Is Pattaya worth going to for a first time visit to Thailand?
Question by marie: Is Pattaya worth going to for a first time visit to Thailand?
What about mini siam and mini world? What about that park Ancient City that has the miniature highlights of Thailand, is it worth seeing?
Best answer:
Answer by Geoff M
Pattaya isn’t the nicest of places in Thailand – there are seedy areas and the beach isn’t good. Phuket, Krabi, Phi Phi etc are far better.
It’s worth a visit to Ayutthaya, and there are plenty of sights within Bangkok itself, such as the reclining Buddha and the Grand Palace (next door to each other).
Be brave and try the street food. As long as you can see it’s fairly clean, and the food is hot, you should be ok. Don’t drink the tap water; don’t even wash your toothrbush in it. Enjoy.
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If you want to see real Thailand, don’t go to Pattaya. It is just the place where many tourists go, even though there are few real sights nearby, and everything is much more expensive than in other places.
Ancient City however is definitely worth a visit, but you should reserve a whole day for it. And it is best if you go inside with a car, or at least rent a bike, it is a big area. However it is of course much better to visit the real attraction, and not the replica there.
Pattaya has many many things to do and I really like the city. if you like sports, pattaya boasts a large selection of golf courses. For water sports they have just about everything. For nightlife Pattaya is one of the most popular destinations in the world. Many sights to see including a pilgrimage to the top of Buddha Hill (beautiful view of the city and the bay)
When in Pattaya I prefer to stay on Soi 13 between Beach Road and 2nd Road. Soi 13 is centrally located making it easy to go in either direction. No need to rent a car or a scooter. There are baht buses running non-stop 24/7. My favorite budget hotels/guesthouses are The Whitehouse, Sandy Springs, Dynasty Inn and Tropical Berts. http://www.PattayaFest.com
Many people who say “don’t go to Pattaya” have never been there! They read about it or someone else says “don’t go there” and they pass it on!
Pattaya is the number one destination of couples, family groups and singles in all of Thailand! Yes, there are a lot of bars but no one from a bar forces you to come in! You can ignore bars or stop in for a drink. Many couples return to Pattaya year after year! It is not unusual to see family groups with children walking around.
Pattaya offers hotels with prices cheaper than Bangkok and Phuket, restaurants are cheaper too! Transportation is only 10 baht on a “baht bus.” There are street vendors, new modern malls, 3 movie theaters and a long beach front.
The beach front is good for walking, sunbathing, shopping, street vendors – but most foreigners do not swim there. They use the pools at the cheap hotels or go to Jomtien or Naklua. You can take a 20 baht boat ride to Koh Larn if you want too!
Like Bangkok, you can sign up for tours from the travel agencies in Pattaya. And, like Bangkok, the tour company will pick you up at your hotel and return you there at the end of the tour. I like Pattaya, I have friends that live there for a long time. I like walking and bicycling around there, for me it is a nice place to relax at.
Some of the tours you want are available from the travel agents in Bangkok. I like history so I have been on several tours involving Khmer history. From Bangkok you can check out tours to Ayuthaya, River Kwai, Floating Market and national parks. Dinner cruise and evening tours are available too.
Get a hotel in Bangkok near the Skytrain and you can use the Skytrain to take you to many areas cheap and easy.
In Pattaya some of the tours you can take are the Million Year Stone Park, Elephant Shows even a dinky bottle museum. Some tours are the same as what you get in Bankok. Tours closer to Bangkok will be cheaper in Bangkok, tours closer to or in the Pattaya area will be cheaper in Pattaya.
Best thing about Pattaya is that from the Ekamai Bus station, off a Skytrain stop, a bus ride is only around 115 baht! If you don’t like Pattaya it will only cost you around 115 baht to go back to Bangkok – try that from Phuket if you don’t like it! (This is the VIP air conditioned bus with a toilet on board!)
Good luck
I lived in Bangkok in the 60′s (went to ISB) and loved to go to Pattaya. I revisitied it in ’68 and was shocked–it had really gone down hill. I revisited in 2001 and it was a pit–dangerous and dirty. There are lots of nice places to visit… Pattaya is not one of them.
Depending what you want in your first visit.
For myself, I would like to see a country – the good, the bad and the ugly all in one. When I was in New York I even went to the bronx to see whats it like (althought I stayed for 10 min before getting on a bus out of there).
Pattaya is a nice place if you like night life … the beaches are ok however you can find much better ones in Phuket or Krabi etc.
Mini Siam and Mini World are ok tourist attractions and you can easily spend 2 – 3 hours there.
Have fun!
just don’t go pattaya
I have been to Pattaya, and I will tell you it is not worth the trip. Do they have attractions? Sure, of course, but for a first timer Pattaya can be and should be skipped.
There are just too many better places in Thailand to see.
The park you asked about is well worth the visit, but I enjoy seeing the real size version of the minis. That is just me. The suggestion to go to Ayuthaya is spot on. The Bang Pa-In Palace is right there, and that is a real treat to visit.
How many days will you be here? Email me with questions or for pics of Thailand. I can help you out on both fronts if you like.