Pattaya

Pattaya is a city in Eastern Thailand, the second-largest city in Chonburi province and the eighth-largest city in Thailand. It sits on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about 100 kilometres (62 mi) southeast of Bangkok. As of 2025, Pattaya has a population of 351,391 people.

Pattaya City is a special local government area within Bang Lamung district, with a population of 119,532. It includes the areas known as Nong Prue and Na Klua, along with parts of Huai Yai and Nong Pla Lai. Over time, Pattaya has grown to include nearby areas, becoming a major part of what is called "Greater Pattaya."

The city is part of Thailand's important industrial zone called the Eastern seaboard, together with places like Si Racha, Laem Chabang, and Chonburi. Together, these areas form the Pattaya-Chonburi Metropolitan Area, which is home to about one million people and is the third largest metropolitan area in Thailand.

History

The name Pattaya comes from a story about an old army leader named Phraya Tak, who later became King Taksin. When his army was moving from Ayutthaya to Chanthaburi before the old capital fell in 1767, they met a local leader named Nai Klom. Nai Klom was impressed and joined Phraya Tak instead of fighting. The place where they met was called “Thap Phraya,” meaning “army of the Phraya.” Over time, this name changed to Pattaya, which describes a special wind that blows at the start of the rainy season.

After World War II, a man named Parinya Chawalitthamrong saw Pattaya’s potential and gave land for the city hall. Pattaya grew from a small fishing village in the 1960s. During the Vietnam War, American servicemen visiting for rest and relaxation helped make Pattaya famous. In 1978, Pattaya became an official city. In the 2000s, leaders worked to change Pattaya’s reputation to be more family-friendly. Even with challenges like flooding and health issues affecting tourism, Pattaya kept developing and earned an award for good governance in 2023.

Climate

Pattaya has a tropical wet and dry climate. The weather changes through different seasons: hot and dry from December to February, hot and humid in March and April, and hot and rainy from May to November.

Demographics

Further information: List of municipalities in Thailand

The municipality has a population of 119,532 residents, while the city ("Greater Pattaya") has a population of 351,391. Most of these people are Thai, but many workers from other countries live there too. Because of this, the real number of people living in Pattaya might be much larger, maybe even around half a million.

Like Bangkok Metropolitan Region, the official counts of people in Pattaya don't tell the whole story. Many workers are counted as living in their hometowns even though they work in Pattaya. Also, many people who live in Pattaya for a long time, like expatriates, aren't always counted. Pattaya also gets lots of visitors, with thousands of hotels and rooms for people to stay in.

Over time, Pattaya has grown bigger than its official city limits. It now includes areas around it, making a larger space of about 727 square kilometers. This whole area is often just called Pattaya.

Pattaya is part of a bigger group of cities called the Pattaya-Chonburi Metropolitan Area, which includes Chonburi, Si Racha, and Pattaya. Together, these cities have a population of about one million people, making it the third largest group of cities in the country after Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

Many people from other countries, especially those who are older and want to retire, live in Pattaya. There is also a big community of people from India who mainly speak Tamil.

Physical geography

Pattaya is a city on the Gulf of Thailand, about 160 kilometres (99 mi) south of Bangkok in Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province. The city covers several areas including Nong Prue and Na Kluea, and parts of Huai Yai and Nong Pla Lai.

The area is known for its beaches. Pattaya Beach runs about 2.7 km from north to south and was restored in 2018 to help prevent erosion. Nearby, Phra Tamnak Hill offers nice views and a temple. Just south of Pattaya is Jomtien, which has hotels and condos. There are also several small islands close to the shore and farther out in the sea.

Environment

Pattaya creates around 450 tonnes of trash each day and spends over 300 million baht every year to remove and dispose of it. Some trash is said to end up in the sea from tour boats.

In July 2017, Pattaya Beach was messy for a week because raw sewage flowed from a storm drain. City leaders said this happened because of broken pumps and an old sewage-treatment plant. The environmental ministry said it would work harder to make sure pollution laws are followed and asked Pattaya to improve how it treats wastewater. There are many places in Pattaya that add to pollution, and the number keeps growing as the city gets bigger.

The water in the sea near central Pattaya beaches is not very clean and could be harmful to people and sea life. Water near Na Klua, North Pattaya, South Pattaya, Ko Lan, and Jomtien Beach is better. The city thought about making its water treatment plants bigger to clean more water before it goes back into the ocean, but this plan was never done.

