Pattaya Sightseeing Activities

Pattaya Thailand is known for many different things, so good and some not so good.  However many people glance over the many wonderful sights to see within a short distance of this city by the sea.  There are many interesting and even fascinating things to do in and around this resort town.

Known more for the sinful aspects of it's nightlife, Pattaya also has many great day trips available.  These include zoos, gardens, temples or wats, and beaches.  There are plenty of other fun things to do, like go-kart racing or visiting a shooting range. 

Some of my favorite trips are also some of the most popular.  The following is my list of some of the best things to do during the day in Pattaya

Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens - This is a huge botanical garden set up 100+ acres of land. It has beautiful and rare plants.  The gardens are meticulosly manicured.  It is the largest one of it's kind in Asia. 

Sanctuary of Truth - Built on the sea shore in the Nakula area of Pattaya, it is a short baht bus ride away from most hotels.  It is an all wooded temple, hand crafted with many different sculptures and figures.  It has been under construction for 20 years and they expect it will also take another 20 before it is finished.  There is also a dolphin show that is performed several times a day. They also offer ATV rides and a shooting range of sorts.

Pattaya Crocodile Farm and Million Year Stone Park - This place has the largest collection of salt water crocodiles in Thailand.  You can feed them, watch a show with performers working with them, and also get your picture take on the back of one if you are brave enough!  

It also has the Million Year Stone Park which has beautiful gardens and fossilized stone formations.  You will also find a unique animal zoo on the grounds that can be fun to walk around and check out some of the strange animals they have there, like albino bears.

Pattaya Floating Market - This is a relativly new attraction that has been open a little over a year.  It was created from scratch to replicate the life on the canals that were so prevelant in Thailand before the modern age.  The buildings and architecture represent the styles from the four areas of Thailand.  There are lots of little shops to browse around in and look for souveniers.  You can also take a boat ride around the canals if you so like.

These are some of the best activites that I would recomend to check out around Pattaya.  However there are so many more things to see.  I'll be looking at putting up some specific articles on each of these places in the future.  In the mean time you can check out a useful travel guide on Pattaya Thailand and they can give you a lot more ideas of what to do while you are there.

If you've ever spent anytime in Pattaya you will have noticed that there are ticket and tour touts all over the city peddling their trips. Personally I've never used one of these vendors as I like to make sure that the person I'm giving my money to is reputable. Not to say that these types of shops aren't, but there is a certain comfort level that must be met for me.

I prefer to book my day trips out of Pattaya in one of two ways. Either through the hotels travel desk or just doing it myself. Most hotels will have a travel desk or have an arragement with a tour company to set you up on trips. It may cost a bit more because they get a cut of the price, but I have the comfort of knowing I can go back to the hotel and complain if I am dissatisfied in anyway.

The second way I do these day trips is to just arrange the transportation myself and pay for the ticket at the gate. I will usually flag down a baht bus driver and negotiate a fare for them to take us to the tourist attraction. Provided where you are going isn't too far outside Pattaya, you can usually negotiate a rate of 100 -150 Baht.

The question with the second method is making sure you have a ride back. I usually get the drivers cell phone number if they speak good enough english or have them wait for me if I'm not going to be too long. If the location is far away from Pattaya - always best to book the trip and make sure everthing is prearranged.

Other Useful Links about Pattaya

Pattaya Thailand Travel Guide

Tourism Authority of Thailand

My Thailand Hotel Hub