Pattaya Thailand - The Basics

Pattaya Thailand is a large, safe, tourist-friendly city located in developing Southeast Asia.

Thailand, in general, is known for it's friendly people and Pattaya is no exception. Thai people are kind, soft-spoken, sweet and accommodating.  They are industrious and business minded, but in a friendly, relaxed way. 

Thailand also has a long enough and easy to obtain tourist visa right at the airport for most travelers from foreign countries.

Millions of people visit Thailand each year for a good reason.  It is one of the best places on earth to visit with it's blending of ancient culture with modern conveniences, year-round summer weather, tropical natural beauty, friendliness of the people, very low crime rate and countless things to see and do.

Pattaya is famous for exciting nightlife, attractive ladies, international and Thai food, multiple attractions and a well developed infrastructure making it easy and convenient to enjoy your stay.

People, especially single men, travel alone to Pattaya and have the best times of their lives.

Where is Pattaya Thailand

Pattaya is a beach city on the west coastline of the Gulf of Thailand that is part of the South China Sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean.

So...Pattaya is basically on the Pacific Ocean.

Pattaya is an approximately 1.5 hour drive southeasterly of Bangkok, Thailand's largest city. 

Bangkok is on the south side of the main body of Thailand. Pattaya is southeast of Bangkok about a 1.5 hour drive.

Where to Stay in Pattaya Thailand

If the focus of your trip is to enjoy Pattaya's exciting nightlife, stay in the Central Pattaya area or just adjacent.

This area has hundreds of hotels to choose from, has all the conveniences nearby, is walkable, and has the baht bus for cheap transportation.

Map of Central Pattaya Area

Pattaya Roads

North South Running Roads

Central Pattaya noting major North South Roads

There are 4 main north-south oriented roads in Central Pattaya.

Beach Road

Parallel to the ocean and adjacent to the beach.  Traffic is one way traveling to the south.  There are multiple lanes with lots of traffic.  Usually a lot of pedestrian traffic.

There is no First Road (Beach Road is the first road).

Second Road

Parallel to Beach Road and is the second road east of the beach.  Traffic is one way to the north.  There are multiple lanes with lots of traffic and usually some type of construction.  Usually a lot of pedestrian traffic.

Soi Buakhao

Parallel to Second Road and is the third road from the beach.  Traffic is two-way.  There is only 1 lane in each direction.  At some times of the day, traffic barely crawls.  Usually a lot of pedestrian traffic.

Third Road

Parallel to Second Road and is the 4th road east of the beach.  Traffic runs both north and south.  Usually hardly any pedestrian traffic.   There is just not the things to do on Third Road as the others closer to the beach.

East West Running Roads Bounding Central Pattaya

Central Pattaya is bounced by 2 main east-west running roads, South Pattaya Road on the south and Central Pattaya Road on the north.

South Pattaya Road

Multiple lanes with two way traffic from the far east side of Pattaya to Second Road.  Then it converts to one-way traffic for the last block where it intersects the south end of Beach Road and the north end of Walking Street.  There is baht bus service on South Pattaya Road.

Central Pattaya Road

Multiple lanes with two way traffic from the far east side of Pattaya to its intersection with Beach Road.  There is baht bus service on Central Pattaya Road.

Weather & Climate in Pattaya Thailand

There is a running joke about Thailand's climate.  It has 3 seasons:

1. Hot
2. Hotter
3. Hottest

If you absolutely cannot deal with heat and humidity, Pattaya is not the place for you.

I love the summer.  I happily lounge around outside as often as can all summer long.  I love to wear shorts and a light shirt and just tolerate the horrible midwestern winters where I live and work.

But it is not really as hot as other parts of the world.  From my research it never gets up into the 100's.  Mid 90's seems to be the maximum.

Weather with Average Highs/Lows & Average Days of Rain

December through February

• Coolest months, lowest humidity and almost no rain
• 74-88° Fahrenheit (23–31°Celsius)
• Average of no rain in December, 2 days with rain in January & February

March

• Gets hotter with more humidity but still mostly dry
• 78-90° Fahrenheit (26–32°Celsius)
• 4 days with rain

April

• Hot and humid with some rain
• 80-91° Fahrenheit (27–33°Celsius)
• 6 days with rain

May 

• Hot, humid and increasing rain (afternoon/evening showers)
• 80-91° Fahrenheit (27–33°Celsius)
• 11 days with rain

June–September

• Very humid with frequent rain (usually short heavy showers, not all day)
• 78° to 90° Fahrenheit (26–32°Celsius)
• June - August 11 days with rain, 15 days in September

October

• Highest rainfall with frequent heavy rain and occasional flooding
• 76-88° Fahrenheit (24–31°Celsius)
• 16 days with rain

November

• Rain decreases dramatically by mid-late November
• Temperatures drop, humidity lowers
• 76-87° Fahrenheit (24–31°Celsius)
• 8 days with rain

What About Hurricanes or Other Severe Weather in Pattaya Thailand?

