Top Things To Do in Pattaya City, Thailand For First Time Visitors
Visited Pattaya City in Thailand in October 2024 and I was so captivated instantly by its unique charm. Not only does the place offer a relaxing atmosphere and easy transportation, but it is also near the beach! In fact, Pattaya is the nearest coastal city in Thailand you can visit from Bangkok.
It has been my dream to really visit Pattaya in Thailand. Been hearing wonderful stories about this place and its close proximity to the beach and Koh Larn Island. So when I started creating our DIY Itinerary for our Thailand trip, I decided to go straight to Pattaya from Suvarnabhumi Airport rather than staying in Bangkok. It was my first Thailand trip!
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| Diamond City Place, Pattaya City |
Just a few reminders for your hassle-free stay in Pattaya:
Download car-hailing services: Grab and Bolt, so that you can compare ride rates before making your final booking. Pattaya does not have a Sky Train or MRT, but there are many choices to go around the city: Taxi, Grab Car, Bolt Car, and Thai Bus Baht, also known as Songthaew.
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| Diamond City Place |
Transportation in Pattaya is so cheap! During our visit, we hired a Bolt car from the bus stop to our hotel (Diamond City Place) and we only paid 58 Baht! The Thai Bus Baht or Songthaew is also cheap, minimum fare is only 10 Baht.
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| Thai Bus Baht or Songthaew |
I booked our room accommodation, Diamond City Place Hotel, through the Agoda app. It has a free cancellation feature. But I'm glad I chose this hotel because it's so good! And just along the road in South Pattaya, very convenient to look for a ride. This is a highly recommended hotel when you visit Pattaya, super clean and very affordable.
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| Our room during our stay at Diamond City Place |
Here are the top things to do in Pattaya for first-time visitors:
1. Visit the beach road in the afternoon for sunset viewing.
Maybe I was never into so many beautiful beaches or islands with stunning views of sunset in my life but Pattaya beaches offer the most gorgeous sunset I have ever seen so far.
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| Pattaya Beach |
The view is simply terrific and captivating, and the wide beachfront offers a relaxing atmosphere that takes away your stress and weariness. It is perfect for beach walking, dry picnics, or simply sitting in the sand and watching the world go by. I could stay on the beach road forever without getting bored.
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| Relaxing in Pattaya beach at night |
The ideal time to visit Beach Road is from 4:00 in the afternoon until nighttime. You can eat along the beach side, and there are food vendors around the area, but you need to rent the sunbed for 150 baht.
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| Pattaya beach at sunset |
2. Admire the unique carvings of the Sanctuary of Truth.
We failed to visit this structure because we arrived late on our first day due to our late takeoff from Manila. We could not also insert this destination on day 2 because our schedule was already tight. But if you are visiting Pattaya soon don't miss this one out.
The structure is a hybrid of a temple and a castle and the concept was inspired by the Ayutthaya Kingdom, incorporating both Buddhist and Hindu beliefs. The building is notably constructed entirely out of wood and contains only wood-carved idols and sculptures. Entrance fee: 500 baht
3. Visit the Big Buddha Temple or Wat Phra Yai
It is home to the 18-meter Golden Buddha, the biggest Buddha statue in the Chon Buri region. It is situated on the hilltop and it has an adjacent viewpoint where you can see the Pattaya bay area and the bustling city. We hired a Bolt car ride to visit this area and we paid 68.00 baht for the transportation from Diamond City Place Hotel.
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| Big Buddha Hill |
There is no entrance fee for this landmark. The best time to visit is in the afternoon around 5:00 in time for the sunset viewing. No security guard to check what are you wearing but please wear decent clothing in respect to Thai culture, and because this is a religious site.
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| Big Buddha Hill or Wat Phra Yai |
4. Dine at The Oxygen Beachfront Oasis Restaurant
When you are in Pattaya, don't miss dining at this incredible outdoor restaurant, it is highly recommended! It is located along the beachside so you have a relaxing dining experience. The food and drinks are very affordable. We just spent 1,500 baht for our dinner and we were three so we spent 500 baht each only.
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| Sumptuous dishes at The Oxygen Beachfront Oasis |
The Oxygen also offers an incredible area for sunset viewing! So visit this restaurant from 5:00 in the afternoon onwards for your terrific dining experience at sunset. No need for a reservation. During our visit, we were just walk-in customers, we did not make an advance booking.
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The Oxygen Pattaya at day time The Oxygen Pattaya at night time |
5. Don't miss visiting Night Bazaars for cheap shopping deals.
Just like Bangkok, Pattaya has plenty of night bazaars too. We visited Pattaya Night Bazaar near the Central Festival Mall, and we were amazed by the affordable items there. It has plenty of shops to choose from, and you can haggle too. It is a must-visit place for your souvenir shopping.
6. Take a quick beach adventure to Koh Larn.
Koh Larn, also known as Coral Island, is just a 45-minute ferry boat ride away from Pattaya City. It's the closest Thai island you can visit when you are in Pattaya. It has white sandy beaches, a wide beachfront, crystal-clear water, delicious and affordable food, and a fantastic tropical atmosphere.
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| Tawaen Beach, Koh Larn |
You can take a day trip to Tawaen Beach, Koh Larn from Bali Hai Pier in South Pattaya. From Diamond City Place, we reached Bali Hai Pier in 15 minutes. The first ferry boat leaving Bali Hai Pier to Tawaen Beach, Koh Larn is at 8:00 in the morning so be sure you arrive at the pier before 8:00AM. The Ferry Boat ride going to Koh Larn from Bali Hai Pier is 30 baht.
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| Tawaen Beach, Koh Larn |
Pattaya is famous for nightlife, especially around Walking Street but my two companions and I are not into nightlife or bar hopping, so we skipped this activity.
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| Pattaya at night time |
We just took a leisure walk around Pattaya near our hotel on our last night. Pattaya springs to life at nighttime due to many night bars so you may consider this leisure time when you visit the city soon.
How To Get There:
Don't ride a van or taxi or any private cars from Bangkok to Pattaya, its so expensive, instead ride a bus, transportation fee is only 140 Baht.
From Bangkok proper, go to Ekkamai Bus Terminal or Morchit Chatuchak Bus Terminal, buses for Pattaya leave every hour from 5AM to 6PM.
In our case, upon our arrival at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, we traveled directly to Pattaya. You can find the Pattaya Ticketing Booth in the first floor near Gate 8. Transportation fee: 143 Baht.
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