Pattaya (พัทยา) is a popular resort on the North Gulf Coast of Eastern Thailand, 150 km south-east of Bangkok. Pattaya is most famous for its go-go and beer bars, but besides the men and women on offer the place has made efforts to provide more family-friendly attractions and activities. Although the sex industry is still going strong in Pattaya, it also attracts local families and holidaymakers from far and wide. Efforts by the local authorities over the past few years have improved the quality of the beaches, but they are still lackluster by Thailand's high standards, and over-development has long since destroyed some of the natural charms it once had. However, the plethora of hotels and guest houses and easy access from the capital and airport make it a popular weekend getaway. Catering for over 5 million tourists yearly, Pattaya is also able to offer an excellent range of eating choices and a wide variety of things to do and see, and its population is a colorful potpourri of mixed nationalities from near and far.

Khao Phra Tam Nak or Khao Phra Bat (เขาพระตำหนัก หรือ เขาพระบาท) This small hill is located between South Pattaya and Chom Thian. It is a vantage point for a panoramic view of the whole city of Pattaya and its crescent bay. Locals and visitors come here to pay homage to Wat Khao Phra Bat atop the hill and the monument of Kromluang Chomphonkhetudomsak, who is resgared the “founding father of the modern Thai navy.” and Suan Chaloemphrakiat (สวนเฉลิมพระเกียรติ) Khao Phra Tam Nak Road., This is a fitness park at the foot of Khao Pattaya. With an area of 6 acres, the park was dedicated to commemorate His Majesty the King’s sixtieth birthday on December 5, 1988. The gardens of the park boast a wide variety of flowering plants and offer a scenic view of Pattaya. There are also multipurpose grounds and winding trails for walking or jogging and standard exercise facilities. Hat Chom Thian (หาดจอมเทียน) This 6- kilometre-long beach is only 4km from Pattaya. A beach Road, runs parallel to the shore along which are hotels and restaurants. Less noisy than Pattaya, it is popular as a site for relaxation, swimming and water-sports. Hat Wong Phra Chan (หาดวงพระจันทร์) This small tranquil one kilometre beach is on the northern side of Pattaya Bay. The serene atmosphere here is attractive to those longing for a complete rest and privacy.

Pattaya is especially famous for its beer bars (also called bar-beer), staffed by "bar girls" who are "for hire" to the tourists and ex-pats who drink there. Popular beer bar pastimes include pool, connect-four and shut-the-box. Open-air beer bars can be found all over Pattaya, with the biggest and best known concentrations being along and around Soi 7 / Soi 8 and Walking Street, at numerous points on Second Road, Beach Road, Soi Buakhao, and in smaller numbers just about everywhere else, including along the southern end of Naklua Road and at Jomtien. Although the staff of a typical beer bar will usually all be prostitutes, customers who have no intention of paying a "bar fine" (money paid to the bar so that the girl can leave with the customer) are generally very welcome and indeed make up the majority of the clientele. Indoor beer bars can also be found all over Pattaya, the most notorious areas being Soi Yodsak (Soi 6) and parts of Soi Post Office (Soi 13/2). While some of these bars are much more "bar fine" oriented, in most cases customers who simply want to buy drinks are still welcome. The official closing time in "entertainment zones" is 1AM (in practice usually somewhere between 1AM and 3AM, depending on the location) and 12AM elsewhere - however "closing" is defined as switching off the music and non-essential lighting, and numerous beer bars remain open 24/7.