Explore Pattaya Like A Local: 10 Awesome Things to See and Do

Before properly exploring Pattaya, I was never a big fan of the city. As many people know, this "sin" city was notorious for being a major tourist trap that attracts all kinds of weird characters to its crowded beaches and numerous questionable nightlife venues, satisfying any man's fantasy.

It is not the Thailand I grew up in, and I always recommend people to avoid it at all costs. After a huge campaign to shift the negative image of the city to a more welcoming and family-friendly destination, I have decided to give Pattaya another go.

To my surprise, the city is so much more than it used to be now, with a ton of family-friendly things to do like visiting the Sanctuary of Truth, the art museum, and more. Within this guide, you will find all the information you need to plan a perfect family-friendly trip to Pattaya City. Let's begin, shall we?

Table of Contents

• Pattaya City Things to do Itinerary Map
• Where to Stay in Pattaya City?
• 10 Best Things to Do in Pattaya City
  • Be Blown Away by the Sanctuary of Truth Museum
  • Sunbathe at Pattaya Beach
  • Witness Sunset over Pattaya at Phra Tamnak Mountain Viewpoint
  • Visit Big Buddha Temple
  • Eat Delicious Seafood at Pattaya Park Night Market
  • Stroll Around Jomtien Beach in the morning
  • Enjoy the Art In Paradise Museum
  • Explore Nong Nooch Botanical Garden
  • Check Out Khao Chi Chan Buddha
  • Visit the Quiet Nam Sai Beach
• Thailand Travel Video
• Further Reading for Eastern Thailand

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Pattaya City Things to do Itinerary Map

Quick Summary

♥️ Must Visit:	Be Blown Away by the Sanctuary of Truth Museum
🥘 Place to Eat:	Eat Delicious Seafood at Pattaya Park Night Market
☀️ Great Dat Trip:	Explore Nong Nooch Botanical Garden
🛌 Place to Stay:	Paragon Grand Resort

Tips: Get the Pattaya Pass if you wish to visit all the main tourist attractions I mentioned here and save money on entrance tickets.

10 Best Things to Do in Pattaya City

1. Be Blown Away by the Sanctuary of Truth Museum ♥️ Must Visit

Probably one of the most impressive museums you will see in Thailand, the awe-inspiring Sanctuary of Truth Museum is a wooden sanctuary located along the scenic coastline of Pattaya Bay, north of Pattaya City. It is the first tourist attraction you will pass by as you drive from Bangkok towards Pattaya City.

The Sanctuary of Truth is not just a museum; it is a colossal wooden structure that began construction in 1981 and is planned to be completed in 2025. Similar to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, the construction of the Sanctuary of Truth Museum is still ongoing to this day.

That said, much of it is already completed, with the museum featuring some of the most intricate and highly detailed wood carvings and sculptures you will ever see. The woodwork you see here doesn't just showcase the rich culture of Thailand, but also the unrivaled masterful craftsmanship that went into building this colossal structure.

Every inch of the sanctuary is covered with wooden carvings that not only look aesthetically pleasing but also convey hidden meanings and life lessons. The wood carvings and the stories behind each of them draw inspiration from various ancient Asian artistic traditions, including Thai, Khmer, Indian, and even Chinese, all of which have contributed to shaping the Thai culture we know today.

As you enter the museum's premises, you will be able to gaze upon the sanctuary exterior with its jagged spires, an uncountable number of wooden sculptures adorning its roofs, set against the beautiful ocean from afar. Unfortunately, you cannot roam around freely at first as the gate is open in rounds.

Starting at around 8:45 AM, the gate will be opened for guided tours that you have to join in order to enter. The guided tours run every 15 minutes in five different languages (Chinese, Thai, Korean, English, and Russian), and you can join one of them to gain access to the sanctuary.

The guided tour will take approximately 45 minutes, during which you will explore the museum while your guide informs you about the museum's founding days, the construction process, and the artworks inside the sanctuary. Additionally, the guide will share the meanings and stories behind these artworks.

After the tour, feel free to roam around as much as you like. Plan to spend at least half a day here, as there is a plethora of fascinating sights to explore inside. Be sure to check outthis viewpointfor a nice view of the sanctuary and the nearby beach.

