Thailand's Beaches and Islands
From wild southern islands to family-friendly beaches — where the water is actually clear.
Thailand has two coasts on opposite weather cycles. The Andaman Sea (west: Phuket, Krabi, Phi Phi) has turquoise water and limestone cliffs, dry roughly November–April. The Gulf of Thailand (east: Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao) has long palm-lined beaches, dry roughly December–September. Picking the wrong coast for the wrong month is the single most common planning mistake.
Here's the mistake almost everyone makes with Thailand's islands: picking one because a friend posted a nice photo, without checking which coast it's on or whether it's about to rain there for a month straight. Phuket and Koh Samui sit on opposite sides of the country with opposite dry seasons — get that backwards and you can lose a week of your trip to gray skies. Here's every beach and island worth knowing, with the one detail most guides skip: timing.
Phuket
Thailand's biggest island — beaches, nightlife, and easy day trips.
Krabi
Dramatic limestone cliffs, a quieter pace than Phuket.
Koh Samui
Family-friendly beaches on the Gulf coast, with wilder islands nearby.
Koh Phi Phi
Limestone cliffs, a legendary bay you can't swim in anymore, and one of Thailand's rowdiest beach nightlife scenes.
Koh Tao
Thailand's diver-training island — cheap PADI courses, Sairee Beach nightlife, and some of the Gulf's best pinnacle dives.
Koh Lanta
A laid-back island escape: long beaches, an Old Town on stilts, a national park, and noticeably fewer tour buses than Phuket or Krabi.