Pattaya Overview Travel Guide

Jump to: Pattaya Overview Galleries

Pattaya delivers "Fun and Sun" like no other place. This is truly the entertainment beach capital of Thailand, with hotels for all budgets, more watersports than one can practice in a month, more restaurants than one can eat in a year and more sights to see than anywhere else in the entire kingdom. [more]

Can't find what you are looking for? Tell our Pattaya experts in what you are interested in and we will add it to our Pattaya Overview.

Experience Pattaya's favorite sights as others see them. Let our visual picture tour of Pattaya help you choose the best places to visit in Pattaya:

For the athletic, Pattaya has perfect conditions for all water and land sports; and for the not so athletic Pattaya has a cluster of parks, museums, shops, shows and plenty of entertainment for the entire family, transcending from the bizarre to unique cultural events.

Pattaya is only about 150 km from Bangkok and you can arrange from trains to car rental to bus transportation and it takes about 2 hours via a modern highway allowing for additional enjoyment and sightseeing. The new Suvarnabhumi airport is only 100 km away and provides several shuttle buses to Pattaya.

Getting around in Pattaya is easy. One can find public transportation, taxis and my favorite... Harleys! Motorcycle rentals are very inexpensive, but you should add a good insurance policy to it. If arranging for taxis always negotiate the rate before getting on, or the cabby will get you. Check first for a high and low price so you have an idea beforehand. Bus fares can cost from 10 to 100 Baht depending on the amenities.

The Kingdom of Thailand is known to be and exceedingly friendly place, so much, that it is known for the "Land of Smiles" and Pattaya will be a magnificent host, just execute your common sense and watch your stuff when you are in crowded places. But in general, it is just as safe for adults as for kids. Kids of all ages can find all sorts of modern games, from a state of the art Go Cart race track to a crocodile farm to paragliding for bigger kids (You know who). Just fifteen minutes from Pattaya is Nong Nooch a magnificent botanical garden displaying the most exotic variety of orchids, martial arts exhibitions as well as traditional Thai art shows. Near by is the Elephant sanctuary presenting amazing skill shows and demonstrations of logging techniques, as well as reenactments of Siam's ancient battles. I'll tell you more about what not to miss later.

The Resort area has abundant hotels for all budgets. I always go for higher quality than lower rates since the hotel is the single element that easily can make or break one's vacation. Pattaya is in Thailand's Golf of Siam side and was never affected by the Tsunami of December 2004, so expect business as usual.

I like to combine cultural activities and relaxation and in Pattaya it's all readily available. I like to mingle a bit with the locals, discover their traditions and history and I found to have several unique sites to see like the "Sanctuary of Truth" a wooden carved temple with the "Philosophy of life" hand carved in its walls, I found it extremely enlightening.

I loved the spas and the shopping, especially the local crafts are relatively inexpensive and easy to carry back home. After a morning spa treatment, sinking into a new silk suit or dress and head into town for bar hopping became the highlight of my trip.

The outstanding Thai cuisine blends with a myriad of restaurants from all over the world, one can find every taste. In recent years cooking classes have become extremely popular so you may want to sign up for one if you have the time, but let me tell you it is well worth it!

And if you think you have seen and experienced all that Pattaya has to offer during the day, think again. There is also a shooting range, target archery, 3 bowling alleys, cable rides, paintball and several world pro golf courses. Athletic people can also find squash, badminton and tennis courts in most resorts. As I mentioned before, beach bums and water sports lovers will be in heaven with the list of things to do.

Pattaya's nightlife should be systematically explored. Taking an organized approach will help maximize the experience. There are so many places! Just to mention a few, there are several Las Vegas style shows with flashy costumes and oversized head pieces, huge breast and flamboyant choreography, all harmless entertainment mostly...Discos! Wow! Pattaya has many top class discos, most which are open until dawn. There are English pubs, gay bars, Karaoke bars you name it and you'll find it! Even if you are not a party animal, this you have to see at least once.