The museum is open from 8 AM to 6 PM every day for a day pass and from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM for a night pass. The price of the day pass is around 400 THB per person, and the night pass is around 700 THB. Personally, I found the day pass to be more than sufficient. Plus, you get to appreciate the incredible details of the structure more during the day.

To avoid queuing for tickets, I highly recommend you buy the ticket online at least an hour in advance. It's actually cheaper to book it online than to buy it at the entrance, so don't forget to do it before arriving!

Where to Stay in Pattaya City?

Budget

Aloft Hotel and Hostel Pattaya

$ | Dorm

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👍 Top Pick

Mid-Range

Paragon Grand Resort

$$ | Double Room

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High-End

Dusit Thani Pattaya

$$$ | King Room

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2. Sunbathe at Pattaya Beach

Pattaya Beach is the most popular beach in the city, and for good reason. This beach is massive, with a considerable stretch of approximately 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) along the Gulf of Thailand. It is one of the best places to go for sunbathing or swimming for those looking to spend a relaxing evening in Pattaya.

There are sunbeds with umbrellas that you can rent for the day, and the best part is they do not cover the majority of the beach like in other places. The sunbeds are all the way up the beach area, near the sidewalk, which is great as it makes it feel less crowded and leaves plenty of room for you to enjoy.

If you are looking for a nice beach to spend the evening relaxing and watching the sunset, make sure to check out Pattaya Beach.

3. Witness Sunset over Pattaya at Phra Tamnak Mountain Viewpoint

If you're not much of a beach fan, you can also hike up to Phra Tamnak Mountain Viewpoint for sunset instead. Situated atop Phra Tamnak Hill, this viewpoint provides a fantastic vantage point of the city, allowing you to enjoy breathtaking panoramic views of the cityscape, coastline, and the Gulf of Thailand.

To get up to the viewpoint, you will have to drive to the foothill of Phra Tamnak Hill where you can park your rented car/motorbike and start hiking to the top. The hike should take you no more than 5 minutes, and once you arrive, you will be rewarded with an incredible view of the city from above.

From the viewpoint, you can clearly see just how expansive Pattaya Beach really is as it hugs along the coastline. You will also see the incredible cityscape of Pattaya, with its skyscrapers, serviced boats, and the mountains behind it.

The place can get extremely crowded at sunset, so be sure to arrive a little earlier to save a spot. There's also a nice cafe up there, but it does get pretty crowded in the evening. The viewpoint is open 24/7, so you can avoid the crowds entirely and visit at sunrise or late at night if you wish. The best part is that there's no entrance fee.

4. Visit Big Buddha Temple

Not too far from Phra Tamnak Mountain Viewpoint, you will find Big Buddha Temple, another hilltop temple known for its colossal Buddha statue and a staircase flanked by huge naga sculptures.

Once you arrive at the foothill, you will be greeted by the two Naga statues flanking the staircase. You have to hike up the stairs to reach the temple. It is an easy walk and should take you no more than 2 minutes.

The temple offers an alternative view of the city from its viewing platform, a great place to visit during the blue hours, right after you have witnessed the sunset at Phra Tamnak Mountain Viewpoint. The temple is open 24/7, and there is no entrance fee to enter.

5. Eat Delicious Seafood at Pattaya Park Night Market 🥘 Place to Eat

If you are looking for a nice open-air market to enjoy delicious seafood dishes in Pattaya at an affordable price, I highly recommend you check out Pattaya Park Night Market.

Unlike the tourist trap restaurants often found in other tourist streets, the seafood stalls here sell a variety of fresh seafood dishes at surprisingly affordable prices. I got a whole Saba Fish (Japanese Mackerel) with a side dish for only 100 THB.

There are several food stalls you can indulge in, from Thai seafood stalls to Greek food stalls. Once you get your food, you can sit at one of the many available tables and enjoy your meal at your own leisure. Unlike Pattaya Walking Street, you won't feel suffocated by the crowds here at all.

The market starts at 12 PM and goes on until 1 AM. Due to the open-air setup, I highly recommend visiting the market after sunset when the food stalls are all set up and the weather is cooler, making it much more enjoyable to sit and have dinner.

6. Stroll Around Jomtien Beach in the morning

Jomtien Beach is another great beach located in the southern part of Pattaya, and it is a great place to stroll around, especially in the early morning before the crowds arrive.

