When travelling around Thailand, there are places that tourists visit each year in order to receive an authentic Thai experience.
Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai and Phuket are only some of the places that travellers visit.
When people think of Pattaya, the reputation it has isn’t always positive. Pattaya has a worldwide reputation for being a particularly dodgy place to visit.
With that in mind, there are still many activities you can visit in Pattaya and have an enjoyable time.
In this blog, I will tell you about some of the best things that you can do in Pattaya so that you can make the decision of whether you want to visit Pattaya.
Sanctuary Of Truth
The Sanctuary Of Truth is up there as being one of the most iconic structures in Pattaya. This is because it is the largest wooden only structure in Thailand.
This building is designed to show a pure form of philosophy, art and culture. The style that has been used here shows a high level of craftsmanship as each sculpture is amazing to admire.
Tours in multiple languages are led through the building every 30 minutes with tour guides who are extremely friendly and approachable.
The cost of a tour is 500 baht for adults and 250 baht for children.
Big Buddha Hill
Located at the top of Pratamnak Hill in Pattaya, there is a huge statue of the Buddha. To get to the 18-metre tall statue you must follow the long stairway that is flanked by two golden coloured Naga snakes.
The statue is popular for tourists who are intrigued by the unusual design of the buddha. You can enter the temple and you can pay to be blessed by a Monk, which makes you feel so cleansed.
A popular activity while visiting Big Buddha Hil is to ring the line of bells with a big stick, which is supposed to call good luck to whoever completes the task.
The cost of visiting Big Buddha is free unless you want to donate something to the Monks which makes this place somewhere you must visit whilst in Pattaya.
Coral Island
With tranquil water, coral reefs and fine sand, this tropical heaven is a far cry from the busyness of the centre of Pattaya.
Coral Island is also known as Koh Larn and it offers some of the most amazing views that you often see in Phuket without leaving the Thai mainland.
Some of the activities that you may find yourself partaking in are speedboating, jet skiing, or even taking in the sun on a sun lounger.
The cost of the ferry to Coral Island from Pattaya is 30 Baht each way which works out at 68p ($0.96) which is amazing considering the fun you will have.
You must pay for activities at Koh Larn but it is an opportunity you don’t want to miss.
Enjoy A Pattaya Night Out
You can’t visit Pattaya and not experience a night out clubbing (unless you have kids!) Walking Street in Pattaya is 1km long and has over 100 bars that you can enjoy a drink in.
Go-Go bars are huge in Pattaya. These are bars that have girls on stage dancing to club music. The dancing girls will mingle with you in return for free drinks.
Pattaya Walking Street is so big that you could spend days partying there and you still wouldn’t have experienced everything that you possibly could.
Other than the madness of Walking Street, you can also visit other bars that are slightly quieter such as the hard rock cafe in Pattaya where it is fun yet not as crazy.
Final Thoughts
As a whole, the reputation that Pattaya has isn’t as accurate as it is made out as there are plenty of good activities to do there without ending up on a dodgy night out.
I would definitely recommend visiting Pattaya for an authentic Thai experience.