Things to do in Pattaya 2026: 12 places with prices, how to get there on your own and when a tour is worth it
What to see in and around Pattaya: the Sanctuary of Truth, Big Buddha, Nong Nooch, Koh Larn and 8 more places with 2026 ticket prices. How to get there on your own, what works with kids and where a tour costs barely more than the ticket.
What to see in Pattaya once the beach gets old by lunchtime: right in town there's the Sanctuary of Truth, the Big Buddha with its viewpoint and the Floating Market; 20-30 km out you'll find Nong Nooch garden, Wat Yan monastery with the Buddha on the cliff and Khao Kheow zoo; and 40 minutes across the sea lies Koh Larn island. Below are 12 places with 2026 prices, ways to get there on your own and an honest answer to the question of when a tour with hotel transfer is more convenient and costs hardly more than a ticket at the gate.
First, transport, because the whole plan depends on it. Songthaews (blue pickups, the "baht buses") loop along Beach Road - Second Road and run out to Jomtien, and since 10 April 2026 a ride costs 15-20 baht: hop on without a word, press the buzzer, pay when you get off. If you tell the driver an address, he'll take you like a taxi and the price becomes negotiable. A scooter costs 200-250 baht a day; you need an international licence with category A or a Thai licence, and the helmet comes with it. A car from 1,250 baht a day suits families and far-off spots along Sukhumvit - the whole fleet with prices is in transport rentals in Pattaya. A tour usually costs 300-450 baht more than the ticket at the gate, but it includes hotel pickup, a guide and insurance.
In town - by songthaew or scooter:
1. The Sanctuary of Truth is a 105-metre-tall wooden building put together without a single nail on the Naklua waterfront; construction began in 1981 and still isn't finished. Daytime entry is 500 baht for adults and 250 for children (8:20 to 18:00, ticket office until 17:00), and the evening session with illumination costs 700 baht. You go inside wearing a hard hat and covered clothing: shorts and bare shoulders get wrapped in a sarong, handed out against a 200 baht deposit. Hours, address and history are on the Sanctuary of Truth page. On your own: songthaew to Naklua and a 15-minute walk toward the sea, or a scooter. If you'd rather not hunt for the way and queue at the ticket office, there's a Sanctuary of Truth tour with hotel transfer and ticket for 800 baht, departing daily.
2. The Big Buddha and the viewpoint on Pratumnak Hill are two free spots five minutes apart. The 18-metre golden statue has been gazing out to sea since 1977, and the temple is open roughly from 7:00 to 22:00; from the viewpoint, 98 metres up, you see Pattaya and Jomtien at once, and the best light comes at sunset. The road up is a winding climb, so people come by scooter, motorbike taxi or on foot from Jomtien. Pages: Big Buddha and Pattaya Viewpoint.
3. The Floating Market is a theme park on canals 10-12 km south along Sukhumvit, bringing together the food and crafts of Thailand's four regions. A ticket for foreigners is about 200 baht on site, a boat ride along the canals takes 20-40 minutes, and it's open from 9:00 to 20:00. It's 15-20 minutes by taxi or Grab; a songthaew along Sukhumvit takes longer. More on the Floating Market page.
4. Mini Siam is a park of miniature replicas of the Eiffel Tower, Wat Arun and hundreds of other buildings from around the world, on Sukhumvit 3 km north of the centre. Tickets are about 300 baht for adults and 150 for children, open from 9:00 to 19:00, last entry at 18:00. A visit takes an hour to an hour and a half, and it's an easy stop on the way from North Pattaya. The Mini Siam page.
5. Underwater World Pattaya is an aquarium with a 105-metre acrylic tunnel where sharks and rays glide right over your head. Tickets are 550 baht for adults and 320 for children, open from 9:00 to 18:00, with scheduled fish feedings between 10:30 and 16:00 - time your visit for one, it's much more fun. It sits on Sukhumvit, so it pairs nicely with the Floating Market. The Underwater World page.
6. Art in Paradise is a 3D illusion museum on Second Road: 5,800 m² of painted scenes you step into and pose for photos. Open from 9:00 to 21:00 and air-conditioned inside, it's the go-to plan for rain and midday heat. Come as a pair or a group: half the illusions only work when someone shoots from the side. The Art in Paradise page.