You can see the locals exercising along the beach, as well as local fishermen preparing and setting out for the day. It is a great way to witness the local life that can often get lost in a touristy city like Pattaya.

If you are looking for something to do in the morning in Pattaya, be sure to check out Jomtien Beach.

7. Enjoy the Art In Paradise Museum

Art In Paradise is an interactive art museum in Pattaya that is both family-friendly and incredibly fun to visit if you love three-dimensional paintings and murals that create optical illusions.

The museum is divided into different zones, each with its own theme, from ancient Thailand to ancient Egypt, with every artwork offering a ton of cool and creative photo opportunities. You can also download an app to enjoy an AR experience, bringing some of the artwork to life!

The museum is open from 9 AM to 9 PM every day, and the entrance ticket is 400 THB per person. You can get the discounted ticket online here for only 220 THB, saving over 40% compared to buying it at the entrance.

8. Explore Nong Nooch Botanical Garden ☀️ Great Dat Trip

Nong Nooch Botanical Garden is probably one of the most impressive botanical gardens you will see in Thailand. The garden, which was built in 1981, is extremely massive, spanning over 500 acres of land, 20 km south of Pattaya City.

The place features some of the most meticulously designed gardens, including several French-style gardens, a cactus garden, a flying garden with plants suspended from above, Butterfly Hill with colorful flowers, and dinosaur statues, and so much more.

You will be able to visit all the gardens along its elevated walkway that covers most of the gardens inside, and you will be able to appreciate them from above. My favorite area is French Garden 1 with its beautiful Thai pavilions, golden pagodas, and all the dinosaur statues behind it. You can see much of the park from the elevated walkway at French Garden 1.

Inside, you will also find several cafes and street food stalls spread across the botanical garden, where you can have breakfast or snacks during your visit. Additionally, there is a bus service that will take you from the entrance to Dinosaur Valley if you do not wish to walk the entire garden, as I did.

One thing I do not like here is the fact that you can still ride elephants, which I do not condone. The elephants go through a torturous taming process before they are considered safe for tourists, so please consider this before you partake in the ride.

Nong Nooch Botanical Garden is open from 8 AM to 6 PM every day, and the entrance fee is 600 THB. You can get a 40% discount if you buy the ticket online (only 400 THB), so be sure to do that before visiting the garden. You can also visit Nong Nooch Garden as a day trip together with Koh Lan if you want to hit two birds with one stone.

9. Check Out Khao Chi Chan Buddha

Located not too far from Nong Nooch Botanical Garden, you will find Khao Chi Chan Buddha, also known as the "Buddha Mountain", a prominent landmark of Pattaya, best known for its immense Buddha image engraved onto the face of a limestone hill.

The image is in a seated position, and it is one of the largest Buddha image engravings in the world, standing at approximately 130 meters in height and 70 meters in width. Unlike traditional methods, the image was laser-carved onto the mountain, making it the first of its kind in Thailand.

Other than the mountain, you will also find a small sunflower field and a shrine where you can stroll around at your own leisure. The place is open from 6 AM to 6 PM every day, and it is free to enter. You can also visit the mountain on a private tour together with other tourist attractions like the Sanctuary of Truth, etc.

10. Visit the Quiet Nam Sai Beach

Last but not least, if you are looking for a quiet and remote beach near Pattaya, and you don't mind traveling a bit, I highly recommend Nam Sai Beach, a peaceful white sandy beach located inside the military town of Sattahip, 50 km south of Pattaya City.

It takes about 45 minutes to get there from Pattaya City, but I assure you, it is one of the quietest and most remote beaches with crystal-clear water you will see in Pattaya. It doesn't attract as many tourists since it is a bit out of the way, and you are required to pay an entrance fee of 15 THB to enter.

Once you arrive, you can park your car at the designated spot and take the 15-THB shuttle service to the beach. At the beach, you can rent a sunbed and go sunbathing, swim in the crystal-clear water, or take a snorkeling boat ride around Samae San Island if you don't mind paying for the boat.

Fun fact: the name "Nam Sai" means crystal-clear water in Thai, which is exactly what you will find here. So, be sure to check out Nam Sai Beach while you are in Pattaya. The beach is open from 8:30 AM to 5 PM, and try to avoid weekends as the local schools like to hold weekend events here, and it can be quite hectic.