Koh Si Chang is a small, rocky island off Si Racha in Chon Buri province, about 45 minutes by ferry from Ko Loi pier, which makes it the easiest island to reach from Bangkok without a long bus ride to Rayong or Trat. Ferries run about every hour in daytime for 60 baht (reported May 2026), and the island is covered in a day by tuk-tuk, though a night there is more relaxing.
Si Chang is not a classic beach island. It is a working fishing community with a few small bays, a Chinese temple on the hill, a giant yellow Buddha visible across the island and views of the cargo ships anchored offshore. Thai families come at weekends; foreign visitors are fewer. There is no nightlife to speak of, and that is much of the point.
Combine it with Si Racha on the mainland and with Bang Saen, Chon Buri's old-fashioned beach town, and you have a two-day trip that needs no flight and very little planning. For the bigger eastern islands, from Koh Samet to Koh Kood, start with our guide to the eastern islands.
Koh Si Chang in brief (October 2026)
- Province
- Chon Buri; ferries from Ko Loi pier, Si Racha
- Ferry
- About hourly, from Ko Loi 07:00–20:00 and from the island 06:00–18:00; 60 baht; about 45 minutes (Pattaya Mail, May 2026)
- Getting around
- Open four-seat tuk-tuks hired for island tours
- Best-known beach
- Hat Tham Phang, on the west coast
- Park fee
- None; Si Chang is not a national park
- Driest months
- December to February; wettest September and October (TMD)
From Bangkok to Si Racha by train or bus
Si Racha is on the coast road between Bangkok and Pattaya. Without a car you have two practical choices.
Train. The State Railway's Eastern line runs from Hua Lamphong, the old Bangkok station that still serves ordinary trains, to Si Racha Junction. According to the 2026 timetable published by Thai Train Guide:
| Train | Days | Departs | Arrives | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ordinary 283 | Daily | Hua Lamphong 06:55 | Si Racha Junction 10:12 | 3rd, fan; buy at the station |
| 997 | Weekends | Hua Lamphong 06:45 | Si Racha Junction 08:55 | 2nd, air-con railcar; bookable on D-Ticket |
| Ordinary 284 | Daily | Si Racha Junction 14:52 | Hua Lamphong 18:15 | 3rd, fan |
| 998 | Weekends | Si Racha Junction 16:45 | Hua Lamphong 18:55 | 2nd, air-con railcar |
The weekend railcar can be booked on the railway's D-Ticket system up to 30 days ahead. Si Racha Junction is not at the pier, so take a taxi, a motorbike taxi or a songthaew (a shared pickup truck) for the last stretch to Ko Loi; we could not confirm the distance or a fare. Check the times again close to your trip, because rural timetables change.
Bus. TAT has long pointed travelers to buses for Si Racha from Bangkok's Eastern Bus Terminal at Ekkamai. We could not reach the bus company's own timetable, so check current times with Transport Co. on its hotline, 1490, or at the terminal. Our guide on traveling from Bangkok to Pattaya describes the same coast road and its bus and van options.
The ferry from Ko Loi pier
The boats to Si Chang leave from Ko Loi pier on the Si Racha waterfront. In May 2026 Pattaya Mail reported ferries every hour from Ko Loi between 07:00 and 20:00, and from the island back to Si Racha between 06:00 and 18:00, at 60 baht a person for a crossing of about 45 minutes. TAT gave the same first and last departures from Ko Loi years earlier, so the pattern is stable, but there is no official operator timetable online.
The last boat back leaves the island at about 18:00. The ferries run later from Si Racha than from Si Chang, which catches out day-trippers who plan an evening on the island. If you want sunset at Hat Tham Phang, book a room for the night.
On long weekends the boats fill up. Pattaya Mail described full ferries on every trip over the long weekend of Saturday 2 May 2026. On Thai public holidays, go early in the morning and come back on a weekday if you can; our list of Thai public holidays shows which weekends become long ones.
Getting around the island
The island is small but hilly, and the roads climb steeply between the village and the west coast. The standard way to see it is by the island's open tuk-tuks, which seat about four people and can be hired for a loop of the sights; agree the route and price before you set off, because we found no published fares.
Some visitors rent a scooter instead. If you do, check the brakes before you leave, wear a helmet and take the hills slowly: the steep, narrow roads are not the place to learn. Our guide to safe scooter riding in Thailand covers licenses and insurance, which apply on an island exactly as they do in Bangkok.
Hat Tham Phang and the west coast
Hat Tham Phang is Si Chang's best beach, a sheltered bay on the west coast and the island's sunset point, according to TAT. It is small and can be busy with Thai families at weekends, but on a weekday it is calm, and the water is usually gentle enough for swimming.
