Cities with beaches close to Bangkok?

Hey, I’m going to be travelling next year and one of my stops will be Thailand. Thailand has beautiful beaches and I would love to visit them. I also want to spend most of my time in Bangkok, but I heard Bangkok has no beaches. What cities are close to Thailand and has beaches? I heard of Pattaya, is there anything else. Also, what other Asian countries should I visit? I’m going to backpack for about 1 year and want to visit as many countries as I can. Thank you

 

Thailand is over touristed. It's hard to find those idyllic beaches unless you're willing to travel further. You would be very disappointed with Pattaya.

Ko phangan where they host the famous full moon parties, is how far I had to go 20 years ago to find a nice beach. From there Ko Tao is nearby and more isolated and beautiful. If they allow it Ko Phi Phi, where they filmed The Beach is/was one of the most magical places I've ever been to.

There's also Phuket, but it's too crowded now. Likewise Ko Samui.

Thailand is still amazing, the people are so nice, and the food....omg. my favorite food!

You can read all about my most recent travels thru there, almost 20 yrs ago, on The Hip Travel Guide

I also visited 40 years ago, and it was great then. Over the years the islands have been built up.

 

Other Asian countries would have to include Cambodia, Bali, India, Sri Lanka and Japan if you can afford it.

You can get special custom tickets where you choose the itinerary from one airline and their partners. In return you can get a good price. I did a circle Pacific fare that lets you travel and take long stopovers for weeks or months in places like Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, etc. Major cities mostly.

When you get to a destination on your ticket you can then book cheaper local airlines or transport to other places.

These kind of tickets are usually good for a year and allow changes. I once cashed out the remaining itinerary and applied that to some new destinations.