Bang Saen Beach

Bang Saen is the beach Bangkok's own families go to, about 80 kilometers southeast of the capital in Chonburi and under two hours by minibus from Ekkamai bus terminal. A long, palm-lined seafront road runs its length, with food carts, mats and low tables rented out on the sand, seafood restaurants behind, and a weekend walking street that fills with Thai students from the nearby university. Western tourists are rare, which is much of the appeal. The water is shallow and brown rather than turquoise, and few people swim; this is a beach for a late-afternoon walk, grilled squid and a sunset rather than a snorkel.

Two sights turn it into a full day. Wat Saen Suk, a short ride inland, is the temple known for its garden of graphic sculptures depicting the punishments of Buddhist hell, and Khao Sam Muk, the hill at the southern end of the beach, has an upper viewpoint over the whole bay, a lower one at the water and a resident colony of monkeys. The Institute of Marine Science aquarium and a Japanese-style fish market are on the same road.