Pattaya — 3-Day Guide | ThreeDayGuides

A Vietnam War R&R town turned 10-million-visitor resort — Pattaya pairs the world's largest all-wood temple (100 years to build, 100,000 sculptures) with a clear-water coral island 7 km offshore, elephant sanctuaries and Southeast Asia's finest go-kart circuit.

Also explore Pattaya for:

📋 General guide ⭐ Highlights

105 m All-Wood Temple (No Nails), Coral Island Speedboat & Walking Street Cabaret

600-Acre French Garden, Rescued Elephants' Mud Bath & Circuit Go-Kart Racing

Coral Reef Diving (or Warship Wreck), 1:25 Temple Miniatures & Jomtien Parasailing

📋 General 3-day guide ⭐ Highlights

Book tours, tickets and experiences via GetYourGuide — free cancellation on most activities.

Browse all activities →

Language	Thai; English widely spoken in tourist areas, hotels and on Walking Street; menus in English everywhere
Currency	Thai Baht (฿); cards accepted at hotels and malls; cash preferred at markets, street food and small shops; ATMs everywhere (฿220 fee per withdrawal)
Transport	Songthaew (shared pickup truck taxi, ฿10 anywhere along the fixed route) is the main local transport; baht bus on beach road; tuk-tuk for short trips (negotiate first, ฿100-200); Grab app works in Pattaya; Bali Hai Pier for Koh Larn ferry
Best time	Nov–Feb best (cool, dry, clear seas); Mar–May hot (35°C+); Jun–Oct can have rain and choppier Gulf water (Koh Larn still accessible most days)
Getting in	Bus from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport to Pattaya Bus Terminal (90 min, ฿131); Pattaya-Bangkok buses from Eastern Bus Terminal (Ekamai) and Mo Chit (3 hrs, ฿130); private transfer from Bangkok ฿1500; nearest airport is U-Tapao Pattaya (UTP, 35 km south) with budget airlines from Chiang Mai and Phuket
Tipping	฿20-50 per massage at end; 10% at sit-down restaurants; ฿20 for basic services; not mandatory but appreciated
Safety	Generally safe for tourists; standard precautions on Walking Street (drink spiking reported; do not accept drinks from strangers); jet ski scam (pre-existing damage claims) — photograph the jet ski before renting; scooter accidents are common
Budget tips	Sanctuary of Truth ฿500; Koh Larn ferry ฿30; food court Terminal 21 ฿100; songthaew ฿10; beach free; Jomtien Beach free; mini Siam ฿300; Thai massage ฿250