Pattaya Beach (Ko Lipe)
The island's liveliest ~1.5 km white-sand beach and main arrival point, lined with beach bars, restaurants and dive shops.
- Category
- Beaches
- Entrance fee
- Free to access. Ko Lipe sits inside Tarutao National Park, so a one-time park entry fee is collected on arrival: ~200 THB foreign adult / ~100 THB child (Thai 40/20), valid 5 days, as of 2026 — confirm locally.
- Hours
- Open 24 hours (public beach); bars and restaurants roughly 08:00 until late.
- Best time
- Nov–Apr dry season; early morning before the day-tripper speedboats crowd the water.
- Time needed
- 1–3 hours
About Pattaya Beach (Ko Lipe)
This is where you'll land and where the island's energy lives. It's the main hub, so expect the widest spread of food, drinks and dive shops right on the sand, plus the buzz that comes with all of that. If you want to eat well and watch the sun go down with a cold drink in hand, this is the spot.
Here's the honest catch: by day the water fills up with moored speedboats, which kills the swimming and the view. The trick is to go early. Get in the water in the morning before the day-trippers arrive and it's a completely different beach.
Don't write it off as a tourist trap. It's genuinely a nice stretch of white sand that happens to be busy because it's the center of everything. For nightlife and sunsets, it's the place to be.
Highlights
- Long ~1.5 km sweep of white sand right in the village
- Best concentration of beach bars, restaurants and dive shops
- Prime sunset views over the water
- Central and walkable from every corner of the island
Tips
- Swim early in the morning before speedboats moor offshore and crowd the water
- Come in the dry season, roughly November to April, for the calmest conditions
- Keep your Tarutao National Park ticket handy — it's collected here on arrival
- Stay into the evening for the food, drinks and sunset rather than midday swims
How to get there
This is Ko Lipe's main hub and arrival beach — walkable from anywhere in the village. Mainland speedboats (from Pak Bara, ~1.5 hr) and Langkawi ferries tender passengers to the floating pier just off this beach.