Bang Saen is a town that is famous throughout Thailand. It is the closest pleasant beach getaway spot from Bangkok as well as any provinces north of Chonburi. Most visitors typically come from provinces to the north and northeast of Chonburi. It is much closer, cheaper and less hassle free than Hua Hin's beaches or Pattaya's beaches.
Bang Saen is a sleepy town weekdays. The town is a host to a major university, Burapha University. During the day, most of the people you will see are students. On weekends, travellers, families, and groups of friends come from surrounding areas or other provinces in Thailand to spend a day at the beach.
Nearly all of the visitors to Bang Saen are Thai. There are foreign tourists all year round, though they are small in number. There is a Scandinavian Village in Bang Saen, with probably 200-300 residents. Many menus and shop names are in English as well as Thai.