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We've compiled the best of the best in The Gulf Coast Beaches - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
The lesser-known Cicada Market near Hua Hin Beach has quality arts and crafts, with products ranging from handmade leather flip-flops to handcrafted Thai candles. Piano and pop concerts add entertainment, and there are food stalls selling international and Thai fares.
Vaguely resembling Koh Samui's Overlap Stone, this massive, gravity-defying rock hides in Surat Thani's Khiri Rat Nikhom district in the middle of the rainforest. Drive a car or ride a scooter to this rock, and you'll find yourself surrounded by nothing but rubber trees, cacti, and the calming sounds of coucal birds and the nearby waterfall.
Chanthaburi's French influence is evident in its dual-spired Catholic cathedral, across the river from the center of town. Christian Vietnamese who migrated to the area erected the first church on this site in 1711, and the cathedral has been rebuilt four times since. The present Gothic-inspired structure was completed in the early 1900s, when the city was under French control. The best time to visit is during the morning market, when local foods, fruits, and desserts are sold on the grounds.
Chanthaburi's gem mines are mostly closed, but this gems market still operates in the center of town, attracting traders. You can often see them sorting through rubies and sapphires and making deals worth hundreds of thousands of baht. The market, an assortment of tables and stalls, takes place on Friday and Saturday along Sichan Road and various alleys off and near it.
East of the city center, this peaceful viewpoint offers spectacular views of Chumphon, the crescent Paradonphap Beach, and the fishing village of Pak Nam with its countless inlets and waterways. Children like to feed the Japanese Koi fish in the pond. There is an onsite cafe, restaurant, and bathrooms.
The city's namesake beach fronts slightly murky waters, but its sand is golden and fine, and safe swimming areas have been added in recent years. You can rent shaded deck chairs by the hour, and food vendors and trinket merchants wander up and down the beach. The bay is usually crowded with small boats, Jet Skis, and other diversions. Parallel to the shore, Pattaya Beach Road has a landscaped walkway that separates the beach from the restaurants, shopping malls, and resorts on the opposite side. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: walking.
Open only on Sundays, this enchanting market some 3.5 kilometers (2 miles) from the city center lies in a steaming jungle. It's not exactly a floating market—not many vendors set up stalls along the riverbank, or on boats—but there are plenty of waterways around. Bamboo huts covered with the leaves of Nipa palms sell fresh produce, as well as ready-made treats, like sticky rice-flour dumplings bathed in shredded coconut, plenty of Pad Thai, and tasty silver barb cakes. Don't miss hopping on a wooden boat for a tour down the 450 meter–long, Nipa palm–lined tunnel.
Off the northeastern tip of Koh Samui is Koh Fan (not to be confused with Koh Fan Noi), a little island with a huge Buddha. Indeed, the statue is better known as the "Big Buddha." The island is best visited at sunset, when the light off the water shows it at its best.
This peaceful temple complex in the island's northeast is overseen by a striking 18-armed statue of Guan Yin, known as the Goddess of Mercy, that stands 5 meters (16 feet) high. The temple's interior walls are embellished with murals of Buddha's life.
