Koh-Larn – The island in front of Pattaya city – A mini guide

  1. Maps – Orientation
  2. How to Arrive to Koh-Larn ?
  3. How to Move in Koh-Larn ?
  4. Where to Stay in Koh-Larn ? – Hotels
  5. The Beaches of Koh-Larn
  6. What to See and Do in Koh-Larn ?
  7. What to Eat In Koh-Larn ?
  8. How is the Climate in Koh-Larn ?

Maps – Orientation

Map 1 – From Pattaya to Koh-Larn

Map 2 – Koh-Larn – Beaches, Piers, View Points

Map 3 – Interactive Google Map

How to arrive to Koh-Larn ?

Koh-Larn is in front of Pattaya. First you need to arrive to Pattaya. See how.
The distance between Pattaya and Koh-Larn is about 8 Km. It is a short distance.
You arrive to Koh-Larn by boat. You take the boat from the pier “Bali Hai” in Pattaya. See location on the Maps above. The pier is located at the end of the famous Walking Street, in Pattaya.

The boats bring you to 2 possible locations on Koh-Larn :

  1. The main town of the island – Na-Ban pier.  Located on the right side of the island. This is the shortest path of the boat.
  2. Tawaen Beach – Located on the left side of the island. This is the main beach of the island, the most busy.

See the Maps above to see the location of both piers.

It makes sense to arrive directly to Tawaen beach instead of to the town. From the town, you will need a way of transport in order to arrive to a beach, as explained forward.

There are 2 types of boats in order to arrive to Koh-Larn :

Option 1 : Slow Boat

The travel takes about 35 minutes.

The frequency is about each hour. At “rush hours”,  there are more boats. Some of the boats go to Na-Ban pier and some to Tawaen Beach. The last boat is at around 17:00 or 18:00. You will have to check it on the spot, because it depends on the season. The price is 30 Baht.

Option 2 : Speed Boat

The travel takes about 10 minutes. The boat can carry about 15 persons. It costs about 150 Baht.

Which boat is better ?

I usually take the slow boat. The ride is more pleasant. The ride on the speed boat can be rough when there are waves. It also costs more. The speed boats take usually to the main town (Na-Ban pier) and not to Tawaen beach.

How to Move in Koh-Larn ?

Option 1 : Don’t move

If you take the slow boat which goes directly to Tawaen Beach, you can stay there for the entire day and return with a boat from there, to Pattaya.

Option 2 : Simply Walk

If you take a boat that arrives to the main town of the island (Na Ban pier), you can walk to Tawaen Beach. It is about 1 Km distance (see Maps above). Most people will prefer to use a way of Transport, because it is very hot. If you decide to walk, then you can stop at the 2 view points mentioned later (the Tawaen viewpoint and the Giant Buddha).
You can also walk to Ta Yai Beach.

Option 3 : Rent a Motorbike

That’s cool. With a motorbike you can arrive to all the beaches and you are not dependent on Taxis. You can visit the viewpoints.

The rent costs around 250 Baht per day. The gasoline is usually included in the rent. The distances in Koh-Larn are short so you won’t use a lot of gasoline. You usually return the motorbike in the afternoon, before you take the boat back to Pattaya.

The roads in Koh-Larn are in good condition.

Option 4 : Motorbike-Taxi

Yes, like in Pattaya City, also on Koh-Larn island, there are motorbike-taxis. It is good for one person. A typical ride from the main town (Na Ban pier) to Tawaen beach, may cost 40 Baht.

Option 5 : Truck (Tuk-Tuk) -Taxi

There is a central point, near the Na Ban pier (main town of the island), where there are many truks (Tuk-Tuk), waiting to take passengers to the beaches.

In the afternoon, the trucks are waiting for passengers at the beaches.

Where to Stay in Koh-Larn ? – Hotels

Until recently, Koh-Larn was not a place to stay at night, people were supposed to return to Pattaya at the end of the day. But now, there are hotels and you can stay for the night on this island.

