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Pattaya Travel Information
Pattaya is 147 km southeast of
Bangkok, and faces the Gulf of Siam. It is located within easy access of
the Bangkok Airport and has excellent accommodation and restaurants and
entertainment for all tastes. Because of its easy accessibility from
Bangkok, Pattaya remains one of Thailand’s most popular weekend getaways
for Bangkok’s city-dwellers.
Accommodation ranges from luxuriously appointed beachside hotels with
superb convention facilities to simple guesthouses.
Sporting opportunities abound both on land and water, and include some
of the finest golfing, game fishing, and scuba-diving anywhere in Asia.
Theme and amusement parks, offbeat museums and lush botanical gardens
offer numerous forms of leisure activities and cultural entertainment
for all family members. And after dark, Pattaya offers the allure of a
truly vibrant nightlife with a great variety of restaurants, night
clubs, bars, discotheques, and cabarets.
Tourism is Pattaya’s main source of income. It attracts thousands of
pleasure-seeking tourists from all over the world. There is much on
offer - good beaches, offshore islands, diving, sailing and its many
golf courses are just a few of the activities visitors can enjoy.
More than 30 offshore islands stretch around Pattaya within a radius of
some 48km, from around Si Racha in the north, to Sattahip in the south.
A few islands are off-limits as they are under the control of the Royal
Thai Navy. Most others have fascinating dive sites. The waters are rich
in various coral species and tropical fish.
Climate
Pattaya has three seasons: Hot (March-May), Rainy (June-October) and
Cool (November-February). It is warm and humid year-round, with little
difference between the hottest and coolest months. Average year round
temperatures are around 27°C.
The months with the most rain are July, August and September. Pattaya’s
coastal location brings sea breezes and the rain tends to come in short
and heavy bursts rather than prolonged over days. No matter when you
come, you'll have a good time. Lightweight casual clothing is
recommended.
History
Known as "The Rivera of Thailand" Pattaya started life as a small,
insignificant fishing village. In the 13th century it was the R&R (rest
and relaxation) spot for soldiers of the great King Nari during his
campaign against Burmese invaders, but other than that it continued to
doze, until the 20th century.
In 1950, Pattaya was still little other than a small fishing village. It
regained popularity with the armed forces in 1959 when a group of
American GI’s visited for R&R. After renting a house on the beach,
spending an enjoyable time with the locals, they returned and the word
was out…Pattaya was “The” place to holiday.
New groups of Marines arrived and it is from this simple beginning that
the city grew. In just 40 odd years it has developed into one of the
most renowned of all Thailand’s holiday spots, locally, and world wide.
By the late 70’s, hotels, shopping centres, entertainment houses and the
like had shot up. Industry developed as did tourism and with the opening
of the motorway from Bangkok to Pattaya, it became a two-hour drive from
the country’s capital.
Pattaya’s popularity grew so rapidly that the local government couldn’t
cope with its administration. So in 1976 Pattaya and nearby Naklur
became one administrative district. Then in 1978 Pattaya was declared a
city in its own right.
Sightseeing
Orchid Farms are a worthwhile visit and if you are thinking of
taking some of these unique plants home, visit a day or two
before your departure, ensuring live plants when you get back.
You can also get great orchids in a sealed bottle that will last
as long as your memories.
The Hill Tribe Village, north of Pattaya, is home to many
hill-tribe families. Demonstrations of their handicrafts are
interesting and the items are on sale to the general public.
Mini Siam near Pattaya Klang is a theme park displaying Thai
heritage in miniature and proves popular among all ages. The
third largest in the world, it brings together models of
important buildings and objects of Thai culture and civilization
of various periods from ancient time till present.
Pattaya Bottle Museum is located on Sukhumvit Road in Pattaya.
This is the place to go to see ships in bottles and other
strange items.
Beaches
Pattaya Beach is some 4 km long and faces Pattaya Bay, the major
venue from which boats visit Pattaya’s offshore islands. The
beach is paralleled by a tree-lined promenade, hotels and
restaurants. The northern section of the beach is largely
tranquil, while the central and southern parts become
increasingly lively, due to the shops, bars, discotheques, and
restaurants lining the streets.
