Pattaya for first-timers: the traps to skip and how to get around

Pattaya is easy and cheap if you avoid four things: a scooter you are not licensed to ride, a jet ski from a street operator, a tour sold to you on the pavement, and swimming in the main city bay. Everything else is smaller: most of it costs you an afternoon, not a trip.

Who it’s for: first-timers planning a few days on the coast. Who can skip it: long-stayers who already know the town; the Pattaya primer covers rents and neighbourhoods for living there.

When to go

Thailand’s meteorological seasons run roughly mid-October to mid-February (cool), mid-February to mid-May (hot) and mid-May to mid-October (rainy).

Songkran: Pattaya holds its own water festival, Wan Lai, usually in the days after the national Songkran holiday; check the city’s announcement for dates. Beach Road becomes a street-wide water fight and roads close for hours. Book early or avoid the dates.

Where to stay

Pattaya is small, but the zones differ a lot.

Check flooding in the rainy season. Low roads in South Pattaya flood in heavy rain; read recent reviews and ask the host whether the soi floods. Higher ground such as Pratumnak Hill is safer. More in the Pattaya primer.

Booking a condo through a rental platform? Use hosts with plenty of recent reviews, check the photos match the listing, and keep all messages inside the platform. Film the unit when you arrive. If it is not the one you booked, contact the platform before you unpack.

A serviced apartment or a rental agency in the building gives you a desk to complain to.

Getting there from Bangkok

Skip the city if you land at Suvarnabhumi. Take the airport bus from level 1 straight to Pattaya.

Flying to U-Tapao adds a transfer and check-in time. From Bangkok the road is usually easier.

Money

Foreign cards usually pay a fee of about 250 baht per withdrawal, and some banks charge more, so read the on-screen fee before you confirm. Take out larger amounts less often, and use machines inside bank branches or malls. Thai machines often return the cash before the card, so wait for your card.

If the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline and let your own bank convert.

Exchange rates are better in Bangkok if you can wait. In Pattaya, use a licensed booth with a rate board, bring your passport and clean notes, and count the money at the counter. Never change money with a stranger on the street.

Carry small notes. Short-changing happens at taxis and street stalls.

Getting around

On a baht bus, hop on, press the buzzer and pay as you get off. Check your route on a map, name an area or landmark rather than your hotel, and get off at the nearest road.

Health and emergencies

Eat freshly cooked food from busy stalls and skip anything that has been sitting out. Dengue is present in Thailand year-round and peaks in the rains, so use repellent, especially at dawn and dusk.

Pattaya has private hospitals that treat foreign patients. Bills can be steep for overnight stays or surgery, so see the healthcare and insurance guide.

Get cover before you fly. Check that your policy covers scooters, and that you hold the licence it requires.

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Renting a scooter

It is easy to rent a scooter in Pattaya, and it is the trap that costs the most.

• Licence: you need a licence valid for motorcycles, either Thai or your own plus an International Driving Permit that covers motorbikes. A car licence does not cover a scooter. See the Thai driving licence guide.
• Helmet: riders and passengers must wear one. Check the current fine; it is steep enough to matter.
• Insurance: travel policies commonly refuse claims from unlicensed riders.
• Safety: Thailand’s road death rate is among the highest in Asia, and most victims are on motorbikes. If you are not a confident rider, take a baht bus or an app.

The three rental scams.

1. Damage claims. The shop says you caused damage that was already there.
2. The “stolen” bike. The bike disappears while parked and you are billed for it.
3. The fake accident call. Someone claiming to be police says you hit a car and must pay on the spot.

What to do:

• Shop: rent from a large, established shop with many recent reviews, or through your hotel, and take a copy of the contract.
• Photos: photograph and film every panel, the fuel gauge and the odometer, with the date visible.
• Passport: never leave it; offer a photocopy and a cash deposit instead.
• Accident call or money demand: if anyone demands money for a supposed accident, call the Tourist Police on 1155 before paying.

More in scams in Thailand.

Jet skis

Jet skis carry a financial risk more than a physical one. The pattern is a damage claim after the ride, for repairs priced at tens of thousands of baht, sometimes with pressure from several people at once.

• If it is your first time in Pattaya, skip it.
• If you do ride, use a large operator with strong recent reviews, photograph every side of the craft, including the underside, before you launch, and get the price in writing.
• If someone demands money afterwards, don’t negotiate with the operator. Call 1155.

Tours

Touts outside hotels, on the beach and on motorbikes sell sightseeing packages. The usual tricks are an entrance ticket you could have bought yourself at half the price, a “city tour” that is really a loop of gem shops and souvenir stops, or a tout who vanishes once you’ve paid.

What to do: don’t buy a tour from a taxi driver, a street stall or anyone who approaches you in public. Book through your hotel or a platform that shows verified reviews and a clear price, and pay on the platform.

Attractions worth your time

The Sanctuary of Truth is an all-wood temple complex. Wat Phra Yai (Big Buddha Hill) and the viewpoints on Pratumnak Hill suit a short, easy walk. Most places are simple to reach by Grab, and you can pay at the gate.

The catch: check opening hours and ticket prices, including the Sanctuary of Truth’s entry fee, on the venue’s own website before you go, since they change.

Swimming

The main bay and the beach through central and South Pattaya are often a poor place to swim. After heavy rain, runoff and sewage reach the shore, and the city has at times warned people off the water.

What to do: for clear water, take the public ferry from Bali Hai pier to Koh Larn. The fare is about 30 to 40 baht and the crossing takes around 45 minutes; confirm the price and times at the pier, since schedules vary by season and weather.

Avoid the water for a day or two after a downpour. Obey the flags and designated swimming areas, especially with children.

Shopping

Markets are fine, and plenty of stalls sell at fair prices. Buy where prices are shown, and walk away from sellers who won’t show one. Avoid branded goods at any price: fakes are common.

Friendly strangers

A stranger who strikes up a conversation and asks to see your home-country banknotes “for a collection” is running a known routine. The notes get swapped for lesser ones or pocketed. The same goes for anyone pushing a miracle product on you.

What to do: smile, say no thanks, and keep walking. You owe nobody a conversation.

Theft

Thieves on motorbikes grab bags from pedestrians and passengers. Wear a bag across your body, zipped, on the side away from the road, and don’t hold your phone loosely near the kerb, including on a motorbike taxi.

Keep passport, cash and spare cards in the hotel safe, and carry a photo of your passport and visa page on your phone. Leave jewellery and watches at home.

E-cigarettes are illegal to bring in or use, so don’t pack them.

Save these numbers: Ambulance 1669. Tourist Police 1155, English-speaking and open 24 hours. Police 191. If a rental or tour dispute turns tense, call 1155 before paying anyone.