Rayong: A Guide to Visiting the Beauty of the Eastern Seaboard

Dr. Theodore (Professor Bear) 6 min read

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Regarding exploring Thailand, Rayong is one of the most beautiful parts of the country and is under a two-hour drive from Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (Bangkok) along the Eastern Seaboard 🧐 Rayong is a fishing and industrial area to the east of Pattaya that is a lovely place to visit. 

Rayong is home to fantastic beaches, beautiful bays, some quality golf courses, and a small expat community, some of which work in the nearby oil industry 👓 Rayong is located approximately 179 km from Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (Bangkok) and offers a tranquil getaway destination for travelers that want to explore a slice of real Thailand. When tourists want to visit the island of Koh Samet, they usually travel through Rayong, which is sometimes the closest they get to the city. 

Rayong is a must-visit place with white sandy beaches to relax in the daytime and bustling nightlife at the RatBamrung Strip 💯 So, explore this beauty on the eastern seaboard.

Learning More About Rayong

The Rayong area has a fantastic mix of beaches, bays, temples, markets, Chinese shrines, and even a French colonial quarter 📜 The region merges a laidback city-like atmosphere with truly tropical surroundings. Visiting Rayong can be the best of both worlds for travelers. From Thai and foreign families to backpackers, golfers, and beach lovers, Rayong has something for everyone. 

Rayong is still relatively unexplored by the tourism masses, one of its considerable charms. It is not uncommon for urbanites to make the two-hour drive from Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (Bangkok) to get away from the sprawling metropolis for a few days 📎. Although beaches are the main attractions in Rayong, there are some cool things to see and do while you are here. 

Here are some great recommendations for things to see and do in Rayong 👓

Phra Chedi Klang Nam

You need to visit the Phra Chedi Klang Nam temple if you are a culture lover and want to find out more about Thailand’s Buddhist culture 🎓 Located in Rayong Province, just a 2 km drive outside of Rayong City, Phra Chedi Klang Nam is the most famous temple in the region. Situated in the middle of the mouth of the Rayong River, the temple is magnificent. The grounds are open daily from 6 am to 5 pm and can be found at Tambon Pak Nam. 

Prasae Mangrove Forest Walk

Rayong is home to some stunning natural beauty that you have to explore. Prasae Mangrove Forest Walk is a unique experience. It is one of the highlights of visiting the region 🧐 This 2,400-acre mangrove forest stretches along the Eastern Seaboard coastline and enjoys a 2.6 km boardwalk through the mangrove. 

It is one of the newer ecotourism attractions that is helping Rayong to preserve its beautiful natural habitat while still benefiting from tourism 💯 The boardwalk starts at HTMS Prasae. It is a unique experience that you will never forget. 

Ko Kloi (Rayong) Floating Market

If you want to try a bit of shopping in a unique and fun place, the Ko Kloi Floating Market, sometimes referred to as Rayong Floating Market, is a must-visit attraction in the area 🧐 The floating market is situated in the city and is very similar to Pattaya Floating Market in being many contemporary wooden structures set amidst a lake. 

This is a great place to buy food, footwear, souvenirs, handicrafts, or clothing. The views out over the lake are stunning, and with its laid-back atmosphere and a plethora of shopping options, you can easily spend a few hours here in the afternoon 👓 remember to bring your camera along. 

 Quick Trivia:

There is a traditional Fruit Festival held every year in May. The activities during this festival include a fruit parade with decorated stalls, fruit-eating competitions, and even live music.

Rayong Beaches

If you are holidaying on a budget and shopping seems a bit excessive to you, visiting one of Rayong’s pristine beaches is immense fun 💯 With a location directly on the Gulf of Thailand, just a 45-minute drive away from Pattaya and 2 hours from Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (Bangkok), Rayong has some dreamy beaches that are perfect for those holidaying on a budget. 

One of the main beaches in Rayong is the Hat Mae Ramphung Beach, which is 12 km long and enjoys fluffy sands and crystal blue waters. The best part about this beach is you can sit at the tables there and be served some quality Thai seafood without moving an inch 🧐

One of the best and most popular beaches in the Rayong area with backpackers is the beaches in Ban Phe. Ban Phe is the area you visit when catching the ferry to Koh Samet island and is home to fantastic stretches of sand such as Suan Son Beach 👓 Other famous and highly recommended beaches in the Rayong area include Laem Mae Phim, which is an excellent area with a couple of Western restaurants and a peaceful atmosphere. 

Other Popular Rayong Holiday Attractions

If you are looking for other highly recommended Rayong holiday attractions, you can visit the following suggested attractions 🧐: 

• City Pillar Shrine
• The Shrine of King Taksin
• The ancient Wat Phra Pradu
• Si Meuang Park
• The luscious Sopha Botanical Park
• The Sunthon Phu Monument

Visiting the Beauty of Rayong

If you are already staying somewhere like Pattaya, you can easily find Rayong is a 45-minute drive. All you need to do is drive along Sukhumvit Road to the East and continue until you find Rayong 🧐 It’s just one straight road to get you there. Some buses run daily from Pattaya bus station on Pattaya Nua Road for as little as 200 THB. 

There are numerous ways to reach Rayong from Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (Bangkok), but it takes approximately 2-hours. One of the best routes from Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (Bangkok) to Rayong is taking Highway 3. There are also daily buses from the central Bangkok bus stations that go directly to Rayong for as little as 300 THB 📜

Whether you want to get away from Pattaya or Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (Bangkok) for a few days or explore somewhere new and off the beaten path 🧐, Rayong is a destination that you seriously need to consider. Because the area is not a typical tourist destination per se, the prices are relatively lower than visiting somewhere like Phuket or Koh Samui but are just as beautiful 💯

 Vocabulary Time:

Seaboard
: The extended, thin area of a country that is next to the sea

Tranquil
: Calm and peaceful and without noise, violence, and worry

Bustling
: Full of life, a place full of activity

Sprawling
: Characterized by the proliferation of buildings across a vast expanse, often featuring structures erected incrementally over time or dispersed haphazardly in an untidy or disorderly manner

Plethora
: A large or excessive amount of something, or in medicine, is an excess of a bodily fluid, particularly blood.