Hurricanes in the Indian Ocean affect the far west side of Thailand, but Pattaya, being on the Gulf of Thailand side is often spared the worst weather compared to Thailand's far west coast (Phuket and Krabi) as that side of Thailand has much more ocean impacting it. 

The hurricanes will bring a lot more rain.

May through October will have high risk for heavy rain, thunderstorms, choppy seas and flooding.  Be aware.

Severe Weather During My Trips

Flooded Street November 2022. Water was over 1 feet deep at this intersection

• Quickly finishing up my fancy, expensive cocktail on the rooftop Horizon Bar watching the lighting out in the Gulf of Thailand traveling landward during one of my August trips.
• Getting stuck east of Second Road trying to get back to my hotel after an enormous rainstorm dumped a huge amount of rain in a very short time creating extreme street flooding during my November trip.
• Hanging out under an awning with motorbike taxi drivers waiting out a massive rain trying to get back to my hotel.
• Skipping into a Central Pattaya Road bar to escape a massive downpour and meeting a Palmy look alike during my last August trip:)

How Long to Stay

It is best to stay for many days to allow yourself time to acclimate, overcome issues, get to know the area and fully immerse yourself in the area.

And, of course, to have the best time of your life over a number of days.

As I've aged, I prefer to get to a hotel and stay for a number of days, unpack my suitcase and set up my hotel room like I'm living there rather than rush from place to place trying to see everything.

Then I explore every day (& night) getting back to my nicely set up, comfortable hotel room at the end of the day to rest and relax without the stress of moving from day to day.

Number of Nights & Vacation Time I Used

Getting to Pattaya Thailand

You will be flying to the Suvarnabhumi International Airport (airport abbreviation - BKK) from your home country.

I fly from O-Hare International Airport (ORD) in Chicago, Illinois, which is in midwestern USA.

My first leg of the trip is 15.5 hours from O-Hare to Taipei Taiwan.  After a 2 to 4 hour layover, the last leg is 3.5 hours to BKK.

Yes, 15.5 hours!

I've flown on EVA airlines on all my trips and with an upgraded seat, found the trip ok.  They provide 2 big meals, 2 or 3 snacks, some drinks.  Between watching 3 to 5 movies, taking a few short naps, getting up to stretch, the meals and some zoning out, I've survived, as an over 300 pound aging man.

Getting to Pattaya Thailand from the Airport

After you've make it through the airport visa line, picked up your luggage at the carousel and exchange a little bit of your countries cash for Thai Baht (ThB), you will need ground transportation to get to Pattaya.

Here are the ways to get to Pattaya:

• Private Taxi.  Arrange from home.
• Private Taxi.  Just ask at the exit.
• Bolt.  This is an App available in Thailand, similar to Uber.
• Grab.  This is an App available in Thailand, similar to Uber.
• Public Bus.  This is the least expensive option.

I have arranged a private taxi ride from my home country a few weeks prior to my trip for all 5 of my trips.  I emailed the taxi company, providing them my details (name, flight arrival time, hotel in Pattaya. 

We emailed back and forth.  They provided the cost and the location to meet them and then I confirmed.  I printed out the email exchange and kept the email up near the top of my email on my iPhone.

My Cost to Get to Pattaya by Private Taxi

$1,300 ThB converts to about $40 USD.

Getting Around Pattaya Thailand

No one recommends you rent a car, motorcycle or scooter on your first few trips. Vehicles drive on the left side of the road, similar to Britain, but opposite of the US. 

The traffic can be extreme at times.  Plus, there are hundreds (maybe thousands) of Thais on scooters weaving in and out of traffic most of the time.

Here is how you get around Pattaya Thailand:

• Walk. You will need to walk a lot no matter how much else you take advantage of vehicle services.
• Baht bus.  These buses travel on Beach Road, Second Road, Soi Buakhao, Central Pattaya Road, South Pattaya Road and also can get you all the way to Jomtien.
• Taxi.  There are taxi stands scattered around on all the main roads.  Plus you can just contact them directly.
• Motorbike taxi.  There are even more motorbike taxi's all over the place near the nightlife venues and attractions.  Just look for a Thai person lounging around on a motorbike or scooter playing on their phone or joking around with other Thai motorbike drivers.
• Grab and Bolt.  These are Apps, similar to Uber in the US.  You do have to pay in cash with ThB, instead of through the phone App.

What or When is High Season & Low Season in Pattaya Thailand

High Season - November through Mid April

This is the time of year where it rarely rains in Thailand, the humidity is less and temperature is a bit cooler.