Out of town - scooter, car or tour:
7. Nong Nooch Tropical Garden is 270 hectares of gardens 15-20 km south: a French garden straight out of Versailles, a Stonehenge replica, Dinosaur Valley and an elephant show. Tickets for foreigners are 500 baht without the show and 800 with it, children under 90 cm go free, 90-120 cm pay 360 baht, open from 8:00 to 18:00. By scooter it's about half an hour from the centre along Sukhumvit. The Nong Nooch garden page. This is the rare case where a tour barely costs extra: Nong Nooch with a Russian-speaking guide, transfer and ticket is 1,100 baht against 800 at the ticket office, and you're sure to make the morning elephant show.
8. Wat Yan and the Buddha on Khao Chi Chan cliff are two free spots 23 km south, five minutes' drive apart. Wat Yan is a working royal monastery with a lake and gardens, open from 8:00 to 17:00; on the neighbouring cliff shines the outline of a seated Buddha 109 metres tall, laid in golden mosaic, with work started in 1996 for the 50th anniversary of King Rama IX's reign, and you view it from the platform at the foot of the cliff from 6:00 to 18:00. No public transport comes out here, only scooter, car or taxi, so it makes sense to pair these two with Nong Nooch on the same day: all three are on the same road. The Wat Yan page, and on the map - Khao Chi Chan Buddha cliff.
9. Khao Kheow Open Zoo is 800 hectares without cages 40-45 km northeast, where you hand-feed giraffes and hippos and get around by electric cart. Tickets are 350 baht for adults and 120 for children, open from 8:00 to 17:00. On your own it's car or scooter only, along the highway, 45-60 minutes each way; with kids it's easier to book Khao Kheow zoo with transfer, a Russian-speaking guide and ticket for 800 baht: departure at 8:00, back at your hotel by 14:00, and on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and weekends the lemur island, where you can meet the lemurs up close, is open.
Sea:
10. Koh Larn is the biggest island near Pattaya and the main beach day of the trip. The ferry from Bali Hai pier takes 35-45 minutes, and since April 2026 a ticket costs 40 baht one way; a speedboat is 150-200 baht and takes 15-20 minutes. The pier takes cash only, and the last ferry back leaves at 18:00. Beaches: lively Tawaen by the ferry, quiet Samae, and Tien on the west side, which many call the prettiest. The Koh Larn page. If you don't feel like juggling ferries and rides between beaches, there's Koh Larn and Koh Sak in one day with lunch and snorkelling - 900 baht with hotel transfer, daily from 8:30 to 16:00 with English-speaking staff, and the second island can't be reached by ferry at all.
Evening:
11. Night markets and Terminal 21 make a free evening plan. Terminal 21 in North Pattaya is designed like an airport where every floor is a different country, and there's a free fountain show at the entrance every evening; Thepprasit market in South Pattaya runs Friday to Sunday from 17:00 to 23:00, and it's where people go for street food and cheap clothes. On the map - Thepprasit night market. Walking Street is a separate, grown-ups-only story, so better not to plan it with kids.
12. The Alcazar cabaret show is an hour-long performance with costumes and fireworks, no explicit scenes, free for kids under 5, with shows at 17:00, 18:30, 20:00 and 21:30. Front-row VIP seats with hotel transfer cost 900 baht, and after the show you can take photos with the performers.
With kids, the biggest hits are Nong Nooch, Khao Kheow zoo, Underwater World, Art in Paradise and Tawaen beach on Koh Larn with its gentle, shallow entry into the water; keep temples and viewpoints short and in the morning, before the heat. Everywhere in Thailand the child rate goes by height, not age, so a child taller than 140 cm pays the adult price at the Sanctuary of Truth.
Three mistakes that waste a day. The first is going to temples in shorts: you won't get into the Sanctuary of Truth or Wat Yan without covered knees and shoulders, and while a sarong on deposit saves the day, there can be a queue for it. The second is viewpoints and Nong Nooch at midday: from 11:00 to 15:00 the sun burns out both your photos and your mood, so plan temples for the morning and views for sunset. The third is Koh Larn without cash and without an eye on the clock: cards don't work at the pier, and after 18:00 there are no ferries, so the only way off the island is a private boat at extra cost.
Three-day cheat sheet:
1. Day one - Big Buddha and the viewpoint in the morning, the Sanctuary of Truth in the afternoon, Terminal 21 or Alcazar in the evening.
2. Day two - Koh Larn all day, ferry from Bali Hai at 7:00-10:00 or the two-island tour.
3. Day three - Nong Nooch in time for the morning elephant show, Wat Yan and the Buddha on the cliff after lunch; with kids, Khao Kheow zoo instead.
All Pattaya tours with prices, schedules and booking up to 60 days ahead are in the tour catalogue, and pages for every place in this article, with opening hours and addresses, are in the Pattaya attractions section.
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