Panyi Island

Koh Panyee is a village built entirely on stilts over the water — no land, no streets, no ground. Settled 200 years ago by Malay fishermen who were forbidden from owning land in Siam, it now holds around 1600 residents who fish, run restaurants for passing tourists, and play football on a floating pitch that went viral after a Thai commercial showed the local team training on it. The mosque, school and houses all rest on stilts driven into the seabed. Lunch here is the freshest seafood you'll eat on your tour — the catch is unloaded from longtails right next to your table. Walk the wooden alleys, browse pearl and handicraft stalls, and stop by the floating football pitch at the back of the village.