It is still hot and sunny all day with some humidity, but most people who love summer will love this time of year in Pattaya.  Clear, sunny days with very little chance of rain.  You can confidently plan your days and nights.

The highest of high season is around Christmastime with perfect weather, no rain and everything packed and exciting.  The Thais, while not Christian, help westerner's with extra Christmas spirit, hoping our Christian generosity will fill their Christmas stockings.

With the glorious weather, come the most tourists escaping their horrible weather back home.  Also, you can stretch out your vacation time with your Christmas holiday time off.

High season ends after the mid-April Songkran festival.  Songkran is basically a city wide (or country-wide) water fight.  From what I’ve read and watched, this would be a time of year to avoid Pattaya for me as an aging man.

But thousands of visitors partake of this festival every year.

Thai lady preparing for Songkran Citywide water fight

Low Season - Mid April through the end of October

Low season starts right after the Songkran Festival.  It will be much hotter, much more humid with much more rain.  Sometimes torrential rain.

With the iffy weather, there will be far fewer tourists.  Sometimes not many at all.  

I’ve been to Pattaya twice during Low Season, both times in late August.  It was definitely much hotter and much more humid than my High Season trips.  But I had a great time.  It was more subdued with far fewer tourists and not as much going on. 

But there was enough going on to have a great time.  I did experience some substantial rains and had to adjust my plans a bit.  But that is not that difficult.  The rains came in, it rained hard and I took shelter and waited it out.

Timing Considerations For Your Pattaya Thailand Vacation

What Day to Arrive

It doesn’t really matter what day you arrive.  The party is every night.  But Friday and Saturday are the busiest of course because of local visitors, with Sunday and Monday being just a bit subdued. 

I arrived on Sunday 2 times after putting in a full week at work. 

I arrived on Thursday 3 times after working 2 full 10 hours days.

What Time of Day to Arrive

It’s more important to study when you arrive in Thailand than when you leave your home country.  It’s best to get to the Bangkok airport around noon.  If you get there too late, you will waste the night.  If you get there early, what will you do all day while you wait for your hotel to check in?

By the time I get my Visa stamp, pick up my luggage and take the 1.5-hour taxi to Pattaya, I am usually at my hotel by about 3 pm. 

When to Go Home

I like to get home so I have at least one full day to partially recover before going back to work.  Maybe 2 full days. 

If my flight from BKK leaves mid-morning, I get back to O-Hare airport by 10:00 pm with gaining back the 12 hours. 

Can You Unplug from Work for Long Enough

I happily putter around my hotel all morning semi-retired style, drinking coffee and relaxing at the poo. Explore and visit attractions most of the afternoon after a big lunch.  Then a late afternoon nap before heading out to party like a young man every night.

I find no time to worry about work.

There is an exactly 12 hour time difference between Thailand and my home.  So, doing some remote work where I interact with colleagues would be cumbersome anyway.

I just work my tail off in the weeks and months before a trip, doing my best to get ahead.  Then getting back to the grind when I return.  Happy, refreshed, but maybe a bit exhausted after a trip.

Paperwork & Money for Pattaya Thailand

You need a passport, a Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) and plenty of your countries cash to convert to Thai Baht.

See more information here - Thailand & Thailand Paperwork & Money

You need a long wallet like this to carry your countries cash to Thailand to then exchange for Thai Baht

What to Do in Pattaya Thailand

Pattaya caters to foreign tourists with it's well-developed infrastructure, numerous western expats making it seem familiar, countless international restaurants, tourist attractions, adventures, wellness spas and clinics, world class medical and dental care, a relaxed pace of life and some of the most incredible nightlife in the world.

Pattaya goes over the top in providing visitors multiple opportunities to enjoy themselves.  In addition to ancient temples and cool old buildings they are constantly building new buildings outfitted with the latest and the greatest.

In Pattaya, you can even enjoy being treated like a king.

How to Stay Healthy in Pattaya Thailand

• Don't Drink Tap Water
• Take Your Normal Supplements
• Sleep & Nap as Needed
• Get Sun but Be Careful
• Watch the Extent of Walking
• Minimize Sugary Foods
• Control Volume of Food
• Be Aware of Your Drinking Limits
• Make Use of the Pharmacies
• Be Careful Getting Out of Bed
• Try Not to Overdo Things
• If You Do Run Into Trouble, There are Hospitals and Clinics

Here is the full rundown - How to Stay Healthy in Pattaya

Pattaya Thailand Wrap Up

Pattaya is one of the most welcoming places on earth.

It will take getting out of your comfort zone, but you will have the time of your life if you are courageous enough to travel to the other side of the world.

The great thing about Pattaya Thailand is that it is set up for tourists. 

Millions of people visit Thailand every year. You can too.