The beach is on the official list of non-smoking beaches. A Department of Marine and Coastal Resources regulation of 2017 made 24 beaches in 15 provinces smoke-free, including Tham Phang on Ko Si Chang and Bang Saen, with designated smoking areas behind the sand and a fine of up to 100,000 baht. Our page on smoking rules in Thailand explains where else the ban applies.
Water quality near busy shipping lanes and towns is a fair question; our article on whether the sea is clean explains what the official monitoring does and does not tell you.
The hilltop Chinese shrine and the Buddha footprint
San Chao Pho Khao Yai is a large Chinese temple built into the hillside above the village, decorated with dragons and murals. Above it, a long flight of steps leads to a shrine with a Buddha footprint, and the reward for the climb is a wide view over the island and the anchored ships. TAT notes that a back road lets drivers drop you near the top if the stairs are too much.
Dress as you would for any temple: shoulders and knees covered, shoes off where others take theirs off, and quiet voices inside the shrine halls. The large yellow Buddha seen from many parts of the island makes a good landmark when you are finding your way by tuk-tuk.
Si Racha and Bang Saen: the stops on the mainland
Most visitors pass through Si Racha only to reach the pier, but the town is worth a meal before or after the boat. For seafood, Bang Saen is the better-documented choice: TAT describes the beach town, near Chon Buri town, as the province's famous seafood spot. By train, Thai Train Guide advises getting off at Chon Buri station for Bang Saen.
Bang Saen is a Thai family beach rather than a resort strip. Our article on whether Pattaya suits families mentions it as a quieter day out from Pattaya; this page treats it as the natural stop between Bangkok and the Si Chang ferry.
Bang Saen also has dated events. TAT listed the Bangsaen Grand Prix street race, its 20th edition, from Wednesday 1 to Sunday 5 July 2026 on Bangsaen Beach Road, which closes the seafront and fills the hotels. At Songkran, Si Racha held its water festival from 19 to 21 April 2026. Dates for 2027 had not been announced in October 2026.
When to go, and how long to stay
The Thai Meteorological Department's 1991–2020 averages for its Ko Sichang station show about 1,155 mm of rain a year, much less than Trat further east. September (about 241 mm) and October (about 200 mm) are the wettest months, while December averages under 9 mm and January about 22 mm. December to February is the best time for a weekend on the island; our page on Thailand's weather by month puts that in context.
A day trip works if you leave Bangkok early by road or on the weekend train, but it is a rush. One night on Si Chang lets you see Tham Phang at sunset and the shrine in the cool of the morning, and a second night in Bang Saen on the way back turns it into a full weekend. Compared with Koh Samet, Si Chang has fewer sandy beaches and no national park, but it is closer and less built up.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get to Koh Si Chang from Bangkok?
Travel to Si Racha by bus from the Eastern Bus Terminal at Ekkamai, or by train from Hua Lamphong to Si Racha Junction, then take a taxi to Ko Loi pier. Ferries cross to the island about hourly and take around 45 minutes (reported May 2026).
How much is the ferry to Koh Si Chang?
Pattaya Mail reported 60 baht per person in May 2026, with boats from Ko Loi pier between 07:00 and 20:00 and from the island between 06:00 and 18:00. No official timetable is published online, so confirm the last boat at the pier.
Is Koh Si Chang worth visiting?
Yes, if you want a quiet, low-cost island break close to Bangkok, with a Chinese temple, sea views and one good beach. It is not a place for long white beaches or nightlife; for those, Koh Samet or the Trat islands are better choices.
Can you do Koh Si Chang as a day trip?
You can, but leave Bangkok early. The last ferry back from the island leaves at about 18:00, so a day trip gives you only a few hours on the island. Staying one night is far more relaxed and lets you see the sunset at Hat Tham Phang.
Is there a park fee on Koh Si Chang?
No. Si Chang is not a national park and does not appear in the Department of National Parks fee list, so you pay only for the ferry, transport on the island and any temple donations you choose to make.
Sources
- Pattaya Mail – Koh Si Chang busy over long weekend as ferries run full from Sri Racha, May 2026 (checked October 2026)
- Tourism Authority of Thailand – Ko Si Chang, the island of yesteryear (checked October 2026)
- Tourism Authority of Thailand – July 2026 event calendar (checked October 2026)
- Thai Train Guide – Timetables for all lines (Eastern line) (checked October 2026)
- Thai Meteorological Department – Climatological normals 1991–2020 (Ko Sichang station) (checked October 2026)
- Kapook Travel – National park entry fees by category, citing the DNP (Thai) (checked October 2026)