Things to Do in Pattaya

When it comes to tours, day trip and excursions from Pattaya, you have a huge choice. Travel agencies dot the city and will try to talk you into taking a two- or three-day trip to Erawan Fall in Kanchanaburi or Angkor Wat in Cambodia; a full-day marine adventure or at least a half-day discovery tour around Pattaya.

While in many cases you can follow a similar itinerary all by yourself, relying on taxis to transport you to some outlying attractions like Nong Nooch Garden, it is often easier to book with travel agents.

Nong Nooch Botanical Gardens

These are famous botanical and landscape gardens 20 km south of Pattaya. The team of Nong Nooch often takes high prizes in international garden shows and competitions worldwide.

Nong Nooch Gardens feature a great variety of local and overseas flora including palm trees, succulents, caudiciform plants but not only. The ordinary ticket (THB500) also includes the cultural show and the elephant show, both of which will be of interest for those visiting Thailand for the first time – well, at least we most sincerely did enjoy them!

It is a nice place to visit with kids, too, as kids will most probably like the shows plus there is a small zoo and a playground there. The only things that spoils the impression of the gardens tremendously is myriads of childish statues of zebras, owls, lions, ants and what not which were added a couple of years ago throughout the gardens God-knows for which reason. The most recent addition is a dinosaur park which has nothing to do with ‘botanical’ part but is a hit with younger visitors.

Pattaya Million Year Stone Park

Pattaya Million Year Stone Park cum Pattaya Crocodile Farm is the place to come for all thing crocodile. They have crocodile ponds, crocodile nursery, crocodile show and – not surprisingly – crocodile restaurant where crocodile meat is served. The entrance ticket is THB450 but most probably it is worth it. There is a small zoo featuring giraffes and elephants as well as several caged birds including a derelict-looking cassowary and rather aggressive lesser adjutant.

If you have your kids in tow, it is an interesting half-day excursion and they have a playground, too.

Waterparks

Splash it! Finally Pattaya has at least two large waterparks. Amazone Cartoon Network boasts extremely thrilling rides, and Ramayana Waterpark is recommended for its tremendous kid zone which is great for both leaving children above four ride alone or with parents. Tickets to the both parks can be bought online via their websites, and both waterparks provide transfer from your hotel for a reasonable fee. To our tasting, Ramayana is a better choice from the point of view of its maintenance and food options offered. Also, they often run different promotions which can help save some baht in your pocket.

Sea adventures

No wonder that Pattaya offers a great choice of sea adventures, and many programs are recommended as they give you a chance to see that there is actually beautiful sea in Pattaya.

If you are a large group of friends, you can rent your own boat and go sea fishing, swimming and sunbathing to one of the outlying Pattaya islands. A boat accommodating up to 20 pax will cost you between THB5000 and THB6000 including a light lunch of rice and your catch of the day. Similar tours sold in tour agencies will cost you from THB1000 but can include soft drinks or even alcohol (check Admiralka pirate ship for that), snorkelling gear rental or fitted waterslides and some entertainment program (e.g. Dolce Vita catamaran).

Another great option is to rent a yacht what can be more affordable compared to, say, Europe. You can inquire in Ocean Marina Yacht Club south of the city. There are offers starting from THB12,000 per day for a yacht accommodating a company of 6. Sailing around the bay and beyond – to Koh Samet or Koh Chang is an amazing experience!