Why not to stay sleep in Koh-Larn ?

Pattaya city is just at 35 minutes boat ride with a slow boat. It is very easy and cheap to make an excursion of 1 day to Koh-Larn from Pattaya. Nightlife in Pattaya is much more interesting, there is more choice of hotels and more choice of restaurants.

Why stay to sleep in Koh-Larn ?

It is fun to wake up in the morning, on an island. You will have a few hours with empty beaches before the boats arrive with a lot of passengers from Pattaya.

See Hotels on Koh Larn island and read opinion of travelers.

The Beaches of Koh-Larn

Let’s look again at Map number 2 (click to enlarge) :

1. Tawaen Beach (+ Sang Wan + Tong Lang)

Tawaen is the main beach of Koh-Larn island. Some of the slow boats from Pattaya arrive directly here.

Because of this boat connection, Tawaen became the most crowded and developed beach. There are a lot of restaurants and cafés. There is even a 7 Eleven store and an Amazon café branch.

There are a lot of Jet-Ski (water scooter) on the water and a lot of people wanting to use them. There is space for swimming but the Jet-Ski are a little bit unpleasant for the ones looking for quiet and peace.

The beaches Sang Wan + Tong Lang are located on the sides of Tawaen beach and are accessible by foot. These are smaller beaches, more quiet.

In the photo:  Tong Lang Beach

There is also an hotel in Tong Lang Beach

In the photo:  Road between Tawaen Beach and Tong Lang Beach

2. Tien Beach + Samae Beach

Two beautiful beaches that are separated by a hill. You can go by foot between the 2 beaches. The water in Tien Beach are very beautiful. There are a few restaurants.

In the photo:  Tien Beach

In the photo:  Tien Beach

In the photo:  Samae Beach

In the photo:  Samae Beach

3. Nual Beach

The beach is located in the south of the island.

Relatively far from the main town (Na Ban pier). Beautiful and quiet beach.

4. Ta Yai Beach

The beach is located in the north of the island.

It is a small beach and there are some rocks on the side

and even cactus. Very cool.

It is not far from the main town (Na Ban pier) and you can even reach it by foot.

Which beach is the best in Koh-Larn ?

I like the most Tien Beach.

Ta -Yai Beach is excellent for a short bath in a special environment.

Tawaen beach is the less attractive, because it is crowded, but you will still enjoy this place because everything is beautiful and animated.

What to See and Do in Koh-Larn ?

1. Beaches

That’s the main focus of Koh-Larn. See about the beaches.

You can do Jet-Ski on the waters

Or maybe rent a Kayak

2. The main town (Na Ban pier)

The town is very, very small. You can have a café and eat in a restaurant in this area.
You will probably arrive with the boat from Pattaya, to the town.

3. View points

There are 3 main view points on the island :

View Point 1 : The Tawaen viewpoint, near Tawaen beach

View Point 2 : The Giant Buddha viewpoint, near Tawaen beach

View Point 3 : The windmills viewpoint, near Tien beach

See location of the viewpoints on the Maps above.

The best is to explore the island with a rented motorbike. If you can’t rent a motorbike, then you can ask a taxi or motor-taxi to take you to the view points.

4. Sit in a Café

A café that I can recommend is located on the way to Ta-Yai beach. It is called Matata Bay Cafe. See location on a Google Map. The view over the sea is very nice

and there are good cakes.

What to eat In Koh-Larn ?

There are no real Italian owners of a Pizzeria on this small island (nor any other foreign owner), so western food will be limited.

There is sea-food and Thai food. Most of the restaurants are in the main town (Na Ban pier) and Tawaen beach. If you are vegetarian like me, you will find some options in these two locations.

On the other beaches there are 2 or 3 restaurants per beach.

How is the Climate in Koh-Larn ?

More or less like in Pattaya city. See the page about Pattaya.

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