Wong Prachan Beach is on the northern side of Pattaya Bay. The 1
km beach shares the same entrance as the Central Wong Amat Beach
Resort. A quiet spot, the beach is ideal for swimming and
relaxation. Apart from these beaches, there are also Laem Hua
Khon Beach on the back and front sides, Laem Lamrae, etc. which
are also interesting tourist spots.
Nearby Islands
Koh Larn is 45 minutes by ordinary boat or 15 minutes by
speedboat from Pattaya. Attractions include viewing coral reefs
from glass-bottom boats, scuba diving, snorkelling, windsurfing,
water-skiing and parasailing. Deep-sea fishing is popular in the
waters around Ko Larn and the neighbouring smaller islands.
There are several beaches, such as, Ta Waen Beach in the
northern, Laemtien Beach and Samae Beach in south-western, Nual
Beach in the southern of island.
Koh Sak is about 10 km west of Pattaya Strait or 600 metres away
from Koh Larn. Koh Sak is another small island shaped like a
horse shoe. It has two beaches, one on the northern end where
boats stop for tourists to swim and another one on the southern
part of the island with a pathway linking the two beaches. A
coral reef is found at the area in front of the southern beach.
Skin-diving is also possible in this vicinity.
Koh Krok is a small island, about 8 km from the shore. The
island comprises mostly of rocks. Koh Krok beach is the only
sandy beach. This is an ideal place for coral viewing and
paddling about in the water.
Koh Phai group of Islands are comprised of several small
islands, Koh Phai being the largest. The islands are presently
under the supervision of the Thai Royal Navy. The Koh Phai group
of islands are situated at a distance about 13 kilometres from
Pattaya and take 2 hours to reach by boat. There is a light
house on top of a hill at Koh Phai. Visitors can enjoy relaxing,
swimming, fishing and diving.
Koh Samet is a popular, yet quiet island off the nearby town of
Rayong, offering beautiful white sand beaches, strange shaped
rocks, water-sports and diving. It is 30 minutes by boat from
the mainland of Rayong. There are boat services available all
day and a nice range of accommodation and restaurants.
Things to Do
Go Diving. The waters close to shore tend to be on the murky
side but the islands offshore are worth visiting. Koh Man Wichai
and Koh Rin are the most popular as well as the wreck dives off
Sattahip and Samae.
Go Racing. Pattaya has a Go-Kart track as well as a Formula-3
race track. Various tracks offer fun for both beginners and
advanced as well as an off-road tracks for the daredevil types.
Visit Million Years Stone Park And Crocodile Farm. This
interesting park features a natural landscape with native Thai
plants, as well as a fascinating collection of bonsai trees and
massive ancient rocks brought in from Kanchanaburi province. The
park contains a crocodile farm and a small zoo with a collection
of endangered, native animals.
Visit Pattaya Elephant Village. This is an excellent place to
learn and understand how elephants have been interwoven in Thai
life and history throughout the centuries. You can take an
elephant trek from here as well. Showtime allows the elephants
to display their forestry skills, stage a war parade and even
play football.
Feed A Tiger at the Sri Racha Tiger Zoo. Discover the Wildlife
Kingdom where you will be surrounded by nearly 200 tigers. Feed
them and have your photo taken with the tiger cubs. Also
included is an elephant show and crocodile show. Located about
40 minutes drive from Pattaya.
Visit Ripley’s World of Entertainment, the world's most unusual
museum. Discover the Motion Master Theatre with flight simulator
technology or Laser Trek, where you battle against fellow space
creations in a futuristic arena, and more!
Visit Nong Nuch Tropical Garden Resort. Set in a 600-acre
landscaped park, the village features orchid nurseries, cactus
garden and a man-made lake. Daily cultural shows include folk
dances, traditional ceremonies, sword fighting, cock fighting,
and Thai boxing demonstrations as well as an elephant show.
Make A Splash at Pattaya Water Park Beach Resort. This beachside
water amusement park is located between South Pattaya and
Jomthien Beach. Waterslides, whirlpools and shallow pools
suitable for small children make the park popular with families.
There are restaurant facilities, a fast food outlet and there is
easy access to the beach should visitors prefer to swim in the
sea.
Play Mini Golf at Mini-Golf Pattaya. This mini course boasts its
own 18 hole mini-golf adventure for the whole family. Located
between South Pattaya and Jomtien on Thappraya Road. Open during
the day as well as the evenings.