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Voykit pocket guide · Thailand
Chaweng
เฉวง
Stay 3–4 nights if you want beach plus nightlife; pick north Chaweng for quiet, central for bars, Chaweng Noi for resorts.
Chaweng is the longest and busiest beach on Ko Samui's east coast, about 7 km of white sand with a reef offshore and Samui's densest strip of restaurants, bars and hotels behind it. It splits into three parts: North Chaweng (quieter, upmarket resorts), Central Chaweng (shops, nightlife, fast food) and Chaweng Noi, a calmer headland beach to the south. It is a few minutes from Samui airport, so most arrivals land here first.
- Country
- Thailand
- Local name
- เฉวง
- Best months
- Feb–Sep (Gulf coast dry season); Dec–Jan can bring rain and rough water
- Avoid
- Oct–Dec (northeast monsoon, wettest on the Gulf side)
- Stay
- 3–4 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- THB
- Money
- Currency is the Thai baht (THB, ฿). Cards work in malls, hotels and many restaurants; street food, markets, boats and small taxis are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ฿1,200–2,000 excl. bed · Mid ฿2,500–4,500 excl. bed · High ฿6,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AIS and TrueMove H sell tourist SIMs at airport arrivals; passport registration is required.
- Emergency
- Police 191 · Ambulance 1669 · Tourist police 1155
- Plugs
- Types A, B, C, O · 220 V · 50 Hz · Most sockets take flat US pins and round European pins; type O is the Thai three-pin standard. UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Street food: Nothing.; Sit-down restaurant: Leave ฿20–100 or the coins; skip it if a 10% service charge is on the bill.; Taxi / Grab: Round up to the next ฿10 or ฿20.; Massage: ฿50–100 per hour to the therapist, in hand.; Guide / driver day: ฿300–500 for the guide, ฿200–300 for the driver.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: ฿20–50.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap. Street refill machines charge about ฿1 a litre; bottled water everywhere.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in malls and hotels; squat toilets with a water bucket in rural stops. The hose ('bum gun') replaces paper; paper goes in the bin in older buildings. Some public toilets cost ฿3–5.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Beach vendor food (fruit, satay, corn, coconut) | ฿50 per item |
| Thai dish at a local restaurant | ฿100–200 |
| Western main (pizza, pasta, burger) | ฿200–350 |
| Beer: draught in a bar / can at a shop | ฿80–150 / ฿40–60 |
| Motorbike taxi, short hop | ฿30–150 |
| Scooter rental, per day | ฿100–200 |
| Car or jeep rental, per day | ฿800–1,500+ |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- USM · Samui International Airport
- A few minutes' drive south of Chaweng; taxi from the airport transport desk about ฿400, shared van about ฿120 per person (check)
Typical fares
- Samui airport → Chaweng, taxi desk
- about ฿400 (check)
- Samui airport → Chaweng, shared van
- about ฿120 per person (check)
- Chaweng → Lamai, songthaew
- about ฿100–150 (check)
Get around
Chaweng is walkable along Beach Road, but the strip is long: use a songthaew or motorbike taxi for hops of more than 1 km. Motorbike taxis run about ฿30–150 depending on distance; rented 100–125 cc scooters about ฿100–200 per day. Taxis rarely use meters, so agree the fare first. Cars and jeeps rent from about ฿800–1,500 per day.Chaweng is walkable along Beach Road, but the strip is long: use a songthaew or motorbike taxi for hops of more than 0.6 mi. Motorbike taxis run about ฿30–150 depending on distance; rented 100–125 cc scooters about ฿100–200 per day. Taxis rarely use meters, so agree the fare first. Cars and jeeps rent from about ฿800–1,500 per day.
See and do
Known for
- Chaweng Beach
- Soi Green Mango nightlife
- Dive shops and island trips
- Beach vendors and seafood
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Ang Thong National Marine Park | Day boat from Chaweng or Nathon piers; most dive shops and agencies book it | Full day, roughly 07:00–17:00Full day, roughly 7:00 AM–5:00 PM |
| Koh Tao | High-speed catamaran or ferry from Samui; several Chaweng dive shops run day trips | 2–2.5 h each way |
| Lamai | Songthaew or taxi south along the coast road | About 20–30 min |
| Bophut and Fisherman's Village | Songthaew or taxi north along the ring road | About 20–30 min |
Sleep
- North Chaweng
- Quieter end near the airport; larger resorts, fewer bars, best for families and couples.
- Central Chaweng
- Beach Road strip with shops, restaurants and the Soi Green Mango club area; loud until late.
- Chaweng Noi
- Smaller beach over the headland to the south; resort-led, needs a taxi or scooter to reach the centre.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | สวัสดีsawasdee |
| Thank you | ขอบคุณkhop khun |
| How much is it? | เท่าไหร่tao rai |
| Too expensive | แพงไปphaeng pai |
| Not spicy, please | ไม่เผ็ดmai phet |
| Where is the toilet? | ห้องน้ำอยู่ไหนhong nam yu nai |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A wai (palms together, slight bow) to return a greeting; a smile and nod for shop staff; avoid: Waiing children or service staff first — it confuses; hugging strangers
- Head and feet: Keep feet on the floor, sit with legs folded to the side in temples; avoid: Touching heads (even children's), pointing feet, stepping over people or food
- Temples: Covered shoulders and knees, shoes off, sit lower than monks; avoid: Women touching monks or handing them things directly; climbing Buddha images
- Monarchy: Stand for the royal anthem in cinemas and at 08:00 and 18:00 in public places; avoid: Any joke or comment about the royal family; stepping on a banknote
- Keeping calm: Stay polite and smiling when things go wrong ('jai yen' — cool heart); avoid: Raising your voice; public anger loses the argument
- Names: Khun plus first name ('Khun Somchai'); nicknames are normal; avoid: Using the family name alone
- Home visit: Shoes off; bring fruit or sweets; step over the threshold, not on it; avoid: Sitting with feet towards the family shrine
- Beckoning and pointing: Palm down, fingers waved towards you; point with the whole hand or chin; avoid: Pointing at people with a finger or with your foot
Scams and watch-outs
- Motorbike accidents are common on Samui; wear a helmet and check your travel insurance covers scooters.
- Agree taxi and songthaew fares before you get in; meters are rarely used.
- Souvenir stalls in central Chaweng often start at several times the fair price; compare a few stalls before bargaining.
- Beach vendors are persistent but leave you alone if you say no.
- The club area around Soi Green Mango is loud until the early hours; check your room's distance before booking.
Chaweng is busy and generally safe for tourists; the real risks are scooter crashes, unlit roads at night and bar bills with no posted prices — ask the total before you order.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Chaweng yet. Suggested stay: 3–4 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Chaweng Beach
- Soi Green Mango nightlife
- Dive shops and island trips
- Beach vendors and seafood
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Tourism Authority of Thailand: www.tourismthailand.org/
- OpenStreetMap — Chaweng: www.openstreetmap.org/#map=14/9.5234/100.0598
- Wikivoyage: Chaweng, revision 5242093 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5242093
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Chawengเฉวง
ไปที่ที่อยู่นี้
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies on Samui; most countries' embassies are in Bangkok, with consulates in Phuket for some. Check your own country's list before you travel.
Tourist police 1155 answers in English; keep your hotel's address card for taxi drivers.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/chaweng). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.