Destination guide
Koh Larn Travel Guide
Pattaya's island, a ฿30 ferry away, with the clear water the city beach lacks
- Best for
- day trips from Pattaya, families
- Logistics
- Easy
- Updated
- Oct 18, 2026
Koh Larn in One Paragraph
Koh Larn, also spelled Ko Lan and sold as Coral Island, is the small island 7.5 km off Pattaya, about 4 km long and 2 km wide, with six main beaches and two villages. The public ferry from Bali Hai pier at the end of Walking Street costs ฿30 and takes about 45 minutes, and speedboats do it in 15 to 20. The reason to go is the water. Pattaya Beach is for a stroll, and Koh Larn's Samae and Tien beaches have the clear water and white sand the city lacks.
The catch is that everyone in Pattaya knows this, and the tour boats arrive mid-morning and leave mid-afternoon. Go early, rent a scooter or take a songthaew to the beaches away from the piers, and most visitors find a day trip is enough.
Arriving in Pattaya
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Key Facts
The ferry is ฿30 and takes about 45 minutes
Ferries leave Bali Hai pier from about 07:00 to 18:30, around ten a day, and the last boats back leave the island around 18:00. You pay at the kiosk beside the boat, with no booking. A planned rise to ฿40 was postponed in 2026, but some sellers already charge it, so carry ฿40 each way.
Two boats, two piers
At the end of Bali Hai pier, the boat on the left goes to Tawaen Beach and the boat on the right goes to Na Baan, the main village. You can come back from either pier, whichever one you arrived at.
Speedboats take 15 to 20 minutes
Shared speedboats cost about ฿150–200 a seat each way and leave when they fill. A private boat costs about ฿1,500–3,500 depending on its size, and can drop you at the beach you want.
Scooters and songthaews do the rest
Scooters rent for about ฿200–300 a day with your ID as a deposit, and shared songthaews run from the piers to the main beaches from about ฿30–40 a person. The roads are steep in places.
Beat the tour boats
Tour groups land around 9 or 10 in the morning and leave around 3 or 4 in the afternoon. On the first ferry or the late afternoon, the same beaches are half as busy.
December to February is the driest
Pattaya's weather station records 12 to 20 mm of rain a month from December to February and over 200 mm in September and October, the wettest months. Weekends and Thai holidays are busy all year.
Is Koh Larn Worth Visiting?
Yes, if you're in Pattaya and want to swim. The sea off Pattaya Beach is poor for swimming, and 45 minutes and ฿30 away the water turns clear and turquoise on Samae and Tien. It's an easy island day out, and it works well with children.
Set your expectations, though. Koh Larn is Pattaya's playground, not a remote island. The beaches near the piers are lined with loungers, jet skis and speedboats, and at midday they're packed. The quieter version of the island is on the far beaches and outside the tour-boat hours. If you want a few nights on a quiet island, Koh Samet or the islands further south suit you better.
The Beaches, and Which to Pick
Koh Larn's six main beaches are listed here in the order most visitors would rank them for a swim. All of them rent loungers for about ฿100, and most charge ฿10–20 for a toilet and ฿50 for a shower.
1. Samae Beach, Southwest coast
Clear water, sunsets, foodThe beach most people would pick for a day. About 500 m of white sand with clear water, a row of restaurants and drink stalls behind it, and a west-facing view for the sunset. A concrete walkway climbs the hill at the south end to the wind-farm viewpoint, which looks back over the whole bay.
It's popular with the tour groups, so it fills up from mid-morning in high season. Come on the first ferry and you'll have the best of it.
- Getting there
- From Na Baan pier by songthaew or scooter, across the island to the west coast.
- When to go
- Early morning, or late afternoon for the sunset.
2. Tien Beach, West coast, north of Samae
The calmest of the main beachesNo road reaches the sand, so you leave the songthaew and walk about five to eight minutes down, and that short walk keeps it calmer than the easier beaches. The sand is fine and the water is clear. Jet skis are for hire if you want one, at about ฿600 for 15 minutes.
The beachfront food is priced for a captive audience, so bring water. The last stretch of the path crosses a rough wooden bridge without a railing, which is worth knowing with small children.
