Thailand
Central Thailand
+ Bangkok
Sights
* Bangkok's Canals and River
* Chinatown
* Erawan Shrine
* Jim Thompson's House
* National Museum
* Oriental Hotel
* Vimanmek Palace
* Wang Suan Phakkard
* Ayuthaya
* Ayuthaya Historical Park
* Bang Khu Wiang Floating Market
* Chanthaburi
* Dammoen Saduak Floating Market
* The Eastern Gulf Coast
* Erawan National Park
* Jeath War Museum
* Kanchanaburi
* Ko Chang
* Ko Samet
* Pattaya
Southern Thailand
+ Phuket
Northern Thailand
+ Chiang Mai
Isaan
+ Isaan
Walk/Drive
Food&Drink
In The Know
Did You Know?
( Do not miss )
Thailand's eastern gulf coast is something of a contradiction. On the one hand, it is the nation's most developed commercial region, with Laem Chabang deep-water port, oil refineries and an ugly industrial zone stretching east and south from Bangkok for almost 100km. On the other hand, it has some of the finest beaches in Thailand, the delightful island of Ko Samet and, in and around Ko Chang ('Elephant Island'), one of the least-developed, most pristine archipelagos in Southeast Asia.
One of the area's attractions is its proximity to Bangkok, but this has a downside. Good roads make it readily accessible - there is an elevated freeway stretching as far as Chonburi. Resorts nearer to Bangkok are generally packed, particularly on weekends. There is not a lot to interest visitors in Chachoengsao and Chonburi, and most people prefer to head south to the coastal resorts. The first of these, Si Racha, is largely a Thai destination, while the next, Pattaya, is geared towards foreign visitors. Next comes Rayong, jumping-off point for Ko Samet and increasingly a resort town in its own right.
Further east is the fascinating old town of Chanthaburi. The road east, Sukhumvit Highway, ends in a tapering finger of Thailand that culminates in the quintessentially Thai city of Trat (certainly not a resort town), the Ko Chang archipelago and the small town of Hat Lek, an official crossing point into Cambodia.
Address: East of Bangkok
Bus: Regular air-conditioned buses from Bangkok to all towns
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