In November 2018, Pattaya agreed to spend 188 million baht to fix its six wastewater treatment plants. These plants, built in 2000, can clean 65,000 cubic metres of wastewater each day. Much of the equipment was old and worn out. The plants clean water for a part of Pattaya that is 36 km², or 68 percent of the city. Plans to make the plants clean more water were never done, and the plants were not taken care of well. Pattaya uses more than 200,000 cubic metres of water a day but says it only puts about 70,000 cubic metres back into the sea. No one knows why there is this difference. After cleaning the water, there are no tests to check if it is clean before it goes back into the sea, which might be why the water sometimes looks bad.

Economy

Pattaya is a key part of Thailand's Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC). Big investments, over 1.5 trillion baht (US$45 billion), are going into building better roads, airports, ports, and train systems. These improvements will make it easier for people to travel to Pattaya. The Thai Chamber of Commerce believes that with new airports like U-Tapao International Airport and a high-speed train connecting major airports, Pattaya will become the center of the eastern region. They think many more tourists will visit in the future.

Pattaya has many new projects, like a city tram, a larger cruise terminal, and fun attractions such as a water park and ice dome. These are being built to show that Pattaya is a place for everyone. The city wants to be more than just a beach spot and plans to become a business center called "Neo Pattaya". Improving flood management and sewage systems is also part of these plans.

Transportation

Pattaya has several ways to get around and travel to other places.

Road

You can reach Pattaya by car using the Bangkok-Chonburi-Pattaya Motorway (Mtwy 7). This motorway connects to Bangkok's Outer Ring Road (Mtwy 9) and has another entrance at Si Nakharin and Rama IX Junction. Another option is the Bang Na-Trat Highway (Hwy 34), which goes from Bang Na through Bang Phli and across the Bang Pakong River to Chonburi. There is a bypass road that connects to Sukhumvit Road (Hwy 3), passing by Bang Saen Beach and Bang Phra before reaching Pattaya.

Taxi / Private Transfer

Besides buses and songthaews (small pickup trucks used as buses), Pattaya also has private taxis and transfer services. You can book these in advance to travel between Bangkok, Pattaya, and nearby airports. One example is SoiTaxi, which offers fixed-price transfers between Bangkok and Pattaya for 1,000 baht, including tolls and other charges. These services need to be booked ahead of time and mainly work between cities or airports.

Rail

There is a daily train service on the Eastern Line of the State Railway of Thailand. It runs between Pattaya railway station and Hualumphong Station in Bangkok.

Bus

Pattaya has a main bus terminal located on Pattaya Nuea (North Pattaya Road) near Sukhumvit Road. Buses from Mo Chit 2, New Southern Bus Terminal, and Ekkamai Bus Terminal in Bangkok all go to this terminal.

There are two bus services to the airport. The 389 Bus connects Pattaya with Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK). It uses modern, air-conditioned buses and takes about one and a half hours to reach the airport. The trip from the airport to Pattaya makes three stops in North, Central, and South Pattaya before ending at an office on Thappraya Road near Jomtien. The second service is the Bell Travel Service (Coach 36), which goes from the airport to the Pattaya Bell office at the North Pattaya Intersection and then to local hotels.

Buses also leave from a terminal on Sukhumvit Road near Pattaya Klang to many places in the north-east region, known as Isan.

Within the city and nearby areas, most bus services are provided by songthaews, which are often called "baht buses" or "blue taxis."

Air

Pattaya is about 120 kilometres (75 mi) from Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), Thailand's largest international airport. You can get there by road using Sukhumvit Road or Motorway 7 from Bangkok. Pattaya is also served by U-Tapao International Airport (UTP), which is a 45-minute drive south of the city and offers scheduled flights.

Boat

A ferry service for passengers only started between Pattaya and Hua Hin on January 12, 2017. It is run by the Royal Passenger Liner. By road, the trip takes five to six hours, but the ferry makes it about two hours, depending on the sea. The ferry travels at 27 knots over a distance of 113 km across the Gulf of Thailand and can carry up to 150 passengers. Bigger ferries that can hold up to 260 people might be added later. Ferries that can take vehicles are planned for the future. In November 2018, it was announced that the ferry service, which had been stopped because there were fewer tourists during the low season, would start again for the high season. The trip between Hua Hin and Pattaya takes about 2.5 hours and costs 1,250 baht on a catamaran that can hold up to 340 passengers.

