Pattaya General Information
If you have got this far through the guide I guess you are interested in a trip to Pattaya. This
page gives some general information about Pattaya. We'll then look at visas, getting yourself from the airport to
Pattaya, accommodation and what to expect once you are there.
Pattaya is located on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand. It is approximately 150km from
Bangkok and 125km from Suvanabhumi airport. Travel time from Bangkok is approximately two hours and from the
airport one and a half hours. The road is good now that the road works have been completed.
Pattaya was a small fishing village until US serviceman began arriving on R&R breaks from
the Vietnam war via the nearby U-Tapao airport. With their arrival the bar scene that is present today began to
develop.
Being the oldest international beach resort in Thailand means that you should not expect to see
real Thailand in Pattaya. On the contrary it is quite unique. Also don’t come to Pattaya if all you want is the
beach. There are far more attractive beaches to go to than those near Pattaya.
There are four areas in Pattaya that may be of interest to the first time visitor. North
Pattaya, also know as Naklua is north of the round-a-bout at the junction of Beach and Second roads. There are many
bars in the area and they tend to be dominated by German nationals.
To the south of South Pattaya Road is known as South Pattaya. In this area is the highly active
area known as Walking Street. For many people this is the be all and end all in Pattaya. Click on the map below for
a larger version.
Between South and North Pattaya is Central Pattaya. There are many bars and gogos in this area
and is where most people find accommodation during their stay.
South of South Pattaya is Jomtien. There is a bar scene there but it is more subdue than in
Pattaya. The six kilometre beach is more attractive than the one in Pattaya.
Transportation is quick, easy and cheap between the areas by use of baht bus system. This will
be detailed in a later section.
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