Ban Chang
Rob's take
"An hour south-east past U-Tapao, and a look at what this coast is like where nobody built a resort strip — Phala and Nam Rin are proper quiet local beaches. There's nothing to see in the sightseeing sense, so come for a seafood lunch and a slow drive along the shore. A good excuse for a ride out on a weekday."
Ban Chang is a day-trip destination in Ban Chang, within the greater Pattaya area of Chon Buri, Thailand.
Ban Chang is a coastal town and district in Rayong Province, roughly an hour south-east of Pattaya along the Gulf coast. It sits beside U-Tapao airport and is known for quiet local beaches such as Phala and Nam Rin, and for a long-established expat and Thai navy community. That community supports a surprisingly lively bar and restaurant scene for a town this size — listing sites count well over a hundred pubs, sports bars and beer bars, alongside Irish-pub grub, sports pubs doing pizza and grills, som-tam-and-whisky Thai joints, and the beachfront seafood places at Phala and Nam Rin that are the real heart of an evening here. It stays neighbourly rather than neon: the crowd is long-term expats, U-Tapao and industry workers and Thai families, the same faces recur, and most places wind down around midnight. Worth the drive for a slower, more residential stretch of coast than the resort strips nearer Pattaya.
Curated in Pattaya · Last updated September 2026
Common questions
Is there any nightlife in Ban Chang?
More than you'd expect for a town this size — listing sites count well over a hundred pubs and bars, from expat sports bars showing the football to Thai beer bars and karaoke joints, and the beachfront seafood grills at Phala and Nam Rin double as the town's favourite evening out. Long-standing names include Finnegan's Irish Pub (now MickyJays) for pub food and The Pizza Factory and Sports Pub. It's a small-town, everybody-knows-the-owner scene rather than a party strip, and most places close by midnight — anyone after the full nightlife spectacle drives the 40 minutes into Pattaya.
Where do people eat in the evening in Ban Chang?
The beachfront seafood restaurants along Phala and Nam Rin are the signature night out — grilled seafood and cold beer on the sand as the sun goes down. In town, the expat pubs cover Western comfort food (Finnegan's/MickyJays is the regulars' pick for pub grub), and the local markets and roadside Thai places handle the everyday som-tam-and-grilled-chicken end. No bookings needed anywhere — it's a turn-up town, not a reservation town.
Where is Ban Chang, and how do I get there?
Ban Chang is in Ban Chang, within the greater Pattaya area of Chon Buri, Thailand. Use the map on this page and tap "Get directions" to open turn-by-turn navigation in Google Maps.
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