PATTAYA · THAILAND
Where the Gulf turns turquoise.
Koh Larn and the reef islands sit a half-hour speedboat off the beach. Snorkelling, parasails and sea-walks by day, the Sanctuary of Truth and the cabaret after dark. Every Pattaya day out, in one place.
Only in Pattaya
Three days that are pure Pattaya.
Beach boats and island lunches turn up all down the Thai coast. A reef this close to the city, a hand-carved teak temple this size, and cabaret on this scale do not.
Seven kilometres offshore
Koh Larn, the Coral Island
A half-hour speedboat off Bali Hai pier, Koh Larn trades the city for white sand and water clear enough to snorkel straight off the beach. Tawaen for the watersports, Samae and Nual for the quiet bays, the reefs off Koh Sak and Koh Krok for the fish. Most Pattaya trips give it a full day, and it earns one.
- 1 Pattaya: Coral Island & Sak Island Adventure Trip
- 2 Pattaya Full-Day 3 Tropical Island tour Snorkeling Cruise Buffet
- 3 Snorkel & Chill: Nemo Island Trip from Pattaya
The grand cabaret
Alcazar & Tiffany’s
Pattaya built the Thai cabaret into a spectacle and still does it on the grandest scale. Alcazar and Tiffany’s fill purpose-built theatres with casts of hundreds, sequinned sets and a number for every flag in the room. An hour of unapologetic glitter, and a Pattaya night out in its own right.
- 1 Pattaya: Alcazar Cabaret Discounted Admission Ticket
- 2 Pattaya: Alcazar Cabaret Show Admission Ticket
- 3 Tiffany’s Show Pattaya: The World Class Best Show in Pattaya
All teak, by the sea
The Sanctuary of Truth
On a headland north of the city stands a hundred-metre temple carved entirely from teak, every surface worked into gods and guardians and held together without a single nail. It has been rising by hand since 1981 and still is. Nothing else in Thailand looks like it.
- 1 Pattaya: The Sanctuary of Truth Admission Ticket
- 2 Pattaya: The Sanctuary of Truth Discounted Admission Ticket
- 3 Pattaya: Sanctuary of Truth Admission with Guided Tour
The one everyone books
The day out everyone books first.
More travellers book this than anything else on Pattaya. If you only lock in one thing before you fly, this is the safe bet.
The classics
Pattaya's Most Popular Tours
Coral Island, the Sanctuary of Truth, the floating markets, the elephant camps and the cabaret. The days most Pattaya trips are built from.
Where to begin
The days a Pattaya trip is built around.
Coral Island, the watersports, the cabaret, the temples and the markets. The categories most trips are planned around, and the best of each.
The big question
How to do the islands.
Koh Larn sits seven kilometres off the beach, with smaller reef islands beyond it. The question isn't whether to go. It's how. Here are the three ways, and who each one suits.
The reef
Snorkel straight off the sand.
At Koh Larn the Gulf shallows run warm and clear, and the coral starts just past the swimming ropes. Pull on a mask off Tawaen or Samae, or take the boat on to Koh Sak and Koh Krok where the reef is busier with fish. Rather keep your hair dry? Strap on a helmet and sea-walk along the bottom. The water is its own reason to come.
Read the guide: snorkelling trips →On the water
Pattaya runs on the water.
Tawaen Beach is one long watersports rank: jet skis out to the buoys, parasails clipped behind the speedboats, banana boats, flyboards, and the sea-walk helmets that let you stroll the reef floor. It's loud, it's wet, and it's half the reason people cross over from the mainland.
See the watersports →Out on the bay
The other half of the day is on the water.
When the snorkel boats wind down, the bay doesn’t empty out, it just changes shift. Sunset and dinner cruises push off from Bali Hai for the calm hour, the city lighting up along the shore and the islands going dark on the horizon. A drink on deck, the engines off, the Gulf doing the rest.
Browse cruises & boat trips →Beyond the beach
A morning with the elephants.
Half an hour inland, the ethical camps have swapped riding for something better. You spend the morning feeding, walking and washing rescued elephants in the river, mud and all. Living Green and the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary run the pick of them, small groups and no hooks, and it tends to be the day families remember most.
- 1 From Pattaya: Living Green Elephant Sanctuary Day Trip
- 2 Pattaya: Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Feeding Experience
- 3 Elephant Jungle Sanctuary: Half Day Morning Program
Pattaya after dark
The night has its own headline act.
Pattaya built the Thai cabaret into full-scale theatre and never dialled it back. Alcazar and Tiffany’s pack their houses twice a night with casts of hundreds, sequins, lasers and a lip-synced number for every flag in the room. Out past the doors, Walking Street and the Muay Thai stadiums keep the rest of the night loud.
See all 13 cabaret shows →Beyond the water
When you're off the sand.
The Sanctuary of Truth for the carving. The floating market for lunch on the canal. Nong Nooch for the gardens, the elephant camps for the rescues, and a city tour for everything in between.
By activity
Pick how to spend the day.
Speedboat out if you want the reef. Jet ski if you want the noise. A cabaret if you want the night. Plus cruises, the floating markets, the temples and a Muay Thai card at the stadium.
Plan it
Three perfect days.
First time in Pattaya? A long weekend that runs from the reef to the temples to the cabaret without wasting a morning.
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