Administration

Pattaya city has been run in a special way since October 30, 1978. It is similar to a town, with its own mayor who makes decisions, organizes services, and oversees workers. The city covers 53.4 square kilometers and includes four smaller areas and 18 villages.

Tourism

Pattaya started as a small fishing town. It grew big when many visitors came during the Vietnam War. Today, it is a popular place to visit. In 2018, it was the 18th most visited city in the world, with 9.6 million tourists. It is the third most visited city in Thailand, after Bangkok and Phuket.

Festivals

Pattaya is a place where many colorful festivals take place throughout the year. During Chinese New Year (Chinese New Year), the city's Thai-Chinese community celebrates with dragon parades, lion dances, and fireworks, usually from late January to early February.

In March, the Pattaya International Music Festival brings together Thai and international artists to perform different styles of music along Beach Road and Bali Hai Pier.

The Pattaya Songkran festival, also called Wan Lai, happens each year in mid-April. Unlike other Songkran festivals, it lasts several days and includes water fights, beauty pageants, musical performances, cultural shows, fireworks, and water sports competitions.

Other events include the Top of the Gulf Regatta, a week-long sailing event held at the end of April or beginning of May, the Miss Tiffany Universe beauty pageant in mid-May, the Pattaya Marathon in July, and the Pattaya Classical Guitar Festival on the last weekend of October.

In November, Pattaya celebrates Loi Krathong (Loi Krathong) by floating candle-lit floats called krathongs on the water and releasing candle-fired hot air balloons (candle-fired hot air balloons) into the night sky. The city also hosts Miss International Queen, an international pageant held every November.

Nightlife

Pattaya is well known for its lively nightlife, which attracts many visitors. The city has many places to enjoy, including host bars, gogo bars, massage parlours, and saunas. Walking Street is especially famous for its vibrant atmosphere.

The city also has a large entertainment scene around Boyztown, the Jomtien Complex, and Sunee Plaza. Pattaya is famous for its colorful kathoey cabaret shows, where transgender entertainers perform for enthusiastic audiences. Efforts have been made to improve the city's reputation and ensure safety for everyone.

Crime

In recent years, Pattaya has sometimes been a place where people from other countries involved in organized crime have hidden. Sadly, some of these people have been hurt or killed in fights between groups.

Visitors to Pattaya might sometimes experience small crimes, like having things taken away or being tricked, especially in busy tourist spots such as Jomtien and Pattaya Beaches, and on the "baht buses". To help tourists who face these issues, a special Tourist Police team has been created.

On 11 April 2009, Thailand’s Prime Minister declared a state of emergency in Pattaya and Chonburi because protesters had entered a hotel where an important meeting was happening. The meeting had to be stopped, and leaders from many Asian countries were safely taken to safety.

Law

In 2019, a group called the International Thai Foundation started a Community Legal Centre in a place called Soi Bua Kao in Pattaya. The centre helps teach people, protect their rights, and support those who are poor. It was the third such centre in Thailand, with another one already open in Chiang Mai.

Media and communications

Pattaya has many newspapers and magazines in different languages. Some are in English, like the Pattaya Mail and Pattaya People. There is also an online news site called The Pattaya News that shares stories in six languages. Other papers include a German one called DER FARANG, published every two weeks, and a Norwegian paper named Thailands Tidende that comes out once a month.

In popular media

The city of Pattaya is featured in the novel Platform by French author Michel Houellebecq, especially its nightlife.

Pattaya is also the setting for the GMMTV Boys' Love (BL) series Moonlight Chicken from 2023.

Education

Pattaya has several international schools, including École francophone de Pattaya, International School of Chonburi, Tara Pattana International School, Rugby School Thailand, Mooltripakdee International School Pattaya, and Hastin International School.

Nearby in Si Racha, there is the Thai-Japanese Association School Sriracha, a Japanese international school. It is connected to the Thai-Japanese Association School in Bangkok. Si Racha also used to have a Japanese weekend school called the Sriracha-Pattaya Japanese Supplement School.

Twin towns and sister cities

Pattaya has friendly agreements with several cities around the world. These include:

• Shymkent, Kazakhstan (June 2017)
• Saint Petersburg, Russia (June 2017)
• Qingdao, China (2013)
• Hubei, China (2014)
• Zhangjiajie, China (2016)