- Getting there
- Songthaews from Na Baan pier cost about ฿30 a person to the start of the path.
- When to go
- Weekday mornings.
3. Tawaen Beach, North coast
Arriving straight off the ferryThe biggest and busiest beach, about 700 m long, with its own ferry pier, so it's where the left-hand boat from Bali Hai lands you. Restaurants line the back of the sand at roughly mainland prices, and the water sports are all here.
It's convenient more than it's beautiful. Speedboats moor along the beach and jet skis run all day, so swimming is in the roped-off areas. Use it as the arrival point and move on if you want quiet.
- Getting there
- The left-hand ferry from Bali Hai pier lands here.
- When to go
- First thing, before the tour boats.
4. Thong Lang Beach, North coast, next to Tawaen
A quieter swim near the pierA narrow beach reached by a 200 m concrete walkway from Tawaen, with no road access, so it's the easiest escape from Tawaen's crowds without a scooter. The restaurants get crowded at lunch.
- Getting there
- Walk the 200 m path along the headland from Tawaen.
- When to go
- Morning.
5. Nual Beach, South tip
An early swim and the monkeysAbout 250 m of sand at the far south of the island, cleaner and clearer than Tawaen, with macaques in the hills at one end that will take food and drinks if you let them. It's quietest soon after it opens in the morning.
Don't come for the snorkeling. Regular visitors say the reef here is mostly dead, there are sea urchins in the shallows, and the current and waves are stronger than on the other beaches.
- Getting there
- By scooter or songthaew from Na Baan, the longest ride on the island.
- When to go
- Early morning.
6. Ta Yai Beach, North tip
The fewest peopleThe smallest of the six, about 100 m of sand at the far north of the island, with clear water and very few sunbeds. The songthaews don't go here, which is why it stays quiet, so you'll need a scooter or a walk.
- Getting there
- By scooter from Tawaen or Na Baan. Songthaews don't run here.
- When to go
- Any time. It's never crowded.
Things to Do on Koh Larn
Koh Larn is a beach day first, and everything else fits around it.
The viewpoints
The walkway at the south end of Samae climbs to the wind-farm viewpoint, the best view on the island, back over Samae and the bay. Two more lookouts sit on the hills above Tawaen, where the speedboats and parasails below make the view. Go before 11, because none of them has any shade. The island's highest point, 180 m, has a Buddhist shrine on top.
Water sports
Parasailing, jet skis, banana boats and sea walking are sold on Tawaen and the busier beaches and at Bali Hai pier. Jet skis run about ฿600 for 15 minutes and ฿1,000 for 30. Photograph the machine before you take it out, because damage claims on return are a known problem.
Snorkeling at Koh Sak and Koh Khrok
The reefs right off Koh Larn's busy beaches are in poor shape. The better snorkeling is on the small islands nearby, mainly the east side of Koh Sak just north of Koh Larn, which the island-hopping boats from Pattaya visit. A tour or a private speedboat is the only way there.
Na Baan village
The main village, around the eastern pier, is where the island's residents live and where the food is cheapest. It's worth eating here rather than at the beach restaurants, and it's where the songthaews and scooter rentals wait for the boats.
Pattaya to Koh Larn, Every Way Across
| Boat | Time | Cost | Lands at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public ferry (left side of Bali Hai pier) | About 45 minutes | ฿30 one way, carry ฿40 | Tawaen Beach |
| Public ferry (right side of Bali Hai pier) | About 45 minutes | ฿30 one way, carry ฿40 | Na Baan pier, the main village |
| Shared speedboat | 15–20 minutes | About ฿150–200 a seat each way | Tawaen, Na Baan or the beaches |
| Private speedboat | 15–20 minutes | About ฿1,500–3,500 a boat | Any beach you choose |
Ferries run from about 07:00 to 18:30 from Bali Hai and from about 06:30 to 18:00 back, around ten a day, and the timetable changes with demand, so check the last boat when you land. Fares are paid at the boat.
Getting to Koh Larn from Pattaya and Bangkok
Everything leaves from Bali Hai pier, at the south end of Pattaya Beach where Walking Street ends. At the end of the pier the ferry on the left goes to Tawaen Beach and the one on the right to Na Baan, and both cost ฿30. Tawaen puts you straight on a beach. Na Baan puts you in the village, where the songthaews and scooters wait for the beaches on the west coast. Speedboats leave from the same pier, and operators along Beach Road and in Jomtien sell them too.
