Bang Saen

Approximately 13 km from the city of Chonburi, Bang Saen is a famous beach that has enjoyed lasting popularity among local tourists and short trip-makers. What makes Bang Saen beachfront a recognizable landmark is its wide stretching sand beach, rows of coconut trees, lines of deck chairs for rent and stacks of rubber rings that local tourists use as floatable rings in the sea. Bang Saen has been through renovation and now enjoys hosting visitors with neat and orderly location.

Historically, Bang Saen emerged as a resort town in the 1940s when Thai Prime Minister General P. Pibunsongkram initiated a housing project for tourism here. Due to this project, hotels and bungalows were built along this 2.5 kilometre beach.

Nowadays, the beach is colourful with beach chairs and umbrellas. Food and drink stalls are ubiquitous. The beach is generally clean but not very white due to the sediment from Bang Pakong River. Yet the gradual slope makes it a nice and safe spot for swimming.

Unlike Pattaya, Bang Saen beachfront road is not lined with bars or illuminated souvenir shops. The beach is peaceful at night. There are some restaurants by the sea where you can spend a peaceful night savouring seafood under the moon. It is refreshing to get up early, rent a bicycle and ride it along the beach. The wonderful scenery and fresh air would be a good start of the day.

Many bungalows, resorts and restaurants line along the wide street that divides beach from the constructions. Besides lingering at the beach during daytime, driving along the street parallel to the coastline toward Sam Muk Hill is also pleasurable. The headland at the northern end is best for enjoying scenic view of sunset with benches and leveled footpaths along the sea.

Khao Sam Muk
About 4 kilometres north of Bang Saen is Khao Sam Muk or Sam Muk Hill. Equally popular to Bang Saen, it is famous for a revered religious shrine and delectable seafood restaurants. People drive along a scenic hillside road to the hilltop to pay respect to the shrine that overlooks the sea. The cliff overlooking the sea has become a tourist spot where legend has it that a couple tragically ended their lives together after having vowed their eternal love for each other. Wild monkeys can be spotted along the road as tourists stop by to feed them. Be careful as you feed the monkeys since some of them are frisky and greedy.

Ang Sila
Ang Sila is a fishing village about 5 km away from Chonburi. The village is famous for producing stone mortars, a domestic kitchen tool used for making chili paste. On the roadside along the sea, visitors will a line of racks of fresh oysters, bottles of fish sauce, mortars and local handicrafts vying for sale. However, the hillside road in this area provides beautiful bird’s-eye-view of the sea.

Marine Science Institution
Along the road down to Haad Bang Saen is the Marine Science Institution. The institution is a part of Burapa University. Established in 1969 as an animal museum and a sea animal breeding center, it was changed in 1980 into the Marine Science Institution and Museum after receiving financial support from the Japanese government. It has an animal breeding pond and aquarium, as well exhibition of marine lives such as planktons, corals, turtles, sharks, rays, and even whales. Moreover, it also displays collections of fishery tools and oceanic survey equipments.

Nong Mon Market
Along Sukhumvit Road and shortly before reaching Siracha district is Nong Mon Market, the largest local product market in Chonburi. On both sides of the road are more than a hundred stalls selling dry seafood, desserts, fruits, and preserved food. Local tourists often stop by this market to buy some food. Famous products of Chonburi are desserts like Khao larm (sweet sticky rice in bamboo), Khanom Chak (sweet coconut wrapped in palm leaf), and Khanom Mo Kaeng (Thai egg custard). Also there are a variety of fresh fruit such as jackfruit and pineapple.