So I recently visited the Pattaya city in Bangkok with few of my friends. We stayed there for 5 nights and 6 Days and visited some of the best places to see in Pattaya. This post is majorly about the places we went and my thoughts about them. In case you are planning to visit the Pattaya city, this post could be helpful in knowing the best places to see in Pattaya city.
Starting with our stay which was great at the four seasons hotel. Nice and spacious rooms, friendly staff with fast room service. Even the food there is not very expensive although not much to write about the taste. The hotel is not too far from the main beach, so it is a good bet. Just make sure that you negotiate and get a good deal from them.
Once you reach Pattaya city and check in at your hotel, don’t waste too much time resting. Freshen up and get ready to visit some of the best amazing places to see in Pattaya.
1) Under water walking- One of the best activity to do in Pattaya. This is not like Scuba diving. You are taken to mid sea through a ferry. Once you reach there, the instructor puts a big round oxygen mask on your head. The oxygen in is supplied through pipes connected to oxygen chambers in the ferry. You slowly enter the water through the ladders of the ferry. Once you are completely under water close to 50 feet, you will feel an extreme pressure in your ears. You might want to come out but I would suggest to give yourself some time to settle. Once you signal that you are OK, the instructor will ask you to follow him to the small coral reef. You will be literally walking inside water which is an awesome feeling. You can clearly see different fishes swimming around you. You will also get a chance to feed the fishes. Once you take out the bread piece thousands of fishes will come gushing to you. You would feel the tickling in your hand while they feed on the bread piece.
2) Alcazar show -Dazzling – that is one word to describe the Alcazar show. It is very much like Broadway although Thai style! The girls come out in groups wearing starry dresses and perform on different songs starting from Hollywood to chinese to indian as well.
The music is thumping and the dances are well choreographed. The show lasts for around 1.5 hours and will cover almost 10 -12 dance performances. Once the show is over some of the dancers will come outside and you can click a snap with them although they charge some money for it! Alcazar is definitely one of the best places to see in Pattaya
3) Ripleys museum- Another famous place to see in Pattaya city. The museum is located in a mall which also has many other attractions like infinity maze, haunted house, scream house and wax museum. You can buy tickets collectively which would also cost you less than buying them individually. Ripleys hosts all kind of unbelievable facts and a boasts of other unbelievable things. Infinity maze is like a house of mirrors so it becomes too difficult to locate the door(which will be an identical mirror) towards the next maze. You have to repeat this until you come out from the other end. Haunted house is not very scary but a good time pass though. Scream house is the most boring of all. You can skip it without much loss. Wax museum, as you would have seen before, has the the wax statutes of many celebrities from batman to hitler!
4) Under water world -Another place worth seeing in pattaya city. Its is like a big aquarium around you. You will be walking through a tunnel covered with thick glasses. On the other side of the glass you can see all kind of fishes and turtles. They also have an option to dive in with the sharks although we didn’t dare to explore it. You can also bottle feed the fishes and you will be aghast to see how much power these little creatures have in them.
5) Pattaya beach- Ofcourse! Why would you miss on the Pattaya beach when you are in Pattaya city. The beach is not very long and is heavily commercialized. But after a full day of roaming around and shopping it would be a nice idea to laze around on the beach. You can sit on the shacks and order some chilled beer or coconut water. There are also people flocking around who will serve you grilled prawns and fish. In fact they will grill it in front of you. We tried grilled prawns and it was delicious. You can also hire Jet Ski and race it on the waters. As far as I remember the charges were 400 bhat for 30 mins.
6) Coh Larn islands -Another beautiful beach to see in Pattaya city. You can reach this beach through the ferry. The ferry ride would be nothing short of adventurous. With the speed at which they drive the ferry, you will keep bouncing on your seat. The beach is cleaner than Pattaya city and has blue water. It is also ideal for swimming or just having fun in water. The beach also has a shopping strip where you can buy awesome thai silk at very cheap rates.
7) Nong Nooch village -A very famous place to see in Pattaya city. Nong Nooch village is basically a beautiful village covered with all kind of flowers. The main highlight is the elephant show where the gentle giants will entertain you by sketching, playing football and lifting you up with their trunks! It is also said to be a holy practice having an elephant cross over you(not literally). It is a good place to go but will suck a large chunk of your day’s time. I would suggest having this at the last day of your tour. Of I missed one thing! You can sit next to a tiger and get a snap clicked.
I hope the above write up gives you some idea on which places to see in Pattaya city. In case you are planning to go here are two bonus tips as well!
1) Use the ATMS to exchange your money. In case you have a VISA card you can withdraw up to 10,000 Bhats and the bank will charge only 150 bhats as a fee. This is much cheaper than the many exchange counters at the beach. And by any means do not exchange your money at the airport other than the minimal amount. It is always the most expensive.
2) Bargain – Bargain as much as you want there is always a scope to reduce the amount they are quoting.
That is pretty much about the places to see in Pattaya city. Have a wonderful time!