From Bangkok, the bus from Ekkamai to Pattaya takes about two hours and costs ฿144, with 16 a day, and a baht bus or taxi takes you on to Bali Hai. Catch an early bus and you can be on Koh Larn by late morning, which makes it a long but possible day trip from the capital. Most people sleep in Pattaya or Jomtien and do the island in a day.
Getting Around the Island
The island is only about 4 km long, but it's hilly, hot and short of shade, so walking between beaches isn't realistic. Scooters rent for about ฿200–300 a day at both piers, and you'll leave your ID or passport as a deposit and pay for any damage. Some roads are properly steep, so if you're not a confident rider, don't take a passenger.
Shared songthaews wait at both piers and run to the main beaches for about ฿30–40 a person, and a motorbike taxi tour of the island costs about ฿400 at a fixed price. Songthaews don't go to Ta Yai. There are few ATMs, so bring cash from Pattaya.
Day Trip or Overnight?
A day trip suits most visitors. Take the first or second ferry, spend the morning on Samae or Tien, have lunch in Na Baan, and come back on a late-afternoon boat. That covers the best of the island in one day.
Staying over is the way to see Koh Larn without the crowds. There are guesthouses and small hotels in both villages, and once the last ferry leaves, the beaches empty out until the first boats arrive the next morning. One night is plenty. The island is small, and most people find there isn't enough for a longer stay.
Koh Larn or Koh Samet?
Koh Larn is the day trip and Koh Samet is the weekend. Koh Larn is 45 minutes from Pattaya, has no park fee, and empties out every evening. Koh Samet is a national park off Rayong, 3.5 to 5 hours from Bangkok, where foreigners pay ฿200 on arrival, and it has more beaches, more places to stay and quieter coves down its east coast.
If you're already in Pattaya and want a swim, go to Koh Larn. If you're coming from Bangkok for two nights on an island, go to Koh Samet.
When to Go
December to February is the driest stretch. Pattaya's weather station records 12 mm of rain in December, 16 in January and 20 in February, and the sea is a warm 28°C. March and April are hotter and still fairly dry.
The rain builds from May and peaks in September and October, at over 200 mm a month and around 14 rain days, when the sea can be rough. Koh Larn is close enough to go on the first clear morning, though, so a wet-season trip just needs a flexible day. Whatever the month, avoid weekends and Thai public holidays if you can, when Bangkok and Pattaya come to the island.
Plan the rest of the trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Koh Larn Travel Guide.
฿30 one way on the public ferry from Bali Hai pier, paid at the boat. A rise to ฿40 was postponed in 2026, but some sellers already charge ฿40, so carry ฿40 each way. Shared speedboats cost about ฿150–200 a seat and private boats about ฿1,500–3,500.
Ferries leave Bali Hai pier from about 07:00 to 18:30, around ten a day, and the last boats back leave the island around 18:00. The left-hand boat goes to Tawaen Beach and the right-hand boat to Na Baan pier. The times change with demand, so check the last boat back when you arrive.
Take the bus from Ekkamai to Pattaya, about two hours for ฿144, then a baht bus or taxi to Bali Hai pier and the ฿30 ferry. With an early bus you can be on the island by late morning, but it's a long day, so most people stay a night in Pattaya.
Yes, and that's the reason to go. Samae and Tien have the clearest water. On the busiest beaches, Tawaen among them, swimming is in roped-off areas away from the jet skis and speedboats. Nual has stronger currents and sea urchins.
Samae for most people, with clear water, food and the sunset. Tien is the calmest of the main beaches because it's a short walk from the road, and Ta Yai is the quietest because the songthaews don't go there.
Rent a scooter for about ฿200–300 a day, with your ID as a deposit, or take the shared songthaews from the piers for about ฿30–40 a person. The island is hilly and hot, so walking between beaches isn't practical.
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Written by
Mac Kiley
I lived in Bangkok for four years and traveled the country from there. The guides are my own opinions, written the way I'd explain them to a friend planning a trip.
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