets, fruit orchards and jungle waterfalls.
The eastern seaboard runs from Bangkok down to the Cambodian border, and it is the most underrated stretch of coast in Thailand. Everyone knows Pattaya. Almost nobody continues past it.
Those who do find Chanthaburi — a gem-trading town with a French-colonial old quarter and the largest Catholic cathedral in the country — jungle waterfalls full of turtles, and durian orchards that scent the whole province in May and June. Further out sit Koh Chang, Koh Mak and Koh Kood, three islands you can reach from Bangkok without ever getting on a plane.
This is the region we recommend most often to people on a second visit who want a week that doesn't look like the brochure.
Suits: Repeat visitors, road-trippers, anyone who wants islands without a flight.
Places to visit in Eastern Thailand
Pattaya & Koh Larn: Beaches Close to Bangkok
The quickest beach escape from Bangkok — Pattaya's family attractions and viewpoints, plus the genuinely clear water of Koh Larn island 45 minutes offshore.
Phlio Waterfall, Chanthaburi
An easy shaded walk to a gentle waterfall full of soft-shelled turtles — plus Chanthaburi's gem market and colonial old town. Eastern Thailand's best surprise.
Other regions of Thailand
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